11. CHAPTER 11 #3
Thora and I both nodded. That was simple enough. They both set their bags on their beds, and we headed back out into the hall with the rest of our platoon.
“First squad, line up behind me,” Emmen said.
“Second Squad, behind me,” Corzine announced.
Everyone lined up. The Fire Platoon began to enter the wing and receive their room assignments.
“We will go this way,” Emmen said, pointing down the long hall. Corzine told his group that they were heading toward the watchtower. It made sense to keep the tours in smaller groups. We continued down the hall. Suddenly, Emmen stopped.
“There are bathing rooms located every four bedrooms, for any gender.” She motioned us inside one.
We all moved inside. The bathroom looked nice. There were eight sinks along one wall, followed by six doors. She opened one of the doors, and inside there was a toilet and a square shower big enough for one person. There were hooks on the opposite wall to hang your items.
“All the bathing rooms on floors seven and six are the same.”
We left the bathing room and continued walking down the dim, narrow hall. Each door was numbered and had a small light outside to illuminate the dark corridor. When we reached room thirty, she paused.
"You're all used to the large sparring gym in the Bravo Wing, but your floor has a smaller sparring gym available. There is also some workout equipment in there. "
She opened the door for us to look in but didn’t go inside. On the opposite side, she opened another door, revealing a laundry room with washers and dryers.
“It's pretty self-explanatory, but if your parents washed your clothes before you got here, this is where you should do it. Nobody wants to smell your funky asses.” She looked back and smiled.
We all let out a small laugh. It's good to know she had a sense of humor. At the end of the hall, a door led to a staircase that descended.
“On the other side of this wall are the Healer’s quarters. The only way to reach their chambers is to go down to the third floor and enter their stairwell. The third floor is the only level that connects all the chambers.”
She motioned for us to follow and went down the staircase. She gestured toward the door, which had writing saying "Sixth Floor."
“This is where the second-years stay, minus any that are in leadership roles," she told us.
She continued down the stairs, motioned to the fifth floor, and told us that was where the third-years slept.
We kept going down. She said the fourth floor was for fourth-year students.
That was what Professor Melamora told us on our first day, so many weeks ago.
We reached the third floor and entered that hallway.
She motioned to the left and said there were two classrooms down there.
“Major Hildegard is our flying instructor. He's specific to the Riders and Drusearons only. His room is on the left. Major Bhatta, whom you should have met, teaches us about the flier type. His room is on the right.”
She turned right and walked down the hallway. She told us the classroom on the right was for the Healers, so we wouldn’t be using it. She motioned for us to enter the room on the left, across from the other. When we entered, we saw a room with beds, each separated by curtains.
“This is the clinic room, meaning if it’s not life-threatening or doesn’t require a mender, you can come here.
They can stitch you up, give you medicine, whatever you may be needing," she told us before turning around and walking out. She pointed to another door, saying, "This door is for the stairwell to access the Healer’s quarters, set up like ours.” We continued down the hall toward the Bravo Wing. There were two more large classrooms.
“The one on the right is Captain Vindex’s classroom. He teaches magic to all students. The one on the left is a Drusearon classroom, not relevant to you. Like the other quarters, the areas above and below us are for Drusearons.”
It made me realize I had not seen Zane for several days, and I began to miss him. I did not know which room he was in or which floor he occupied. At the end of the hall, there was a door directly ahead.
“We are entering Watch Tower Two. There are landings on each floor that lead into the quarters for the Drusearons. We will go across, staying on level three of the Bravo Wing.”
We all kept following her. As we moved along, another group of new cadets started their tour in the opposite direction. This wing we knew better because we had lived in it for eight weeks.
“Most of you should be familiar with this wing since you lived here. The barracks where you stayed are converted into guest quarters during the school year. Floors one and two contain the Historian’s quarters.
The sublevels are the library, and you are only permitted on sublevel one.
Most of level three in the Bravo Wing consists of two large sparring gyms, where you guys sparred.
Captain Gile and Captain Rivet are our sparring instructors.
The classroom before is Captain Wormald, the Historian professor. You will have him once a week.”
Unlike the hallway for the Alpha Wing, this hallway was closer to the courtyard rather than in the middle. It had large windows overlooking the courtyard. There was one large sparring gym, followed by a door that led into the stadium classroom.
“You all have been inside, but the stadium classroom is where we hold our current events lecture, discussing what's happening in our military. We review war strategies and recent developments there. The class is led by Major Fogg, Major Melamora, and Captain Pascal. You might recognize all three from drill instructions during basic training. Of course, there are doors for all levels, as it spans the entire seven floors. ”
We kept moving forward and arrived at the second sparring gym, nearly identical to the one on the opposite side.
