“Boys,” Greskal growled.
Dal shook his head at me again and pushed me toward the teacher.
“He said, boys, as in both of us,” I pointed out.
“Yes, but I am the Hawk Lord,” Dalsharan announced as we followed Greskal into an enormous, open, rectangular room.
And I don't just mean open in the lacking furniture way. A long section of the outer wall was missing and a landing platform extended from it. The Hawk students dove and swooped past the massive archway. Along the solid walls stood shelves containing odd contraptions, and the floor was covered with padded mats.
“You're the Hawk Lord?” I asked. “What kind of argument is that?”
“The winning kind.” Dal grinned.
I snorted.
Greskal went to the nearest mat and sat down cross-legged. He cleared his throat and looked pointedly at us. The Hawk Lord and I hurried to sit before him.
“So, you have hawk magic in you,” Greskal said to me.
“It would seem so.” My gaze flicked out at the flying Hawks.
“Yep, you'll be out there soon,” Greskal said to my gaze.
“Shouldn't I learn some basic things first?” I asked.
“Such as?” Greskal cocked his head at me.
“You know, the other stuff that all faeries can do. The”—I twirled my fingers—“magic air and fire and stuff.”
“Magic air?” Greskal grinned.
“Like moving objects.” I glanced at Dal. “Say for example I wanted to pick up a candle.”
Dalsharan cleared his throat pointedly.
“Or summon oil to my hand,” I went on.
Dal closed his eyes as if in pain and shook his head.
“Why would you want to summon oil to your hand?” Greskal scowled.
“I'm just saying what comes to mind.” I shrugged.
“He's talking about nectar,” Dalsharan said in a low voice.
“Nectar?” Greskal frowned before his eyes widened. “Oh! Yes, that is... well...” He cleared his throat gruffly. “As Sidhe, we work with the magic of nature and must progress naturally into our powers. Magic that can move objects or summon things is a more advanced skill. You were right in assuming that you must start with the basics and create a foundation to work from, but your foundation is a hawk. That is your base magic. So, you must first learn to shapeshift into a hawk, then you learn to fly, and then the rest.”
“Ah, okay. So, how do I shapeshift?”
“You might actually learn something if you shut up for five minutes,” Dal said dryly.
“Ravyn's right, you're still a bit of a prick,” Greskal said.
Dal grimaced at him as I laughed my ass off.
“Now, the way to shift starts with visualization,” Greskal said to me. “You need to hold an image of a hawk in your mind. For these first attempts, it would be best to be as detailed as possible. Picture the different shades of feathers on a hawk. See the curve of the beak and the gleam in their eyes. Imagine—”
I held up my hand.
“Yes?”
“I know I've fought beside Hawks for most of my life, but I don't sit around staring at them. I know what they generally look like, but that's about it.”
“Oh, well.” Greskal looked around and then spotted the Hawks flying outside. “Take a good look at those Hawks out there. Watch them until you can picture one when you close your eyes.”
I squinted out at the flying hawks and then grimaced at Greskal.
“Yes, all right, moving objects aren't the easiest to focus on.” Greskal winced. “Hawk Sidhe are raised by Hawks so I didn't consider that you'd need a visual example right in front of you.”
The Hawk Lord got up and pulled off his boots. I looked over at him in surprise.
“You need to focus on a Hawk.” Dal shrugged. “What better Hawk to focus on than the one whose soul you have?”
“Yes! That's a good point,” Greskal exclaimed in relief. “You're likely to shift into a twin of Dal's hawk.”
“I am?”
“Mathias, the first Valorian, can shift into a tiger that's nearly identical to the old Tiger Lord's form,” Greskal said.
“The old Tiger Lord?” I asked.
“After Mathias was made Valorian, Lord Derringar retired. He came back to Varalorre to help train Mathias and never returned to the war,” Greskal explained.
I looked at Dal, who looked uncomfortable.
“We're going back, right?” I asked.
“We'll see,” Dal said gently. “It's up to the Goddess.”
“Are you saying that you might have to retire because of me?” I gaped at him.
“If I do, it will be with great honor,” Dalsharan said. “It won't be a sacrifice.”
“Yes, it will,” I growled. “You love being the Hawk Lord.”
“There are other things I love more.” Dal's gaze softened on me.
I went silent and stared back at him, breathless.
Greskal cleared his throat. “If you wouldn't mind shifting now, Dal?”
Dal dropped the boot he'd been holding and started on his clothes.
“Way to ruin a romantic moment there, Greskal,” I huffed.
Greskal chuckled. “You're on my time, boy. Coo over each other somewhere else.”
“Coo?” I turned to make a face at Dalsharan, but found him naked, and ended up gawking.
“You'll need to memorize his other form,” Greskal said.
“Yeah, I know,” I shot back. “I already have this one memorized but it doesn't mean I get tired of looking.”
Dalsharan winked at me and shifted. In seconds, he was a massive Hawk, his feathers settling into sleekness as he tucked his wings in.
“Very good.” Greskal got to his feet. “Now, extend your wing, Dal.”
The Hawk Lord followed orders for once.
“Note the length of the feathers,” Greskal said to me. “Note their color and design. When you have that, move on to the breast—learn the curve of it, the lift. See how it angles down toward his talons.” He slapped the dark gray, pebbled skin covering Dal's legs. “See how tough the skin is here? Note that too. And take a deep breath.” He did so as if I might need an example of how breathing worked. “Smell the feathers. Really get a feel of what a Hawk is.”