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  At these words, Lucy stopped smiling. Sshe was remembering a past that clearly was unpleasant to her. Mo decided now was not the time to share their sad stories so instead changed the subject.

  “Can I have a proper look?”

  “At my wings, of course, I guess you haven’t had the chance yet, who bought you in.”

  “Ethan.”

  “What is he like, he is gorgeous isn’t he, Lordes’ right hand man everyone says.”

  “He is ok I guess, quite cold though, I hope he is not my trainer.”

  Lucy turned her back on Mo so that she could look at her wings more intently. They were beautiful, bright white feathers about a foot long reaching down past her waist. The way they came out of the back looked in some ways so bizarre, flesh giving way to feather., Tthe muscles around Lucy’s back were already developing and Mo could see why it must take a lot to carry these things once they got big. Mo went to touch them but drew back remembering these were a part of Lucy as much as her arm or leg was. Lucy had guessed her reaction though, “It’s ok you can touch them if you like.”

  So very gently Mo did. Tthey were so soft and as she moved her hand to the top of the wing, so rigid and full of strength. She had not realised she had been holding her breath while touching them, as she let it out she said, “Amazing.”

  Lucy shivered as Mo let go of her wings. “I love them, can’t wait for them to get bigger, it feels really odd when you touched them, you should know that it really is not the done thing to touch other Volucris wings, it’s like an unwritten rule.”

  “Oh sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine, I don’t mind, it did feel weird though, I see why they don’t do it.”

  “How are your wings, Benji mentioned that you had some trouble that’s why you went with Phallon.”

  “They are ok, not too much damage., I had no idea I had to be so careful and Ethan is not a man of many words so I just didn’t realise, I should have spoken up earlier.”

  “Benji is nice isn’t he..” Lucy replied this clearly as a statement not a question.

  “Yes, he is so funny. Hhe really has kept my spirits up these past few weeks, without him I think I would have cracked under the pressure of it all.”

  “Did you have to leave anyone behind?”

  “Yes, my Grandmother, I miss her terribly and they wouldn’t let me even call her., I have only managed to speak to her once since I left and she said she was ok but you know what it is like back there.” As Mo talked of her grandmother she took out the pendant and rubbed the soft stone almost like a good luck charm to wish her well. “How about you?”

  “I had to leave my Dad behind, Thea convinced him it was for the best. My mum had already died because of the virus and Dad was ok, he used to be a Volucris but had his wings cut away as a kid.”

  “My grandmother was the same.”

  “Thea explained there was not enough room and they could not carry everyone over. I kind of get that but after exploring the island there seems to be a lot of room, I guess maybe it’s to do with feeding everyone, although there always seems to be plenty of food. I don’t know, I guess I just wish my Dad was here. Llike you, I wonder what happened to him. Thea said it was best I leave my holo behind, that I was starting a new life now, but I miss him.”

  Lucy’s eyes started to glisten and Mo did not want to see her too upset., Sshe put her arm around her shoulders careful not to touch her wings, they looked at each other giving each other a knowing smile, both threatening to cry. “Come on, you best show me the next thing no-one told me about, and give me the gossip on the rest of the clan.” Lucy smiled and jumped up.

  “First things first you get dressed and we get some breakfast.”

  Chapter 28

  During breakfast the other Volucris all around Mo’s age joined them., Anabel sat next to Lucy and Mo could see a bond had formed between them as they chatted with each other., Anabel was still very cool with Mo but polite as well, responding to her questions. Benji bounded in with the rest of the boys of the 10 who were all around Mo’s age and just starting to grow their wings. Mo was disappointed to discover most were male, only the 3 girls and 7 boys. Benji sat next to Mo and started to rattle on about his discoveries through the night. It seems that Benji was sharing a room with one other mainlander boy called Calumn who sat next to him. He was tall and already looking very muscular., Benji joked around getting him to flex his muscles saying he couldn’t wait to catch up to Calumn now they were about to get on to proper training. Calumn’s wings were about the same size as Lucy’s. Hhis skin was a very dark black colour with short cropped hair and deep brown eyes, Mo could see him constantly looking over to Lucy who was clearly oblivious to his charms. The other 5 boys were all Volucris born, they were all a lot bigger than any of the mainlander kids and most of their wings were well on the way to being almost fully grown. Only one of the Volucris boys was a little smaller and only had stumps for wings. Hhe was clearly younger, even maybe a couple of years younger than Mo, she wondered what was the earliest age that wings would start to grow. The young boy was called Simion. Hhe had curly blond hair and even though Mo was told he was a Volucris born here on Ety, he was very shy among the other more boisterous boys.

