| abstract
| - The story begins in the Second Interval; with Master Harper Zist and his wife Cayla taking their adopted son Pellar to the Healer - and ex-dragonrider - Mikal. Pellar is mute, but aside from this appears to be healthy and intelligent - enough so that Mikal requests to be allowed to teach him the skills he knows. Seven turns later, Pellar - now ten turns old, and communicating via a slate or sign language - is forced to remain at the Harper Hall while Zist and Cayla - along with their infant daughter, Carissa - head south in disguise as part of an attempt to make contact with the Shunned - people banished from Holds for various crimes; often with their families - in order to solve problems with them before Thread begins falling. Zist and Cayla eventually meet up with a group of Shunned when they set up camp, and join them, only to discover the group is suffering from sickness. Cayla is unable to cure it, and they later leave when one of the Shunned warns them the others blame them. However, all three contract the sickness as they return to the Harper Hall, and Cayla and Carissa both perish as a result. Over the next two turns, Pellar is made apprentice, and is gifted a fire lizard egg - meant for Zist, who refused it - and he names the fire lizard Chitter when it hatches. Zist and Masterharper Murenny continue making plans to contact the Shunned, and they finally decide to send Zist and Pellar to Camp Natalon, where a series of thefts have recently occured - thus setting in motion events that are detailed in Dragon's Kin. Meanwhile, at the All-Weyr Games in Crom, Harper Moran - one of Zist's spies; believed dead, but in reality caring for a number of Shunned orphans - tricks a number of holders into making bad bets, which he wins. Tenim, an adolescent in his care, attempts to steal the marks of a holder, but is caught and has to feign innocence. Also at the All-Weyr Games are Tarik and his son Cristov, who ends befriending Jamal; one of the Shunned orphans. Tarik and Moran end up coming to an arrangement regarding mining. At a later date, Zist and Pellar travel to Camp Natalon; although Pellar hides and leaves the night before they arrive so Zist will appear to have come alone. As he wanders through the forest, he finds a child's grave covered with flower - unknown to him, it is Jamal's; who died from a leg infection - which he adds flowers to, before continuing on. Pellar later arrives at Camp Natalon in the night, and tells Zist that he has found a group of Shunned; mostly children, who are stealing coal from the mine. Zist in return tells Pellar about the situation in the camp; including the tensions between Natalon and Tarik - Pellar suggests Zist mentor Kindan; a young boy, to try and fix the problems between him and his brother Kaylek. As Pellar goes to return to his camp, Chitter reports his campsite has been discovered; he investigates, and finds only that someone searched his goods - taking his leather and leaving bad twine - and left some flowers. Pellar decides to shift his camp. As the sevendays go by, Pellar keeps watch on the Shunned from his camp in the eastern mountains; meeting with Zist every so often. After an accident occurs at the mine, Zist takes care of Kindan. When Pellar next meets with Zist to report - narrowly missing being caught by Nuella - Zist tells him that he will be made Journeyman, and Kindan will become his new apprentice. After three months, Pellar checks his traps and finds Halla caught in one. Before he can free her, Tenim arrives with the Shunned; forcing him to hide. Tenim briefly considers leaving Halla where she is, although he later sends his pet falcon; Grief, to free her. Pellar overhears them discussing Moran, and he reports this to Zist - also wondering as the Shunned leave why Halla didn't tell Tenim he was hiding nearby. Following talks with Zist, Pellar goes to spy directly on the Shunned campsite, and witnesses Tenim making deals with Tarik about the coal robberies - Tenim has a plan to sell the stolen coal for a high price to holders, and Tarik is helping him to provide for his family's future. Pellar reports this to Zist, and is later tasked by Zist to identify Cristov's virtues - also giving the same task to Kindan. Around the time the trader trains are expected to arrive, Pellar overhears Tarik and Tenim discussing their plans at Tarik's cot, before Tenim leaves and attempts to block the chimney at Natalon's hold - by suffocating Natalon and his family, Tarik will become head miner. Pellar follows him, and attempts to stop him, but Tenim instead throttles him and leaves him for dead. However, Chitter manages to alert Zist, who finds him and takes him to safety - at the same time, Kindan discovers Tenim's sabotage and raises the alarm. Pellar remains in Zist's care until he is fully recovered. Zist informs him that a apprentice watch-wher handler is accompanying the traders, which will allow the miners to work at night and thus make it harder for Tenim to attempt anything. However, the apprentice fails to arrive - the traders claim he was "scared off". When well, Pellar returns to Natalon's hold to find a good vantage point, and inadvertantly encounters Cristov. Pellar ends up revealing his job to Cristov, who promises to keep it a secret. Pellar reports this meeting to Zist, who comes to the conclusion - from Cristov's words regarding his father - that the Shunned are trading coal for fire lizard eggs. Zist and Pellar come to