Page 125 of Black Wing and Shadows
Melamora stepped forward first, her dark purple robes whispering against the floor, her expression carved from stone. “Due to the recent… incidents, leadership is taking precautionary measures.”
Fogg crossed his arms, his deep voice booming in the vaulted space. “All students—except first-year Riders, all Wing Commanders, Executive Officers, and Platoon Leaders—will be leaving the campus today.”
A wave of shocked gasps rolled through the benches. My stomach dropped.
Professor Pascal raised a hand for silence, his tone clipped but clear. “You have until fifteen-hundred hours to get off the campus grounds. Extra trains have already been arranged in Chalahana, with departures at ten hundred, twelve hundred, thirteen-thirty, and fifteen hundred.”
A cadet from the back shouted, “So we’re being thrown out?” Melamora’s eyes flashed. “You are being sent home—for your safety. You all were being sent home in six days anyway. There will be no further debate.”
The room broke into whispers and protests anyway.
“What about winter solstice celebrations?”
“What if we don’t have anywhere to go?”
“They can’t do this!”
Professor Fogg slammed his palm down on the lectern, the crack silencing half the room. “You will obey your orders. If you do not have a place to go, you can see one of your professors who will help arrange something for you.”
Pascal stepped in again, calmer but no less firm. “Except for the first-year Riders, the rest of the lectures have been cancelled for you to go and pack your bags for leave.” His eyes swept the rows of first-year Riders, landing on me for a fraction of a second. “Those of you who remain… will not be idle. You are expected to continue your training, and you will be watched. The remaining cadet leadership will need to assist your cadets in their departure. This evening there will be a leadership meeting after the campus is closed, this will include the first-year Flight Guides who will remain.”
The words sent a shiver down my spine. Melamora’s gaze raked across the hall, daring anyone to speak. “Dismissed. Begin preparations immediately.”
The room erupted.
Cadets scrambled for the aisles, some furious, some frightened, some pale with relief. Shouts and questions tangled together, boots pounding down the stairs. A few already ran for their chambers, desperate to pack.
I sat frozen in my seat, heart hammering. In the span of a breath, half the academy was being scattered, sent home early. Had this ever happened before?
Leaving the rest of us—the ones with fragile bonds that needed to be tended to before we could leave. The ones that had fragile magic manifesting within our skins, waiting to explode. Extreme duress was enough to trigger it, which made me believe that some of us would be channeling quicker than we should.
And what if the murderer wasn’t someone who was being ordered to leave? That would leave our small group to pick from. What if itwasa Rider? No, it couldn’t be. A flier wouldn’t allow it.
The benches scraped and thundered as cadets poured toward the exits, a storm of panic and outrage.
“They can’t just throw us out!”
“What about exams?”
“Gods, I don’t actually know if my family is home yet”
“Good riddance, I’m not staying here to be strung up like the rest.”
“I hope this shit is figured out before we get back.”
Feather Wing moved together, swept in the tide of bodies funneling toward the doors. I tried to match their pace, but my legs felt heavy, my chest tight with a panic I couldn’t quite name. Everyone leaving—the noise, the fear, the tension—it was like watching the college splinter before my eyes.
As I started to move with my wing, I saw him approaching. Shit. I almost forgot about him with the professors turning our world upside down.
“Hey Auri!” he said.
Damn it. I knew Zane would be joining me soon.
I turned to him “Hello, Lieutenant McGrath.”
“Ahh c’mon you know you can call me Orrin.”
Sadie, Lili, Micah, and Thora had all stopped, noticing that I had stopped. Gods this could go to shit fast.
