Page 115 of Black Wing and Shadows
“As someone who didn’t have Rider parents, that is a fair question. Riders and fliers who are separated for longer than a week become extremely weak, with their unique ability becoming diminished. The flier going into a state of depression. That has only happened a few times. With that said, next week will be strenuous, focusing on powers that manifest and the ability to fly. Everyone will be required to do some basic maneuvers without falling off,” Vindex said.
“And if we fall off? It was clearly stated that we shouldn't remain during this leave.”
“Well, I hope you don’t live super far, because it may be a long train ride. Just as you arrived here, you would have to walk to the nearest town and get on a train. Your flier will fly overhead the entire way. Either way you get there, your flier will not be able to remain with you, unless you’re going to an actual fort or vastly close to one. They will drop you nearby and fly to the nearest lair or if you are near a vale. There are some areas where the lairs may be too far, in which case your flier will find a forest nearby to stay. Typically, non-military Fae are not used to fliers, and it alarms them.”
All of our faces were fixed on him, eyes wide, like he had just dropped a damn bombshell on us.
“Now, in the five years I have been here, we have not had that happen. Most of your fliers performed more dangerous maneuvers while you were without a saddle, and you made it alive to the ceremony.”
The sigh that swept through the room. Seriously, why did he stir things up? I arrived by train from Zion Outpost, where my dad was stationed. Over the past two years, he was rarely home, busy traveling between strongholds and forts. It wasn’t a long journey—where would I go? Damn. Zane. We were also bonded.
“They also can’t be separated for an extended period without their power diminishing.”
What Professor Vindex said about mated Faes rang back into my head. Zane and I would need to discuss this soon. Thankfully, he had a nifty little secret way to get in and out of my room without anyone suspecting a thing. For now, I really needed to focus on class and all the information being presented.
“Let’s bring it back to your magical abilities. We practiced creating a light orb and controlling it. Today, we will add a little more ante. In front of the class, there are twelve-inch-tall logs. You will get one and place it in front of you. You will then cast your orb directly above the log, precisely one inch above it, not two, not less than one. I want you to be able to hold it there for at least ten minutes. If you are a cadet who recently gained magic through channeling, you will come to the front and start with some basics. Because of the delay in magic, your channeling usually comes much later than the others.”
Chairs scraped as a handful of students shuffled forward, their faces tight with embarrassment. The rest of us lined up to grab our logs. When it was my turn, I bent and lifted one into my arms, the bark was rough beneath my fingers, the weight grounding me as I set it down on my desk.
Ten minutes. One inch. Control.
My bond mark throbbed faintly, a pulse in time with my heartbeat. Esme stirred.“Ten minutes? Pfft. I could hold an orb over this log for ten days.”
“I’m not you,”I shot back,biting down on a laugh.
“Exactly,”she said.“That is why you will struggle, and why I will laugh when you do.”
I rolled my eyes before closing them, slowly summoning my power as Vindex taught us. Light formed in my palms, flickering like a loosely controlled force.
One inch, I reminded myself. Not more. Not less. I exhaled slowly, lifting the orb toward the log. The shimmer gathered hotter than I meant it to, the orb in my hands growing until it wobbled like a bubble about to burst. My palms were already damp, the log below me taunting with its silent demand: one inch, steady, ten minutes.
I lowered my hands carefully, guiding the orb down until it hovered over the log. Too close. It dipped and brushed the bark with a sharp hiss, leaving a scorch mark.
“Damn it,” I muttered under my breath, yanking the light back up.
“Control,” Vindex’s voice snapped across the room like a whip. He didn’t even look up from pacing the aisles, but I felt his eyes on me anyway. “Not brute force. You can’t panic, control it.”
Magic pulsed in my veins, wild and eager, as if it wanted to prove him wrong by blasting the log to splinters. I clenched my jaw. No. Not the time. I wasn’t losing to a piece of wood. I tried again. That time, the orb shuddered and sank too low, bumping against the log before collapsing into sparks. Groans of frustration rose around me as other cadets lost their focus too—tiny bursts of light popping like firecrackers across the room.
Esme’s laughter flickered through the bond, smug and unhelpful. “You’re overthinking it. It’s a log, Auri. Not the end of the world.”
“Easy for you to say,”I hissed back. "You’re not the one about to humiliate yourself in front of the entire wing."
Her warmth rippled through me, calmer now.“Stop thinking like a normal Fae. Think like me. Balance. Breath. Patience.”
I swallowed hard, rolled my shoulders back, and pulled the shimmer up again. Slowly this time. Carefully. The orb reformed in my palms, smaller, steadier. I guided it downward until it hovered—shaking, fighting me—exactly one inch above the log. My breath caught.
It held. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.
The tremor smoothed as I matched my breathing to Esme’s presence, in and out, steady as wingbeats. The ache in my bond mark eased, replaced by a slow, glowing thrum.
I had it. Finally, I had it. Across the room, logs hissed and popped as cadets lost their focus, curses flying under their breath. But I kept mine there—one inch, steady, unwavering. And for the first time since the body in the courtyard, I felt something like pride.
CHAPTER 40
Our cohort moved to the next class, boots echoing down the stone corridor as we filed toward the flight field. Some of the fliers were already there, their massive shapes sprawled across the packed dirt, wings rustling like restless sails. Others thundered down from the cliffs in pairs, their arrivals shaking the ground beneath our feet.
My chest tightened when I caught Esme’s familiar silhouette, her sleek body coiled and proud, silver-blue eyes fixed on me the moment I stepped into the sunlight. Our bond mark flared in response, warm and insistent, and I couldn’t stop the small smile that tugged at my mouth. Knowing she was mine, and I was hers.
