His eyes widened at my shout and I’m not surprised, I hadn’t meant to be so vicious. “Sorry,” I added. “It’s just that I don’t think it’s safe to pursue that line of enquiry.”
“We’re already at the back of beyond as far as stations are concerned,” he pointed out, “what worse can they do?”
“Kill us.”
* * *
That conversation stayed with me a long time. I didn’t know what the truth was about the definition of blasphemy, but I was afraid that asking was a short cut to end of life. Strangely, I found the idea of being the reason that Ang Shi lost his life was utter anathema to me.
One training day, several weeks later, I was looking for Fin, when I was told he and Ang were training together. The trip down to that training room was easy enough, the pull back up played hell with the calf muscles.
But when I crept down the last few steps, I didn’t want to disrupt anything, as I could hear their voices.
“Twenty-one,” Fin said, he sounded half asleep. Not dreamy, but exhausted. “There are twenty-one dragons in Murmaberg stables, and a further thirty-four in the nests.”
“Do you have any names?”
There was silence and I stepped down to see Fin was biting his lip. He was sweating.
“If I go for names, they’ll sense me.”
Ang nodded. “Then don’t. You’ve done well, Mister Segast, time to come back to us.”
There was a beat, then more colour returned to Fin’s face. He opened his eyes and looked at Ang, smiled, then looked at me. “Dad!” I think that was a happy sound as I walked across to him.
“Fin.” I nodded to him, then saluted Ang Shi. “Sorry to interrupt, Flight Captain.”
“Is there an issue, Flight Sergeant?”
I shook my head. “Today is my training day, I am simply reporting for training.” It was usual that my training came after Fin’s.
Ang nodded, but then turned to Fin. “Mister Segast. You did well. But you must learn the control of a light touch with less effort. You are dismissed.”
Fin saluted, but not as well as he could. As he stood he stumbled. I caught him, covered it with a hug. Then set him on his feet promising to see him for dinner.
“Sit down, Flight Sergeant,” Shi said as Fin was heard scampering up the steps.
I moved down to sit cross-legged in front of Ang Shi. Ang’s eyes were closed, he was shirtless and I found my eyes drawn to the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed and relaxed. I matched the breathing, but I couldn’t take my eyes off that sculpted body. At last he opened his eyes and looked at me.
“Fin is up in the fortress,” he said. “How much of your energy did you gift him?”
I should have known he’d feel that small use of magic. “Enough to keep him from keeling over. You are pushing him very hard.”
“Do you feel I push you too hard?”
I wished he’d emote more, allow me to see more of the man beneath the control. “Sometimes,” I said. “But I’m an adult, I signed up for this way of life. Fin’s just a boy, he didn’t choose this.”
“He is a boy with extraordinary talents,” Shi said. “And if you can trust me to understand your limits, you should trust me to understand his. Now, you need to show me, how you are doing with your own training.” He reached out and offered both hands.
I took them, feeling the warmth and strength of him and we each firmly clasped the other.
“Take your time and explore my body.”
My swallow was unintentional. His flicker of a smile was probably my imagination.
“I was sparring with Fenwick earlier. I have a minor injury. Find it and see if you can heal it.”
* * *
