He-Man and the Masters of the Universe by Gregory Mone

Author:Gregory Mone
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams
Published: 2022-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

13.

When we last checked in on my younger self, I’d just learned about the sigil from my tutor. In the months following that conversation, Adi grew increasingly withdrawn. He missed more of our scheduled classes. He became secretive, too, and would rarely let me into his workshop anymore. When I was allowed inside to tinker with the Stridor, he’d cover up or lock away all his other works in progress, insisting that his experiments were private. And I could forget about any talk of the Snake Men and their battles with Grayskull. He’d always change the subject. Randor didn’t want to hear about the Great War, either. Or not the real story, anyway. You couldn’t say anything critical about the famed king with my brother around. Randy was a total Grayskull fanboy.

Gradually, I worked to repair my relationship with Adi. I quieted my questions, but studied as hard as ever. I even tried gifts. After I finally completed the engineering of the second Stridor, for example, I made our tutor a thank-you present. Adi and I had run the Stridors far out into the Badlands and back, and we were returning the bionic beasts to his workshop. The huge doors to the outside were open. Adi sent his horse back inside to its station with a click of his remote. I controlled my Stridor—I was done pretending; the machine was mine—with an electronic bracelet of my own design. The bracelet had other functions, too, but I kept these secret applications to myself. Adi hadn’t helped me with the gadget, and he looked at it with curiosity as I clicked one of the buttons and my Stridor followed the other, trotting inside to its station as the two of us stood in the sunlight. “It’s probably not half as advanced as yours,” I lied, “but I figured a small wrist gauntlet would be easier.”

“Impressive,” he admitted.

“I have something for you,” I replied. I reached into one of my pockets and removed the gift: a red crystal medallion hanging from a golden chain. A stunning piece of jewelry, in my humble opinion.

“What is this?” Adi asked. “Some kind of good luck charm?”

“A token of thanks,” I said, “for showing me how to build my Stridor.” Adi started to put it in his pocket. He wasn’t interested. I pressed on. “It’s not just about the Stridor, though, Adi. You’ve been such an incredible teacher. You’ve really opened my eyes to new ideas. New possibilities.” I paused and, for effect, lowered my voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “You’ve helped me see the truth of my relationship with my brother.”

His eyes narrowed, as if he was trying to scour the expression on my face for some hint that I might be lying or hiding some other motive beneath these compliments. He did not find one. I pointed to the medallion. “You don’t have to wear it,” I added, “but I’d be honored if you did.” I gulped for effect, knowing my next line would strike well.

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