Rain hurried toward Remyndal Hall. She had been late a number of times this week and Headmistress Amasia had her eye out for her. A lot of her friends lived at the institute, but she had chosen to stay at home, after all Marrilian wasn’t that far from Remyndal and she was needed at home.
Her brown hair trailed behind her, the two pony tails getting tangled. Rain ran her hands through her hair, trying to make it decent again. Without stopping, Rain swiped the dust from her clothes and ran to a patch of grass to clean her running shoes, hoping no-one would notice the wet stains.
Dashing into the main courtyard of the school she saw a dragon flying overhead. They came regularly, for classes, to search, and though she didn’t really aspire being a dragonrider, seeing this one thrilled her. Dragons always meant chaos in the halls… with a little luck no-one would have missed her. Smiling she turned the corner.
"Late again?"
Rain froze and turned carefully toward the dark youth of her age.
Zayno placed the broom he was carrying beside him and crossed his arms against his chest. He knew this young woman, he knew practically everyone in the Hall by name, but he had talked to only few of them. This was the first time he talked to Rain, he doubted she’d even know him.
"Everyone can come in late once and again." She said smiling sweetly.
"But you seem to make a habit out of it."
"What do you know?"
"Only what I heard sweeping." Zanyo smiled, "You would be surprised what the masters and journeymen talk about when they’re in their teacher’s lounge."
"Harpers always gossip like birds." Rain shrugged, "Everyone knows that."
Zayno shrugged and started to turn. He had work to do before his own classes started and he was wasting his time talking to this girl. He was stopped when she called:
"Are you going to tell Amasia?"
"If it makes you feel better, I don’t squeal."
"Thanks. What is your name?"
"Zayno." He answered.
"I’m Rain."
"I know." And then he really did leave while she raced up the stairs to her class. Furiously sweeping Zayno continued his way through the halls, thinking. He had maybe an hour left before he had to meet with Master Reineer to get everything for this day’s lesson to the Eillan forests. You could sweep a lot of hallways in one hour, but you could also get to know a lot of what was going on in Remyndal Hall. Putting the broom aside, Zayno decided to go exploring…

"Noe?" Alissa called, "If you don’t get up now we’ll be late for our classes."
"Five more minutes." Noe groaned from below his furs.
"No, now!" Allissa called, giving a good jank on her brother’s furs, exposing his bright blond hair. She didn’t feel like going through this today, not this day. Her brother pulled this stunt a few times a week, staying up late, drinking too much wine… and yet he still managed to sit through his classes without anyone knowing what condition he was in. She had to work hard to keep her playing up, not to mention struggling to get enough progress on her singing to keep the master harpers happy.
"What’s the matter sis?" Noe yawned, his green eyes mirroring her own irritation.
"Nothing!" Alissa hissed back, only a singing exam. Only quite possible the end of her days at the Hall. Where would she go if she failed, while her brother stayed here? Would it be too late to switch to scribing as well? Would she be able to live through the classes?
Trying to keep her calm and icy look, she ran out, thoughts raging through her mind. She was so turned toward herself that she almost knocked down a few people in the hallways, one of them a peculiar student with dark skin and a small woven beard that she knew she had seen before, but couldn’t place. Her thoughts jumped as easily from one subject to the other as if it was a flea jumping around animals, as an atonal melody plucked on a guitar.
The thought of music calmed her somewhat. Her steps became surer and she headed for the instrument room. Music always calmed her down, playing something filtered her mind without effort.
Meanwhile in her brother’s room, Noe was nearly dressed, he stormed into the hallway, but Alissa had already turned a few corners. "Where is she?" he asked. He hadn’t really known what mood his sister was in, his social skills clouded by sleep and a throbbing headache. He felt all the more bad about giving her a hard time now. She was always so distant, so responsible that he at times forgot that she was younger than him.
"I believe she went to the music room, you know, the one with all the instruments." A dark-skinned youth carrying a broom said.
"Are you a harper? Did she speak to you?"
"She ran too fast to talk to her, but that is where she always goes before a singing test. And I’m a forester."
"You missed your calling then." Noe said, "Thanks… eh?"
"Zayno."
Noe nodded his thanks and then started running toward the instrument room. How come he didn’t know this? He talked to all kinds of people. It felt saddening to know that one of the people he knew the least of was his own sister.

