Page 62 of Black Wing and Shadows
“Yes…”
“Wow, what was that like?”
"Chaotic and loud, our home was filled with frequent arguments among siblings. Raised as royalty, we were expected to behave impeccably. As the eldest twins, Aeliana and I were supposed to set an example and guide the younger children. I was rebellious and resisted these expectations throughout my childhood, while Aeliana always kept me grounded."
“What are your other siblings like?”
“Theodora is after us, and she’s the wild card. Then there’s Arkin, quiet and shy, always following the rules. Helena, ah, I miss her. She's the calm in the storm, always reasonable. Adrian is the sixth, and we weren’t prepared for him. Thea was wild, but Adrian was wilder. He climbed the walls and was generally into everything. Elizabeth, or Lizzy, is the baby. The first six of us were all under two years apart, most of us only a year apart, but Lizzy came five years after Adrian. Everything is her way or the highway.”He smiled afterward.
“You miss them, huh?”
“Yeah, I do. Well, sometimes, I don’t miss the bickering.”
“The most bickering I have experienced was with Lili and Alex. They are the closest to me.”
“That might make you lucky.”
“Perk was that I was the center of my parents’ attention, which apparently is the only reason they remained together.”
“Being with me means you have gained six siblings, so welcome to the—chaos.”
He pulled me in tighter. “Hold tight.”
Lights flashed.
I heard a whooshing sound. I opened my eyes, and we were on top of the mountain—Pass of Bête Noire. I thought I was going to die when I was uphere before. I remembered the view was beautiful. He had just teleported us—or roved, as he called it, which felt weird. One second, we were on the ledge, and the next, we were on this mountain top. He sat on the ground and pulled me down next to him before lying us back to stare directly into the sky.
“What’s going to happen when you graduate?”
“That’s almost two years away…”
“I get anxious about the future. I am constantly thinking about it, especially with all of the things coming up.”
“I will graduate and be stationed somewhere, probably Fort Dasyn, because it’s the nearest fort to the college, and we will need to be near each other. Assuming we have gone to a priestess by then.”
“We will. How far of a flight is Fort Dasyn?”
“For me, about three hours, it is over the mountains on the Alpha side. Dragons fly a bit faster. I, of course, can be in your room in seconds. Let’s worry about making it through the next couple of years here, though.”
We lay on top of the mountain with my head resting on his shoulder and leaning toward his head. His arm was wrapped around me, curling under and up to my side, holding me close. We stayed there quietly, breathing in unison. I inhaled the crisp mountain air, listening to the cheerful chirping of insects as they sang. I heard the river rushing in the valley below. It was an incredibly peaceful night. My mind felt overwhelmed. I had endured many tough challenges. Fighting daily to survive and dealing with my parents' constant bullshit was exhausting. Every day, I was pushed physically and mentally. Cadets wanted to see me fail, secretly hoping and praying for my downfall. But I was determined to succeed. I aimed to prove to everyone who doubted me that I could overcome anything and rise above it.
CHAPTER 24
The week passed swiftly. Our squad held sparring sessions on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we focused on obstacle training, while the remaining days were dedicated to our regular courses. We stayed active daily, which was better than some other platoons that combined sparring and obstacle training on the same day. When Friday came, after our all-branch current events class, our squad went to Professor Rivet’s gym.
I hadn’t looked forward to sparring since it often caused conflicts between branches. Many disagreements occurred. A cadet could only be called out twice in one day, and if they got seriously injured in the first match, the second was postponed. We started each session with callouts before random pairs. To make a callout, one had to notify the professor’s assistant a day in advance. I was called out twice on Wednesday. I wanted to yell—I fucking hate my dad, too. Instead, I simply stepped onto the mat and did it. I lost the first match but won the second.
Our platoon was the only Riders. The rest consisted of Drusearons, Shapeshifters, Sorcerers, and Infantry. Each branch stood in its own group, separate from the others. Zane was among the Drusearons. Professor Rivet started calling out names as he walked around to each mat to start the matches. He had ten assistants helping him call the matches.
“Darla Cuzner calls Lilian Beverli,” Rivet said. First squad moved to the mat to support our Platoon Leader. The second squad went to another mat to support one of their cadets. I watched as Lili stepped onto the mat with this Infantry cadet, who also wore black. Lili glared at her like she might set her on fire. I wondered what the hell happened between thosetwo. The two of them were close in height, but Lili had an inch over her. Darla had blond hair and blue eyes, starkly contrasting with Lili’s.
They both bounced around. Lili reached down with both hands, unsheathing two daggers, one for each hand. Darla’s blue eyes flared in response, and she grasped one of her daggers, but before she could even get a chance to get the second one out, Lili was on her and started swiping left and right with both daggers. My eyes danced, watching her dominate. I didn’t think Darla really knew what she was getting herself into. Darla dropped low and charged, but Lili dodged her with such quickness, leaving Darla stumbling.
Lili went on the attack, flicking her right dagger into Darla’s calf and her left into her back. Darla dropped to the mat, and Lili hopped onto her back, pulling another dagger out and pressing it into her throat. Darla tapped the mat three times.
A wave of happiness washed over me. That was my best friend, and she had improved a lot over the past two years. She and I used to spar constantly while growing up—of course, we didn’t use daggers or stab each other. All around us, cadets were sparring on different mats. You could hear punches, grunts, and growls everywhere.
“Asmoth Elslurs calls Auriella Blackcreek,” Professor Gile announced.
