Bitra's Burn
The Bitran Seven have been targeted, an unknown group attacking them in the most unthinkable way: with firestone in Benden Weyr. Buthaynah searches for answers.
“Buthaynah!”
Buthaynah paused in her packing and turned to look at the man that had called her name. She smiled out of habit in a way that contrasted starkly with her current mood.
“K’leel. It’s good to see you,” she said and resumed tying up the last of her bundles. She wiped a strand of hair from her face. “Whatever are you doing here?”
K’leel waved Buthaynah’s pleasantries off and moved to help her pick up the heavy bundle. “Why are you leaving the Weyr?” he asked firmly, looking her in the eye. Buthaynah looked away and took the rope bound hide from him.
“You are not my ride, K’leel, so there is no reason I should tell you why I am doing anything. I have no need to tell you of my personal choices.”
K’leel frowned down at the smaller woman. “Aren’t I your friend? Can you at least tell me where you are going?”
Buthaynah creased her brow and glanced out of the weyr she had made her temporary quarters in, looking out to the blue dragon that waited there. She had a long journey and she had little interest in wasting time talking to someone she would likely see again.
“Home, K’leel. I’m going back to Bitra.”
ØØØ
Lady Misra having been deposed in a rather drastic way, the Bitran Lord Holder was anxious to return his Hold and holdings back to order. Misra had owned one of Bitra’s largest holdings for ten Turns. She was well-liked for her fair dealings and clear contracting, though she had recently fallen into disfavor for her liberal stances in regards to dragonriders. It was rumored that Misra had dragonriders at her beck and call who could ferry her from Bitra to all parts of Pern, often carrying lucrative goods such as agenothree equipment and High Reaches coal, goods that would cost the average holder hundreds of marks to go the same distance. There were rumors that she would be replaced for outrageous actions but they were stilled for a time with the return of Thread and the beginning of the new Pass. Then, her actions came to be seen as clever agreements and self-protection, two traits highly prized in Bitran society. It was hoped that Lady Misra would rule through most of the Pass- she was very young, after all, hardly twenty-nine Turns- and thus keep the dragonriders under close contract for Turns to come.
But that did not happen. Misra was murdered in her own home, along with two foster daughters and several drudges. Misra had no heir and her maidservant, Varra, was left to sort through her documents and hides, as well as deal with the funeral arrangements and various ‘relatives’ who miraculously all showed up within a sevenday of the funeral. Varra was swamped with work and, with no one to trust, she sent a message to Benden Weyr asking for the return of one of Lady Misra’s favorite pupils, Buthaynah.
The message was sent by private runner, Varra not foolish enough to send it by drums, thus alerting all of Pern of Bitra’s misfortune. It arrived later than had been expected but, fortunately, the wax seal was unbroken when it reached Headwoman Renni.
Varra knew nothing of the recent horrifying events at Benden Weyr. She had no reason to expect anything amiss when her message came into Buthaynah’s hands.
ØØØ
Buthaynah nodded her hello to the bluerider waiting outside for her. Several kitchen helpers had offered her their assistance and everything she owned was already packed aboard Memoth when she brought her personal bag, a loose wherhide bag filled with soapsand packets, sewing needles, and several other things that had not been destroyed when her quarters had exploded days before.
Memoth looked bored when she arrived, his eyes whirling a pleasant blue-green under the innermost layer of eyelids. Buthaynah glanced at his rider, an attractive enough dark-skinned man with brown-black eyes, and suppressed the urge to dismiss him instantly. She blinked, knowing her presumption- that the man was generally stupid, no less - would not show through her face. Buthaynah had fallen a bit out of practice in guarding her features but, once at Bitra, all but the smallest child would read her expression perfectly, knowing every last thing she was thinking if she did not guard more carefully. There was simply no need for such preventative measures at the Weyr; true emotion was valued for itself as were frank honesty and sociability, none of which she would need when she returned to Bitra.
Buthaynah only vaguely heard Memoth’s rider’s assurances about flying between before Memoth launched himself off of the Weyr ledge and began to pump his strong wings. They flew up to the Star Stones, Memoth’s rider saluting the Watchrider for a second in time before they entered between and the world went black.
Buthaynah heard a forlorn sign as they traveled through blackness, though whether its progenitor was herself or Memoth’s rider, she did not know.
ØØØ
She is gone, Rimath announced quietly.
