F'lar had gone to muster Benden Weyr, sending sweep-riders to warn the most obviously vulnerable holdings along the Nerat and Benden coastline. Few on the rest of the planet would have any idea what had just happened in the Eastern Sea. It was Monaco that would suffer the first huge wave. T'gellan had thirty-four experienced older bronze riders to manage evacuations. F'lar would ask J'fery at Telgar and G'dened at Ista to send more bronzes to assist. Manora and Brekke would organize supplies, food, medicines, and healers. She would organize Landing. She had before. Ramoth had called Benden's junior queens to help with dragons coming and going. Jaxom and Sharra would bring Sebell. They'd have to call a conference with Lord Holders and Craftmasters-that is, as soon as she had enough details.

She finished the last of her klah and turned as she heard the door click open. Erragon stood there, his face expressively conveying that his "details" were not going to be good news. Resolutely, he closed the door and strode over to the Mercator projection, fumbling to extract a red marker from his pocket.

"I'm afraid," he said, "that while Monaco Bay is in the direct line of only one main wave, it will also be inundated by several waves, diffracted by the inner Ring islands." He put his red marker on the islands and made a rapid downward stroke, ending at the coastline. "I figure the first wave-"

"First wave?" Lessa exclaimed.

"Urn, yes, first wave of five, to be accurate." While Lessa was speechless, he hurried on. "The first will strike at Monaco Bay at four hours fifteen minutes, local time-three hours and twenty five minutes after impact-and hit the Jordan River mouth an hour and a half later. Rather spectacularly, in fact." He paused. "I can't help it, Lady Lessa."

"That's just the first wave?" she asked grimly.

"Stinar's trying to do a diagram so you-so we all-can see how the waves will be spaced and reflect against the shore. One comes in a straight line from the impact site. The others won't be as strong, of course, as the unimpeded tsunami." He tapped the headland that jutted out into the sea east of Monaco Bay. "The cape may provide some protection, but the harbor facility…" He shrugged with regret. "I'm confident that the dolphins will warn ships at sea. We know they do. They will surely have feltthe impact. They are so tuned in to their medium. Ships may not experience more turbulence or be much the worse for it. It's when a tsunami meets the shore, or shoals or shallows, that it crests and runs in. As to Cove Hold, Lady Lessa, it's shielded by the point east of the coast and the islands between-" He tapped it by way of demonstration. "-from some of the waves that Monaco Bay will experience. Additionally, the underwater extension of the eastern point at the Upwelling will break incoming waves. Spectacular breakers but much less actual wave height until fairly far west along the coast. Most of what the Cove will see is a splash wave as a result of the secondary wave breaks." He gave her a swift ingratiating smile.

Lessa shifted restlessly in her chair. Devastated by Erragon's talk of fivetsunamis striking Monaco Bay, she felt perversely irritated by the fact that they had only recently restored the Hold to its pre-hurricane elegance.

"I suppose the news about Cove Hold provides a little relief." Instantly aware of how bitter she sounded, she held up her hand, "Which is none of your fault, to be sure." She nodded at him to continue. Better to hear the worst and clear her mind to plan how to proceed.

"Now, there will be flooding west of Cove Hold." His pen crossed the open area to the out-jutting of Southern. "These two coastlines will also be flooded," his pen moved again, "possibly with less force."

"The new Dolphin Hall?" she asked, hoping that young Readis's new project would survive.

"I believe it's on the west side so this headland," and he marked the spot to the right of the mouth of the Rubicon river, "will protect it. There might be a very high tide but the dolphins will surely have spread the warning."

"That's their bargain with humans," Lessa said drolly. "However, to go on west," Erragon continued, almost as inexorably as that wretched tsunami, Lessa thought to herself, "Macedonia will experience four different waves, but I understand that coastline is not well settled."

"Then Monaco has not been singled out?" Lessa asked caustically. She had to find some balance in this calamity; her mind roiled with all they would have to do. At least this time they would be able to rescue those most vulnerable, unlike the hurricane that had taken them by surprise. She had to keep that thought foremost in her mind.

"Oh, no," Erragon assured her. "The most direct wave will arrive in Macedonia about nine hours after impact, about four in the afternoon local time. Then a direct tsunami will strike Southern Hold about eleven hours after impact-four in the afternoon local time. The second will arrive about fifteen minutes later and the third at about four fifty, local time."

"Toric is going to be furious," Lessa commented, but that caused her none of the heartache that she had felt on hearing about Monaco Bay.

"On the Northern continent," Erragon went on as he shifted his all too busy red marker upward, "a tsunami will strike the Foot of Nerat, and all the way up the shore." Lessa sat straight up as she saw him reddening the entire eastern coastline.

"But there's time," Erragon assured her. "Three to four hours afterimpacting on the southern shores, the other section of the waves will reach High Shoal in front of Loscar and demolish it-which, I understand from seamen, might reduce the dangerous currents the Shoal produces. Loscar will definitely need to be evacuated but there's time enough to get people to foothills. Even a good portion of their belongings and herdbeasts. You see, there's not much to stop the straight line of the tsunami as it radiates due west from the impact site."

Lessa stared, disbelieving the extent of a "wave,"

"Ista," Erragon continued, producing a tentative smile, "will only get ripples produced by reflection off Nerat's Toe. They did suffer far more damage during the hurricane." He paused briefly, and turned to the other side of the Mercator projection. Lessa gasped.

"The Western Ring of islands will absorb much of the tsunami's force, though, from the tip of Tillek and south to the end of Southern Boll, they can expect to experience tsunami about sixteen hours after impact, or four-thirty in the morning their local time. It will reach the west coast of Fort, much of which is rocky, about twenty-one hours after impact, seven in the morning their time. Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Lessa echoed.

"Yes, it takes time even for something as violent as a tsunami to cross that much sea. The farther away from the impact point or the secondary points, the less the expected effect of the incoming wave. It will spread out and reduce amplitude until it encounters an obstacle."

"Like Monaco Bay," Lessa murmured bitterly.

"For instance," Erragon said, trying to interject a positive note, "the west coast of Southern, from lerne Island to the tip on the east side of Great Bay, will feel only a small effect from the eastward wave." Now he looked closely at the map and, checking longitude and latitude, made a little X. "The two waves, what's left of them after losing much of their energy, will intersect in the open sea at about Longitude two degrees at Latitude fifteen degrees, but I don't think that'll be notable."

Lessa regarded him blankly. Erragon continued.

"The worst of all this should be over in about sixteen to seventeen hours" he said in an attitude of encouragement.

"I hope you'll be able to repeat this, Erragon," she said wearily. "We are obliged to inform those Lord Holders most affected. Now that we know who they are."