Wingborn (37 page)

The other man looked like a born leader – or
at least thought he should be. Sternly handsome, with black hair,
bronze skin and dark eyes, he was tall and lean, but he watched the
new students with a distinct lack of interest. She could almost
smell his contempt.

“Maegla save
me from that one,” Corin murmured.

“Unlike you to
turn down a pretty face,” Derrain said.

Corin
’
s smile was wry.
“
I
’
m not
so blind that I can
’
t
see the beast behind the beauty. Or the arrogance. He thinks
he
’
s better than
everyone. I
’
ll feast my
eyes elsewhere, thank you.
”

“All the more
for me,” a Sutheralli girl whispered behind them. “I like a man in
need of taming.”

The dean clapped his hands and the
snickering students hushed.
“Welcome to Maegla’
s Hall, friends old and new.
Every Half-Year we gather our newest trainees under our wing, and
it gives me joy to say
…
Welcome to Aquila, students. I hope you enjoy your time here.

“
But
first we must assign you to a captain. Don’t be alarmed,” he added
with a smile. “With a captain, you’ll have flurry-mates made up of
not just those you study with, but all who are under your
captain’
s command. With a captain, you
become
part of a family, of history, of the
Riders. This is how it has always been and how it will always be.
Over to you, captains.
”
He motioned them forward, Myran moving with his unmistakable limp
and Fredkhen with his hands in his pockets.

“Some do this
by rote,” Myran spoke clearly into the expectant hush. “Others
choose only those they have met at the selection schools.”

“We are not
those captains,” Fredkhen added with a smile.

“I choose to
put my trust in my lieutenants.”

“
As do
I,” Fredkhen agreed, though a little less confidently
.
“
Some decisions have
already been made, but our lieutenants will still speak with you.
All of you.
”

“This is too
weighty a decision to be dealt with in an instant.” Myran looked
around the hall. “Please be patient.” Turning to his lieutenants,
he indicated the students. “Choose wisely.”

Mhysra
’
s friends looked as surprised as she was. Nothing
Kilai had said had prepared her for this. She
’
d expected to be split into the groups in
which they
’
d arrived and
be picked out by rote. Perhaps divided up and selected purely by
chance. Or even have her name drawn out of a hat, though she
suspected her brother had made that one up. Mhysra wasn
’
t sure if this method was better
or worse than she
’
d
expected.

While Stirla
and the other lieutenants set about talking to groups of students,
Lyrai headed straight towards Mhysra and her friends, smiling. “No
need to panic,” he said when he reached them. “You must know Stirla
and I have marked you down for us already.”

“Who have you
marked down, sir?” Derrain asked, always the bravest when it came
to questioning the lieutenants. Being able to look down on Lyrai
probably helped.

The lieutenant checked their group and
smiled.
“
You, Derry.
Mhysra, Corin, Dhori, and Haelle, of course. And yes, Mouse, you
too,
”
he added, when the
boy stared at him with terrified eyes.
“
Relax. You
ha
ve a very boring day ahead of you.
”

Weak-kneed with relief, Mhysra managed to
squeak out her thanks before sitting with a thump. Lieutenant Lyrai
moved on and her friends settled around her, equally reassured.

“So all that
panic was over nothing,” Corin grumbled half-heartedly.

“
Panic’
s never for nothing,
”
Dhori said thoughtfully.
“
It teaches us
something.
”

“
Like to
be wary of Riders like him?” Mouse asked, pointing at the
arrogant lieutenant.

“Something
like that,” Dhori agreed, smiling.

“
Prepare
yourselves for more wisdom then,” Corin warned. “He’
s headed
this way.
”
They all
tensed, then breathed a collective sigh of relief when the Rider
eyed them disdainfully and moved swiftly on.

“Maegla be
praised,” Mouse murmured.

Dhori smiled.
“
Thanks to halls like this, She is, and always will
be.
”

17
^th
Harvest

“GOOD MORNING,
STUDENTS,
”
L
yrai called, as he
strode onto the flying field for his first lesson early the next
day.

“Morning, sir,
”
the students chorused raggedly from
miryhl-back.

“I said
good morning
,
students!
”

“Good morning, sir!
”

“Better.
”
He smiled, looking at his nineteen students. They
were a pleasant mix from across the Overworld, and he recognised
about half.
“
Some of you
already know me from Nimbys and the journey here, but for the rest,
I am Lieutenant Lyrai and this is Sergeant Honra. We will be
teaching you how to fly.
”
There was a ripple of whispers and he clapped his
hands for silence, startling one student into falling off.

“On your miryhl, Mouse,
”
Honra called.

The boy blushed and remounted, much to the
amusement of the others. While he settled, Lyrai studied the faces
before him, their expressions ranging from smug to anxious. He
hoped to cure both before the morning was over.

“As you may have realised, some of your
lessons will be taken with all of Captain
Myran’s
students, others won
’
t. You
will
all be learning the same things, of
course, but it occasionally pays to lessen the odds of students to
teacher.
”
A few people
chuckled.
“
As you get
older, your lessons will mix with Riders and students from other
years. Since you
’
ll be
expected to fight together under the same captain, we expect you to
train and learn together too. It should teach you to respect those
outside your own peer group and perhaps help others less
fortunate.

