Page 26 of Kingdom of Shadows and Wings

Olive glares at him, but I can tell she’s fighting back a smile. “Don’t be an ass, Theo. Lark’s had a rough day.”

Theo holds up his hands in surrender. “All right. I’m sorry. I was just trying to lighten the mood. Everyone’s so quiet tonight.”

“It’s okay.” I push the food around on my plate. “Thank you for helping me this morning, by the way. I meant to say that earlier.”

His grin reveals a dimple in each cheek. “No need to thank me.”

Abel lifts his eyebrows. “What happened?”

I shrug. “Somone with earth magic tripped me on a root. Theo helped me stand up.”

“I missed that. Guess I was too busy trying not to get whistled to death.”

I snort. “Glad I’m not the only one who hates his whistle. It should be physically impossible to be that loud.”

“Better get used to it.” Abel leans back in his chair, balancing his weight on the two back legs. “Where did you go during today’s flight training? I didn’t see you.”

This is the most Abel has said to me since I got here, and my chest tightens with the realization that this is the first time I can remember sitting and talking with people my age. And actually laughing.

Is this what normal feels like?

I’m not ready to admit my fear of alicorns, especially when the people in my unit are starting to warm up to me. “I got a little dizzy, so Thorne sent me to the infirmary. He wasn’t too happy.”

“I’ll say.” Nick crosses his arms. “He made us stay late to do extra drills. Compared to us, you got off easy.”

Olive clucks her tongue. “Thorne’s shitty moods aren’t Lark’s fault. He’s always griping about something we’ve done.” She taps the table close to me. “Just try to stay on his good side, and you’ll be fine.”

Stay on his good side? Too late for that. I’m pretty sure I’ve earned a spot on his bad side just by breathing. Though for a minute, he was actually…nice. After I blacked out.

Odd. Maybe I hit my head harder than I thought.

“And for the love of the gods, please don’t be one of those fledglings who bats her eyelashes and makes a fool of herself trying to lure him to her bed. I get secondhand embarrassment every damn time.” Theo winces. “I’ll never get over the expression of utter boredom on his face the last time someone tried.”

Even the typically more stoic Nick flinches in agreement. “Yeah, that was painful to watch. I don’t know how she didn’t find a giant hole to crawl in after.”

My two run-ins with Thorne are enough to elicit a sympathetic shudder from me. “Is that even allowed? Instructors hooking up with students?”

Theo points his fork at the booklet near my plate. “No, and you’ll know that once you finish reading the rule book.”

“Don’t worry. I have no plans to hit on Thorne anytime soon. Or ever. He despises me already, and I’m sure there’s plenty of abuse in store for me here as it is without striking up a relationship with that grumpy asshole.” I flip through the rule book. “Bigley just gave me this in his office. I guess I’d better get a jump on learning the policies.”

Everyone’s eyebrows raise. Theo props his elbows on the table. “Bigley personally delivered our rule book to you?”

“No. Torno took me to his office. I was scared I was in trouble, but he said it’s protocol to meet any new fledgling who’s here under unusual circumstances.”

Olive nods. “Makes sense.”

There’s scattered conversation as we finish our meals, and then Olive and I head to our room. When we enter, we find Helene inside folding her uniform. I’m not even a little upset by her annoyed, muttered reply to Olive’s chirped greeting or by her turning her back on us, because I’m done. After a day full of people, I’m more than ready to curl up alone on my bed and pass out.

Olive chatters away about classes and funny anecdotes and how everything will work out fine. Her upbeat monologue shifts into a hazy drone as sleep claims me.

Chapter Ten

Breakfast the next morning passes without incident. After we finish eating, it’s time for my first combat skills training class, held well away from the other buildings in a clearing surrounded by tall trees.

At least two dozen fledglings gather there.

Our teacher, Instructor Celeste Dawson, is a far cry from what I pictured. The weapons instruction in my head was a brawny man with bulging biceps and battle scars crisscrossing his face and body.

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