The second class leaves me baffled. It’s listed as a certain field, not a building. Calli hadn’t mentioned anything like that to me, but after rushing around for a minute, I spy several kids starting to mill around in an area to the east, not too far from the stables and where the magical creatures tend to stay. Having no other better ideas, I head on over.
A hand clasps onto my shoulder, and I jump.
Familiar laughter fills my ears.
“Logan.”
“Swear I’m not stalking.” He holds up his hands defenselessly. “Riding and Flying 101.”
“Yep. Ah, flying? Like I would use my magic to fly?”
“Nah, you would learn that in a class geared toward witches. I’m not sure if all witches can fly. I know not all vampires can shift into bats.”
“Can they all shift into something?”
“It depends. There are variations in power and skill for every magical creature in every different kind of being. That’s some of why the world needs magical hunters. Some of the evil ones are crazy powerful.”
“Great,” I mumble.
Suddenly, the crowd of students parts, the array of colors from the dresses and pants and capelets and ties like a rainbow, bright and vibrant. A man wearing a tunic, leggings, and boots slowly makes his way to the middle of the circle. His long black hair is beaded and braided, and his skin is so tanned and dark. His nose is a little wide, his lips thin. As his small dark eyes scan the crowd, I swear he sees everything, knows everything. Unnerved, I shift uncomfortably in my seat.
“Mentor Sinte Maza,” Logan murmurs.
Our teacher nods to us all, and the movement is so formal that it almost seems regal. It’s almost a bow.
“Greetings,” he says in a low, impossibly deep voice. Although he is not speaking loudly, his words still carry. “Welcome to Riding and Flying 101. During this class, you will learn not only how to ride horses but also anything else on four legs that will allow you onto his or her back as well as creatures with wings.”
I’ve never ridden anything except for a bike and a car. I don’t even have my driver’s license yet. The idea of riding on a horse seems like fun, but are unicorns real? Do they only let the pure of heart ride them? I’m not perfect, and I can’t exactly claim to be pure. And what flies? What would be big enough to carry someone on his or her back?
“There are all kinds of shifters in attendance here at the academy.” Mentor Maza dips his head toward several shifters in the crowd. “There are also mythological creatures present. Just because you see a dragon here does not mean that he or she is necessarily a dragon shifter.”
“How can you tell?” a female dressed like me asks. She must be a fellow witch.
“It’s all in the eyes,” a guy says. He winks at her.
"To some extent, this jaguar shifter is correct," Mentor Maza says. "The eyes are an excellent way to distinguish man from beast. However, that is not to say that animals lack intelligence. Animals, in many ways, are more advanced and evolved than we are."
“But aren’t we more evolved than both humans and animals?” the jaguar shifter asks.
"How evolved we are lies with more than just our abilities. Do not forget your true purpose for coming to this particular academy. There are others out there, some for specific magical types, but this academy alone is the one that utilizes our powers and abilities for the greater good. Not only do we maintain our secrecy, but we serve to protect the innocents, both magical and non-magical. You will learn in another class about some of the secret battles that have been waged, how wars have almost broken out, and the humans know nothing at all about the turmoil and deceit that can go on beneath their very noses. Secrecy is our aim at all times, but enough about that. That is for another class, although I am very much interested in this subject matter so if any of you would wish to see me during my office hours to discuss this in more depth, you may do so."
“Nope,” Logan murmurs in my ear. “I know all about this.”
“Maybe you do, but not all of us had parents who could tell us about all of this.”
I can’t help it. The sense of adventure and the thrill of sneaking around, the thought of doing something good and world-altering even if the entire population remains ignorant, it all sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to get started.
But as I glance around, it seems like most of the other students aren’t as impressed or inspired by the mentor’s speech. I frown slightly at them, but when I notice the mentor looking at me, I offer him a smile.
“I didn’t mean to throw your… Ah, it’s not your fault your parents… I’m—”
I elbow him in the ribs. “Don’t.”
“But—”
“Friends aren’t apologetic all the time,” I grumble.
“I bet better friends know when to shut their traps,” he says, “so nothing more out of me.”
“For a whole two minutes,” I tease.
“I can try.”
I laugh. He failed already and doesn’t even seem to realize it.
“Not all of you came for the orientation.” The mentor nods to me, but I’m grateful that he nods to a few others. I’m not the only one. “As such, you most likely do not know what exactly I am. I am not a shifter. Shifters are able to change their form from human to an animal without any outside assistance besides the magic flowing within them. Most shifters are limited to one specific animal, such as werewolves to their wolves. I am not a shifter, and yet, I can change my form. All I need is the skin of any animal. I wrap it about myself, and I can turn into that animal.”