  They all fell silent when they started to eat, a large bowl of steaming oats with nuts and berry’s., Tthey then all went up to collect the blood in their pouches but were told to just sip it throughout the morning not down all in one. This, Mo guessed correctly, was to stem the feeling the blood gave them, so they didn’t get a rush all at once. They all gathered in one of the side rooms to the main area., Benji whispered in Mo’s ear that this was one of the training rooms and they were about to be assigned their trainers. The room or cave was large with a high ceiling,ceiling; around the edges of the room were various bits of equipment benches, what looked like large round stones and lots of rope. In the middle of the room stood Lordes, behind him was Ethan, Thea and Tristan. Thea and Tristan were happily talking with each other while Ethan stood back from them looking as sullen as ever.

  Mo turned to Benji whispering, “Why is Ethan so moody, I really hope we get to train together and it’s not happy bollocks training us!”

  Benji snorted with laughter and responded, “He’s not so bad, remember some of the good times on the RV when we all danced around.”

  “I don’t remember Ethan dancing!”

  “No, but he didn’t stop us, I think he kind of enjoyed it. Apparently, when I was talking to Tristan he said both himself and Ethan had a really hard upbringing. Tthey were not born here on Ety but with another clan who were really strict, maybe that’s why he is a bit moody.”

  “Tristan isn’t moody though.”

  “No, he says he was a lot younger, he was only a baby when he came here., Hhe is Ethan’s brother, well, half-brother; different mMothers apparently.”

  Mo was surprised to hear they were brothers, they looked and acted so differently.

  “It’s no excuse; he was so mad with me over my damaged wings - how was I to know?”

  “I know he stepped a bit out of line, but you should give him a break. Aanyway don’t worry, he really is Lordes’ right hand man and apparently never trains anyone.”

  “So why is he even here then?”

  Benji just shrugged. Lordes began to address the young Volucris.

  “Welcome to all of you., I know your training has not been as rigorous as it should have been but now that all of the best trainers are back here on Ety, it can start in earnest. You should all know -, especially those of you who have not been brought up in Volucris culture -, that this time in your life is the most important time. , Hhow you act now and how much you put into your training will determine how well your wings grow, and once they are fully grown in about a years’ timeyears’ time, that is how they will stay throughout your life. It is not just how hard you train but also what you eat, your diet is key to making sure your wings grow to their full potential. Over the next six months your wings wil
l grow very quickly. Wwe have a tried and tested method of getting the most out of each and every one of you, but it is also up to you how much you put in. You should be able to fly after about six months but not for very long or far., Oonce youryou’re flying training starts that is when your wings will start to lose their white colour and your true colour will come through.”

  At every word Lordes spoke Mo felt more and more enthralled and excited and she could tell she was not the only one., Aall of the young Volucris were standing taller and smiling to each other, those whose wings were already larger, like Lucy and Calumn began to flex them.

  Lordes himself had spread his golden wings behind him, they were huge and filled the room with glittering golden reflections. He batted his wings once and they all felt the power behind them as the wind ruffled their hair. Mo noticed how Lordes’ feet slightly left the ground at this and this filled her with joy, she knew she must do as he said and work as hard as possible. She reached out for Benji’s hand and squeezed it with excitement, he turned to her with a huge grin on his face and did not let go of her hand.

