Page 65 of To No End

When Gia’s beautiful wings finally appeared, it felt like a crime to look upon them. Knowing she had once had a mate and now concealed the heartbreak of a broken bond, it felt like seeing something that should have been just for them. But if etiquette wasn’t a valid reason to keep our wings private, I knew there was no arguing with the sacred act of only revealing them to a true mate. I couldn’t imagine the pain she was enduring by putting them on display for all of us, as if it meant nothing.

The bright ruby red color, regal like Gia, suited her in every way. Similar in size to mine, but far more alluring and far less transparent. Delicate, yet bold. They absorbed the light, creating an ombre of red like a blood rose, each shade waterfalling into a deeper crimson.

I am certain Cairis, and perhaps the others, were amazed at the sight of them. She just stood there, silent, stoic, letting the tears fall.

Suddenly, Theory clapped her hands together, the sound echoing in the mountain valley and drawing our attention back to her.

“Your wings are first and foremost part of what makes you a weapon. Secondly, they are transportation. And lastly, to be used as a means for seduction, but we’ll save that for later.”

The word seduction caught me off guard, and I could practically feel Nori recoil at the statement alone. I brushed it off and tried to focus my attention back on our instructor.

“When you’re not working on your combat skills in the training room, you’ll be doing so out here. You must be as equally agile in the skies as you are on the ground. For those of you whose family taught them of the long war, then you know many lives were lost due to Fae civilities causing a shortage of those who could defend themselves by air. Forget those nonsensical customs and learn to use your wings. This is what they’re made for.”

Anytime Theory spoke, she was challenging us in more ways than one. It was easy to rely on our old customs, but what she was saying made sense. She was merely asking us to live authentically and use what had been given to us; such a different perspective from the one I was raised with.

While many of the Fae people shared that view, a feeling of dread crept from the corners of my mind, suggesting the long-held peace was more fragile than ever. Why else would they be training us like this? And why just us? Shouldn’t everyone in Cambria be prepared? So many questions to keep track of. I wanted to learn, and I had no problem with training, but thewhybehind everything remained a mystery, and that was the most frustrating part of it all.

“Now that you’ve had a thorough introduction into how you’ll spend your time training under the watchful eye of Theory, it’s time you learn about my syllabus.” Saryn directed us back to the classroom with a roguish expression as each of us passed by.

I found it difficult to leave the warmth of the daylight as we made our way back into the cool, dreary halls of Basdie.

CHAPTER

20

“I promise you that your bodies will be nowhere near as exhausted as your minds when I’m done with you.” It was about the least motivating way to begin a class, but at this point, I’d come to expect nothing less from Saryn.

Before he divulged his own plans, Theory made a point to explain how general studies would work. These instructions felt more akin to my time at the academy than anything else we had covered thus far.

Saryn went on to explain that between our physical training schedule and our curriculum with him, we wouldn’t be setting aside formal time to spend on typical academics—we’d need to use our free time for that. Despite there being no official classes on the subject matter, we’d still be required to master this knowledge; he noted the library in the common area.

Any of us who didn’t already know the histories, politics, and religious texts of the last few hundred years would be expected to learn them. Those of us who already did were encouraged to dive deeper. They emphasized that we must be able to blend inwith the nobility and common folk alike. This meant knowing the histories from all angles to avoid the risk of bias revealing our true identities.

I had never really thought of viewing text in this way. Usually, I just read books and took them at face value, black and white, facts and figures. But now they encouraged us to read between the lines, question everything, seek out all truths and use our peers to garner a more worldly view.

Cairis was the least academically inclined since his father had sent him to work in the mines rather than affording him the education of his legitimate siblings. I made a mental note to set up an arrangement whereby I’d tutor him in general studies if he showed me some sparring tips and tricks. If Varro had grown up sailing the Endless Tides, then he was likely the most worldly of us all, but I wasn’t about to go rub shoulders with him. Not until I figured out what involvement he’d had with his traitorous father.

I was curious to know if he spoke the old tongue like me, but secretly I hoped I was the only one that could. I didn’t think there was much that made me special or unique in this group. If I could have just one thing that only I could do, I’d consider it an accomplishment.

There was also no doubt that Nori likely knew the religious texts better than any of us. Honestly, I hadn’t been a believer in much of anything; those tomes seemed more like fables to keep the questionable morality of the Fae in line. I supposed I’d always thought of myself as someone with an intrinsic moral compass, but I was unsure what good that would do me now that I was expected to go against everything I’d been raised to do. Be a lady, be polite, be smart but not smart-mouthed, know how to fight but never raise a hand, represent my family well, maintain a good reputation for the Honored Fae, serve as a member of the High Court, marry, carry on the family name and brings heirsinto the world. None of that seemed to be the case anymore, and that sent my moral compass spinning.

In summary, the message was straightforward: read in your own time, tutor each other, and don’t waste Theory and Saryn’s precious attention with general studies unless you have an important question. I was curious to see if there were any recorded histories of the Offering and the Order. It was unlikely, but if they were anywhere to be found, wouldn’t Basdie be the safest place to house them? Unless the Order and everyone in it truly was lost to time.

“Now that we’re past the boring stuff”—Theory rolled her eyes at Saryn as he continued—“let’s discuss my area of expertise…magical abilities. Power.”

“Over the next few days, I will be doing private evaluations with each of you. This is for me to determine where your current strengths and weaknesses lie, and where you’re lacking entirely.” He eyed Nori.

He continued, “I don’t need you distracted by the judgment of your peers during these evaluations, as it may impact your performance. Once we find a baseline, we can improve, and that includes confidently channeling your capabilities in the presence of others.”

I was secretly grateful that these so-called evaluations would be behind closed doors. After spending most of my life suppressing the use of magic, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was capable of. Now that we had all been imbued with more power, I was eager to discover what that meant—but not at the risk of becoming a source of amusement for the others.

It was clear some of us had grown up using less magic. Never did I think I would be grateful for getting the chance to be alone with Saryn, even after the altercation in the training room. This was the only exception.

Over the next few hours, Saryn explained each type of ability we could potentially have in our arsenal with enough training. He emphasized that not everyone could or would be expected to master them all. He’d snarkily mentioned which ones would require more skill, focus, strength, and energy, implying that some of us weren’t cut out for it. But that didn’t mean we’d be considered total failures, so long as we showed promise in other areas. The lesson began simply enough, but every transition revealed new complexities and difficulties.

The first and most basic would be healing. Being able to heal our small wounds was where the bar started. Healing ourselves from more critical injury was the next level of difficulty, and thus would require more energy. Lastly, the gift of being able to heal others. I thought back to when Nori had held her hand to my cheek, nonchalantly removing all pain and swelling with a brief touch. It made me want to lash out at Theory and yell that Nori wasn’t useless like they all assumed, and that she showed more promise than I did in this area.

The next item discussed was glamour. The mere mention of it made me start to fume in Trace’s direction as my eyes scanned the scar across his eyebrow and both his fully tattooed arms. All the energy he must have expended to keep his true appearance from me, and for what?

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