"You still look magnificent."You still look magnificent." I carefully kept my mouth shut, but inwardly I glowed, enjoying my master's pleasure as my own. "Now, we are going to practice. And we are going to practice until you can fly, Ken." The next four hours started with intense frustration. It took me an hour just to get the wings to work in tandem. As they moved more and more at my command, though, they seemed to become more a part of me. I began to feel through them; when I banged them inadvertently into the stone grey walls of the terrace, they hurt. Borodir just chuckled and kept at me. Suddenly, though, I began to get them to move in tandem and with power. Just when I was beginning to reach the bursting point with my frustration, I began kicking up huge gouts of dust and lifted vertically a meter into the air in two swings. I was so surprised I lost control and fell awkwardly to the ground, my wings splayed around me. "Ow." "That was great, lad," Borodir said cheerfully. "Just wonderful. But you look tired; come inside and rest, take something to drink." I nodded, thanking him with my eyes. He hooked a finger through a ring on the collar and pulled me into the cafeteria. After lunch we worked at it again. Having Borodir watch me has always been somewhat inspirational, and today we were working particularly well together. After a few hours, I was getting the downswings perfectly enough that I could remain, hovering, without blowing myself backwards and up against the stone wall, or worse, out over the castle trellis where I would fall dozens of meters to my doom-- at least, until the gravitics kicked in and saved me. He waved me down from a long and sustained hover. "Come on, Ken, I've got something I want from you." I waited, silently. "Up on those spires are three balls. One is blue, one is red, and one is green. Bring them to me in that order, blue, red, green. Got it?" "Yes, sir," I replied. "Then go!" he replied cheerfully, slapping my butt. I took to the air immediately, realizing just as quickly what Borodir's intention was in demanding this of me. I have an incredible arrogance and an equally strong sense of prowess, and he was letting me control both so that I would take this search slow. |