Ghaliyah frowned and worried her lip a bit. Buthaynah had left without telling her when or why. At dinner the evening before they had sat together of course, it being a break day, no Thread and little help needed in the kitchens, and Ghaliyah remembered Buthaynah mentioning that she would be leaving the Weyr to take care of business elsewhere but that had been all Buthaynah had said. There had been no mention of where she was going or when she would return.
This was a very bad sign indeed, Buthaynah being quiet about her affairs. Ghaliyah scratched at her right eyebrow and thought through the possibilities again. It was feasible that Buthaynah was off to negotiate redwort and fruit tithes from Benden Weyr’s Holds but that was the duties of the Weyrwomen and Favanna had not mentioned anything about there being a shortage among the stores, though that too was hardly something Favanna would deem worthy of mentioning. Buthaynah could be going to deal with family issues- perhaps an older member had passed away- but Buthaynah had little contact with her family, everyone was aware of that. Josef had left his stamp on the poor girl and Buthaynah had long avoided the parents that had wanted to attach her to that man. Ghaliyah doubted Buthaynah was returning home for a funeral.
Ghaliyah raked her hair back and winced as her wrist protested the rough movement. She hissed at it, as though it was the cause of all her problems of late, though it had been a freak accident (well, not an accident at all but as of yet Ghaliyah had no other name for the incident that had caused the destruction several Weyrs, almost all of which just happened to belong to her and the other Bitran expatriates) that had sprained her tiny wrist. Rimath whistled a sorrowful note. Ghaliyah grinned at the dragon’s weak memory, doubting that Rimath even remembered the disaster.
You remember and that is enough for the both of us, Rimath murmured, blowing hot air on her rider. Ghaliyah smacked Rimath’s foreleg playfully, making Rimath wuffle more hot air on her.
“You stink of herdbeast,” Ghaliyah groaned as Rimath pushed her muzzle against her back, sending Ghaliyah into the sandy floor. Ghaliyah wrinkled her nose at the green and kissed her muzzle before going back to her thoughts.
It was unlikely that Buthaynah was out on Weyr business and even less likely that she was attending to sick or dying family. Perhaps Buthaynah had found someone outside of the Weyr? It was not impossible, though certainly improbable. Buthaynah entertained plenty of men here, at Benden.
So why had she left? What could possibly take a woman who was nothing without the Weyr away?
“Buthaynah!”
Buthaynah paused in her packing and turned to look at the man that had called her name. She smiled out of habit in a way that contrasted starkly with her current mood.
“K’leel. It’s good to see you,” she said and resumed tying up the last of her bundles. She wiped a strand of hair from her face. “Whatever are you doing here?”
K’leel waved Buthaynah’s pleasantries off and moved to help her pick up the heavy bundle. “Why are you leaving the Weyr?” he asked firmly, looking her in the eye. Buthaynah looked away and took the rope bound hide from him.
“You are not my ride, K’leel, so there is no reason I should tell you why I am doing anything. I have no need to tell you of my personal choices.”
K’leel frowned down at the smaller woman. “Aren’t I your friend? Can you at least tell me where you are going?”
Buthaynah creased her brow and glanced out of the weyr she had made her temporary quarters in, looking out to the blue dragon that waited there. She had a long journey and she had little interest in wasting time talking to someone she would likely see again.
“Home, K’leel. I’m going back to Bitra.”
ØØØ
Lady Misra having been deposed in a rather drastic way, the Bitran Lord Holder was anxious to return his Hold and holdings back to order. Misra had owned one of Bitra’s largest holdings for ten Turns. She was well-liked for her fair dealings and clear contracting, though she had recently fallen into disfavor for her liberal stances in regards to dragonriders. It was rumored that Misra had dragonriders at her beck and call who could ferry her from Bitra to all parts of Pern, often carrying lucrative goods such as agenothree equipment and High Reaches coal, goods that would cost the average holder hundreds of marks to go the same distance. There were rumors that she would be replaced for outrageous actions but they were stilled for a time with the return of Thread and the beginning of the new Pass. Then, her actions came to be seen as clever agreements and self-protection, two traits highly prized in Bitran society. It was hoped that Lady Misra would rule through most of the Pass- she was very young, after all, hardly twenty-nine Turns- and thus keep the dragonriders under close contract for Turns to come.
