A Court of Heritance and Destiny

Chapter 8 Ikarad

"Tonight, twenty of you will be taken from your beds, and wake up in the wilderness. Tonight starts the Blood Rite." He held his voice strong and steady as he looked out over the novices. "A week to make sure that you all are ready to fully join our warrior ranks." He had been given this speech for decades now, before every rite, in different villages. "Your training is your best friend out there, and so are your allies. Just like it will be in battle the day you might face it." Etera in wolf form sat at his side, her tail moved over the ground.

"We are a people born and bred for war and battle, survival lives within our blood. The wind's songs call us to climb high. Learn when to listen, and when to resist." He turned around, spreading his wings to take off. Etera ran before him, the grey wolf disappeared between the trees and piles of snow.

"How did you do it?" One of the novices called behind him, stopping him from leaving. "You reached the summit, how?"

"Can't tell you." Ikarad turned around. Facing the novice. "It is up to you to find out."

"You can't climb it alone, so who did you kill to reach it?" Ikarad froze to stone, he had never been alone on that climb. He tried to regain control of his body and mind, to return to the conversation. "Apparently only half breeds and bastards can win! So why bother!" The novice called out when he didn't answer. His control snapped and Ikarad walked up to him, grabbing him by his shirt.

"Maybe we have something you don't have." He hissed. "Courage to do something no one expects of us. I have seen you train, you won't be taken tonight. Your blood and family doesn't matter here. You are nothing. Not worth anymore than a sandbag to be used as extra weight in flying." He spit the words out, "A useless male, not worth his wings."

Ikarad. Eteras voice broke through his walls, He is just a kid.

"Dismissed." He dropped the novice on the ground. Seeing how he crawled away from him.

Love. Etera spoke again, this time Ikarad walked away, flapping his wings to take off. Need a moment? He could not answer.

His own trainers had called him that the moment his father or Cassian was away. That, among other things. Sandbag, waste of space, a waste of good wings. Never good enough, not even when he had returned from the rite did they see him as worthy.

Love, if you are keeping me out, I will force you to talk to me. He didn't know what to say back. Bastard, half breed, he had been called that and worse. And those words had stuck more than anything else. Cassian and Azriel found some sort of sick power from it, proving that even a bastard born could be so powerful, his father was the High Lord, that was enough in some ways. But Ikarad and his... You are spiralling. A falcon came up in front of him, Etera.

I lost it. He said back to her. I can't understand why I can't stand against them.

Love... He raised his hand as Etera shifted to fae, this far up and away from the camps no one would see her. Ikarad quickly pulled her against his body. "Things are more difficult this time of year." She whispered against his chest.

The weeks between Starfall and the end of the Blood rite was always a harsh reminder. Etera did try to not be away on missions, opting to follow him to the mountains instead. Like now.

"I know..." He took a deep breath and winnowed to the house they stayed in. Swaying a bit as he landed, Etera was fast, giving him support. "Thanks..."

"Go and change, I can fix some dinner." It would be an early one, he planned to get some sleep before midnight. Before he needed to take the novices to the starting points. Being a part of the Blood rite was both an honour and a mess. To take the novices in was one part, but he also needed to go in and bring the bodies of the dead ones back.