Timing

Writers: Avery, Miriah
Date Posted: 24th September 2015

Characters: A'kades, Lanniya, R'kehr
Description: A'kades reveals a /betweening/ secret.
Location: River Bluff Weyr
Date: month 1, day 11 of Turn 8
Notes: Mentioned: Pierka

Lanniya

This class was going to be a very interesting one. A'kades knew the
theory, had even practiced it very carefully before. But he'd never
been the one giving this lecture out. He was curious to see how these
riders would take it.

**It's weighty knowledge for them. Hopefully they won't do anything
stupid with it.**

Because it was sensitive material and limited to less than half the
class, they met in a smaller room. This one was deep inside the weyr
with no windows and a heavier door. This was secret for a reason, and
he didn't want curious eavesdroppers getting in the way.

R'kehr leaned over and elbowed Lanniya. "Whatcha think this is gonna
be?" he whispered.

She leaned back towards him and spoke out of the side of her mouth. "No
idea. But if it's another long lecture, I swear that I'm going to ask
Anaeryth to protest. Loudly. Maybe your bronze too. Just for a distraction."

"He'd love it if you asked him," R'kehr whispered back. It'd be hilarious.

A'kades cleared his throat and waited until the weyrlings turned towards
him. His words were ominous, his tone flat and serious. They needed to
understand how important this would be.

"You've already been /between/. You know the dragons can travel through
space. What is a closely guarded secret is that dragons can travel through
time."

"No way," R'kehr blurted out.

The older bronzerider looked at him. "It's true.You will hopefully never
have to use this ability. It's restricted because it's dangerous and
there's a much higher chance of getting lost and killed. Only ranking
riders are supposed to know about this, which is why it's such a small
class."

"Wait...what?" Lanniya blinked several times as she tried to wrap her
head around what A'kades was saying. Dragons could go /between/ times?
Why hadn't they ever told her about that? Her lips parted in shocked
surprise. If they could /between/ times.... The thought came to her
unbidden. She could save her parents. She could bring them back and
have them be alive. Maybe Pierka could remember them. She could have
her mother with her. Her grandparents would be happy. She quickly
blinked away the tears that the image brought to her. "How?"

"It's a matter of visualizations, the same as with regular /between/. You
all remember when we did visualization exercises, and you were told to
focus on details like where the sun is in the sky. Those are positional
cues to a _when_ as well as to a where."

"Why don't you tell us earlier?" R'kehr asked.

"It's not a good idea for everyone to know that dragonriders can transcend
time. It's also not an ability for even bronze- and gold-riders to use
every day. It's used for important events. Times when many lives will be
lost. Dolphin Cove's ranking riders used it to save their eggs when their
Hatching Sands were flooded," A'kades explained.

Lanniya watched A'kades carefully, soaking in the information and her
face was, as always, an open book. Still shocked by the prospect and
even the idea of it, she glanced at R'kehr before clearing her throat.
"Will this be taught to us like /betweening/ was?"

"Yes. I'll talk you through the visualization methods we use to determine
time as well as place, then you'll follow Volaith's lead to a very
specific time and place."

"Will we get to jump anywhere on our own?" R'kehr asked.

"Not today," A'kades said. "Today is theory only. Later in the sevemday
we'll have a practical jump. Ideally you'll never have to use this
knowledge."

Unlike many other times in classes, when Lanniya's attention would
drift away, her eyes were locked on A'kades with intense focus. This
is something she wanted to learn; there were two lives she desperately
wanted to save. Just think if she could bring her parents back to her
grandmother and grandfather....to Pierka. It would be worth
everything. She felt determination grow in the pit of her stomach and
excitement about the prospect made her vibrate with anticipation.
"What are the dangers, exactly?"

"It needs a clearer visual than just going to a place. That's because
conflicting data can leave you lost /between/ as your dragon can't
find a matching place to bring you out. Very long jumps back or
forward take longer than going to a place, which means you can get
very cold and lose your image. And being in two places at once is
physically draining on a rider as there are multiple copies of you."

So it would tire her and Pierka if...no when she was able to get her
parents.. That would be understandable. If she wanted this to work,
she reasoned, now that the impulse to immediately go and fetch her
lost family had been held back, she would have to research it. Learn
what she had to know to get it done to make every thing alright. It
was only a few Turns ago... "How long is a very long jump?"

"I've never personally done anything longer than a decade, and that
was several heartbeats after three," he said.

She made quick notes, jotting down everything that A'kades said. This
was the most important class, Lanniya decided, that she had ever been
a part of. And she would miss none of it.

Last updated on the September 28th 2015

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Timing