2.
In lands far across, Heather woke from the trance of sliding her whetstone across her sickle blade. Nomonda stood in front of her and hadn't noticed.
"What is it?" Heather asked, chiding herself.
"I made more dye."
Heather nodded, looking back to Lindi who massaged her wings, which surrounded her like curtains. From between her legs, she pulled a helmet, pouring black liquid over Heather's wings, soaking each feather.
"Who still needs their wings dyed?" Heather asked.
"Only you and Shoki." Lindi said.
"Heads?" Heather asked turning to Nomonda.
"My own, Mags and Sarah" Nomonda said touching her short curly blonde locks.
Heather sighed.
"We have appearances to make and little time to make it… Get a helmet, I'll do yours, spread the dye so Shoki, Mags and Sarah have enough. Make sure Qondile helps them."
Nomonda nodded and disappeared.
Heather flipped her blade, stabbing it into the ground, restarting the sharpening process. Sparks flew.
"Lindi" Heather began.
"Yes ma'am"
"How long have you been away from the needle point?"
"It's my second year, ma'am." Lindi said quickly.
Heather chuckled.
"The second year's hardest for those who survive the first year away from home. You know… it's called 'thedetermination'"
"The 'determination' ma'am?" Lindi asked.
Heather's wings perked up.
"The determination to do great, you'll do your worst until, maybe the second half of your second year, you'll get better again, for you… hm… maybe the eighteenth moon? But only because I'm giving you such a hard start."
"That's still a long time away for my ability to be cut down to nothing as you say it will." Lindi said quickly.
"Don't worry, your abilities have most likely already started to wane, but because you're a part of the Special Division it will show much slower. You know about the frog and the boiling water?"
At that moment Nomonda returned holding a copper helmet, resting her head between Heather's legs who'd already begun pouring black liquid into her hair. "What's The Frog and Boiling Water?" Lindi asked.
Heather laughed when she heard Nomonda groan.
"Ah I see, I've used this story a little too much, haven't I? Nomonda, you enlighten her."
"Yes ma'am, I would like nothing more,"
"Except for a way out," Heather said grinning.
"I would never pass on the honour Lindi, do you know what a frog is?" Nomonda asked
"No, I can't say I do" Lindi said shrugging.
"That's okay. They live on the ground, they're wet, slimy things which live on the edge of rivers and lakes like algae. Except it's an animal not a plant."
Heather could feel Lindi nodding her understanding from behind her back.
"Well these creatures, if dropped in boiling water, will jump,"
"You cook them?" Lindi asked, she sounded stunned and disgusted, Heather bit her lip to keep from letting out a chortle.
"Yes but no, I mean you can cook them, every Black Air Raider who's heard the story from Heather has tried it. But they need their own weight in seasoning before they start tasting like meat, but that's beside the point. As a rational creature would, it jumps out of danger but, if you place the frog in cold water and slowly boil. It'll keep sitting until it dies." Nomonda said.
"It's a metaphor, you're the frog. This windless plane, forsaken by our gods, is the pot. If I shoved the tip of a blade through your hand and you shot an arrow, your shooting would be uncomfortable, weak, and ultimately inaccurate. If you shoot, at all. You'd seek solutions, bandages, magicians, herbalists, extra training, and rehabilitation. But as your skill fades over months and months, you don't notice until it's too late. And you won't understand what happened or how it happened. You will do nothing to fix yourself. After all, you don't know how or what went wrong. You start thinking simple shots you once could do in your sleep were ones you could never take." Heather said.
The way Lindi was dying her wings changed, her hand trembling. Heather grinned; glad she couldn't be seen.
Black Air Raiders didn't fear death; they feared weakness.
"There's a way to keep safe." Heather said.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing between her legs. Nomonda frowned down her own laugh.
"What is it?" Lindi asked.
The blatant desperation nearly put Heather over the edge. She had to put her legs against Nomonda's head; pressing hard to keep her from laughing.
"Why do you want it?" Nomonda asked. "Losing some skill is not that important. It'll come back; eventually."
"Because I need to be my best at all times, ma'am." Lindi responded.
"Don't refer to me as ma'am, that's the name for the team leader," Nomonda said quickly.
"I'm sorry Nomonda," Lindi replied, biting her lip.
"You're forgiven," Heather said quickly. "Now, what's your reason for being 'the best'?"
"Because the special division is a part of my family's pride. From the earliest generation, we've been a part of the Black Air Raider Special Division, mainly the demolition groups."
"But, when I pulled you, you were in the assassination division." Heather said forgetting the joke for a moment.
"I'm too small for the Demolition team, I mean imagine me lifting weight past my own up past the tiny carpet of clouds into army ranks." she said with a laugh.
Silence washed through the entire group, leaving the sounds of rustling leaves, somewhere something roared. Far but loud as a tidal wave. Lindi looked around and found that all eyes on her. Not a friend in sight.
She gaped.