Torrential Rescues (6/6)

Writers: Corrin, Duskdog, Heather, Iluva, Shawna
Date Posted: 15th April 2025
Series: The Perfect Storm

Characters: Zariah, Rathandra, L'kav, T'gyrlan, Evanram, Yik
Description: The Holdless rescues continue as Evanram convinces Rathandra to go with Zariah back to the Weyr. L'kav and T'gyrlan are surprised when Yik deposits a baby for them to transport.
Location: Dragonsfall Weyr
Date: month 5, day 5 of Turn 12

Rathandra

L'kav

T'gyrlan

Zariah slid down off Relsath, doing her best to ignore the way her
boots squelched with the water in them. “How many more batches are
there? Relsath and I can take a couple more now.” Unlike most, the
green didn’t seem to mind the driving rain, even as her rider worried
it was going to ruin a perfectly good pair of straps. She waived
Rathandra down, “Who still needs rides?”

Rathandra approached the greenrider. She had seen the woman take
several groups back and forth. “There are two tents of people
waiting,” she said. “There and there,” she pointed.

“Take Rathandra next,” a voice cut in. It was Evanram.

“But there are others who -”

He put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I know. We’ll make sure they
all get a ride, if they want one. Put on dry clothes, go to the Weyr,
it would be good for people to see you there. You can make sure
they’re settling in and playing nice.”

“Can you wait a moment for her to put on dry clothes and a coat?”
Evanram asked the rider of the green dragon.

“I am here to help,” Zariah said with more good cheer than one would
expect, considering the weather, “if that’s what helps, we can wait
for a few minutes. I’m sure X’eri will be back in a bit for another
group, as well, so everyone will have options.” The bronze and green
had passed each other with their last drop offs. “Do you need a ride?”
She asked Evanram. “Relsath can certainly carry three.”

Evanram shook his head. “I’ll come when the last person is out of the
caverns.” He turned away from Zariah, curling his hands over
Rathandra’s shoulders. “I’ll see you at the Weyr?” The tall man ducked
his head a little to catch her eyes.

Rathandra glanced at Evanram, still feeling shy after her betrayal.
“Yes.” He made to turn away, but she grabbed her husband’s forearm,
halting him. “Be careful, Ev.”

The holdless man brushed his knuckles against Rathandra’s cheek, a
tender gesture, before he turned and headed back to the caverns.

“Well alright then. If you grab that handhold on Rel’s strap right
there, you can use that to haul yourself up.” In an attempt at levity,
Zariah said, “I’m afraid if you wanted someone heroically sweeping you
a’dragonback, you should have gone with X’eri or one of the others,
but I can give you a boost. I’m Zariah, by the way. I know things were
pretty chaotic when I got here so we weren’t properly introduced.”

“You seem pretty heroic to me,” Rathandra said as she scrambled up the
way the greenrider instructed.

--

Yik slogged up out of one of the tunnel entrances on her own,
threadbare boots sinking into the muck and making going difficult. She
was a small, wiry young woman, with short dark hair, face streaked
with mud and clothing soaked through. She cradled a small, screaming
bundle to her chest and, as she laid eyes upon the nearest
dragonrider, her pace quickened, and she shoved the bundle into their
arms.

“This is a baby,” she said, as if the squalling child was something
that required explanation.

And then she turned abruptly, headed back towards the caverns.

T’gyrlan hadn’t been expecting that. He had stationed himself outside
of the tunnel to help direct traffic, his attention split between the
operations on the ground and Hanassath’s constant stream of updates on
the coming and goings of Cobalt Wing-- but reflex kicked in and he
caught the bundle against his chest like a sack of firestone. It
shrieked. He quickly adjusted to hold it like a baby.

The girl was already walking away.

He reached out to grab her, juggling the squalling infant. “Hey, where
are you going? We’re evacuating. Now. You need to get to the tents
with your babe.”

“Not my baby,” she said, frowning. It hadn’t actually occurred to her
that someone would think it was, but that _did_ make sense, didn’t it?
“There’s more people. I’m strong, I can help!”

She eyed his knots. He was a… well, she wasn’t actually clear on which
knots meant which rank, beyond just “dragonrider”. Was she supposed to
obey him? She thought that maybe she was supposed to, but she had no
reason to trust him. They didn’t really get dragonriders down here in
the caverns, and they probably weren’t any better than holders. Well,
maybe they were. They were supposed to be. Maybe.

T’gyrlan cursed under his breath. “How many more? Do you know where they are?”

“I saw…” she had to pause to consider how to count, “five. One in one
place. Three in another place. One going to die, we can’t help him. I
take the small tunnels. You…” She looked him over again and made a
face. “You won’t fit. But I know which tunnels go where. I know them
all. I can show you the others.”

T’gyrlan looked her over as well and found her scrawny and underfed.
She said she was strong, but he didn’t put much stock in that. He
_did_ however understand the usefulness of someone who knew their way
around the caverns. Especially as they were filling up fast.

“Fine.” His mind was made up. He couldn’t abandon his post--not with
R’enh in the caverns too--so he cupped a hand to his mouth and
bellowed to one of his wingmates over the pounding rain. “L’kav!”

A moment later a dark-haired rider came jogging over, his eyes bright
and keen despite the grey misery. “Yes, sir?”

“This girl says there are four others still down this tunnel. She
knows where they are. Go with her and save who you can-- but if that
water gets too high, you _leave_ and get her out with you.
Understood?”

“Hurry,” Yik said, turning and heading back for the caves resolutely,
trusting that the dragonrider would follow her (or perhaps just not
caring).

“Got it.” L'kav nodded and immediately set off after Yik, “and don't
worry, we'll get ‘em all!” A wary rumble followed them all the way in.
Over his shoulder, the orange glow of Feyonth's eyes flashed like a
lightning strike. Then they turned and he and the girl were gone.

“Can you swim?” He asked Yik over the reverberations of water and
voices off the cavern walls.

She paused -- not in her steps, but in her thoughts, with a cock of
her head -- to consider. “Yes,” she said finally. “But the water in
here is bad now, and cold and fast. Shouldn’t unless we have to.”

They would definitely have to, if they were going to save the four
trapped people that she had seen. But she planned on avoiding it as
long as possible.

The rescue mission safely in the hands of L’kav, wingsecond T’gyrlan
had one last problem to address. “Would someone _please_ come take
this sharding baby?!?”

--

It was in the dark of night when the last holdless were pulled from
the caverns. By the light of glow baskets, the riders of Dragonsfall
bundled up the last of their charges and made the final trips
/between/.

Last updated on the April 15th 2025

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