“All of Aquila
’
s students are Riders-in-training and we expect you
to behave accordingly at all times. Treat others as you wish to be
treated and you can
’
t go
wrong.
After three years, your
time will come.”
He paused to let his words sink in. After a
long moment, he smiled.
“
Well, that
’
s the serious stuff done. Let
’
s move on, shall we?
”

With Honra
’
s help, he arranged the lines so that he could see
everyone.
“
Introductions.
”
He pointed to the boy on the end.
“
Name?
”

“Fhyrin fra Fhenlyn, sir.
”

“And your miryhl?
”

Fhyrin looked surprised.
“
This is Twister, sir.
”

“A pleasure to meet you, Twister,
”
Lyrai said to the miryhl, who
nodded back.
“
Where are
you from, Fhyrin?
”

“Seffal Falls in Kevian, sir, and
I
’
ve been flying since I
was five.
”
Fhyrin sat up
straighter and puffed out his chest.
“
My father and two brothers are Riders.
”

Lyrai raised an eyebrow at the
boy
’
s cocky smirk. This
was one he
’
d have to
keep an eye on. For now, however, he dismissed Fhyrin with a brief
nod and moved on, coaxing introductions from the rest, including
those he already knew, until he came to the nineteenth and last.
“
Name?
”

“Greig fra Jeign, sir.
”

He
studied the lad closely. His dark skin and brown curls identified
him as Etherian, but there was something about the firm jaw and
mischievous brown eyes that looked even more familiar.
“
Where are you from, Greig?
”

“Cyrris Peaks, sir.
”

Lyrai
smiled, certain now. “
You
’
re Lieutenant Stirla
’
s nephew.
”

Greig nodded warily.
“
I
’
m his oldest sister
’
s son, sir. I
’
ve only met him a handful of times.
”

“Lucky you.
”
Lyrai winked, pleased when the lad grinned, making
him look more like his uncle than ever.

“And your miryhl?
”

“Jupi, sir.
”

“Pleased to meet you, Jupi. I hope
you
’
ll both enjoy your
time with us.
”
With the
introductions over, Lyrai paced back along the lines.
“
I hope you all will. Now, to
work.
”
Putting his
fingers to his lips, he let out a sharp whistle. From his position
hidden high amongst the mountain crags, Hurricane screamed.

The students looked up in awe as the miryhl
swooped, racing his own rippling shadow across the grass. Circling
around the field, Hurricane made sure everyone had a chance to see
how huge and magnificent he was before he landed. Wings closed, he
raised his head, marble feathers gleaming in the sunlight.

“This is Hurricane,
”
Lyrai introduced mildly.

Even Fhyrin looked lost for words as the
students gazed at the impressive eagle, even those who
’
d seen him before. The miryhls all
straightened, trying to look more impressive, except for Cumulo who
raked his talons across the grass and huffed sulkily.

Lyrai chuckled and, using
Hurricane
’
s lowered wing
as a step, settled easily into his saddle.
“Today, I want you all
to fly this course.
It
’
s just a few small
obstacles designed to test your skills, balance and flight craft.
It
’
s not hard.
I
’
ll go first. Watch
carefully.
”

They glided down the field to the obstacle
course. As Lyrai had said, none of it was difficult. Hurricane
dipped through the large hoops, swooped over and under the bars,
and wove between the poles without Lyrai having to do anything to
guide him. He just called out the directions – to the students as
much as his miryhl.

As they swirled around the last pole, Lyrai
plucked a flag from the barrel. Returning to the start, Hurricane
landed gently, allowing Lyrai to plant his flag before the admiring
– and faintly panicked – row of first-years.

“Well, Fhyrin? Are you going to gawp all day
or will you fly?
”

The boy
looked at the course, back to Lyrai, then at the course
again.
While Fhyrin might have lost his cockiness, the shier
students now gazed at Hurricane with wonder, no doubt dreaming of a
day when they could emulate him. Lyrai had always known his new
miryhl
’
s worth would far
outweigh his size and magnificence.

Fhyrin took off and Lyrai followed, calling,
“
Honra, you
’
re in charge.
”

Gliding after the young pair, Hurricane
murmured,
“
So this is
teaching?
”

“I hope so,
”
Lyrai replied, having only the vaguest idea of the
role himself, and shouted for Fhyrin to start. The miryhl responded
before the boy, and Fhyrin
’
s nerves showed in the way he clung too tightly to
his saddle, hunching away from the poles and wobbling with every
elevation change. Lyrai wasn
’
t sure whether to be appalled by the boy
’
s overconfidence or impressed that
he managed to stay on at all. He foresaw hard work ahead with those
two.

Hurricane circled lazily above the course.
“
That
’
s a good
miryhl.
”

“Yes,
”
Lyrai agreed with a sigh, hoping he could train
the boy to match as Fhyrin landed, flag in hand.
“
How come you miryhls do all the hard work,
yet still make us look good?
”

“That
’
s our job,
”
Hurricane chuckled, ruffling his feathers on
landing.
“
You show off
with weapons and strut about in shiny boots while we work. You get
the glory, we the graft.
”

“What do you get out of it?
”
he asked.

“Undying loyalty,
”
Hurricane replied tranquilly.
“
And a laugh when we throw you
off.
”

Lyrai chuckled and rubbed his
bonded
’
s neck.
“
I knew there was a
reason I had to be nice to you.
”
Smiling, he turned back to his students and the
task of teaching.

DERRAIN SIGHED AS
he watched Mhysra and Cumulo sail through the obstacle course,
looking more impressive than even Lieutenant Lyrai and Hurricane
had.
“
It
’
s not fair.
”

“
Life
rarely is,” Dhori said, perched cross-legged
on his saddle.
It looked neither natural nor comfortable, but his friend was
serene. Easy for him, Derrain thought with another sigh: Dhori had
already proved he could fly almost as well as Mhysra. It was as
though he and Latinym had been bonded for years, rather than a mere
half-moon. It was quite disheartening.