Chap. 301 The Clearings

Chap. 301 The Clearings

They landed on the northern shore of the big lake.

“This side is all Lord Toric’s land,” D’mitran said, looking at his data link.

They could see fishing boats on the lake. Small cotholds dotted the northern shore.

K’ndar scanned the southern shore with his binoculars. “I don’t see any sign of habitation,” he said.

“It doesn’t mean they’re not out there,” D’mitran said, “They may just be hidden underneath the trees, hiding from aerial view.”

“We’ll take a look, this is where we turn east, anyway. Let’s get something in our stomachs, and then we’ll scan the southern edge of the lake. From there, I think we’ve put in a good bit of work, we’ll pick it back up two days from now.”

“I want to get our data into the database as soon as possible,” D’mitran said.

“Yeah, I’d love to see what the database thinks of all those clearings we’ve seen,” Risal said. She sounded a bit odd, K’ndar thought.

“They are unusual, aren’t they? I counted twelve of them in, oh, rough estimate, a seventy kilometer baseline. All of them looking pretty much the same,” B’rost said.

“I want to see the photos Risal took of the wallawait, close up. And the clearing we saw it in. There’s something nibbling in the back of my mind, trying to tell me what the clearings are for,” K’ndar said.

“I’m wondering if perhaps one of Toric’s rogue dragonriders didn’t flame the clearing and then drop a human in the middle of it,” B’rost said. “Those kids at Big Lagoon did say that’s how they handle criminals here-take them out and dump them in the marsh.”

“But the kids also said Toric wouldn’t allow dragonriders in his lands.”

“Officially weyred dragonriders, Risal. Southern Weyr abandoned their weyr rather than support him, and later, all weyrs decided to boycott Lord Toric. That doesn’t mean there’s not a handful of rogue dragonriders working for him.”

Risal shivered. “If the sedges didn’t kill those dropped, I bet the wallawaits did. Brrr, what a gruesome way to die.” She had a horrible image of a person falling from the sky to be impaled on the sedge stiletto tops. I’ve never seen a more vicious plant, she thought. It gives me an entirely new appreciation for the baskets and screens those people make.

“I’m being completely dispassionate here,” D’mitran said, “but were I so cold blooded as to agree to drop a human or any living thing into the sedges, I wouldn’t bother making a nice open clearing for him. I’d just have Careth drop him. It makes for a faster death, I believe.”

“But far more painful,” K’ndar said.

K’ndar looked at D’mitran. They’d both been tasked to dispense with criminals.

“I know what you’re thinking, K’ndar. We’ve both done it, but we both released unharmed, unchained criminals out onto dry land in spots without killer plants.”

Risal said, “What was that all about?”

B’rost said, “I’ll tell you about it later. Trust me, the criminals had it coming.”

I still feel guilty about that, K’ndar thought. But if you don’t punish criminals, they are only emboldened.

He looked east. A cold wind was blowing from the southwest. Far to the south, the snow capped mountains of the Western Range shone in the wan sunlight. He was glad of his riding jacket, but it still wasn’t enough to keep out the chill.

He noticed Risal shivering.

“You’re cold, Risal.”

“Yes, I didn’t think it would be this cold. I didn’t dress for it. And I am still wet from my little, um, race against the wallawait. I was sweating like a hog!”

B’rost turned, angrily. “Why didn’t you say something? You’re still sweaty? I would have taken you to Landing immediately had I known that! Ever heard of hypothermia?”

Risal recoiled. “Um, well, no.”

“You’ve been in wet, cold clothes for the last two hours of flight?” he almost shouted.

“Yes.”

“And you can’t get warm. You’re shivering.”

She quailed. “I don’t want you to think I’m a sissy.”

“SISSY? My arse, Risal, this isn’t a case of courage, it’s dumb. Oh, I don’t mean that, I’m sorry, but this isn’t something that you conceal out of false bravado. You should have said something. People DIE from hypothermia!”

K’ndar had never seen such a mix of fury, dismay and sorrow on B’rost’s face.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“No, I am the sorry one, a sorry excuse for a healer! I’ve let you down!”

He looked at K’ndar. There was no need for words.

“Can you stand a few moments of between? Or should we make a fire for you to warm up?” he asked, looking at Risal.

She shrugged. “Between can’t be much worse than what I feel right now,” she said.

“Right. Let’s go home. Now,” K’ndar said.

