More than a decade has passed since the deadly Threads, burning all living things, fell on the forests, gardens and fields of Pern. But Pern lives and resists. Lessa, the Master of Benden Weyr, called for help from the depths of time - the ancient Horsemen, ready, together with their descendants, to protect the planet from invasion. Harpists are already composing ballads about Lessa’s feat; she is glorified as the savior of Pern. But suddenly the Horsemen find themselves on the verge of a split...