Page 48 of Black Wing and Shadows
“They aren’t on the battlefield?” the cocky guy in the front who locked his eyes on me earlier asked.
“They can be, depending upon their abilities. Like all High Fae, we aren’t all treated equally in what nature gives us in terms of magical abilities.” She turned her body towards me and glanced in my way, “For instance, the daughter of the military general would be considered HighFae and is expected to have great power. Not just because he is the general, but because his bloodline is unique.”
I instantly felt my cheeks flush. I shifted in my seat and took a sip from my steel bottle. I hadn’t sensed any power—I hadn’t really attempted to, honestly. I didn’t realize I was born with such incredible strength until now. Why hadn’t my dad told me? It made no sense. But what Zane and I shared was some kind of magical ability.
“Say we are of High Fae, but haven’t had any inkling of power?” Thora asked, as if she read my mind.
“Oh, you have power, but you haven’t fully unleashed it. Some parents, though frowned upon, have given their children tinctures to suppress their abilities. When you arrived here for basic training, a ward was also activated to suppress your powers, helping us manage with fewer staff and preventing magical flare-ups. Now that we've removed that ward several days ago, you might begin to show or feel your power. Otherwise, Vindex will enjoy messing with you.”
She told us, looked at me again, and gave me a gentle smile. It was almost like she was trying to tell me something. Would my dad really suppress my powers? Between my mom’s letters and what I was learning here, I started to question things. My dad had always protested me joining the military altogether, but why? There were so many questions I wanted answers to, and I didn’t feel like my dad would give them to me anytime soon.
“The funny thing about magic is there is always balance in check. If you are a Rider, your flier helps balance that check. They can and will stop the flow if they believe you are being too reckless. Conversely, they could incinerate you as well. Speaking of fliers, each flier also has different special abilities, and like High Fae, some dragons are more powerful than others. The more powerful ones are known for seeking out more powerful Riders to bond with.”
“Does the size of a flier mean anything?” a female sitting in the Infantry area asked.
“Sometimes, most Riders and flier types don’t really disclose that. Riders can’t share flier secrets, and sometimes the fliers don’t revealinformation either. That said, General Blackcreek’s dragon is decent-sized, and we know they are both powerful. Griffins aren’t as vastly different in size, but some of them have incredible magical abilities. In short, don’t underestimate any flier, even smaller ones. I like the questions. Let's keep them coming.”
“If a High Fae decided to join the Infantry, would they have powerful magical abilities compared to us, who have none?” one of the Infantry cadets asked.
“Yes, don’t see it like a competition, see it as complimenting each other. Don’t see it as one is better than the other. Everyone here has something they will bring to the table.”
“And if you don’t, you’ll die,” the smartass Shapeshifter added. Half the class laughed while the other merely stared at him.
“We are in a time where we don’t want to see cadets dying,” she gave him a scornful look. “Let’s do some critical thinking. Why do you think the chambers are set up the way they are?”
“Infantry is usually on the front line, so it makes sense to put them on an outer wing,” an Infantry cadet said.
“Yes…” She looked around, waiting for more answers.
“Historians are positioned above the library and next to the instructor’s chambers to assist with the retrieval of information,” a quiet Historian said.
“Good…”
“Riders are positioned on the outer side, closer to the flight field. Healers are placed between the Riders and the Drusearons because they are historically the most severely injured in training. Infantry is also located at the end and next to the Sorcerer’s chambers because they are the branch with the least exposure to fliers, winged Fae, and wolves. Therefore, they are more likely to be more alarmed by seeing us or our creatures. Historically, Shapeshifters aren’t fond of Riders, so placing them the furthest away is an attempt to keep conflict lower,” I said. At least my dad did tell me some of these things.
“Because the fliers took out multiple packs, because they wouldn’t conform,” one of the Shapeshifters shouted.
“Oftentimes, there is much more behind the scenes, as you will soon learn over the next few years,” she said, before looking my way, “yes, to all of that.”
She turned toward the Shapeshifters’ group, “Now, you all know this, or I hope you do, so let’s let them answer this one.” She turned to the rest of us, “When do Shapeshifters start transforming into their wolf form?”
Everyone was pin quiet, just staring at her. She turned back to the Shapeshifters and gave them a nod.
“Most of us transform after we turn eighteen, which is why we have to come when we are eighteen, unlike some others. Some of us are seventeen but will turn eighteen soon, so we are allowed to join a little earlier. The goal is for us to transform here, guided by our professors. However, sometimes we do transform early at home, and our pack is really great at helping us through it,” one of the female Shapeshifters said.
“Yes, good. Shapeshifters don’t have magic in the same way some others do, and they don’t see themselves as Fae. They have the ability to transform whenever they want, except for the first time, and are extremely strong in their wolf form. Their bite can be deadly if not properly treated. They can use runes like others to do things such as lighting candles, creating sound shields, and similar tasks. Their first transformation is said to be the most painful, which is why we like to be present for them.”
“So, they don’t transform only on full moons?” an Infantry cadet remarked.
She turned toward him and slowly blinked at him, which was comical as fuck. “I did precisely say they can transform whenever they want. Listen with your damn pointy ears.”
Most of us let out a chuckle. The cadet sank into his seat.
“Let’s shift the focus to the Drusearons. I have a particular interest in and knowledge of their clans, since my husband is Drusearon. As I mentioned earlier, you can’t be part of that branch unless you have wings, for obvious reasons. We had four wonderful children, and three of them were bornwith wings, while our youngest was not. She is as special as the others. She chose to follow my footsteps and joined the Sorcerer branch, which we expected. What I didn’t anticipate was that our second son, who has the largest set of wings among them, would choose the Healer branch. He’s considered a mender because his abilities are stronger than a typical Healer, but he isn’t quite a full mender. The point is that Drusearons aren’t required to join their own branch. The only one they can’t join, of course, is the Shapeshifters. Historically, no winged Drusearons have joined as Riders either.”
“Wouldn’t that be a sight—a winged Fae and a flier—falling off would be much easier,” a Rider said behind me.
“Yes, that would be quite something. And you might actually see it. Sometimes, when we're in a battle, a Drusearon will ride a flier with its Rider and dive off for an unexpected attack. However, this depends heavily on the flier, its temperament, and how the Rider feels. Drusearons can have a wide range of abilities, from only performing simple magic to being very powerful. Similar to their abilities, their wingspans also vary in size. Speaking of their wings, when one can wield magic, some of them choose to keep their wings hidden. There are various reasons for this. It could be because, in their clan, it makes them a target for non-winged Fae. Wings can also be seen or felt as a vulnerability, so they only display them around people they trust. The most important thing is never to touch their wings without their permission.”