  Lordes continued to speak, “now to your trainers. Tristan will train Benji, Calumn, Simion and Anabel, please, if you will join your trainer.” Benji squeezed Mo’s hand and let go. Hhe gave her a smile and wink and bounced off. Mo knew he must be over the moon to have a trainer like Tristan., Sshe also felt a sudden pang in the pit of her stomach that Anabel was training with Benji., Mo at first did not recognise the feeling, was she jealous? She pushed the feeling deep inside. Nnow was not the time to explore these types of thoughts. She took a swig of blood and tried to reconcile her feelings that at least Thea would be her trainer and she would be trained together with Lucy which would be great fun.

  Lordes continued, “Thea will train Lucy, Mathius, Gregor, Lorenzo and Emmanuel. Please join your trainer.” This was the first-time Mo had a good look at these boys. Tthey were clearly all good friends, laughing and slapping each other on the shoulder. Oone grabbed Lucy and lifted her over to Thea, they all seemed to know each other very well already. Mo was laughing along too until she realised Lordes had not said her name, she was now standing on her own feeling very self-conscious. She looked down at her hands as Lordes moved slowly over to her.

  Lordes lifted up Mo’s chin and she looked directly into his bright blue eyes. Mo had not spoken to him since the meal she had shared with him and his family and her storming out of the room. , Sshe was not sure how to behave yet and was still feeling a little sore towards him.

  “Moria, I would like you to be trained differently from the others, you are my daughter and have already missed out important aspects of Volucris life. This is why I am giving over most of your training to Ethan., Hhe is one of the finest Volucris here who will be able to teach you all you will need to learn., Rremember to listen to him carefully in all aspects of training.”

  Mo’s face had fallen. Sshe looked over to Ethan and she could see no joy in his face either, they both looked like they had been given the shortest straw. Lordes guided Mo over to stand next to Ethan and both of them stood with faces like thunder. Mo looked over to the other two groups who were all still laughing and joking with each other. Her jealousy spilled over and threatened to burst out of her every pore. Sshe could feel it burning within her and she wanted to scream at the others to stop being so happy, to scream at her father. She wanted Benji to stop smiling and joking with Anabel and look at her and realise how awful this was. This anger she could feel boiling up inside her, she didn’t know what to do with it to push it out of her., Tthe others, of course, did not notice and just filed out of the room. Ethan turned to her, “I know this is not ideally how you would choose it but it is the best choice, the most important thing now is to use the anger you are feeling and throw it into your training.”

  How did he know how she was feeling, was she making it that obvious? Once the others had left the room Lordes came up to Mo and, she blurted out,. “Why am I alone ,why can I not be trained with the others?”

  She knew she sounded like a petulant little girl but right now she didn’t care.

  “Moria you are special, different from even the other pure blood Volucris, you need to be trained harder to reach your full potential, remember to listen to Ethan, he can help you, I promise.”

  Before she could respond or even shout more Lordes had left the room leaving her alone with Ethan, she stared at him not trying to hide her animosity towards him and the situation she was left in. Staring into Ethan’s eyes she felt that warm feeling flow through her head like the first time she had met him., Ethan broke their gaze and the feeling instantly left. Hhe looked down like he was disappointed. “Well, it seems you don’t want to be here either so what’s the point in you training me,.” Mo spat out.

  “Mo, that is not the case at all, I was honoured when Lordes asked me to train you, ityou, it is a great honour to train the daughter of our leader.” Ethan responded.

  “So why do you look so down then?”

  “Do I? I am not, I am happy to train you Mo, as long as you are willing to listen.”

  “Why can’t our great leader train me if I am so flipping important?”

  “Well it seems you would be just as pleased with that situation as this one,” Ethan replied sarcastically. “And there would be a conflict. , Lordes sees that he would maybe push you too hard, expect too much and at the moment neither of us thinks you are ready.”

  “And so it will be easy with you?”

  “No Mo, nothing about training is easy but I suppose it will be easier for you for me to train you rather than Lordes.”

