Rhiannon - Dragonrider

Chapter Thirty - Juggling Pebbles

It was pitch black when I woke. As the year crept on, I was having to wake up before dawn to get any time on my own... and I really needed those few minutes for myself. I crept across the dormitory, using my mind rather than my eyes to see the way and, as I made my way down the familiar rickety staircase, there was a distinct nip in the air.

Before starting my normal routine, I went across to the mews, lit a lantern and carried it over to Nero. I needed to check his wing. One of the nonda had let Taloon get too close and of course the bad tempered nag had taken a lump out of him before anyone could stop her.

The slender brown dragon was curled up at the back of his stall, still fast asleep. "Wake up, lazy bones," I called to him. "I need to have a look at that wing." I took a gentle grip on his mind and vaulted over the wall. Nero and I had a sort of agreement going on... I only put the lightweight grip on him and he didn't resist.

There wasn't enough room in the stall for him to fully stretch his wing out but he reluctantly unfolded it enough to let me have a look. I had to laugh... if he could talk, he'd have been muttering rude things at me under his breath. I cautiously felt around the wound with my fingers and mind... even though it was still hurting a bit, it was healing nicely. "Don't be such a baby!" I gently chided him as he flinched away from my probe. "It's your own fault for letting Taloon get too close!"

I carefully applied some of the evil-smelling ointment that Zalibar had given me. "Don't lick it off, this time!" I warned him. "Zalibar says it's good for your wing but I can hardly imagine that it will do you any good to eat the stuff!"

I scratched him behind the ears... it was a bit of an insult to his dignity but he quite liked it as long as nobody was looking. Then I released my grip and jumped back out of the stall.

I returned to the quad where I did a couple of slow, loping laps. It was funny but, even though I'd not started doing the afternoon runs again, I was still stiff in the mornings.

Probably some lingering after effect of the gorat.

Dawn was breaking through the heavy overcast as I climbed up onto the gatehouse roof. I gave Psion a sort of nod but went straight into my usual routine.

As I lay on my back, stretching out a thigh muscle, I guided half a dozen pebbles in a figure of eight type pattern above my head. And when I switched to my other leg, I reversed their direction. I stretched out my arm muscles whilst hovering quarter of an inch above the platform and, when I moved to stretch out my hamstrings, I took my weight on my will rather than on my arms.

I could feel Psion hovering on the edge of my mind but he could see how hard I was concentrating so he didn't disturb me.

The latest exercise he'd given me was juggling pebbles with my eyes closed - it was supposed to build up 'the needlelike application of my will'. I could just about manage it with three pebbles but I was still struggling with the fourth. I always found myself picking the things up off the floor.

After getting into a rhythm with three, I tried to slip in the fourth and, for a few moments, I had it. I knew where the pebbles were going to be and could stretch out my hands to pluck them from the air.

But suddenly the pebbles were gone. I was left clutching at nothing.

I opened my eyes to find the four pebbles in an impossible looking little stack on the wall in front of me.

"Psion!" I just exploded.

I mean... he wasn't even holding them there with his will... he must have balanced them there with a crazy level of precision!

"You were about to miss one," he told me with a grin. "It is, in any event, time for you to finish. People in the house are beginning to stir."

After stepping up into the dormitory to check that the rest of the tyros were awake, I had a quick wash by the well. The water was freezing and I was shivering as I made my way into the kitchen to collect hot water for the nonda. Nobody else liked the job but it didn't bother me because I was already awake... and I got to warm up in the kitchen as I poured the water out