"A skinwalker," Logan murmurs.
“That’s amazing.”
“It would be nice to be something other than a wolf at times,” Logan admits.
“But you make such a nice wolf,” I jest.
“Wolves are pretty amazing,” he says. “Much better than jaguars.” He glowers at the shifter in question.
“Bad blood?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
“Now, with it being the first day and all, we will not yet start to ride,” the mentor says. “First, you will ride horses and other land animals such as unicorns. Once you personally master horseback riding, then you can move onto the flying. It will be exciting and new for some of you. Others maybe have grown up around horses already. Do not worry. We can start to incorporate other tips and tricks to ensure that you can ride a horse to your full potential.”
What exactly does he mean? But I’m glad we aren’t actually riding today. My gaff during the first class is too fresh in my mind. I just want to be able to lay low a little and learn without being the center of attention. It’s the first day here for a lot of students, not just me, yet I still somehow feel like the new girl anyhow.
Unfortunately, a few of the students around me began to grumble.
“No flying for how long?”
“Not even getting on a horse today?”
"Can't we at least see you wear a skin and shift? We need to do something cool today."
The mentor merely smiles as if he suspected the class would react this way. He points a long arm straight into the air, and not two blinks later, a dragon appears, flying high above us. I gasp with delight.
“One of you will be selected to ride this dragon. This is a real dragon, not a shifter.”
Mentor Maza walks around, entering the crowd, bypassing so many students who are all clamoring for his attention. I keep my gaze firmly on the ground. No way do I want to try this. And yet… I glance up at the dragon, who is slowly dropping toward us. He or she is utterly breathtaking, emerald green scales with a few black ones, leathery wings that hardly flap but with such grace and dignity, and a long tail that ends in a single barbed spike.
The mentor walks past Logan and me, and a breath of relief bursts out of me.
Logan grunts. "What do you want to bet he'll pick a skinwalker?"
Students suddenly shriek and scramble out of the way. Even Logan steps back, but I just stand there as the dragon lands directly in front of me, the students clearing away to give him more than enough space.
The mentor whirls around and smirks. “The dragon has made his selection it seems.”
“Who? Me?” I point to myself and retreat several steps. “No. I, ah, no thank you. You look like a very nice dragon, and I’m sure so many others would like to ride you, but—”
“Come now.” Mentor Maza touches my upper back and guides me forward.
“But—”
“It would not do at all to make an enemy of a dragon on your first day,” he says simply.
“You said he’s not a shifter,” I accuse.
“He isn’t, but you are rather crunchy.”
I gulp. “I don’t even know how to climb up it.”
The dragon unfurls his wings.
“Um, I shouldn’t step on his wings, right?”
“Certainly not.” The mentor motions forward two male students, and they pick me up and lift me high enough that I can scramble the rest of the way onto the dragon’s neck. His long neck. His head is so far away.
“What am I supposed to do?” I shout.
“Hold on,” I think the mentor says, but all I can really hear is a rush of wind as the dragon flaps his wings and takes flight.
We climb slowly, and I’m so appreciative, but I can’t risk looking around, and I’m grabbing onto his scales as best as I can, which is nearly impossible, but there’s no harness, no reins. I’m leaning so far forward I’m practically laying on my stomach on top of him.
The dragon shifts, maybe drops a few feet, I’m not sure, but all I recognize is the sensation of falling. A shriek would escape if I had the breath to scream, and any second now, my back is going to slam into the ground. I’ll break my spine. I’ll be paralyzed. So much for learning how to use magic. I definitely won’t become a hunter. Maybe I’ll even die.
No.
No. I will not die.
I am a witch, I remind myself. I can save myself. All I have to do is fly. I can do this!
The people below are screaming and shouting, but I ignore them, doing my best to block out everything but my fear, my anger, the sense of injustice of it all. I didn’t come here just so I could die. No. I want to make something of myself.
I want to be a witch.
I will not fall anymore.
I will fly!
Abruptly, I realize I’m not falling. I’m not flying either. I’m just floating, hovering in place.
My eyes open, and I turn to look down below. The ground is several feet away yet, and just like that, I’m falling the rest of the way and landing hard.
Damn, that hurts. I’ll live, though, that is if embarrassment doesn’t kill me.