Page 19 of Black Wing and Shadows
“Instructor Pascal, we need your assistance, NOW!” one of the cadets yelled.
Auriella was on one of their backs, and my heart sank into my stomach. I straightened against the cold, rough wall. I fought every urge in my body. My bones begged me to run to her. No one truly understood what she meant to me, definitely not her. My stomach didn’t just twist—it collapsed. My ribs felt as if they collapsed inward, my lungs burning for air that wouldn’t come. I pressed myself back to the wall, nails biting into stone, fighting the animal urge to rip her from Pascal’s arms and take her myself.
She looked like she was knocking on death’s door. Fae usually outlived humans, but we were not immortal. The silver thread in my mind, which I believed connected us, felt faint—like it was slipping away. I closed my eyes, delved deep inside, and thought of that shimmering strand, pulling it back to me.
She couldn’t fucking die.
We had hardly begun our journey yet. My aunt was rarely wrong, and she said we would share a fantastic connection and love story.
Pascal hurried to them, grabbing her. In an instant, he shot up into the sky. He would take her to the infirmary, and of course, there were no damn menders on staff during the summer. That seemed ridiculous considering there were just as many deaths and injuries. The ward that suppressed magic was only for the college itself, unless you had runes or was a professor. Once you crossed the river, magic was available. Most of the cadets didn't realize that—hell, most of them didn’t even know how to wield magic properly yet. Thankfully, my wings didn't require magic.
I launched into the sky and flew directly to the infirmary moments after Pascal did. I landed in the watchtower, nodded my head at the alert cadets standing guard, and made my way inside. Only a few dedicated Healers stayed during the summer, and some experienced instructor-Healers were present.
The busy unit buzzed with cadets and seasoned Healers moving rapidly around. In the center, a rectangular area held the busy discussions of Healers monitoring their patients. I leaned against the cold counter outside the room where they had taken Auriella. Four Healers worked inside, efficiently cutting off her uniform and assessing her condition. Pascal looked at the desk, made eye contact with me, furrowed his brows, and expressed stern disapproval. He scrutinized her closely before confidently walking toward me.
“What the hell are you doing here?” He seethed at me in a quiet voice.
I leaned in close to him and whispered, “Anam Cara.”
He pulled away from me, turning his head completely toward me, his eyes looked like they were about to fall out of their sockets. “What the fuck do you mean?” He had never used that tone before, making me drop my eyes to the ground.
“You know what I mean… and she doesn’t know yet.”
“Fuck… Do you know who—”
“You need to get in here. I need some extra hands,” one of the Healers yelled.
Pascal rushed in, clamping both hands over the wound as blood poured through his fingers. I dropped to the floor, stripped bare of any strength I thought I had. My composure shattered.
Please, Marzana—don’t take her. Please, Betha—stay with her, breathe life into her. I had never begged the gods for anything. Now I pleaded like a broken man, promising them blood, wings, my very life if they would just leave her with me. Pitiful, but I would kneel forever if it kept her breathing.
Blood was pouring out of her leg, arm, and back. They were pulling pieces of wood out of the wounds and tossing them on the floor. So much fucking blood. The silver strand flickered. My body leaned forward beforemy mind caught up, the pull of her blood calling to something in me I had buried. I clenched my fists until nails drew blood in my palms. If I gave in, if I touched that power, they’d know what I was. I couldn’t. Not here. Not with her. My anger surged, desperate to tap into it. There wasn’t a mender anyway, so it wouldn’t do her any good right now.
Gods, I thought they might lose her. This was not our story. They kept adding gauze to her back, pulling out the arrow fragments and reopening the wound. My heart pounded faster than ever before. It felt like it broke into two.
Hours later, they finally stabilized her. She remained unconscious but continued to breathe steadily. With each passing hour, the silver strand felt stronger in my grasp. I was unaware of her awareness, yet I could feel her presence, smell her scent. When she arrived weeks ago, a tingling sensation had rippled through me. I thought my twin sister Aeliana was here. I glanced around the courtyard but didn’t see her. That was when I spotted her—the face my aunt had sketched for me. She appeared older than I remembered from six years ago, but unmistakably her.
I stared at her, watching her chest rise and fall. Her face was pale, and even though she was resting, dark circles appeared under her eyes.
One of the Healer professors knocked twice, then walked in and gave me a slight smile.
“How is she?”
“You tell me, you’re the Healer…”
“She is resting and healing. Only time will tell.”
“Can’t we get a mender here?” I grumbled at her.
“By the time they would get our message, she will be awake and making progress.”
“I could fly and retrieve one—”
“No. She will be fine, trust the process.”
I just rolled my eyes at her because, trust what fucking process? The one where she looked like she kissed Marzana’s door? We had menders in other forts, and I could fly. The tone in which she said no suggested there was more to it. She checked her bandages and temperature. She adjusted thefluid bag that ran into her vein. She gave me a sorrowful look and left the room.
She joined the group of professors who were engaged in a deep conversation behind the counter. I tried to listen, but I heard nothing, which was unusual because I had excellent hearing. This wasn’t the first time I witnessed a meeting while sitting in this chair, watching Auriella breathe. Several professors from the college met here a few times a day, speaking softly. I pretended not to pay attention, but I was very aware of what they were doing, just as I was observing her.