Rain walked angrily through the hallways. She had rushed for nothing. When she had gotten into the classroom she had been just in time to see the last of her fellow students leave. Master Tersago had called in sick so everyone got the day off. Rain was fuming. Now she could run the whole way back to Marrilian only to have to come back that afternoon for her after hours project.
Rain figured she had two options: one, run home and almost immediately run back and two, stay here where she wouldn’t be noticed (idle hands were very quickly put to work at Remyndal). The latter made the most sense. Heading for the music room, Rain hoped no-one would have a class there today. The room was cosy and the chairs were comfortable, making it the ideal room for spending time daydreaming.
Turning the corner she saw Zayno again, this time without his broom.
"Hey!" she called.
Zayno turned, placing his back against the door of the music room. He leaned carelessly against the wall without leaving an inch for her to pass.
"Excuse me Zayno," Rain whispered, "I have business in there."
"No you haven’t, you’re not even studying to become a harper."
"Neither are you."
"But the two in there are." Zayno said, "And it isn’t nice to eavesdrop."
"Look who’s talking." Rain smiled, "Who are they anyway?"
"A brother and sister harper that have things to work out. They’ll be going soon enough, he has a class and she an exam. Then you can sit here until your project starts.
"How do you know these things?" Rain asked with big eyes.
"I sweep a lot." Zayno answered.

Inside the room, Noe asked his sister: "What’s wrong, Lissa?"
"Shouldn’t you be getting ready for class?" she asked.
"Come on, this is more important, drop the act."
"Do you know that I might be sent away today? Do you have any sense of what’s going on?"
"One silly exam? Your singing isn’t that bad."
"But it isn’t good enough."
"You are a wonderful flutist, not the mention how you can work the guitar and drum. They will keep you on just for that. Not everyone needs to sing to become a harper."
"Do you really believe that? How many harpers do you know that can’t sing?"
"Journeyman Jullyo, that guy can’t even talk properly, let alone sing."
"But he’s the drummer. And he knows harper history by heart for the past 300 turns."
"So? You play wonderful and I’m sure you can outwit Journeyman Jullyo when it comes to history. They will keep you here."
"Do you really think so?"
At that time, Zayno suddenly stepped inside. Noe and Alissa looked up, seeing Rain follow Zayno in, and then journeywoman Blanca, the unofficial leader of the Hall.
"I’m glad to see you four all gathered here." The journeywoman said, her blond hair bouncing gently as she waved her arms for the four youths to go sit, "I’m sure you all saw the dragon fly over this morning. He brought a message to ask for candidates for one newly founded and one established Weyr: Bremek and Isla."
"Excuse me, journeywoman Blanca." Noe asked with his boyish smile, "But why us?"
"All of the students at Remyndal are prospective candidates, you were just the first four I saw. You are free to decline if you want to keep studying here, though you will be welcomed back once you have impressed a dragon, we have ample accommodations for dragons around Garnett hold. I believe that at one time that hold might have been intended for a Weyr, but it was never finished."
"I… I can’t." Rain stammered, "I’m needed at home."
"Your father informed us when you first started studying here that he wanted you to be free, to be without worries concerning your family. He will be alright, let not your worries hold you back."
"And the rest of you?" Blanca asked.
"I sure want to give it a try." Noe laughed, "As long as Master Meylin won’t miss me."
"I’ll have to come." Alissa sighed, "To supervise." Though she looked mighty pleased, contradicting her words.
"I can sweep as good in a Weyr as in a Hall." Zayno shrugged, "But I promised to help Master Renier today with his class."
"That’s been taken care of." Blanca said, winking as to let them all into a secret, maybe that the choice of who would be searched hadn’t been as coincidental as the journeywoman had made it sound.
Blanca got up, motioning for the four to follow her out the door. She led them into the courtyard where one blue and one green dragon waited for the candidates. The riders stood beside their dragon, wearing the knots of their Weyr.
"I’d like two to go with each dragon." Blanca said, "I trust you are adult enough to manage that without fighting?"

Lantessama Isle