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Pélléña was but seven when Pateri (her older brother) impressed bronze Trialth, and became P'ri. Ever since it had been her ambition to become a queenrider.
Chapter 1:
Pélléña pulled Moon to
a halt. "This sandy cove looks like good place to stop
for lunch," she commented. Finding a well shaded area
she sat down and opened her bag. Mother had packed a nice
lunch of spiderclaws, bread and a mug. Pélléña
decided to catch some fish to add to her lunch. She walked
down the beach towards the sea.
"Screeawtch," came the screetch of an angry queen fire-lizard. She had almost stumbled into its nest. The queen chased Pélléña away from her nest. Pélléña decided to just eat what she'd packed.
As soon as she was done her lunch she rode
home to tell mother about the clutch. "Hey mother,
you'll never guess what I found!" she exclaimed.
"What did you find this time?" asked
her mother in a long-suffering tone.
"A fire-lizard clutch!"
"I'll send Lolly to Benden with the news,
and you can show me where it is." replied her mother.
Pélléña and her mother brought the clutch back to the hold and put it in a bowl of sand by the hearth. Lolly took off immediately for Benden. Pélléña hoped that P'ri would come for the clutch.
A few days later P'ri came. Trialth
warned her of their imminent arrival and she immediately ran inside
to tell her parents. "Mother, P'ri is here!"
she announced.
"Good, I left the clutch in the basket.
You can greet P'ri for me." answered her mother from the
kitchens. She knew that the thing her daughter wanted most
was to have time to talk to P'ri. Those two had always been
very close siblings.
Pélléña ran outside to
greet her elder brother. Trialth landed neatly in the forecourt.
"P'ri, welcome to our humble hold. We are honored with
your presence."
"Sis, you know I don't fall for that."
P'ri replied and laughed good-naturedly. Pélléña
smiled and gave her older brother a hug.
"You got Lolly's message, Right?"
she asked, "The clutch should hatch soon. Maybe in
a sevenday." P'ri laughed at the wistful tone in her
voice. His sister envied him, though she tried to hide it,
and if nine was too young to Impress a dragon, fire-lizards would
suffice. P'ri was seven years older than his sister and
was her role model. She trusted him with all her secrets
and he never broke that trust.
"I have something very important to tell
you, sis." he laughed at her response, "Since you found
the clutch, you get two eggs!"
"Do I really?" she asked, "You
mean two fire-lizards of my very own? You're not kidding,
are you?"
"No, I'm not kidding." he replied
as he stroked bronze Messalth, "You get two fire-lizards
for finding a clutch, the same reason I have Lokus and Messalth."
Pélléña showed him the clutch, hardening
in the basket. Carefully she picked out two eggs for herself,
and then put the rest of the clutch in in a fur-lined bag to protect
it from the cold of between.
P'ri left with the bag carefully strapped to
the riding harness. Trialth vaulted to the sky. Just
before they went between Trialth spoke to Pélléña
P'ri says that Lessa will be pleased.
