gravity.
Warren alighted on the catwalk beside her. The short rod was carved out of ivory. One tip was black. He had been holding the rod parallel to the floor, but now that he stood on the catwalk, he tilted it so the black tip was facing up.393 That makes you fly? Kendra asked.More like it reverses gravity, he said. Black tip up, gravity pulls down. Black tip down, gravity pulls up.
Sideways, you get zero gravity. Tilt the black tip up a little bit, gravity pulls down a little bit. Get it?
I think so, she said.
Careful of the roof, he warned.
Have you done this before? she asked.
Never, he said. You learn to experiment in places like this.
He held out the rod. She took it. I want to try it out in the stairway, without the spikes.
Go for it, he said.
Kendra went back to the stairway. Slowly she tipped the rod until it was sideways. Nothing felt any different. She jumped slightly, and it felt perfectly normal.
I don't think it works out here, she said.
The enchantment must be specific to this room, he said. Still, strong spell, I've never heard of anything like it.
Remember, with the rod, you're changing which way gravity pulls you. If your momentum is going one way, turning the rod won't instantly change your direction. When I was falling and I flipped it over, I slowed, stopped, and then started going up. So leave yourself room to stop, or you might end up a shish kebab.
I'm not going to let myself go fast, Kendra said.
Good idea, Warren said. And, for the record, don't try to grab a second rod. It felt like I'd been struck by lightning.
Holding the rod, Kendra followed Warren around the394 catwalk. She kept the black tip pointed straight up, notwanting to risk drifting up to the spikes. When they reached the alcove, she saw that there were nine other rods, each resting in a hole, black tip up.
What do you say we make sure we can't be followed,
Warren said, grabbing a rod and tossing it off the edge of the catwalk. Instead of falling, the rod floated back to the same hole from which Warren had removed it. He picked up the rod again. When he let go of it, the rod again returned itself to the hole.
We better hold tight to these, or we'll end up stranded down there, Kendra said.
Warren nodded, removing a rod for himself. He turned it so the black tip was only slightly upwards and stepped off the edge, falling gently, again making Kendra think of astronauts.
Kendra tipped the rod slowly, marveling as she felt the pull of gravity diminishing, even without moving. The sensation was strange; it reminded her of being underwater.
Tilting the rod so the black tip was slightly downward, she floated up, her feet leaving the catwalk. Tipping the rod the other way a tad, she drifted back down.
Now that she trusted the rod, Kendra stepped off the edge of the catwalk and began a mild freefall. The sensation was incredible. She had dreamed of going into space in order to experience zero gravity, and here she was, in an under-ground tower, sampling something much like it. The dizzying drop beneath her feet was no longer very intimidating, now that she could control gravity with a twist of her wrist.395 Warren rose to meet her. Experiment with the rod, hesaid. Nothing too drastic, but get a feel for how to rise and fall and stop yourself. There's a knack to it. I have a feeling it will come in handy before we finish here.
Suddenly Warren shot downward. Kendra watched him slow to a stop. I thought you said nothing too drastic, she called to him.
He rocketed upwards, drawing even with her again. I
meant for you, he said before plunging away below her.
Little by little, Kendra tilted the black tip up higher, incrementally increasing the rate of her descent. She abruptly tipped the rod in the other direction, and her descent slowed with a feeling like she was connected to an elastic band. Making the rod parallel with the ground, she brought herself to a standstill about halfway to the floor.
Kendra glanced up at the distant spikes in the ceiling.
She tilted the black tip all the way down, and with a sudden rush of acceleration she was shooting up toward the iron stalactites.
The sensation was disorienting, exactly like falling headfirst toward the ground, and the spikes came rapidly nearer. In a panic she whipped the rod the