Defender of the Cloudwings Book 1: Mindreader

Chapter 1
	Altia rolled over in her soft bed, her brother Palo hovering over her in his dove form.
	"You never get up," he complained. She could feel his annoyance like a jagged piece of metal. "Remember the Hearth test today? The thing that'll determine if you can get a job?"
	"I know," she mumbled, rolling out of bed. She shook herself and said, "Out of my room. Lemme get ready in peace."
	He flattened his head feathers, the bird equivalent of a frown, and reminded her, "Don't forget your athletic clothes."
	Altia snorted and said, "You remember that I hate robes, right? I'm wearing a t-shirt and shorts."
	Palo gave a long-suffering sigh and said, "Don't make too much of a fool of me. Or yourself, for that matter."
	She stuck her tongue out at him as he left and muttered, "Pompous cow! Thinks he's all that and a pile of feathers..." With a flourish she pulled out her favorite pair of black shorts and stewed for a moment over a shirt to wear. Eventually she picked out a grey heather shirt and marched down the stairs to the living room, sitting on the couch and waiting for her brother.
	When he came, he was in his human form, holding a rolled up letter and scowling at her. "Where's your bag?" he demanded. "You need that for the test!"
	"I know," she retorted sharply. "I was waiting for you to come with the letter so I know what to put in it." Holding her hand out in front of her, she added, "Letter, please."
	He frowned even deeper and threw it at her, snapping, "Alright, go get it, but the taxi's already outside!"
	Tossing her head, she caught the note and darted up the stairs. Filling her bag, she was back down and at the door in less than a minute. Palo stopped her as she was putting her sandals on and said, "Take care... sister." She beamed at him as he pushed her out the door. Still grinning from the remains of his love and concern, Altia hopped into the Aracar.
	The trip to the Hearth was altogether uneventful, and she got out without a scratch. She'd been to the Hearth multiple times, but the sheer size and bustle of it all still stunned her. There were clouds of birds in the sky, and the crowds were densely packed together, a few of the rarer transformations scattered throughout. After a moment to take it all in she switched to her crow form and angled to the very high areas, where few birds flew. She made it to the roof in about five minutes and landed lightly on the pad. Moving back into her human form, she climbed down and discovered she was already on the right floor.
	It was a massive white room with a window in the top, two speakers on each end. A pleasant female voice echoed across the room and she turned her head up. "State your name and requested job," the voice said.
	"Altia Redfern, tester of heroes," the mindreader said crisply.
	She heard a ruffling of papers and the female voice said, "Please read the short briefing before you. Each section of the test is listed there."
	Altia picked it up and skimmed it over. Her first test was to monitor and test a hero named Azazel and his companions, Clara, Joel, and Amaranth. The required fields were physical, mental, and virtue. When she reached the end, she plunged one of her fingers into the pamphlet and a golden wave expanded from it, shapes beginning to form. The white walls disappeared and she stuffed the brochure in her bag and shifted to her crow form as Joel ran up the pathway, Amaranth close in tow.
	"Joel, get back here," a voice called from behind them, and Azazel ran after them.
	After a moment of silence Clara came around the bed and shouted, "All of you, slow down and think!" Altia tried to discreetly flutter up