“And when we get to Landing, ” B’rost said, in a voice K’ndar had never heard before, “You’re getting into the hottest bath they have and you’re STAYING in it until your skin wrinkles. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Sir.” Risal said. Then she grinned.

________________________________________________________________

D’mitran, B’rost and K’ndar stood behind Jansen as she finished downloading their data.

“Where’s Risal?” she asked.

B’rost grumbled. “She didn’t tell us she was soaking wet from sweat. I ordered her into a hot bath. If she’s not hypothermic, she was right on the edge of it.”

Jansen shook her head. “She’s tough, B’rost.”

“Not that tough, ma’am. I am angry at myself for not noticing her shivering, I am furious with myself for not thinking to ask her. And I’m mad that she didn’t say anything.”

Jansen nodded. “That’s what we girls do, B’rost. It’s always been hard for a female to be taken seriously in a world dominated by males. We’re forced to work twice as hard just to reach parity. Look at how hard so many Weyrs fought allowing girls to impress green dragons! Only because Lessa decided, this is what Pern will do from now on are there female green riders. Even me, a groundpounder, knows no one in their right mind goes against Lessa!”

“And they’ve more than proven themselves,” D’mitran said, “Greens and girls were my very best weapon against Thread.”

“So many men-and a lot of women, mind you, didn’t think that females should be in any leadership position,” she said. “Especially Holders. If you weren’t male, you weren’t even considered for Holder.”

“A lot of Crafthalls are Mastered by women, “B’rost protested, “And the Healer Hall has a female in command, now.”

“That’s true, but that’s been only in the last several decades. Crafters and dragonriders are a different kettle of fish from a Holder,” D’mitran said.

“And remember, we have a female Councilman, now. She’s sharp. But don’t think there wasn’t an awful lot of resistance at her nomination from many of the older Holders. Oh, the stink they raised during the Selection! But Lord Lytol said, “Fine, if you don’t want her, why don’t you volunteer, Lord Holder?” Oh, the ducking and diving that went on at that!” She laughed. “Anyway, I’ll check in on Risal later if you don’t or can’t,” she said.

“I’ll do it,” B’rost said. “She’s my friend. And I’ve been spending so much time here I should probably just request to be taken on, either as a geologist or a Healer.”

“Well, we do have a Healer, now, but I’ll ask the Council if another is desired. You’re fully fledged, yes?

“Yes,” B’rost said, “Mostly due to my work on the virus. I can’t say I know as much as most Healers. But I suspect part of the reason I was promoted so quickly is that I’m willing to go just about anywhere. I’m not fussy.”

“Yes, we know. They’re crediting you with tracking down the first victim. That was well done, B’rost, and because of you, the virus-they’re calling it “Delver virus” to keep people from handling delvers-was stopped in its tracks. Now they’re working on a vaccine to give to all infants, right along with those for firehead and plague. Now, let’s look at those pictures.”

“She was worried some of the pictures would come out blurry.”

“She shouldn’t have worried, the cameras are smart. Risal did a great job, catching the what do they call it? A ‘wallawait?”

“Aye. Wallawait. And it almost caught HER.”

“I’m surprised there’s nothing in the database. But then, the Ancients didn’t get as far as the marsh.”

Jansen called up the series of photos Risal had taken after escaping the wallawait.

She whistled. “Good grief, but that’s an ugly bugger. Look at those teeth!”

“Aye. And despite appearances, they can jump like a herd buck. This one launched like he had dragon legs,” B’rost said.

She did a closeup on the head. “This thing is all one narrow beast. That neck, it’s short but stout. I’m going to have an anatomist look at these.”

“She took pictures of the tracks. She thinks the beast is a saurian.”

“I have to disagree with Risal,” K’ndar said, “That’s no saurian. It’s reptile, I’ll bet my boots on that. The scales are an immediate giveaway.”

He pointed to the scales. “They’re big, for a reptile. They’re perfect armor for moving in through the sedges. That explains the narrow build, too.”

“Its eyes can be retracted into the skull,” B’rost said. “Risal first noticed them in the water, in that cloud of green algae. And when Siskin attacked it, the eyes vanished.”

“That’s a smart thing for a creature that lives in a world of daggers.”

“That tail, it looks like it could launch a dragon! I bet it’s a fast swimmer as well as a jumper,” K’ndar said. “Jansen, do a close up on the front feet, please?”

