An air of pleassant anticipation hung so
thickly over the Halls,Holds and Weyrs
of pern that it had affected even the
businesslike ways of Moreta,the
Weyrwoman of Fort Weyr,where her
dragon,queen Orlith, would soon
clutch.
Then without warning,a runnerbeast
fell ill. Soon myriads of holders,
craftsmen, and dragonriders were dying;
and the mysterious ailment had spread
to all but the most inaccesible holds.
Pern was in mortal danger. For,if
dragonriders did not rise to char Thread,
the parasitewould devour any and all
organic life it encountered. The future of
the planet rested in the hands of Moreta
and the other dedicated,selfless pernese
leaders.But of all their problems,the most
difficult to overcome was time....
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