Page 66 of On Wings of Blood

Naveen sighed. “We are. Supposed to be. Honestly, you’d be better off asking Florence. She loves topics like this. But the long and short of it is... During the civil war, it was chaos. I think Bloodwing shut down. The school was supposed to be preparing students to stand on guard for the kingdom. But the truth is, like you’ve probably already guessed, it basically helps to fortify the four most powerful houses. That’s why what happens in the school when it comes to house and squad selection is so important. It’s an indication of what’s to come in the outer world. The most powerful squads and the most powerful house inside of Bloodwing are usually reflective of the most powerful up-and-coming house. Or which house will maintain their power.”

“Only three of the school houses have leaders,” I said.

Naveen shrugged. “Right. But everyone knows Blake will wind up the leader of House Drakharrow at Bloodwing. He doesn’t have any real challengers. Well, unless you count his friends. I suppose his cousin Theo could challenge him.”

I shook my head. “Theo doesn’t seem the type.” I frowned, then amended, “But I don’t know him very well.”

“I’m exhausted,” Naveen groaned. “But I’m also starving. I think my stomach is winning out.” He raised his hands. “Don’t tell me how bad I smell. I don’t want to know.”

I laughed. “You go on to the refectory. I get it. But I’m heading back to the dormitory for a bath and then to the library.”

We split up, agreeing to meet in the common room later, unless we fell asleep first. For me, it felt like a very real possibility. Especially after I’d taken a bath and changed into fresh clothes. I eyed my comfortable bed with longing but then with a sigh, forced myself back out the door.

There was a new area of Bloodwing Academy I wanted to explore.

CHAPTER 13 - MEDRA

The Bloodwing Library was a large, imposing building that extended across several floors. As I entered through the towering double doors, I paused, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the place.

Rows and rows of tall dark wood bookshelves lined a wide main aisle. Long wooden tables were interspersed among the rows, providing workspace for students. Crimson banners bearing the school and house mottos hung from the walls. On either side of the room, tall stained glass windows lined the walls, spilling their rainbow light onto the polished floors. The air was cooler here and tinged with the aromas of old parchment, leather bindings, dust, and melted candle wax.

I glanced upwards and gasped. An enchanted ceiling divided into four quadrants moved and swirled, like a living mural. I saw an elegant city with tall white towers, rolling hills leading into green forests, a ship at sea in the midst of a storm, and tall snow-capped mountains. Each scene must reflect somewhere in Sangratha. I imagined it was even more beautiful at night, when stars would twinkle above it all.

The central hearth on the far end of the main room crackled with a low fire. Nearby was a long wooden counter with a group of people standing behind it. Students were lined up over there. That must be the librarians’ desk. I decided I’d start off by asking one of them for help.

If I couldn’t find anything relevant to exorcizing ghosts from one’s head, then I’d also brought one of the dragon books thatProfessor Rodriguez had lent me. I could always sit down and read that and try to get started on my essay.

Just as I’d begun walking down the main aisle, a figure emerged from the stacks to my right.

A woman, slender and petite, with dark eyes framed by wire-rimmed spectacles. She wore a cream-colored sweater with lace trim along the sleeves, tucked into a high-waisted skirt of dark blue, belted at the waist. Her long black hair was tied up in a messy knot at the nape of her neck, strands falling loose as if she’d been too engrossed in her reading to tuck them back. Her knot of hair was held in place with a quill that stuck out at a haphazard angle. A small ink stain smudged the cuff of one otherwise perfect cream sleeve.

She walked with her eyes glued to an open book she held in one hand, occasionally flipping a page with a frown of concentration. This was impressive, considering that she was pulling a wooden trolley behind her with her other hand–a trolley that was filled with precariously stacked books, which she must have been reshelving.

The woman seemed completely lost in whatever she was reading. Her brow furrowed as she muttered under her breath.

I cleared my throat and she jumped, blinking violently, as if shocked to find someone there.

“Oh, I didn’t...” she began, looking flustered as she pushed her spectacles higher on her nose. “You’re not lost, are you?” Her voice was soft. She had the air of someone who was always thinking about something else.

I smiled. Clearly this was Florence’s mother, Librarian Shen.

“No, not lost. I was looking for...”

The peace of the library was shattered in an instant.

Boisterous laughter and loud footsteps came from behind me.

Florence’s mother frowned and turned to see who had come in.

I turned, too, but I should have already known.

They were all wearing dark robes emblazoned with the Drakharrow house motto:Sanguine Vinciti. Bound by blood.

Visha was in the lead, with Quinn and Theo behind her.

Visha strode past me as if I wasn’t even there, without a nod or acknowledgment of any kind. As she went by, she knocked against Florence’s mother’s trolley full of books. I couldn’t tell if she’d done it by accident or on purpose, but either way, the impact sent several books tumbling to the ground with a soft thud, their covers splaying open.

Behind her, Quinn giggled. Then Visha reached her hand out lazily to purposefully smack another stack of books off the trolley. Quinn laughed as if this was hilarious, then went a step further and carelessly kicked some of the scattered books out of her path. I heard the leather bindings scrape against the stone floor and winced.

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