Chap. 201 Firefight

Chap. 201 Firefight

Something is burning Raventh said.

What?

At that moment their fire lizards appeared, swirling over their heads and screeching in dismay.

K’ndar, Lizard and Sandriss all saw their images of an oncoming wall of flame.

“Fire?”

“My word, look at the smoke! The steppe is burning!”

They all froze, instinctively checking the wind.

Far out on the steppe, they could see a plume of smoke rapidly building into a column. Below it, a roiling wall of smoke preceded the flames.

“It’s coming right at us,” Fland said, in a voice of ice.

“FIRE!” Mardriss yelled, and within moments, a bell began to ring.

K’ndar had grown up with the dangers of a grass fire. Before, their cothold had been small enough that they could take cover in the caverns. Back then, as a child, he’d had an assigned task, that of hand pumping buckets of water from their well. Always before, the fire had run before the prevailing winds, away from the cothold. But today, the winds were smack on in their faces.

Mardriss started to snap orders. The womenfolk began hustling to find their children. The fire lizards were still weeping in dismay.

He felt useless. What to do, I have to do something! But he’d been gone too long to know what his prescribed task would be.

Fland grabbed his arm.

“What!!” he shouted, and then embarrassed, apologized. “I don’t know what to do, what do you want me to do?”

Fland nodded in understanding. “K’ndar. Do you remember where we used to store firestone?”

“Um…um…” He’d forgotten they’d even had firestone. Then he remembered a hollow in the cavern where it’d been stored for probably as long as he’d lived there. It’d never been used, and as a kid, he wondered why they even had it.

“Yes!”

“I can’t run to show you where it is, K’ndar, not with my leg, but it’s still there. K’ndar, you have Raventh. Get the firestone, feed it to Raventh , and have him burn a backfire. A firebreak.”

“A…a firebreak. I’ve never…”

“We have about 30 minutes, if I’m any judge. A backfire is where you purposefully burn a section of the grass so that the wildfire stops as there is nothing to burn. Start firing the grass here, no, wait…the livestock needs the space…” Four of the hands raced past them on horseback, shepherd dogs at their heels, intending to drive the grazing livestock into the paddocks.

“The herds-they’re out on the steppe, grazing, see, on the other side of the farthest fenceline? By the egg, it was smart of Mardriss to rebuild the fences with stone! By the time Raventh’s got a big stomach of flame, we’ll have most of the herds here in this and the paddock further out. We’ll need to stop it on the other side of the far paddock, otherwise, we won’t have any grazing left. K’ndar. Listen. You go upwind, lay down a nice wide path of flames on the other side of the rock walls. Try to get it out as far as it can go, it’s been grazed down pretty well. It will eat up grass and when the fire hits it, it will die. Circle the cothold if you can, we can fight the little stuff if it jumps the wall. Understand?”

K’ndar was befuddled for a moment.

I know what he wants. Get the firestone. Hurry

“Raventh knows! Got it!” he shouted at Fland, and began to run.

“Douse a bandana in water and put it over your nose!” Fland shouted as he began to limp towards the barn.

__________________________________________________________________________

It seemed like it’d been hours, but K’ndar realized it had taken less than an hour for the wildfire to pass them, unharmed.

The fire had come fast, despite there being little wind. The herds of horses and cattle had bolted for the safety of the hold, not needing the snapping whips of the ranger riders to convince them. They piled up at the walls until the children opened the gates. The animals poured through them into the main cothold, where the ground was paved with stone and bare of vegetation. There they milled about, calves bawling for their mother, the herd bull in consternation at the crowding, the stallion trying to keep everybody clustered together.

The roaring of the flames, the panicked flight of birds and insects, and the smoke turned the peaceful morning into a chaotic cacophony of noise.

Within moments, he understood the concept. Raventh flew a line paralleling the rock walls, laying down a neat line of flames that eagerly devoured the close cropped grass. It made its way slowly upwind, having to work at it.

The smoke was thick and filled with airborn, burning sparks. It was too thick to see through. The heat dried out his bandana within moments, but it still kept out most of the smoke. He and Raventh were flying blind, but the fire lizards, flying high above the flames and smoke, kept the brown dragon on course.

As always, he thrilled at riding his fire breathing dragon. It was only much later, when it was all over, that he would realize how sore his throat was, but he couldn’t remember if it was from the smoke, or the heat, or his whooping in exhilaration.

