Read Online Anne Mccaffrey_ Dragonriders of Pern 20 by Dragon Harper - Free Book Online

on his stomach without tilting his head to one side or the other. He let out a deep sigh as he settled in, aware only of the cold air on his back. That was soon relieved by a soft fur bundled over his butt and legs. The sounds of Arella pouring and rubbing oil on her hands alerted Kindan to the start of the massage. She first got his back well covered with the oil, then started on his muscles, massaging shoulders and neck first, and then moving down to the base of his spine. In moments Kindan was lost in the luxurious feeling of having the kinks in his muscles all worked out.
    Kindan awoke on his sixth day at the wherhold to the smell of fresh
klah.
He looked up to see Mikal holding a mug nearby.
    “Bathe and then join us,” the old ex-dragonrider instructed him.
    After a quick—and welcome—bath, Kindan dressed carefully, aware of the parts of his body that were still sore. Outside the wherhold he found Master Aleesa, Jaythen, and Mikal waiting for him. Arella hovered nearby.
    “What sort of fighter is Vaxoram?” Aleesa asked as he approached.
    “Answer her
now,
” Mikal barked.
    “Don’t think!” Jaythen yelled.
    “He likes to overwhelm,” Kindan shot back.
    Mikal nodded. “Good, then what must you do?”
    Kindan started to think, but Jaythen barked at him, “Answer!”
    “Talk!” Aleesa added.
    “Overwhelm!” Kindan shouted in frustration.
    “Good,” Mikal said. He smiled at Kindan. “You spoke from your gut, which is the best judge of a fighter’s character. Why?”
    This time they gave him the time to think through his response. “Because fighters fight from their gut,” he said at last.
    Mikal nodded.
    “So this morning we will practice overwhelming,” Mikal told him. “The three of us will try to overwhelm you.”
    Kindan swallowed hard. Three? How could he fight three at once?
    “Not with swords, just with glances,” Mikal told him. “You must make us look away, all three.”
    “How do I do that?” Kindan asked despairingly. “You’re all older than I am. And bigger.”
    “So is your opponent,” Mikal replied. “He will be expecting to see you afraid, to see you glance away from him, to see you admit your defeat before he ever raises his blade.”
    “If you keep your eyes on his, meet his willpower, then
he
will be afraid,” Jaythen added.
    “It is the test of wills that decides the fight,” Aleesa said.
    “You must make us back down,” Mikal said. “Use your mind, your willpower.”
    “When you get it, when you use your willpower, we’ll feel it and back down,” Jaythen added.
    “Arella will help,” Mikal added, nodding toward the younger wherhandler. “She’ll be your coach, shouting encouragement from behind you.” He paused a moment. Then: “Ready? Begin!”
    Arella put her hands soothingly on Kindan’s shoulders and told him, “You can do it, Kindan. You can do it.”
    Mikal darted toward Kindan, his brows furrowed, an angry look on his face. Beside him, Aleesa and Jaythen also rushed forward, their gazes intent, focused, angry.
    “Go on, Kindan, you can do it,” Arella’s voice sounded in his ear, but he didn’t notice it, didn’t feel her hands. Instead, he locked eyes with Aleesa, then looked away, frightened by the expression on the tough old woman’s face. He glanced to Jaythen and saw the fighter’s strength and raw power. He turned his gaze almost imploringly to Mikal, but he knew the old dragonrider had far too much strength for him.
    He almost broke down, almost backed away, but then he thought of Nonala and Kelsa.
    “You can do it, Kindan,” Arella’s voice sounded in his ear, her hands kneading his shoulders encouragingly.
    I will not lose,
he swore to himself. He raised his eyes to Jaythen and locked onto him. Jaythen’s age and fierceness melted out of Kindan’s sight. He felt his own heart leap, his breath coming in slow deep lungfuls, and he remembered his bond with Kisk, his watch-wher. If he could manage her, he could manage this