"I'm away. Golanth will inform Ramoth!" He raised his hand in farewell and the big bronze ran a few steps to launch himself and abruptly disappeared.

"You must have a word with him," Lessa said under her breath to her weyrmate, scowling.

"Why?"

"He shouldn't take off that quickly and scarcely a wing's span above the ground. He's setting a bad example for young riders."

F'lar grinned, surreptitiously looking around. "No young riders nearby and it's still too dark for him to have been seen."

Lessa glared up at him. "I doubt he checked. For all we know, S'lan may have seen. You know how he tries to be like his father."

"Let's finish our breakfast. Now, while we've a chance."

"With that thing still glowering overhead?"

"Why not? We've seen the displays. If it starts to drop on us, we're safer in the Lower Cavern than out here. And it's cold."

With that, Lessa agreed and, with one last look at yet another trio of bright flarings, she huddled close against his warmth on their way back inside.

Drum messages from Telgar Hold had roused Sebell. Beside him, Menolly groaned.

"Now what?"

" 'Shooting stars, unexpected, confirm.' Confirm what?" Sebell said, hauling his heavy robe from the chair.

"At this hour? Couldn't it wait until morning?" Menolly complained sleepily.

"Probably," Sebell replied, tying the belt tightly to keep out the cold. "But Larad's not generally nervous." He went to the window of their bedroom. He couldn't see anything in the east, as the cliffs around Fort Hold occluded his view. He did see a light come on up at the Hold.

Groghe! He said the name to himself. The old Lord did not sleep well at night, so he'd hear any drum message and want a full report. Sebell sighed.

"Go back to sleep, Menolly," he said softly and watched her, with the deep and abiding affection he had for his extraordinarily talented mate, as she cuddled into the warm spot he had just left. He picked up the hand light, found his fleece-lined house shoes, and made his way through their apartment, down the stairs. Ronchin, who was on duty in the Hall, was turning on more lights. He pointed out the window and Sebell saw a figure running down the steps of the Hold, toward the short tunnel that linked the Hold with the Hall. Haligon, probably, Groghe's usual messenger. He was not particularly surprised to see a dragon settle in the big forecourt of the Harper Hall. He gestured for Ronchin to throw up the bar on the heavy door and open one leaf for their visitors.

"Ruth and Jaxom called me to Ruatha," N'ton said urgently. "There's a meteor or a comet in the east, showering stuff. Had a look at it through those binoculars of Jaxom's. It isn't a late Ghost and, for all it's in the east, it most certainly is not a return of the Red Star."

"Red Star?" Haligon, just entering the Hall, repeated that with scornful incredulity. "Couldn't be. Father thinks the Abominators are up to something."

"Not this," N'ton said, shaking his head. "I spoke with Sharra, as Jaxom and Ruth had gone straight to Landing. There are reports of seeing these shooting flares from Telgar, Benden, Cove, and Landing. There'll be more messages in, Sebell, so I thought you ought to be aware."

"Then what is it?" Haligon asked, straightening hurriedly donned clothes and trying to look more alert than cold and sleepy.

"That's what we'll have to find out," Sebell said. He motioned them to go into his office. "Bring us some klah, Ronchin, will you? I'm sure the Harper Hall will be the first to know what's going to keep us up all night." He stirred up the fire and threw more black stone on it.

"It has nothing to do with Abominators, does it?" Haligon asked. "I told Father it couldn't have."

"How?" N'ton asked with some exasperation. Lord Groghe had been seeing Abominators in anything unusual. He strode to the big map of Pern hanging on the wall and pointed as he explained. "Watchrider at Telgar saw it and at the same time it appeared to be directly overhead at Benden, visible from Cove Hold and Landing. That would make it very high up, probably above the atmosphere. I doubt even Aivas could have rigged such a display over such an immense distance. So tell Lord Groghe to discard any notion of an Abominator scheme. Ramoth said Golanth and F'lessan have gone to Landing. They'll report directly to her. We'll know as soon as she does."

Haligon's face was thoughtful, obviously trying to figure out what to say to allay his father's alarm when Menolly, well wrapped in a robe, arrived with a tray of steaming cups of klah.

"I didn't mean to wake you," Sebell said.

"You didn't but Haligon's boots did," and she gave the Holder a mock-angry scowl as she passed cups around.

"You're very good to Lord Groghe, you know," she added in quiet approval.

"Then it has to have come from beyond Pern," Sebell said. "Abominators cannot have contrived that."

"Whatever it is," Menolly said cheerfully, handing Haligon his cup of klah, "the Abominators will be sure that somehow Aivas arranged it Turns ago."

"How?"demanded the three men in chorus.

She shrugged. "Or maybe the Red Star is on its way back? You know how many people feel that we should never have tampered with it in the first place."

Fairs of fire-lizards blanketed the air above Landing as F'lessan arrived. They were volatile at any time, and, on this morning, were exceedingly raucous and flying in intricate acrobatic displays, screaming in cacophonous descants. Their antics did not, however, obscure the next burst from the object in the sky. It amazed F'lessan that the phenomenon of a fireball, which could seem directly above Benden, could be visible in almost the same position here at Landing. It was brighter, which meant, he thought, that it was very bright indeed to be seen in daylight over Landing. And casting odd shadows, coming from the west, which was eerier. He hoped that Yokowould have noted the increase in its magnitude. Could it be a comet, swooping down so close to Pern? Hopefully, he thought, on a hyperbolic orbit that would give everyone a beautiful display, a bad fright, and then disappear, still shedding part of its mass. Unusual! Most unusual! Exhilarating, too, in a scary way!

He saw more dragons emerge from betweenand recognized Monarth, with green Path on his right. So Monaco Bay was curious, too. A host more of dragons appeared. These were occluding his view of the fireball, clearly visible on the northeastern horizon. He shouldn't waste any time getting to the Interface office and Yoko'sscreens. He wondered how long the old ship's telemetry had been monitoring it. This would be much more interesting than astronomy accounts of things that had happened a long time in the past.

Put me down, Golly.

There're too many people.Golanth said, backwinging strongly as he was unable to find enough space in the dense swarm of people in front of Admin, nervous fire-lizards dipping and flitting above them.

They'll move.F'lessan hadto see the thing, the fireball, whatever it was, land.

They've nowhere to move to,Golanth told him.

Cursing under his breath, F'lessan examined the mass of heads and bodies, the ring of guards around the door preventing entry. It would take time to push through that crowd and he was boiling with eagerness to see Yoko'stelemetry reports.

Land on the roof,he told his dragon.

But I'm heavy.

Just get me close enough to drop on it.F'lessan swung his right leg over the last neck ridge, slightly swaying with Golanth's maneuvering to get directly over the roof. Golanth raised his foreleg. This was an exercise rider and dragon had perfected in drill for use when the dragon couldn't land and the rider had to reach the ground. F'lessan smoothly dropped to the sturdy forearm, his feet dangling in the air as he let his hands slide down to Golanth's paw, hanging on to the talons. Right over the entrance,F'lessan added. I'll just drop to the ground. Someone'll break my fall.