He’d had just enough firestone to encircle the cothold with flames.

I’m empty of firestone Raventh said,Where should I land?

K’ndar was stumped. The cothold’s main area was crowded with livestock. Most of them were used to dragons, but he didn’t want to cause a stampede. People were rushing about, putting out spot fires that had jumped the walls, dogs were in an uproar, children shouting as they raced with buckets and damp mops. The smoke was everywhere.

He saw Mardriss as they circled the cothold.

“Mard! We need a spot to land!” he shouted, hurting his throat.

“K’ndar!” Mardriss’s shouted, his voice harsh from smoke, “Land atop the cavern! The new barn cavern! We’ll run the livestock back out into the paddocks.”

Yes, he thought, that was the best place. The large outcropping had served them in many ways, now it was a dragon’s landing place.

He could hear people coughing. Men began to shout and snap whips, getting the animals to move into the paddocks. He heard Mardriss yell “We did it! The fire’s stopped!” From his vantage point, he saw the flames swooping around the cothold and heading for the foothills. There they would probably die, as the river that ran at the edge of the foothills had stone banks.

Raventh backwinged and landing expertly atop the outcrop. K’ndar dismounted.

They were above the smoke. He tore the bandana off his face and took in deep lungsfull of clean air. It set him coughing. His eyes were itching and weeping from the smoke. Wish I’d thought to wear my goggles, but..I had no time.

Siskin arrived from somewhere and perched atop Raventh’s head, chittering and whickering, talking a mile a minute.

A cool wind arrived, blowing the smoke from the cothold.

It’s nice up here! I can breathe fresh air.

We used to climb up here and pretend we were on a ship at sea K’ndar said.

Did you get seasick?

K’ndar roared in laughter. Oh, so funny, lizard. Ha ha.

It was busy, for a while I had five fire lizards all shouting to me at once.

I only heard Siskin. You’re right, he was pretty excited.

I’d forgotten how bad firestone tastes Raventh said.

Sorry, but..you did so well out there. I had no idea what to do, but you did!

Lanarth told me. Back off, I have to empty the ash out of me.

Raventh’s neck curled tightly and he hacked up the depleted firestone ash, like a cat hacking up a hairball. It stank.

Lanarth? Fland’s dead dragon?

Then he noticed small black marks on Raventh’s sides.

You’ve been burned!

Not badly. It hurts a little but not like thread score.

“Mard!! We need to come down, Raventh’s been burned!”

He heard several shrieks of dismay.

Glyena shouted, “I’ll get some numbweed and ointment!!” He saw his sister run into their mother’s cottage.

“Give us a few minutes to clear the cothold, these beasts are still panicky. Are you okay? Are you burnt?” his brother shouted.

He wondered, but his nerves were too wired at the moment.

“I don’t think so, but I’m not sure!”

I would like to go to the river. I’d like to clean up and your brother’s stock pond is too shallow. You have marks on your face.

He suddenly realized that he, too, had encountered small bits of airborne, burning vegetation as they’d flown through the smoke. He coughed, his lungs feeling stuffy from the smoke.

That’s a good idea. Let’s go down to the ground, I’ll let them know we’re going to do that. My mother will give me something for my face. I wish I’d worn my riding jacket, my shirt’s been burned.

————————————————————————————————————————–

“Mum, I’m fine, I need to see to Raventh’s…”

“NOT UNTIL I FINISH TREATING YOUR BURNS,” his mother growled, her tone brooking no disobedience.

She held his chin firmly, turning his head this way and that as she applied the ointment.

“Best not argue with your mum, K’ndar,” said one of the women.

“Sir, Glyena is treating your dragon. She says she’s helped heal dragons before,” one of the watching children said,”I think she’s a beddernarian.”

K’ndar started to laugh, but his mother’s grip, and the child’s mother expression warned him to refrain from correcting the child. It WAS cute, he had to admit.

“Hold STILL, K’ndar. I’m almost done,” Daryat said.

She held his eye and he dropped the idea of arguing.

He was barechested, having pulled the remnants of his shirt from his back. It had protected him from the sparks, but was nothing but a rag now.

He’s a grown man, Daryat thought, with chest hair and a deepened voice. I shouldn’t be treating him like a child, but men! they’ll pretend they aren’t hurting, why, I don’t know. They act as if their testicles will fall off if they admit to feeling pain. Like Fland, that idiot, never a complaint out of him even though I know his leg pains him often. Like today, when he tried running on it! Men can be so stupid! I’ll not let this young buck of mine off so easily.

