“Hey, kid. Fetch me a piece of wood, will you?”
I smiled to myself and looked around. About ten feet away was a small branch of deadwood about two feet long. I leisurely stretched out a finger and it took flight, floating gently across the clearing to hover in the air in front of Aahz.
“Not bad, kid,” he acknowledged. Then his sword flashed out, cutting the branch into two pieces which dropped to the ground. He picked up one of the pieces and inspected the cut.
“Hmmm . . . there may be hope for this sword yet. Why did you let them fall?”
This last was directed at me.
“I don’t know. I guess you startled me when you swung the sword.”
“Oh, really?”
Suddenly he threw the stick at me. I yelped and tried to duck out of the way, but it bounced painfully off my shoulder.
“Hey! What was that for?”
“Call it an object lesson. You know you can control the stick because you just did it when you fetched it for me. So why did you duck out of the way? Why not just stop it with your magik?”
“I guess it never occurred to me. You didn’t give me much time to think.”
“Okay, so think! This time you know it’s coming.”
He picked up the second piece of wood and waited, grinning evilly, which with pointed teeth is easy. I ignored him, letting my mind settle; then I nodded that I was ready.
The stick struck me squarely in the chest.
“Ow!! “I commented.
“And there, my young friend, is the difference between classroom and field. Classroom is fine to let you know that things can be done and that you can do them, but in actual practice you will never be allowed the luxury of leisurely gathering your power, and seldom will you have a stationary target.”