In this second part of the novel, written by Anne McCaffrey, Dragonquest, we see the effects of the last book when Lessa travels back in time with her dragon to bring forward the Weyrs of the past to help fight the alien threat called thread in the future. Thread is a substance that eats any and all living material and kills it all. The only thing that can stop thread is the fire from dragons, who fly over Holds and Halls to protect the people of Pern. Thread falls for 50 years at a time every 200 years. However the last interval lasted 400 years and many people thought that thread was just an old story, and that the dragons were no longer needed because the Weyr was supplied food from all the Holds around. There used to be 6 weyrs but 5 mysteriously disappeared–which was actually Lessa bringing them forward in time–and left only one small Weyr. Even now that Lord Holders and Craftmasters alike are forced to admit the importance of dragons, they are still impatient and start pressuring the riders to go between to the red start where thread falls form. (Dragons have the ability to travel between any place and time, but if the rider stays between too long they are in incredible danger.) One young rider from Benden Weyr decides to go between with his dragon, Canth. The risk to the rider–F’nor– and his dragon is great, seeing as no one really knows what to expect. (This was an improvised and spontaneous plan) There has been such a tremendous loss in the recent past that he feels he must do something to try, he is also scared that his older brother will try to go and get himself killed.
With the desperation born of frenzy, Prideth wrenched herself free, Wirenths talons leaving gouges to the bone along her shoulders. But as she twisted free, beating for altitude, she slashed at Wirenth’s unprotected head, across one gleaming eye. Wirenth’s tortured scream pierced the heavens just as other queens broke into the air around them; queens who instantly divided, one group flying for Prideth, the other for Wirenth. (p. 419)
Later, ;lksd fie lksd kjasdf:
Brekke doubled up, right shoulder hunching as if to protect her head. “My eye! My eye! My eye!” Brekke was covering her right eye, her body writhing in an uncontrollable, unconscious mimicry of the aerial battle to which she was tuned. (p. 421)
This quote takes place when Brekke’s queen dragon Wirenth rises to mate, and when a queen rises to mate you always take other queens out of the wyer to not make the mating queen jealous. But you are also not supposed to take your queen out of the weyr when she is close to mating. So Brekke’s queen rose to mate and Kylara’s queen Prideth had gone out and she had risen at the same time and they fought and went between. Which is the equivalent of dying. I chose this quote, or two quotes because I thought that it was a good representation of the bond between a dragon and their rider.
