| Chapter 1 | Dragonflight Part 1 |
Chapter 3 |
F'lar arrives at High Reaches Hold*. He is dismayed at the state of the Hold, completely unprepared for Thread, which he believes will return very soon. He intended to whip Pern into shape once the Impression had been made.
F'lar and F'nor greet Fax. F'lar is amused to see the fear that Dragons arouse in the common folk, while Mnementh is puzzled, as a Dragon would never harm a human being.
Fax greets them, impersonally, with a subtly insulting phrasing. F'lar has a sword on his belt**. F'lar is cautious around Fax, knowing him to be a greedy man. Fax is described as the conqueror of 5 Holds, married into one, and inherited a seventh.
F'lar announces their purpose, Search, to Fax. Fax remarks that he had heard of Jora's death. Fax delivers another subtle insult by feigning to not know F'lar's name. F'nor smoothly supplies the name, as well as remarking that there were 12 wingmen. F'lar enters the Hold, along with F'nor and Fax. F'lar and F'nor remark to each other the fine food that Fax's hold receives, in contrast with that which the Weyr receives.
F'lar and F'nor travel the Hold with Fax. They greet Lady Gemma of Crom. Gemma greets them warmly, far more warmly than her husband.
The Dragonriders search the hold and the crafthalls, but find no one suitable.
F'nor mentions that L'tol, a former greenrider*** from S'lel's wing, who had lost his dragon, had settled in this area.
They meet Lytol. Lytol has heard of Jora's death, and is disappointed to hear that R'gul was still Weyrleader. Lytol insists that there are no suitable candidates in any of Fax's holds. They speak with Lytol, who dismisses their hope of finding a candidate in Ruatha such as Moreta or Torene****, insisting that all the Blood had been killed. F'lar is shaken by the encounter with Lytol.
Characters Introduced[]
Characters Mentioned[]
*It is actually described as "Fax's chief hold". High Reaches seems to be used as a term for a whole region, rather than a specific Hold.
**Another inconsistency with the later novels, which describe Pern as a far more peaceful world, one in which Dragonriders do not carry swords. Other references to battle scenes in tapestry conflict with later descriptions of Pern
***Another inconsistency with the later novels, in which L'tol is a brownrider, and F'lar well knew of him, and of his new name.
****Neither of whom were actually from Ruatha