PART TWO
THE BEAUTIFUL CAPTIVE
"Pass me those bolts, Blackmind,"
Mastermind says, not
looking up from
his work.
Being Mastermind's assistant
is exhausting. It's not
something I like, either.
But my parents said, "Blackmind, you
need to be doing something, not
just sitting around
with a scroll.
So here I am, working for
him
and guarding these
RainWings, who seem
to have done nothing.
"It's for science," Is Mastermind's
excuse.
Rubbish, I say.
These captives have done nothing,
and I pity them,
even if they are lazy RainWings.
So I try to make it up for them,
being kind, giving
them smiles and whispering,
"I'm sorry," whenever
Mastermind's back is
turned.
I'm assigned to a RainWing named
Black SickleBill. I feed her fruit
(not enough, but we're a little short
on food,
as the volcano makes it hard.
"No need to waste good food on them,"
Mastermind says.)
I bring her water. And when Mastermind
is really busy, and not paying attention,
I'll sometimes read her
scrolls.
There are other NightWing helpers,
Essence, Strongwings and Coal.
We work with the female RainWings,
and there are a few others who work with the males.
I assume they also feel guilty about what we're doing,
but none of us do anything about it.
Essence is assigned to a RainWing named Loris,
StrongWings to Tualang and Splendor.
Then one day, a captive is brought in,
and everything changes.