“We haven’t been able to do much,” Ara said modestly, her courage restored. “Once we had the house finished—” she broke off apologetically and looked anxiously at Jayge. He was sitting beside her, one arm lightly around her shoulders, the other hand clasping hers.

“You’ve done marvels, my dear,” Robinton corrected her firmly. “A skiff, fishing; we saw the animal pens and your garden—the undergrowth you’ve cleared!”

“Haven’t you been troubled by Threadfall?” P’ratan asked anxiously, speaking for the first time.

“We stay out of it,” Jayge replied with a wry grin, then smiled apologetically at the startled dragonrider. “I’m of trader Blood and survived the first Telgar Fall. So I’m used to being holdless.”

“We never know just how our lives take shape, do we?” Master Robinton remarked, smiling with great good humor.

Jayge offered their guests klah and slices of fresh fruit, and bread Aramina had baked the previous day. She apologized for the texture, saying that she had not quite worked out the right grinding stones. Then she insisted on joining the Harper and the green rider on a tour of the other buildings on the river banks. Readis was persuaded to leave Master Robinton and go with his father and Piemur to salvage the nets and any fish they still contained.

“Impressive, truly impressive,” Robinton kept saying as they moved from one place to the next, touching a wall, checking a door’s closure, scuffing his boots on the floor. P’ratan said little, but his eyes were round, and he kept shaking his head in wonder, regarding Aramina with some awe. “Quite an extensive place. There must have been at least a hundred people living here, working the fields, fishing and—” He waved his hand distractedly. “—doing whatever else they did to create such durable materials.”

When they reached the shed that was being used as a beasthold, he leaned against the rail, another remnant of the ancients’ manufacture. “And you say you tamed all these animals yourselves?” He smiled at her as a little queen swooped gracefully to land on her shoulder. “Do you hear what they say?”

He spoke kindly, but Aramina flushed and ducked her head in momentary embarrassment. “They talk a lot of nonsense,” she said so disparagingly that the Harper sensed that recent fire-lizard conversations might have distressed her. “They are very good, minding Readis when we both have to be out of the hold. And Piemur showed us that they can be far more useful than we thought.” She slid open a high, wide door in the biggest of the buildings. “This is where we found most of the useful stuff,” she told them just as Jayge and Piemur rejoined them. With a brief apology, P’ratan wandered back to his green, who was basking on the sand.

“What we need,” the Harper said, planting his fists on his belt, “is an accurate rendering of the settlement.” He looked around the dim storehouse, at the pile of nets and the tumble of crates and barrels. “Where each building is, the state of it—a list, if you wouldn’t mind, of the items you’ve made use of, what’s left! I think I must send for Perschar. He finds it tedious to draw straight rows of empty buildings.”

“Perschar?” Jayge exclaimed.

“You’ve met him?” Robinton was surprised.

“I was one of those who assaulted Thella’s mountain base,” Jayge replied with a bark of laughter. “I know him! I didn’t know that you did.”

“Of course I did. I prevailed on him to use his talents for the Harper Hall, and so I’d been informed of many of the thefts and the ingenious ways in which they were carried out long before Asgenar and Larad realized what was happening. Would you mind Perschar coming here for a few days on my behalf?”

Jayge hesitated, caught Ara’s nod, and agreed. “A very clever man, and brave.”

“Likes a bit of a challenge now and then, but he’s as discreet as they come.” The Harper smiled reassuringly at Ara. “I think some company would do you both the world of good. You can be on your own too long.” Piemur noticed the sly glance directed at him and snorted. “My Zair,” Master Robinton said, indicating the bronze fire-lizard that had landed on his shoulder only moments before, “could also take a message to your parents at Ruatha Hold if you’d like, Aramina. In fact, he’s quite capable of carrying several, you know,” he added, looking inquiringly at Jayge.

“Master Robinton—” Jayge began in a rush and then hesitated, looking helplessly at Aramina. She put her arm about his waist.

“Yes?”

“What are we?” And when the Harper regarded him in surprise, he elaborated. “Trespassers? Or what?” He gestured to the other buildings and the rich fields beyond. “Piemur says this isn’t anybody’s hold?” His voice lifted questioningly, and his eyes held an eloquent appeal.

Just as Piemur had hoped, the Masterharper had taken a liking to the couple. He beamed at them. “In my opinion,” he said, shooting his journeyman a stern look, “you have undeniably established a secure and productive hold here. In my opinion, Holder Jayge, Lady Aramina, you may now do as you see fit. You have two Harper witnesses here to properly attest to your claim. We’ll even wake P’ratan up,” he offered, gesturing to the beach where the old green and his rider were dozing in the sun, “and ride a sweep of what should be included in this Paradise River Hold.”

“Paradise River Hold?” Jayge asked.

“That’s what I’ve been calling it,” Piemur explained a bit sheepishly.

“It’s a perfect name, Jayge,” Ara put in. “Or should it be called ‘Lilcamp Hold?’ ” she added noncommittally.

“I think,” Jayge said, taking her hands in his and looking deeply into her eyes, “that naming it ‘Lilcamp Hold’ just because we got shipwrecked here would be presumptuous. I think out of gratitude we ought to use the name the ancients had for it.”

“Oh, Jayge, I do, too!” She threw her arms about his neck and kissed him. “Is becoming a holder as simple as this, Master Robinton?” Jayge asked, his face a bit red under his tan.

“In the south it will be,” the Harper announced firmly. “I shall, of course, submit this matter to the Benden Weyrleaders, who should be consulted, but you have demonstrated your ability to Hold on your own, and according to traditional methods”—he gave Piemur a stern glance as the journeyman guffawed—“that has always been the rule!”

“Then if you don’t mind, sir, if a message could be sent, could it be more than just that we’re alive?” Jayge’s face was eager, all trace of patient resignation erased. “There’s so much more that could be done with more hands. If that’s allowed?”

“It’s your hold,” the Harper said, and Piemur thought his tone defiant. The journeyman wondered just what the new Lord Toric’s reaction would be.

Jayge was looking across the river with a proprietary smile, reexamining buildings and the lush forestry crowding against them. Aramina whispered to him, and he looked down at her, giving her shoulders a squeeze.

“I’d like to send for some of my Bloodkin,” Jayge said.

“Always a good idea to have them share your good fortune,” the Harper said approvingly.

Although the Harper would have been happy to sift through the contents of the storehouse, Piemur, with some assistance from Jayge and Ara, urged him to come back to the cool house and compose the messages. Zair was dispatched to Ruatha Hold with reassurances to Barla and Dowell, while Farli went to the harper at Igen Hold, who would locate the Lilcamp-Amhold train and deliver Jayge’s missive.

“I’ve asked my aunt Temma and Nazer if they’d be willing to join us,” Jayge said tentatively as he finished writing. “Only how will they get here? I’m still not sure where we are!”

“Paradise River Hold,” Piemur replied irrepressibly.

“The Southern Continent is much more extensive than we originally believed,” Robinton said after a reproving glance at his journeyman. “Master Idarolan is still sailing eastward and updating me by means of his second mate’s fire-lizard. I believe that Master Rampesi is continuing westward past the Great Bay. In the meantime, I think we might prevail on P’ratan to convey your kin here, if they’re willing to come and wouldn’t overload Poranth. Would Temma and Nazer object to flying between on a dragon?” His eyes twinkled.