18. CHAPTER 18
The rest of the weekend went smoothly. Thankfully, our Wing Commander didn’t decide to start early like the Drusearons did.
They spent most of the day on the flight field, performing flight maneuvers and engaging in sparring.
We all received our schedules for the week, which showed our mealtimes, lectures, and the period.
We ate together as a wing. There were a total of seventy-nine in the Feather Wing.
Twenty-six were first-years, twenty were second-years, sixteen were third-years, and seventeen were fourth-years.
Before leaving my chambers, I sheathed my favorite six daggers—one on each leg, one on each upper arm, and two at my sides under my arms, concealed by my tee.
Our platoon sat together but remained near the other platoon to maintain wing cohesion.
Naturally, all the first-years gathered in a tight group.
The officers clustered nearby as well. Alpha Wing was assigned to Dining Facility Two, which was conveniently located next to our chambers, making it easy for the Riders to access.
We shared the dining facility with other wings as well.
I passed someone with two silver dragon symbols, representing Dragon Wing, a second-year.
Everyone seemed to be eating peacefully, and there didn’t appear to be anyone trying to attack others, as I had expected.
Maybe everyone was feeling things out, and chaos would come later.
There was a reason my dad told me the Rider’s branch was cutthroat, and Zane warned me to stay safe.
After breakfast, we headed to the outdoor stadium where cadets had already taken their seats.
Our Squad Leader led us to a large section and explained that Riders sat there.
Around seven sections were visible, based on how the seated cadets clustered.
To our right, the Infantry group occupied a sizable section, which I believed was the largest. On the left, the Healers stood out with their bright, vividly colored baby blue uniforms. Beside them, the Drusearons wore sleek black attire.
More than half of them had their wings tightly tucked in.
Sitting on these chairs couldn’t be comfortable, but they offered ample space for all of us.
My gaze lifted toward the top, where leadership usually sat, and I immediately recognized the familiar light eyes that made my heart flutter.
“Hey there, beautiful. I see I finally got your gaze.”
“Finally? And hey sexy.” I gave him a wink.
“From the moment you walked in, my eyes have been locked on to you.”
“That’s stalkerish don’t you think?”
“I guess when you put it that way.”
“If you keep staring, people are going to think you’re in love with me or plotting my death.” I looked away, not to draw attention to our stare.
“I really could not give a fuck about what anyone thinks. I will eye-fuck you every chance I can.”
I could feel the heat in my cheeks, realizing I was probably blushing a little.
I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth and took a deep breath, trying to hide it so no one else would notice.
The room kept filling up, and within the next thirty minutes, there were no more available seats.
Some cadets were standing at the back and sitting on the stairs.
Professor Melamora walked through the lower-level door and onto the stage in the middle.
“Attention, cadets,” she said, her voice projecting all throughout the classroom. All eyes fixed on her, the room went silent.
“Welcome, first-year cadets, and welcome back to all the others.” She told us.
“Hopefully, everyone has become familiar with each other over the past few days. You should all be familiar with our Military Manual and Code of Ethics, often referred to as the MCOE, as well as the Code of Ethics specific to your branch. I would like to reiterate a few key points that apply to all cadets. MCOE 3-14-1 states that there shall be no relationships between professors and cadets unless the relationship was previously established and confirmed. MCOE 2-12-1 states that no cadet may kill another cadet other than in sparring or in self-defense. Violating this is punishable by death. MCOE 1-13-2 states that all cadets, except those in leadership, must be in their personal chambers by twenty-two hundred hours. Any questions on those?”
“To clarify, if someone is in my squad and I want to call them for a challenge, can it be a fatal match?” a male sitting in the first-year area of the Shapeshifters asked.
“Yes.”
“And if they aren’t, I can walk up to them and cause harm as long as I don’t actually kill them?” He came with another question, and everyone directed their attention to him.
“Technically… Yes…”
“Good—”
“But some branches have truces to preserve their cadets. These truces are as sacred as any Code of Ethics we have. As you can see, some branches are much larger than others. For instance, the Sorcerers have a truce with all the other branches to protect their decreasing numbers. Furthermore, remember, when you take a life without merited cause, a mark is made on your soul. You also might find yourself with another set of enemies.” She cut him off before he could continue.
“Noted.” He said, then looked over as if he was directly looking at me.
I swallowed a lump in my throat. I stared back with my fierce, emerald-green eyes because I would not back down.
He had blue eyes, light brown hair, and lightly tanned skin.
He seemed to be of average height, but it was hard to tell.
“Any other questions?” She paused and looked around before continuing.
“This year, we've decided to add a few more courses.
We haven't finalized the details yet. Once it's complete, you'll receive an updated schedule. One significant change is that more courses will now include multiple branches. Over time, the gap among the branches has widened, and we aim to bridge it. This is the third year that basic platoons included all branches instead of being separated by declared branches, and it has been successful. We plan to extend this approach beyond the basic level. In the military, teamwork across all branches is essential to defend our borders, not division among ourselves. We have two branches that conduct air patrols, but they sometimes fail to coordinate effectively. I’ll be honest, there’s chatter about a coming war with Rudemont, the predominantly human continent. The king might be trying some power move…”
I felt a sudden dread in my stomach. This was new to me.
My dad never shared any concerns about this.
But why would he—he never bothered to tell me about the politics of our continent.
Historically, students in their third and fourth years were enlisted into service earlier than others.
This also explains why branches were calling truces among themselves—to build larger armies instead of killing each other off.
“Now, if you are a second, third, or fourth-year cadet, you are dismissed. All first-year cadets will stay here.”
Cadets in the upper rows stood up and started moving toward the various doors to exit the stadium.
I sat in the first row, nearest to the stage.
I pulled my legs in as the cadets moved past me.
I felt a hand on my shoulder, looked up, and saw Lili.
She gave me a little smile. It wasn’t her usual cheerful smile but more like her sympathetic smile.
She often gave me that when we got into trouble, and I got a tongue-lashing from my father.
A moment later, Alex walked past me and shot me a look of disgust. I knew that look—it was the one I’d get after I hooked up with someone during one of our many breaks.
Fuck. That meant he knew. I was sure I’d get the cold shoulder for a while.
The difference was that I wouldn’t take him back when he came back, begging and crying, saying he was sorry.
I felt a tingle down my spine and looked to the left. I saw Zane walking down the first row toward me. He stopped right in front of me, gave me a sweet, tender kiss on the forehead, and smiled. When he stood, he turned his attention to the Shapeshifter who was eyeing me earlier.
“Oh, so you saw him giving me a death glare earlier,” I asked him.
“I think everyone saw it. Don’t worry about him, love.” He told me before walking towards one of the exits and leaving.
Sadie did a slight cough next to me. “Damn, Auriella. ”
I shot her a look and gave her a smile.
“By the way Alex looked at me, I take it you guys talked, and it didn’t go well.”
“Eh, nothing we can’t handle. He will get over it, or he won’t.”
The room got quiet as all the upperclassmen left. Professor Melamora looked all around at all the first-years, giving us a small smile.
“I like to review some general education with each group of first-years and have an open discussion. I understand that some of you may not be as familiar with the military as others, and some of you might know a little but not be familiar with all the details. If your parents were in or are still in the military, raise your hand.”
The majority of us raised our hands.
“Look around and take stock of whose hands are raised and whose aren’t.”
Every Drusearon, Shapeshifter, and Sorcerer had their hands up. Infantry, Healers, and Historians were a little over half. Three-quarters of us in the Riders’ group had our hands up.