A Midnight Surprise
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Healer Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Printer Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyr
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Writers: Yvonne
Date Posted: 12th August 2026
Characters: Thiseta
Description: Imbeth clutches
Location: Barrier Lake Weyr
Date: month 4, day 27 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: Teigan, Q'vettan
}:Thiseta?:{
Thiseta rolled over, snug in her bed and mostly asleep. Something had woken her, perhaps a dream she couldn't remember. Teigan’s breath was steady and slow: he was asleep, and thank Faranth wasn’t snoring. His warmth radiated through their blankets and if she moved just a hair, she knew they’d touch.
}:Wake up.:{
**No.** She closed her eyes and buried her face in the blankets. **I’m asleep.**
}:There are eggs on the Sands,:{ Imbeth said.
Thiseta’s eyes flew open. Eggs! **How many? You should have woken me!** she scolded as she slid out of bed, careful not to disturb her weyrmate. She wrapped a robe around her shoulders and tiptoed from the room, her pace increasing as soon as she was far enough away that she wouldn’t wake him. Then she turned back to grab a pair of boots that were sitting by the door, although she didn’t slip them on her bare feet just yet. The stone was deliciously cold against her toes.
The Weyr was nearly silent as she hurried through the twisting halls toward the Hatching Cavern. The lights, turned low for the evening, cast dancing shadows at her feet. **How many?** she asked again.
}:Many.:{
The hallway ended in one of the larger double doors to the Hatching Cavern. Thiseta pulled the left door open by its curling brass handle and winced at the faint squeak, which seemed overloud in the dark.
The Hatching Cavern was also shrouded in shadows and when she closed the door, the only real source of illumination came from the moonlight shining through the cavern entrance. Fresh, cool air caressed her feet as she felt her way down the steps toward the heat of the sands.
Dim shapes appeared as she grew closer, giant hills and hummocks of sand that Imbeth had built as her nest. Thiseta finally pulled on the boots and stepped into the Sands. The heat radiating from the ground felt thick and close as she climbed the first hill.
She saw the curve of Imbeth’s wings first, then the arch of her neck. Imbeth swung her snout toward her rider and lowered her great head with a sigh that stirred Thiseta’s hair. }:It is better now that you are here.:{
**You should have called me earlier, my love,** Thiseta said, reaching up to cradle her dragon’s snout. She lay her cheek against her soft hide. **I am always with you, though. Even asleep.**
}:Come see.:{
Thiseta followed Imbeth’s gentle nudging and gasped as her fingertips brushed against the impossibly soft, leathery shell of an egg. She followed Imbeth through the dark to a second egg, then a small trio carefully nestled together. **This is so wonderful, my love! Have you told Tzenketh yet?**
}:No. Only you.:{ Imbeth’s soft sigh was warm against her face. She settled herself a little more comfortably in the sand. }:Tzenketh and his rider can come once the sun rises, but for now, all I want is you.:{
Thiseta made her way across the hot sands to crawl up on Imbeth’s back. A warm sense of love pulsed in her chest in time to her heart beat. She was Imbeth’s in the impossible, immutable way of dragons. And Imbeth was hers.
She curled into the spot between her dragon’s wings as listened to the deep rush of air that was Imbeth’s breath and the steady, sonorous beat of her heart. She thought of all the new dragonriders who would stand on these Sands soon. They too would know love like this. And fear, and death.
But for now, all Thiseta could focus on was the quiet, hopeful joy of the new dragons slumbering in their shells around them. New life.
Last updated on the September 2nd 2026