Page 50 of The Art of Exiley

“The wind horses are one of many incredible creatures born of Maker experimentation at the original academy before the Exodus.”

My lungs feel tight as my world is turned over for another time. Almost a daily occurrence here.

“I just can’t believe I lived my life for so long without knowing about…”

Kaylie nods in understanding. But there’s no way she can possibly understand. To me, she and Peggy are impossible miracles. “How can the rest of the world just… not know?” I want to feel angry, but my awe for Peggy doesn’t leave much room for negative feelings.

“At the time of the Exodus, the wind horses and other creatures that were the result of Maker innovations were brought into hiding to prevent theirdestruction, and their existence was denied by the Church until it was forgotten that they were ever anything other than legends.”

This is a pattern of what I’ve been learning at Genesis, that so many stories I’d assumed were myths are actually just the vestiges of the memory of Maker science that was once part of our world.

“Come along, girl,” Kaylie says to Peggy, and I follow them out of the stable. Peggy doesn’t need a bridle or reins; she listens to Kaylie’s soft instructions.

“She’s one of the last of her kind. Most have been sent to Eden, and there are three at the Academy of Avant. The Blood Science guild is trying to breed them, but wind horses tend to have very difficult pregnancies and often die in childbirth.” She pauses and then adds, “It’s much the same for Valkyries.”

“And they can’t… make new ones the way they made the first ones?”

“The knowledge of how to create species like the wind horses is passed down through the Blood Science testament, but it’s a practice that ended long ago. These kinds of forced evolutionary practices were risky and occasionally harmed animals and humans alike.”

“How so?”

“Well, procedures often required live organ donations. There were many failed experiments that ended in deaths, and there were many side effects that weren’t anticipated.” She looks away as she says this, and I think about what she just said about Valkyrie births.

She continues. “As the Makers evolved as a society, we had to confront these controversies. Genesis dismantled their Blood Science guild entirely, replacing it with Bioscience. At Avant, they still practice Blood Science, and they definitely involve themselves in some morally questionable behaviors, but even they have limits. When the Council was established and they enacted laws to restrict experimentation on living beings, it was understoodthat it could mean an end for some of these magnificent creatures. Steps were taken to preserve them, but we had more success with some than with others. Many have already been lost.”

“Like the unicorns?”

“Yes.” Her voice is wistful as she pets Peggy. “Nowadays, the evolutional experimentation that continues is purely aimed at enhancing and improving the world within a more confined set of limitations while maintaining a strict code of conduct that does not harm any living beings.”

I watch in a daze as Kaylie encourages Peggy to gallop for a bit… and then to fly. The wind horse flaps her wings—not dissimilar to Valkyrie wings—and rises into the air, huffing her snout and shaking her mane in glee.

How beautiful she looks in flight. Her coat is like liquid gold turning to a platinum sheen as it catches the sunlight. Kaylie extends her own wings and joins Peggy in the air. They frolic together, two impossibly beautiful beings, and my heart aches at the possibilities of creation.

Humans came up with the science to make humans and horsesfly. Because human limitations—my limitations— are nothing like what I have been previously led to believe. Who knows what I will one day be capable of if I learn from these people?

But first I need to join a guild.

14

The weeks pass quickly, and I find myself in a comfortable groove at the institute. Getting into a guild so I have access to the Guild Testaments is my top priority, so I keep my head down and focus on my classes and on gathering as much intel for the Families as I can. (Fine, also some occasional hoverjousting.)

Even at only the apprentice level, my classes are odysseys away from anything I ever had at home. I haven’t had to look at a single monomial, polynomial, or trinomial in months. And while the other apprentices might be a lot younger than me, I’ve had to work extremely hard to catch up to them. And I’m not even fully caught up yet.

My anatomy class is the one I’m struggling with the most, by far. I’d done perfectly fine in biology back home, but these classes are totally different. We have to do things like re-create detailed models of body parts with loam and theorize about bizarre and theoretical surgeries.

My art classes, on the other hand, are pure joy. The other week I painted an entire picture using dyes I made myself with plants I grew myself.

However, my mission is always front and center of my priorities. I’ve become adept at sneaking cell phone pictures from various texts in thelibrary and pocketing materials from the infirmary and classroom supplies.

I regularly have calls with Kor, who comes armed with a bunch of specific questions and tasks from the Inner Chamber. Sometimes I speak with other Inner Chamber members as well. The other day I had a very long and very boring call with some United Nations dude about clean energy.

Fun fact, a lot of renewable energy initiatives in the provincial world are actually already based in Maker tech and have been introduced into society over the years by the Families.

Less fun fact, Mr. UN was trying to get more specific details about how much of the island’s electricity is renewable. The answer is 100 percent. It is now my very unfun homework to find out the methods by which they achieve this percentage. But I do actually want to help combat climate change, so I’m not mad about it.

I’m still worried about getting caught, but ever since appeasing Grey by involuntarily acting as Simon’s trampoline, the Guard hasn’t been giving me any more attention than they would a regular student.

My bigger problem lately is that I’ve been feeling guilty. I’ve been spending more time with Kaylie in order to learn about how Maker medicine works, and Xander, the Ark steward, to gain a better understanding of the security surrounding the Guild Testaments, and I kind of hate that I’m lying to everyone who is being so nice to me. It’s not like they’re the ones responsible for keeping their knowledge from the rest of the world.

---