“It won’t be but a minute. You take Raventh to the river and let him wash off, then you’re going to have something to eat after you come back. If there’s time, Mardriss wants to go out and see if they can find some of the stock, we’re missing a few cows and at least one horse,” she said, holding his face as she daubed ointment. “I just hope they’re not burned up and hurting. I can’t bear to think of anything suffering from burns,” she said.

“Mum, I’m not a little boy…” he said, feeling odd at her holding his face.

“Shut up. Stop fidgeting. You are my little boy until I say different.”

The women behind her laughed. It wasn’t meant meanly.

“Aye, K’ndar, you should know, when Daryat goes full alpha mare, you may just as well submit,” one said.

“I’ll take your shirt, K’ndar, it’s been burnt to shreds. My man, he has a shirt that will fit you, I think,” another said, gathering up the remnants.

“Thank you,” he said, through his mother’s grip.

“Anyone else burned? Hurt?” he asked.

“No, just you, and Raventh. You and Raventh saved everything.”

She turned his face so that their eyes met.

“Thank you, K’ndar,” she said, her eyes shining with love and pride, “you were so clever.”

“Mum..it was Fland, reminding me of the firestone. And Raventh, he knew how to make a firebreak. I wouldn’t have thought of it,” he said.

“Maybe so, but it was you and Raventh who did it, so just accept my gratefulness,” she said.

__________________________________________________________________________

Raventh came out of the river, looking much happier. Siskin rode on his withers, cheeping. He always loved it when it was Just Them.

Feeling better?

Much. It was mostly the itch of the ash. But the numbweed helped, too.

Spread your wings. I want to check them.

Glyena checked them

I believe you, but I won’t be happy until I check.

Raventh obeyed. K’ndar stood underneath them, looking for any holes that might show up with the sun filtering through them. These wings, he thought, so seemingly fragile and yet tough. And he never failed to thrill at the sight of his dragon’s fully outstretched wings. Such a thing of beauty! He dragged his admiration aside and checked both wings for holes.

Drop the right one, there’s a few holes just near the alula.

He daubed numbweed on the holes, more out of sense of care rather than expecting it to heal. When he got back to the Weyr he’d have Salish, the weyr’s dragon healer and veterinarian, do his magic. Even so, Glyena had done a good job at first aid.

By the egg, your wings are beautiful. Just like you! he said

I am handsome, am I not? Ravenths eyes whirled a happy blue.

Most definitely.

You knew just what to do out there! Do all dragons know how to fight a fire?

Maybe. It is one of the things we did during an Interval, when there was no threadfall. And Siskin told me his kind remembered seeing us fighting fires.

He snorted, trying to clear his nostrils.

But I couldn’t have done it without the fire lizards. I was blind from the smoke. I couldn’t see where to flame. The fire lizards…they flew up and ahead of me, they could see it clearly. They told me where where I need to flame. I couldn’t have done it without them.

And Lanarth?? You said Lanarth helped you? Fland’s dragon Lanarth?

Yes. He might be gone in body, but he is still in Fland’s heart and head. We never leave you. Impression is forever.

Amazing. A long dead dragon, still teaching.

What did he say?

Raventh was silent for long moments, thinking of how to describe it.

It wasn’t a ‘say’. It wasn’t like the way you and I talk. It was more like the way Siskin talks, with pictures and feelings. He showed me how to flame in just the right spots so that the fire would starve. Not words. I don’t know if it’s that way with all dead dragons. I don’t hear dead dragons if the rider is dead, too. It’s the first time I’ve ever heard a dead dragon when the rider is still alive.

Did Fland say anything to you?

No. I don’t think he knows. He tries to not talk to me. He is still missing Lanarth. Maybe it was Fland, but it was Lanarth’s voice.

Most of the black marks on Raventh’s skin had been char, but there were some wounds that Glyena hadn’t been able to reach. He studiously daubed numbweed on them.

Did I get them all ?

Raventh was silent for a few moments, searching himself for pain.

It feels like it. Thank you.

Raventh furled his wings and tucked them neatly along his side.

We make a good team. I am glad we are brothers.

He threw his arms around Raventh’s neck and hugged him tight, for long moments.

No words were needed.