“Believe me, that’s not exactly an exclusive club,” Hudson answers with a snort.
I roll my eyes. “Which should tell you something about your people skills.”
“All it tells me is that people are even more small-minded than I imagined.”
“Small-minded?” I ask incredulously. “Because they didn’t go along with your little ‘conquer the world’ plan? How shortsighted of them.”
Flint barks out a laugh but doesn’t seem to mind that he’s only privy to my side of this ridiculous argument.
“Hey, the world could do a lot worse than to be ruled by me,” he says. “Look around.”
“Wow. Arrogant much?” I ask.
“It’s only arrogant if it’s not true,” he answers and nods toward the stairs that lead to Jaxon’s tower.
I don’t have a clue how to respond to that, so I don’t. Instead, I turn to Flint and ask, “What’s this class about anyway? I mean, is it just the science behind flying or do we learn how to fly? How scared should I be?”
“Most of us learn how to fly long before we get to Katmere,” Flint explains. “So this class deals more with the why than the how of flight. They call it a physics class, but there’s a lot of biology, too, because we learn about the structure and makeup of different wings. And we even dissect a few.”
“You mean they aren’t all the same?” I ask, a little surprised by the idea that wings are so different at the core. I guess I thought it was like anything else—hair, eyes, skin. They’re available in different colors, but when it comes down to important things, they’re the same. They’re all made up of the same biological matter and they all function the same way. The idea that wings aren’t like that is surprisingly fascinating.
Then again, judging by the look on Flint’s face, he’s even more surprised that I assumed they are. “Of course they’re different,” he says. “Dragon wings have to support a creature that weighs thousands of pounds. Pixie wings support creatures who can fit in the palm of your hand. And it’s not just about size—we fly completely differently, too.”
“What do you mean? Isn’t flying flying?”
“Not even a little bit. Pixies can hover over whatever they want for long periods of time. Dragons’ wings are built for speed and distance, while pixies’ wings are built for easy maneuverability. Because pixies are so much smaller and slower—even though their wings flap faster—they can change direction on a dime, while it takes us time to slow down enough to bank hard left or right.”
“So,” I say as we turn down a fairly empty hallway. “I have a question.”
“Will I help you learn to fly? Of course I will. It’ll be so much fun.” Flint grins. “Plus, we still have those pictures for Mr. Damasen to finish.”
“Oh, right. I’m sorry; I totally blanked on that.” I roll my eyes at myself. “Too much going on in my head, I guess. Maybe we can do it this weekend?”
“Yeah, sure. Just let me know what works for you.”
“Great, thanks. And I’m sure I’ll want to take you up on the flying lessons.” I mean, I still can’t believe that I can fly. Me. Under my own power. Because I’m a gargoyle, I mean. When the whole “I have wings” thing came up earlier, the implication of being able to fly was there. But to think about it, to imagine Flint giving me lessons on how not to die while doing it… It’s more than a little overwhelming.
Instead, I focus on something else. Giving the idea time to settle can’t be a bad thing.
“But speaking of flying, I actually had a different question,” I say to Flint.
He turns amused eyes my way. “Yes?”
“You mentioned pixies. How many other species are out there? Are there a lot of other creatures that aren’t at Katmere, ones that I don’t even know exist?”
“Definitely.” He grins. “More than you could ever imagine.”
“Oh.” I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do with that.
My surprise must show, because Flint lifts a brow at me. “Was that not the answer you were looking for?”
“I don’t know—I just… What other kinds of creatures are there? And why aren’t they at Katmere?”
“Because Katmere’s teachers specialize in dragons, werewolves, vampires, and witches,” Flint tells me. “There are other schools out there that specialize in other magical creatures.”