Page 198 of Swords of Soul and Shadow
Hixon just nodded, his eyes still wide. A kernel of warmth—not from the blanket—skittered through his chest. There was just something about the sky that made everything more magical, and watching the greenie experience it for the first time was gratifying.
Kase explained a few more basic principles and tricks he’d learned over the years as they flew. With each passing mile of serene sky and rolling pasture or town cluster below, Hixon’s shoulders relaxed. It reminded Kase of his first time in the sky. The day his world finally made sense.
For a moment, it was nice to pretend that the rest of the world and its problems didn’t exist, and the only things that mattered were the clouds above and the ground below.
“I never dreamed it would be this beautiful,” Hixon said, leaning to the right to inspect the village below.
They’d finished their outer circles and began their return to the city in lazy circuits. The ruined capital was just visible over the horizon. Nothing of note had happened. No Cerl hovers. No dragon. No Skibs.
That was all a relief, for certain, but something in Kase’s gut told him it wasn’t reliable. The hovers could’ve been invisible like his own. There might’ve been something he missed. But he wouldn’t worry about it just yet.
Hixon settled back into his seat, his fingers on the weapons trigger, ready to attack as needed. Kase could see why he’dbeen chosen to enter the Crews. The lad was intelligent and determined. He just needed to find his wings.
The words his father had slung at him the night of the induction ritual rang in his ears.
They put him with you for a reason, even if you just earned your jacket.
Yet the boy hadn’t been given the chance because of the bike accident…until now. He wouldn’t be able to work the accelerator or the foot controls. Not until he was fully healed, if ever.
Kase adjusted the blanket behind him. Could he do something with this hover? Would the hover allow the greenie to fly it if Kase still powered it with his own soul?
He tapped the side panel with his fingers and thought it to the craft. A trio of soft, happy beeps responded.
They sounded happy to his ear, at least.
Kase should have been more disturbed than he was, but he just smiled. “Hey greenie—want to fly?”
Hixon’s mouth dropped open and he pointed to his legs. “What? I can’t—I only know the basics and what’s in the manual. I’m not—”
Kase let go of his controls. “Good luck, greenie. Better not crash us!”
The color drained out of the boy’s face as the craft dropped a foot and listed to the right. He yanked his controls, and the hover responded with a few flashing lights. “Sir!I cannot do this!”
Kase reached over and grabbed his shoulder, giving it a squeeze. “Trust me. You steer. I’ll control the speed. Got it?”
“I most definitely do not have it.”
The craft stabilized under Kase’s thought and the greenie’s trembling hands. “You had the highest written examination score in history—even better than me—but the best way to learnis through doing, and you have what it takes. Just breathe andfeel.”
“Feelwhat?”
“I already told you—follow your instincts. You know what to do.” He pointed to the dash, then to the horizon. “Don’t worry about the fuel and the cabin pressure gauges. We’ll add that next time. For today, you just keep us at a steady altitude.” He tapped the greenie’s steering control. “Do a few loops around the city…and have fun.”
The boy’s hands strangled the controls. “But what if we crash?”
“We won’t.”
“What if Cerls show up?”
“Then we’ll deal with that when the time comes.”
“But—”
Kase patted the greenie’s head. “Let’s fly, Pilot Hixon.”
It was slow going at first, and Kase had to realign them in the sky a few times with the hover’s help. But the closer they got to the capital, the less the greenie’s hand shook. A smile even crept back across his face.
An hour or two later, Kase made him land the hover in a clearing just outside the hangar entrance. “Told you it’s the best.”
