Page 21 of Feathers of Ash and Hope

Hopefully, that means we have fewer people of the I-walk-over-bodies type among the recruits.

This year is my first as centurion of the southern division, and I’m not sure I have the patience to deal with that in a way leadership would approve of.

While killing each other on purpose is frowned upon and severely punished, there are always some who try to frame getting rid of their opponents as an accident.

“I could accidentally drop them,”Daeva offers, and I grin.

“Not sure they would believe you about the accident part,” I tell her.“Are you on your way?”

“There in three.”She lets me know, and I leave Jared, who is talking to a few members of our squadron, and head out the gate to meet up with Daeva.

The whooshing and rustling of wings behind me tells me the patrol is back. Perfect timing. Now the air is clear for at least an hour. Plenty of time for a meeting without drawing too much attention.

Daeva is harnessed and ready to go in record time, and she launches as soon as I’m seated. Her mighty wings come down on the next heartbeat, causing a cloud of dust below us.

Daeva quickly wins on height, and I watch the landscape pass under her wings. Flying is always freeing, even with body armor and a helmet.

I enjoy the wind on my face. That’s why I disabled the protective charm on my helmet as soon as I had enough control over my gift. It is needed during rain, snow, or heavy wind. Otherwise, flying in such weather becomes even more miserable, but I can always shield my eyes with air if needed.

The sun is low, casting the valleys into darkness. Telos is a small town, and the academy, with its light buildings and sprawling grounds, stands out even from up here. Then there is the round form of the arena and the group of temples on the temple hill. The rest of the buildings are much smaller, often family homes adjoining one another, only visible as brown-red shingled squares from up here.

Some of the mountains are forested, but the area around Telos is dry, and there are always bald areas between wherewildfires have raged. Water, fire, and air gifts help to contain them quickly, but they still leave their marks on the landscape.

Now, during winter, the highest peaks of the mountains are capped with snow, looking like giant versions of the waves crashing against the shore in the south of Telos.

Telos is the most southern and remote of the four academies that take in candidates for training. It is also the farthest away from Avina, our capital. Not much danger of running into any acquaintances from my former life.

Daeva’s shadow slips over the ground below, rising and growing on the mountain slopes and plunging down the other side.

Daeva circles a few times before starting elaborate maneuvers. The straps of my saddle dig into my legs on a sharp turn. She pulls out of a dive, and gravity pushes me hard into the leather under my ass.

“You are such a show-off. And you aren’t even sure anyone is watching,” I tease.

“Someone is always watching. Who wouldn’t with how dazzling my feathers look in sunlight?”She sounds smug.

“Now I can’t decide if you’re paranoid or arrogant.”

“Confident is the word you are looking for, human.”

I snort, and Daeva clicks her beak in warning before plunging us into another dive.

If anyone is watching, it will look like we’re practicing. An hour of practice can go a long way to keep anyone from getting suspicious.

Once I am satisfied it’s safe, Daeva drifts toward the mountains, taking it a little farther with every turn until we dive out of sight behind the first peak.

My contact is already waiting for me, close to the bridge point to Muntos, the neighboring kingdom.

Bridge points look like normal bridges but are magically forged connections between two physical locations spanning the magical mist beneath. The mist separates all five kingdoms on Sortu from one another, making bridge points, portals, and sea routes the only connections.

Walking through the mist until you reach the other border may be a way to get there, too, but people who ventured into the mist rarely return, so no one is keen to try that.

I loosen the straps around my legs before Daeva even touches the ground and jump off as soon as she does. She takes off immediately. Daeva is still a daunting opponent while on the ground but at a severe disadvantage compared to her abilities in the air.

She will circle above and keep an eye out for trouble while I do the talking.

I eye the man I came here for while I take off my gloves and tuck them into my belt. He is pale and has white hair, which stands out against the forest behind him. His gaze flits over our surroundings before it comes back to me. I don’t know him well enough to trust him, and he seems nervous, even more so than last time.

“Anything suspicious?”I ask Daeva.

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