the conclusion that they should get a watch-wher egg, and Pellar leaves Camp Natalon in an attempt to find Aleesa; the Whermaster. After some two months of travel through Crom, Telgar and Nabol, Pellar finds Aleesa's Camp in northern Nabol. As he reaches the campsite, Pellar is attacked by Jaythen; Aleesa's spouse, as they fear he may be attempting to report on them - D'gan, the Weyrleader of Telgar Weyr, feels that watch-whers were partly responsible for the low tithes that resulted in the abandoning of Igen Weyr, and chased them away from their last camp - but he soon proves his innocence to the group. Pellar stays with the wherhandlers at their camp for a while - although Aleesa's daughter Arella soon warms to him, it is not until he successfully aids Jaythen in hunting much later that the older man comes to trust him - and when Aleesa's wher Aleesk clutches, he reveals his true goal; to barter with them for the eggs. They eventually come to an arrangement; where the egg will be sold to Camp Natalon, the wherhandlers will begin trading eggs with herdsmen and miners who need a wher's ability to see in the dark, and Pellar will remain at the camp as Harper until a replacement can arrive - in addition to this, he will teach the illiterate Aleesa how to read and write. In time, Pellar leaves to arrange the trade - saddening Arella, who had fallen in love with him - and begins travelling to holds across the Central Northern Continent, before he is found by D'vin and his bronze dragon Hurth of High Reaches Weyr, who were sent by Zist to find Pellar. D'vin informs him that his rank has been formally moved up at the Harper Hall, before taking him to Camp Natalon - arriving near the grave of Jamal, which Pellar finds is untended - where he tells Zist of his plans. D'vin then takes Pellar back to Aleesa's Camp; where he is attacked by Arella - who believes he has betrayed them to D'gan - although he is defended by Aleesk and Hurth. D'vin negotiates the proposed trade with Aleesa, and Arella tends to Pellar's wounds. Over the next few days, Pellar finds candidates for Aleesa's egg, and the eggs are eventually traded at the camp - one of which goes to Kindan - which is visited by dragonriders from every Weyr except Telgar Weyr; Pellar hopes that this will fool people into thinking they're hiding in the land covered by the Weyr - indeed, Tenim and the Shunned are unable to find the camp. One egg is left behind at the end; preventing the wherhandlers from shifting their campsite. Pellar is sent to Camp Natalon; to ensure Kindan's egg hatches - if it doesn't, he will get the final egg, but if it does, Aleesa expects Pellar to care for it. At Camp Natalon, Pellar again encounters Cristov, who was planning to watch over the egg himself. Pellar recruits his help, and they keep watch for four days, at which point the egg hatches. Before he leaves, Pellar suggests Cristov get lessons from Zist, and gifts him one of his pipes, before returning to Aleesa's Camp, where he finds Arella impressed the final egg. Meanwhile, Moran's group of Shunned orphans - constantly shrinking as more die - team up with a Shunned mother and daughter; Conni and Milera; who use their looks to obtain them fare on a riverboat going along the River Crom. Halla dislikes both Conni and Milera - the latter of whom makes unkind remarks about her intelligence and looks - who cause trouble by attempting to rob the riverboat owner when they disembark at Three Rivers Hold. Their group becomes scattered; and Halla is caught by the holders, although she is rescued by Tenim. Moran and Conni escape with half the group, and flee towards Keogh Hold, while Halla retrieves the remainder. Halla's group eventually joins a trader train - the same train Pellar travelled with - going through Crom, and she befriends Tarri. Eventually, Tenim and Milera rob the traders and flee - although Tenim later kills Milera when she attempts to murder him and take his marks - and Halla reveals her identity as an orphaned child of the Shunned. Upon hearing proof of her innocence, the traders offer to take care of the Shunned orphans in her care, while Halla goes on to track Tenim - Veran assuring her she'll be welcome amongst any traders. At Keogh Hold, Moran abandons a drunken Conni with the children, and flees into the wilderness; in time, stumbling across Aleesa's Camp. Pellar finds his tracks and encounters Halla; who warns him about Tenim. They create a false trail, and head back to Aleesa's Camp, where Pellar comes up with a plan to lure Tenim; he will pose as Moran with a fake watch-wher egg, and lead Tenim away from the camp - to the safety of Camp Natalon. Although the plan is successful at first, Tenim realises he's been tricked when he reaches Crom Hold. Tenim plans an ambush; during which Chitter is killed by Grief, and he attacks Pellar; inadvertantly knocking him into a river. Chitter's body is soon discovered by Tarri, who reports Pellar's loss to Zist. At Camp Natalon, Tenim finds that Tarik's coal thefts have been discovered, and that he has been sacked. Upon discovering that Natalon is inspecting the mines, Tenim causes the mine to collapse in a last-ditch effort to get the mine under Tarik's control. In the resulting chaos, Cristov rushes to Zist's cot in an attempt to get him to restore order, and discovers Chitter's corpse. In anger, he goes to fetch his axe - leading to the final events of Dragon's Kin.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)