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the room, chittering excitedly. There was nothing for them to cling to, since the walls were bare of hangings and the bed a frame, empty of rushes, the sleeping fur rolled up on the small press. The two green Aunties and blue Uncle fought for landing space on the stool and then zoomed out the window again as Dunca’s screams startled them. The little cotholder cowered in the corner, skirts about her head, shrieking.
    Menolly ordered the browns to stop diving, told Auntie One and Two and Uncle to stay on the window ledge, got Rocky and Diver to settle on the bedstead while Silvina calmed Dunca and led her from the corner. By the time the cotholder had been cajoled into watching Silvina handle Lazybones, who’d let anyone caress him so long as it involved no effort on his part, Menolly realized that Dunca would never be comfortable in their presence and that the woman disliked Menolly intensely for witnessing her fearfulness. For a long, sad moment, Menolly wished that she could have stayed at the Weyr where everyone could accept fire lizards equably.
    She sighed softly to herself as she stroked Beauty, absently listening to Silvina’s reassurances to Dunca that the fire lizards wouldn’t harm anyone, not her, not her charges; that Dunca’d be the envy of every other cotholder in Fort to have nine fire lizards …
    ‘Nine?’ Dunca’s protest came out in a terrified squeak, and she reached for her skirts to throw over her head. ‘Nine of those beastly things flitting and diving about
my
home—’
    ‘They don’t like to stay inside, except at night,’ said Menolly, hoping to reassure Dunca. ‘They’re rarely all with me at one time.’
    From the horrified and malicious look Dunca gave her, Menolly realized that she herself would be rarely with Dunca if the cotholder had anything to say in the matter.
    ‘We can stop here no longer now, Menolly. You’ve to pick a gitar from the workshop,’ said Silvina. ‘If you need more rushes, Dunca, you’ve only to send your woman to the Hall,’ she added as she motioned Menolly to precede her from the room. ‘Menolly will be more closely involved with the Hall than the other girls …’
    ‘She’s to be back here at shutter time, same as the others, or stay at the Hall,’ said Dunca as Silvina and Menolly went down the steps.
    ‘She’s strict with the girls,’ Silvina remarked as they emerged into the bright midday sun and started across the broad paved square, ‘but that’s to the good with all those lads vying for their attention. And take no heed to her grumbles over Petiron. She’d hoped to wed him after Merelan died.
I’d
say Petiron resigned as Fort Hold Harper as much to get free of Dunca as to clear the way for Robinton. He was so very proud that his son was elected Masterharper.’
    ‘Half-Circle Sea Hold is a long way from Fort Hold.’
    Silvina chuckled. ‘And one of the few places isolated enough to prevent Dunca from following him, child. As if Petiron would ever have taken another woman after Merelan. She was the loveliest person, a voice of unusual beauty and range. Ah, I miss her still.’
    More people were about: field workers coming in for their midday meal; a party of men on leggy runners, slowing to an amble through the crowd. An apprentice, intent on his errand, ran right into Menolly. He was mouthing an apology when Beauty, peering through Menolly’s hair, hissed at him. He yelped, ducked with an apprentice’s well-developed instinct, and went pelting back the way he’d come.
    Silvina laughed. ‘I’d like to hear his tale when he gets back to his hall.’
    ‘Silvina, I’m—’
    ‘Not a word, Menolly! I will not have you apologizing for your fire lizards. Nor will Master Robinton. There will always be fools in the world like Dunca, fearful of anything new or strange.’ They had entered the archway of the Harper Hall. ‘Through that door, across the stairhall, and you’ll find the workshop. Master Jerint is in charge. He’ll