  Mo looked at her hands, her anger at the situation had left as quickly as it had arrived, she suddenly felt exhausted and resigned to her fate.

  She looked up at Ethan and nodded indicating that she would accept this arrangement.

  Ethan’s face broke into a beautiful smile and it warmed the very bones of her., Hhe really could be quite beautiful when he let himself smile and Mo could not help but smile back.

  “Ok first things first, I want you to drink all of that blood and we are then going to run.” Ethan instructed.

  “All of it? I thought we were just sipping it?.”

  “You have a lot of catching up to do. , Yyour diet now will be mainly blood and red meat and a huge amount of exercise. Wwe need those wings to be as big and powerful as our great leaders’.”

  Mo smiled at Ethan referring to her father in the same way she had just done with such contempt, she thought maybe this would not be so bad after all. She glugged down her blood, wiping her mouth once she was finished. She waited just a minute before the now familiar feeling flooded through her veins.

  “Ready?” Ethan asked as he finished off his own blood.

  Mo nodded enthusiastically. “We are going to run quickly through the forest and round the island, very quickly, you need to follow my footing exactly and you will be fine, ok?” Sshe nodded again and Ethan took off with Mo close behind. Tthey ran through the mountain and out into the open air. As soon as they got outside, the heat hit her square in the face., Tthe mountain was so much cooler inside and Mo thought that running in this heat was going to be tough.

  Ethan sprang off at an incredible pace. Iit took her at first by surprise, but she soon caught up and as Ethan had instructed, she placed each of her own footsteps in his, step for step., Tthey moved effortlessly through the forest, ducking under branches and jumping over logs. , Mo knew she should be out of breath that they were running quickly and through intense heat and jungle, but the blood she had gulped down was pulsating through her, feeding her muscles, giving her energy and power.

  They started to follow more of a path and passedt some of the outlying Volucris villages but on and on they went not stopping., Mo could feel the power and energy the blood gave her and she thrived on it. Sshe could feel Ethan moving faster and she kept pace with him, following his dark beautiful wings. The river appeared alongside them and the water looked so cool and invitin
g. Mo could hear up ahead gushing water and she thought it must be a waterfall. Ethan was still running ahead and as the trees began to fall away, Mo could see the drop of the waterfall. , Sshe somehow knew to trust in what Ethan had, said, to follow his every step. She kept running, placing each footstep in his. Sshe was so close behind him that she could feel the tips of his wings brush her cheeks. , Aas he came closer to the edge of the waterfall he did not stop, he kept running fast and in one leap he left the cliff face. Mo was right behind him. Aas he went up his wings soaring in full flight, she leapt off the cliff and went down straight into icy cool water rushing about her ears., Sshe could see and feel the crystal-clear bubbles surround her., Sshe kicked her feet and pushed up out of the icy depths screaming with joy as she pushed through the surface. She heard other cheers from the edge of the lake and saw all of the other young Volucris punching the air, all of them soaking wet, all of whom must have just been through what she had. Ethan circling above her, he flew down low and landed at the lake’s edge, Mo swam over to him, beaming.

  “Well Mo, you truly are special, to follow me like that, I think you are the first Volucris I have ever seen jump on their first run!”

  The others came over, Benji running to Mo and hugging and swinging her around.

  “That was amazing Mo., Aall of us stopped at first, even the Ety born, we all jumped eventually but not straight away like that, wow.”

  They were all beaming at Mo, coming over to her and patting her on the shoulder. Mo felt so proud of herself she hadn’t even thought for a second not to jump, she was doing as she had been told, to listen to Ethan. , Sshe looked up above and saw a glint of gold at the top of the waterfall, her father had seen too and for some reason she felt even more proud of herself.

  Chapter 29

  The next few days went by in a daze., Mo’s life had become that of a training ritual., Sshe got up, bathed, ate a huge breakfast, drank blood and then trained all day with Ethan, only stopping for lunch and finishing when the sun went down. The training was tough, a lot of running and then Ethan would make her carry packs to make running harder, a lot of training in the gym and swimming.