The clink of hard-earned marks sounded in the weyrling barracks late one
night. The six weyrling riders, three bonded from the first clutch, three from
the second, were gathered around a single dimly-lit table in a
far-out-of-the-way corner of the least-inhabited section of the barracks, and
hoping that the Weyrlingmaster would not catch them.
"You do know this is
horribly against just about every rule the Weyrlingmaster has set, right?" H'omi
groaned has he threw another mark on top of the pile.
C'mas and B'jar
shrugged. "What they don't know can't hurt them, or us." C'mas said.
His
young weyrling, Kjoreth, looked up from where he was curled up in the giant pile
of green and blue bodies that were the group's dragons, and snorted. And I guess no one's going to tell them, are
they?
C'mas smiled and reached over to
scratch his dragon's eyeridges before picking up his playing cards.
"I'll see
your one mark, H'omi, and raise it another two." Kaarewen said as she tossed her
bet onto the middle pile. She glanced around at everyone, but nobody bet any
higher. They all showed their hands at the same time.
C'mas cursed and threw
his cards down. "Dammit, the bluerider chick won again!" He muttered as Kaarewen
grinned smugly.
"I think she's cheating!" Aseicien grumbled under her breath
to Elewen, who would have answered similiarly; but she couldn't, so she
didn't.
"Well I'm cheating, and I'm still losing." B'jar muttered.
"Hey,
hold on a minute." H'omi spoke up, looking at Kaarewen's hand. "Didn't you have
those same cards the last time?"
C'mas and B'jar glanced at each other, and
B'jar spoke up. "And where was she keeping them?" The bluerider was wearing a
loose gown with no pockets and no place to hide things. C'mas and B'jar glanced
at each other again, then they turned and looked at Kaarewen with
interest.
She blushed slightly and stood up. "Well, I think that's enough for
one night, I'm going to bed." She left, and the others shrugged and followed
suit.
Of course, no one noticed that B'jar had taken the marks from the
table. He winked at his weyrling blue dragon. "Our little secret, Delth." The
weyrling just yawned and followed his rider so he could properly go to
sleep.