But that did not happen. Misra was murdered in her own home, along with two foster daughters and several drudges. Misra had no heir and her maidservant, Varra, was left to sort through her documents and hides, as well as deal with the funeral arrangements and various ‘relatives’ who miraculously all showed up within a sevenday of the funeral. Varra was swamped with work and, with no one to trust, she sent a message to Benden Weyr asking for the return of one of Lady Misra’s favorite pupils, Buthaynah.
The message was sent by private runner, Varra not foolish enough to send it by drums, thus alerting all of Pern of Bitra’s misfortune. It arrived later than had been expected but, fortunately, the wax seal was unbroken when it reached Headwoman Renni.
Varra knew nothing of the recent horrifying events at Benden Weyr. She had no reason to expect anything amiss when her message came into Buthaynah’s hands.
ØØØ
Buthaynah nodded her hello to the bluerider waiting outside for her. Several kitchen helpers had offered her their assistance and everything she owned was already packed aboard Memoth when she brought her personal bag, a loose wherhide bag filled with soapsand packets, sewing needles, and several other things that had not been destroyed when her quarters had exploded days before.
Memoth looked bored when she arrived, his eyes whirling a pleasant blue-green under the innermost layer of eyelids. Buthaynah glanced at his rider, an attractive enough dark-skinned man with brown-black eyes, and suppressed the urge to dismiss him instantly. She blinked, knowing her presumption- that the man was generally stupid, no less - would not show through her face. Buthaynah had fallen a bit out of practice in guarding her features but, once at Bitra, all but the smallest child would read her expression perfectly, knowing every last thing she was thinking if she did not guard more carefully. There was simply no need for such preventative measures at the Weyr; true emotion was valued for itself as were frank honesty and sociability, none of which she would need when she returned to Bitra.
Buthaynah only vaguely heard Memoth’s rider’s assurances about flying between before Memoth launched himself off of the Weyr ledge and began to pump his strong wings. They flew up to the Star Stones, Memoth’s rider saluting the Watchrider for a second in time before they entered between and the world went black.
Buthaynah heard a forlorn sign as they traveled through blackness, though whether its progenitor was herself or Memoth’s rider, she did not know.
ØØØ
She is gone, Rimath announced quietly.
Ghaliyah frowned and worried her lip a bit. Buthaynah had left without telling her when or why. At dinner the evening before they had sat together of course, it being a break day, no Thread and little help needed in the kitchens, and Ghaliyah remembered Buthaynah mentioning that she would be leaving the Weyr to take care of business elsewhere but that had been all Buthaynah had said. There had been no mention of where she was going or when she would return.
This was a very bad sign indeed, Buthaynah being quiet about her affairs. Ghaliyah scratched at her right eyebrow and thought through the possibilities again. It was feasible that Buthaynah was off to negotiate redwort and fruit tithes from Benden Weyr’s Holds but that was the duties of the Weyrwomen and Favanna had not mentioned anything about there being a shortage among the stores, though that too was hardly something Favanna would deem worthy of mentioning. Buthaynah could be going to deal with family issues- perhaps an older member had passed away- but Buthaynah had little contact with her family, everyone was aware of that. Josef had left his stamp on the poor girl and Buthaynah had long avoided the parents that had wanted to attach her to that man. Ghaliyah doubted Buthaynah was returning home for a funeral.
Ghaliyah raked her hair back and winced as her wrist protested the rough movement. She hissed at it, as though it was the cause of all her problems of late, though it had been a freak accident (well, not an accident at all but as of yet Ghaliyah had no other name for the incident that had caused the destruction several Weyrs, almost all of which just happened to belong to her and the other Bitran expatriates) that had sprained her tiny wrist. Rimath whistled a sorrowful note. Ghaliyah grinned at the dragon’s weak memory, doubting that Rimath even remembered the disaster.
You remember and that is enough for the both of us, Rimath murmured, blowing hot air on her rider. Ghaliyah smacked Rimath’s foreleg playfully, making Rimath wuffle more hot air on her.
“You stink of herdbeast,” Ghaliyah groaned as Rimath pushed her muzzle against her back, sending Ghaliyah into the sandy floor. Ghaliyah wrinkled her nose at the green and kissed her muzzle before going back to her thoughts.
It was unlikely that Buthaynah was out on Weyr business and even less likely that she was attending to sick or dying family. Perhaps Buthaynah had found someone outside of the Weyr? It was not impossible, though certainly improbable. Buthaynah entertained plenty of men here, at Benden.
So why had she left? What could possibly take a woman who was nothing without the Weyr away?