She zoomed in on one of the pictures that showed a foreleg in midair.

“Whoa. Those are some serious claws,” she said. “I’d hate to be grabbed by them.”

“No,” K’ndar said, after several moments of examination, “Look again. They’re curved, like sickles. They’re curved in the horizontal axis. Animals like the big cats, like our dragons, have vertical axis claws, for snagging prey. This thing’s claws aren’t for catching prey, they’re for, um, I’m not sure. Digging? See how they’re the same thickness all the way from tip to toe? See how the forelegs are stouter than the back legs? I can’t see any definition of scapula, which tells me they’re not meant for heavy work. The back four legs are for swimming and walking, see, the back feet are webbed and the claws are short and stout.”

“Risal said some of the tracks looked as if the claws were serrated,” B’rost said.

“Hmm,” Jansen said. “There must be a better view.” She back and forthed through several other photos. She settled on one and zoomed in.

“Those claws remind me of grappling hooks, something to pull with,” D’mitran said.

Jansen zoomed in on a shot of a clawed forefoot. “Look, they ARE serrated, on the inside of the curve.”

“That’s so odd. I can’t think of another animal with serrated claws. Why would they have serrations?”

They all stared at the photo, thinking, thinking.

“Wait. What’s all these stubby things?” Jansen asked.

“That’s stubble. There were a lot of dead sedges, cut off at the base. See, back out, please? Yes. See how the entire circle of cleared sand is full of sedge stubble? Someone went in there with a machete, I think, and cut down all the sedge. See how there’s no dead sedge in the clearing? They didn’t take the cut sedge with them. It’s all been stuffed in at the base of the live sedge,” B’rost said.

She zoomed out. “Not only that, it looks as if the dead sedges, well, it’s hard to see from this angle, but it appears to me as if even the stream has sedge stuffed in it, blocking the stream flow.”

“Not blocking the flow of water, only blocking movement out of and into the wall of living sedge,” D’mitran noted. “If it had blocked the stream, this would be a pool, not a clearing.”

“This makes no sense,” B’rost said. “How did someone get in here if not by dragonback? There’s no sign of flaming. Why would someone go to all this trouble to cut a clearing and then not take the sedges? Not only not take it, but shove it back in amongst the living sedge?”

“It looks like a barricade,” D’mitran said, “like what we install to keep infants from crawling out of a weyr and falling off the dragon ledge. You put up a little fence to keep ’em from escaping.”

“This wasn’t done by humans,” K’ndar said. What D’mitran had said-he stopped, his mind racing. The stubble, K’ndar, the stubble.

“Jansen, please, zoom in on the stubble, please?”

She chose one and zoomed in.

“Look. See the edges, the dead part where the sedge was cut? It’s ragged. Remember, D’mitran, when we were using machetes on Western Continent? And I’ve been in jungle cleared with a machete. Green or dead vegetation, it doesn’t matter. A machete leaves a clean, straight cut. Not ragged. Not serrated. See, there, there, all the cut stubble has ragged edges. They look like they were cut with a pruning saw. A serrated pruning saw!”

They all had the same ringing thought.

“The wallawaits! They cut the sedge!”

“And pack it. They must carry each sedge to the edge of the clearing.”

“Yes. Yes! The wallawaits must create these clearings, I bet it’s for their hatchlings to grow up. Even to blocking off the stream, they are creating a safe haven for their babies.”

“That’s a smart beast,” D’mitran said.

“Maybe the babies are hatched on land. Buried in the sand, maybe? Ooh, I think I get it. The female lays eggs in the sand, but she can’t always be there when the babies hatch, so she builds this pen for them so they can’t wander far while she’s out hunting,” Jansen said.

“Maybe not just that, Jansen. Maybe it’s a trap,” K’ndar said. “The kids say they will kill humans-they’re obviously obligate carnivores. These clearings are the only openings in almost a hundred kilometers of sedge. I can imagine a tired wherry sees them and lands to rest. Or maybe it sees baby wallawaist and tries to snatch one up. Then the adult leaps out and…snap!”

“They could definitely catch one. You cannot believe how fast that one was. He cleared several meters in two jumps and he was FAST-only Siskin saved Risal from being killed,” B’rost said.

Jansen looked up at Siskin on K’ndar’s shoulder.

“You, Siskin, are the best of all,” she said.

Siskin cheeped in agreement.