Page 144 of Black Wing and Shadows
“A nappp and a showeerrr,” I repeated, mocking his emphasis.
He laughed, which made me laugh harder. He lifted me to the bed, and we curled together, my ear on his chest, memorizing every beat of his heart.
CHAPTER 47
The morning arrived far too fucking fast. They started knocking on doors at zero five hundred to wake cadets. Dining Hall Two opened for early meals before departure. Everyone watched the grandfather clock, ensuring plenty of food and time for last-minute packing.
The campus remained cloaked in shadow as we started gathering on the flight field. Breath steamed in the cold dawn. Professors were stationed around the field, checking groups and departure times. Boots scraped frost, leather straps creaked, and low, restless rumbles from eager fliers filled the air.
Esme’s silver-blue eye swiveled to me the instant my steps reached the clearing, wings stretching wide with a ground-shivering snap.“Are you ready, my little Rider?”
Movement around us continued with quiet efficiency. Sadie muttered at Korra, who snapped her beak at Cassia Mooring’s braid. Zane’s golden hair already looked windswept, posture calm as if nothing unusual unfolded. Corson worked with his red dragon, securing gear. Landon stood beside him, giving neck scratches to his phoenix. Remus and Zane looked like they could be relatives, though Remus stood taller by several inches and had longer, wavy blond hair.
Other Riders moved around us, groups preparing, things tucked into saddlebags. Drusearons checked that knapsacks were secured. Micah yawned while tightening Sera’s cinches. Lili gave alternate scratches to Verya.
A hard swallow, reality hit—flying wasn’t exercise. We were headed home.
Or, whatever counted as home.
Hildegard’s voice carried over the field, less bark and more steel. “Zero five forty-five departures, you have five minutes before you take to the sky. Remember your route. Stop at Blackmere. Wait for the second group to join you. Do not deviate. If something feels wrong, trust your fliers.”
Esme crouched low, anticipation rumbling while I swung into the saddle. Leather pinched, unfamiliar yet properly fitted. Churning nerves tangled with leftover stew. Fingers curled round the pommel, thighs clamped tight. The other three Riders mounted. All of us made final adjustments. Zane stood below, and Remus waited on the far side of Corson’s red dragon.
“Fly safe,” Jameson called as he tightened another strap.
“Try not to puke on anyone again,” Sadie shouted at Lorenzo, who had only groaned and made a half-hearted hand gesture in response.
“I love you, Auriella!” Lili yelled a few fliers over to me.
“I love you, too!” I yelled back.
“Aw, so heartwarming, going to make Zane jealous.” Eli snapped. He was in the group behind us.
It had been the perfect send-off—chaos, laughter, and nerves tangled together.
“You’re off!” Hildegard stated, pointing to our group.
Esme surged forward, wings slicing the air as we leapt into the gray dawn sky. The ground fell away, the campus shrinking beneath us.
We left, and I couldn’t pin down how to feel. Nerves twisted tight in my gut, but excitement pulsed right beside them.
Cold air bit hard above the tree line, wind slicing through my jacket, stinging my cheeks raw. Beneath me, Esme’s wings beat in steady rhythm, each downstroke driving us higher until the campus shrank into a shadow behind us.
Our group drew together fast. Zane drifted close, his silhouette black against the pale sky, every glide smooth as if the wind itself bent for him. Landon came in with his phoenix, flames licking her wingtips, trails of heat shimmering across the currents. Corson’s red dragon held lower, crimsonscales flashing with what little sunlight broke through. Remus, like Zane, flew alone, his Drusearon wings stretched wide and steady. Sadie’s griffin cut sharp, Korra’s shriek splitting the air and sending a flock scattering from the trees below.
Micah hadn’t been with us this time, but his absence meant quiet.
“Remind me,” Sadie called over the wind, her braid whipping behind her, “why exactly are we flying in the frozen-ass dawn? Couldn’t we have waited for the sun to come out?”
“Less likely to be targets, but more importantly, so we arrive during the day, and before dinner.” Nikolai barked back, his dragon snorting steam. “Arriving at Forts at night as a drift, makes everyone edgy.”
“Less likely targets?” Landon wheezed. His phoenix banked hard, fire trailing in her wake. “Yeah, sure. I’m a flying torch. Real subtle. No one’s ever gonna notice me up here.”
“Agreed,” Sadie laughed. “We could probably see you from across the continent.”
Esme rumbled in my head,“he’s not wrong. He burns like a beacon. Though, that’s the choice she makes. At least I am elegant in my shadow.”
“Elegant?” I shot back. “You nearly dumped me on the ground thirty minutes ago.”
