Crisis On Doona by Anne McCaffrey, Jody Lynn Nye Read Free Book Online

but some of which were worth enough alone to buy a change of status on Earth.
    The colony folk had also rediscovered handcrafts. Doonan/Rralan crafts were so well thought of that goods of that origin commanded a good price off-world: pottery; needlecraft; weaving; stone, metal, and wood sculpture; jewelry; and leatherwork. An object made of the porous rla wood could be dyed in rainbow colors before it was painted with rla sap to seal and harden it to the consistency of stone without the weight. Todd’s saddle frame was made of rla, giving him a sturdy seat that required no effort for his mount to carry. He needed to travel light, because the Hunt was hours of hard riding.
    Gypsy danced beneath him as other Hunters and their horses gathered around them on the common. The gray gelding had caught some of the excitement Todd was feeling. The hard work of the last two weeks was about to payoff. He and Hrriss exchanged grins of relief.
    “Do you know, for a while I was afraid no one else was coming when the shuttles were late arriving?”
    “Not coming!” the Hrruban echoed, mocking disbelief lighting his eyes. “Many spend the time between Hunts looking forward to the next one.”
    A slender horsewoman on an Appaloosa mare rode down the hill toward the square, standing in her stirrups and waving. Todd recognized the flame-bright hair on sight and vigorously waved back.
    “Hey, Hrriss, Kelly made it back!”
    “Good!” Hrriss said, raising his own long arm to return her salute. “One more good backup rrriderr to keep order among the aliens.”
    “Hey, gal, welcome home,” Todd shouted when she was near enough to hear him over the pounding of Calypso’s galloping hooves. “Mike said you were trying to make it in time for the Hunt. And you haven’t changed at all!”
    She plumped back in the saddle, to signal the mare to halt, and eased her between Gypsy and Rrhee, Hrriss’s mare. Now, grinning, she snapped her fingers, her expression mock-wistful. “Gee, and I worked so hard to create a new image.”
    “Don’t bother,” Todd replied, grinning back. “The one you got’s not bad enough to put anyone off. Exactly.”
    “Oh, you! Hrriss, how are you?” and she turned to the Hrruban. “Heard you guys got drafted on that Hrrethan ‘do.’ ”
    Todd and Hrriss exchanged quick glances. How had Kelly heard of that? But then, she was an Alreldep trainee.
    “Verry well,” Hrriss answered, dropping his jaw. “The speeches lasted many hours. If it were not for the pleassure of having a functioning transportation grid, the people of Hrretha would most gladly have forgone the honor of having so many eminent speakers.”
    “Spacedep and Codep both sent representatives,” Todd added. “I was a little surprised to see Varnorian there himself, instead of sending a deputy as Spacedep did.”
    “A good thing you went to keep them honest,” Kelly said, making a face. “I’ve been hearing all about the two of you from my little cubbyhole in Alreldep block! You’re considered to be quite a pair of heroes there.”
    Todd waved her words away embarrassedly.
    “You must tell us all about your experriences, as soon as the Hunt is over,” Hrriss said, showing his fangs in the widest Hrruban smile.
    “Absolutely!” she promised them.
    Kelly’s mention of Alreldep brought back to Todd the full memory of his ship’s passage into the interdicted zone around Hrrilnorr, and the fact that two weeks had gone by and there hadn’t been the least hint that their “rescue” had been recorded, or even mentioned to the Treaty Council.
    He would be interested to know if she had heard any rumors: especially one that might suggest the beacon had been planted by factions unsympathetic to the Doona Experiment. This was not the time to bring up such a sensitive topic. Riders needed their wits about them in the Hunt. Plenty of time to take her aside and get her reactions later on.
    “That medical kit been renewed lately?” Todd asked