We pressed on until we reached Watch Tower Three.
We crossed over on level three of the Charlie Wing as before.
She gestured toward one of the spacious classrooms and explained that was where Major Duft taught wielding once students gained their abilities.
She signaled with her hands and clarified that the other classrooms were explicitly designated for Shapeshifters, situated directly above and below us.
The middle section was reserved for Sorcerers, while the end area was for Infantry.
She pointed toward the far end and identified it as Watch Tower Four, then turned us around to head back to Watch Tower Three.
Once inside, she climbed to the eighth floor, pushed open the sturdy gate, and we crossed the narrow bridge that connected the campus to the administration building.
Watch Tower Four also had a small bridge connecting it to Watch Tower Five, which led into the busy infirmary.
A ground-level bridge crossed the rushing river.
Watch Tower Three had a long, steep bridge leading to Watch Tower Six, the tallest of the towers.
It also served as the check-in point when we first arrived.
We crossed over and entered a reception area set up from my initial arrival for basic training.
A desk sat near the entrance, opening into a spacious room filled with racks of uniformed clothing, mostly black.
“You'll report your name, then you'll be handed your uniforms. You'll receive five black tees, five black leather pants, two black leather jackets, one black leather field coat, and black combat boots. Your tees, jackets, and coats will have your last name sewn on the upper left side. On the right arm, there will be a small gold Feather Wing to show you're a first-year in the Feather Wing Rider’s branch. There are many symbols, but the number on the right side indicates the year you are. Go to each person to collect your items. I’ll be here on this wall waiting.”
The bustling room crowded with cadets eagerly collecting their uniforms. I approached each station, announced my name, and received pieces of my uniform from attentive staff.
Each stop took some time due to the large number of cadets collecting their gear.
This likely prompted many cadets to return early for an advantageous head start.
Once I had my uniform, hands full, I made my way back to Emmen.
Once all seven of us were with her, she motioned toward the door, and we crossed the bridge again.
We took a left and went down Charlie Wing to Tower Four, then went down to the ground floor, cut across the flight field, and returned to Tower One. We went up to the seventh floor.
"That concludes our tour. You are all free to do as you please. The first day is chaotic with everyone running around. Some people are seeing menders to heal from basic injuries, which, if you are in need, is an option. Most people tidy up their belongings in their rooms and prepare for this evening’s celebration.
Most wear a nice dress outfit. If you don’t have one, you can wear one of your uniforms, or there is a lending closet of clothing back at the admin office, a floor below where we got uniforms. There are fancy suits and ball gowns. "
She turned to walk away but quickly turned back. “Oh, also, I recommend always having at least two daggers on you. People are cutthroat, and without powers, you are sitting ducks. That said, per the code of ethics, no one may cause harm to another within the same wing.” Then she left.
Thora, Sadie, and I headed into our rooms. I started rummaging through my bag, which I had just accessed that morning after basic training.
I packed a few books for reading and studying.
I brought six of my favorite lightweight, sharp daggers.
I also brought two elegant formal gowns and a pair of flat shoes to match them.
Additionally, I brought some sleek black leather pants crafted with durable Kevlar, along with armored shirts also made of tough Kevlar.
I heard stories about how ruthless others could be—not just Riders but members of various branches.
My father was a military general, which meant he had made fierce enemies along the way.
Since our names were sewn into our uniforms, other cadets would likely piece together my identity.
I chose a single black dress that reached down to my calves.
It was tight around my torso and flared out at my thighs.
The dress shimmered with constant reflections from its jeweled surface.
I fastened both of my thigh dagger belts and sheathed two sharp daggers.
I let my hair down, allowing the natural sandy blonde curls to cascade freely.
My hair extended about four inches beyond my buttocks and appeared to grow an inch during basic training.
Usually, my hair stayed in a braid, except when I washed it.
Thora also brought a sleek black gown that was floor-length and semi-tight, accentuating her figure.
She stood a couple of inches taller than me at five feet five inches.
She left her dark brown hair down, letting it cascade to her mid-back.
Her olive skin complemented her light brown eyes, enhancing her natural beauty.
I paused to admire how stunning she looked.
Sadie didn’t bring a gown with her. Instead of going to the lending closet, I offered her my second gown.
It looked stunning on her. The dress was floor-length for me, but for her, it hit mid-calf, since she was five feet seven inches tall, making her four inches taller than I was.
Thora handed her a pair of black heels because they had the same shoe size.
She chose to wear her light brown hair in a sleek bun, though I noticed it was slightly past her shoulders before wrapping it up.
Her light skin with pink undertones contrasted strikingly against the solid black gown.
She had piercing dark blue eyes and lengthy eyelashes, which immediately caught my attention.