Warlord's Revenge Read Free Page A

the air, smiling at the class. “Without gravity, fire behaves very differently,” he explained. “Although it is still possible to extinguish the flame with water, if you have the right equipment, for smaller fires it is much easier to use sound. Can anyone tell me why?” he looked around. “Yes, Kaal?”
    Kaal lowered his hand. Sounding a little shy, he said, “I’m just guessing, but is it like blowing out the flame with a puff of air? Do the sonic waves scatter burning gases?”
    “Exactly right, Kaal. I couldn’t have put it better myself.” Professor Raydon beamed. “In zero-gravity, a flame can be disrupted with sound waves, exactly as if you were blowing it out. This means that anyone who can shout loudly enough can put out a fire.” Smiling, he continued. “So, let’s see who can shout loudly enough.”
    Using his QuickFan expertly, Professor Raydon flew from one student to the next, lighting seventeen balls of flame and giving each of the students a few words of advice. “Yell, very quickly,” he told John as he set a white ball ablaze. “You need a sudden burst of sound to disrupt the gas.”
    “OUT!” John bellowed a few moments later. In front of him, the fire sputtered, but soon became a steady ball of flame again, now drifting slowly across the room. The sound waves had only pushed it away. He glanced around. Not one of his classmates had managed to extinguish their fireball on the first go. Now, they were all using their QuickFans to follow them around the huge dome. Fireballs were floating in every direction, and the classroom echoed with all sorts of loud sounds – from booming shouts to high-pitched shrieks.
    “Be careful !” shouted Raydon. “If your fire is drifting too close to someone, make sure you warn them to get out of the way.”
    “Go OUT!” John shouted again, then “Rats,” as the fireball just drifted a little further away again. Holding his QuickFan behind him, he gave the propeller a short burst of power and gave chase.
    “Hurrah, I did it . Do I get a prize?” announced Gobi-san-Art in his deep, rumbling voice. John glanced round. The big craggy boy, who looked like he’d been carved from a great block of stone, was punching the air in triumph. His fireball had gone out.
    “Well done, Gobi!” called Professor Raydon.
    Turning back to his own fireball, John’s eyes widened. It had drifted on and was now floating dangerously close to Mordant Talliver. “Hey, Mordant, watch out!” he shouted.
    Too late.
    Oh great , thought John, wincing as the flames brushed past the half-Gargon’s elbow. He’s totally going to make a massive scene .
    Mordant’s high-pitched squeal of pain instantly put out his own ball of flame.
    “ Owwwww !” he shrieked. “I’m burned. John burned me.”
    “Hey, I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to—”
    “Yes, you did. G-Vez, you saw. He did it on purpose, didn’t he?”
    “The Earthling undoubtedly sent his fireball in your direction with every intention of harming you, young master Talliver,” said G-Vez.
    “That’s not true,” said John. “It was an accident. I was just looking the other way.”
    “I bet you were,” spat Mordant, clutching his elbow. “Looking around to make sure Professor Raydon didn’t see you burning me.”
    The professor swooped up between them. “What’s going on here?” he demanded.
    “John burned me, sir.” Mordant showed the teacher his elbow. He turned his head away as Raydon pushed up his sleeve. “Will I be permanently scarred?” he asked in a faint voice.
    “Oh, I don’t think so, Mister Talliver,” Professor Raydon replied cheerfully. “These uniforms are flame-retardant. Look, the fire only singed the surface of the fabric. It hasn’t even touched your skin. You’re perfectly all right. And, if it makes you feel any better, you managed to put your fire out.” Looking around, he dropped Mordant’s elbow and shouted, “It’s OK, everyone! Nothing to see here, get back