2. Welcome
“ W elcome to Aviara Academy. For those of you that do not already know me, I am Director Vale, and it is my duty to make sure this academy remains at the high standards that we expect of our students.” Director Vale stood before the crowd, her hands resting lightly on the lectern in front of her, which held the notes she had placed on top before beginning her address.
She wore a stony expression, and her face was pale and gaunt.
She looked like she needed to spend a few days outside in the sunlight.
Her dark hair was short, to the shoulder, and she wore a long grey overcoat with black buttons adorning the righthand side vertically.
On the end of her nose sat a pair of small spectacles, which she adjusted with one hand before placing it back on the lectern.
“There is a lot that you will need to learn now that you’re all enrolled at the academy, and trust me when I say that you’re going to have to learn and adapt very quickly indeed if you are to survive.” She paused as she looked around the room at the canvas of nervous faces staring back at her.
You could have heard a pin drop as everyone was hyperfocused on the director.
“This is a decent number of students for a new cohort, and I have been told that there are three hundred and forty-five of you joining us today. Don’t let those numbers fool you.
By our estimates, many of you will not make it to the end of the first week, let alone the end of the first term, which is when you will undertake the bonding ritual with your designated Aer-Kin. ”
Nervous chatter started amongst the students.
Aeden was taken aback by how blunt Director Vale was and the coldness in her voice
Many of you will not make it to the end of the first week.
Director Vale did not look impressed as she gave the students a hard stare until the nervous chatter stopped.
She cleared her throat and addressed the room once again.
“These are dangerous times that we live in, you all know that; Ostrafar would see us bend the knee to a foreign queen and unravel our way of life. We are Nevaria’s first and last line of defence.
For years we have produced the most esteemed Aer-Kin riders Nevaria has ever seen, and I do not expect this to change, not under my stewardship.
You are all here because you possess the rare bloodlines needed to complete the bonding ritual, one that will see the Aer-Kin we have bred here in our very own hatchery decide whether or not you are worthy of them.
It is our duty to make sure that you are all ready for this ritual, or as ready as you can be.
” The director’s stern, steely gaze spanned across the room, assessing the silent crowd of students in front of her .
“As you should all know by now, the training you are about to undertake is by no means easy or safe. When I have finished this address, you will have a short moment to decide whether you are going to stay or leave. Doubts and hesitancy will only lead to your own death or that of your peers.” Her eyes landed on the door at the back of the room.
“For those of you who decide to stay, your training will begin right away. We have a lot to get through to prepare your bodies and minds for the bonding ritual, and this will only be the start of your journey here at the academy. You will work harder than you ever have before, because if you don’t” – Director Vale paused – “you will not survive the process.”
Aeden knew full well what he was getting into; you would have to be a fool not to by this stage.
But that didn’t stop his chest from pounding as Director Vale addressed the room.
It had taken years of preparation just to get here, to simply get through the door.
He had already endured years of training just to make sure that he was strong enough to pass the initial tests to be accepted.
He thought for a moment about all the reading he had done, all of the physical endurance he had put himself through to get both his body and mind ready for this process.
Now, though . . . now he was doubting that he had done enough.
He couldn’t fail. He had no option. It was either live to fight another day at the academy and beyond, or die.
It was that black and white. If he was going to find out what happened to his parents, he was going to have to endure this process. Because deep down, he knew the truth.
The academy was hiding something about what had happened to them .
“Over the coming days and weeks, you will be introduced to the rest of your educators or masters at the academy. They all have different styles, different ways of helping you and enabling your learning process. Some have been at the academy since before I got here, others have been personally chosen by myself to teach here. Do not think it wise to come to me with complaints on their methods. I have approved everything here at this academy. There are two things that I cannot abide at this academy: those that refuse to follow our rules, and those that are not strong enough to earn the respect of the Aer-Kin.”
That last line felt especially harsh to Aeden.
He knew that the training was going to be more than hard – brutal, even – but hearing the director of the academy say that she had no time for those who she considered weak .
. . would that mean you would be kicked out if you were not toeing the line?
Aeden thought back to the situation with Kael Blackthorn not long ago and was glad that he hadn’t responded the way he had wanted to.
He would surely have been kicked out of the academy before even getting started.
“This academy takes pride in producing the most skilled Aer-Kin riders, and this will not change. Your training will be brutal and dangerous, but ultimately it will lead to you being able to protect Nevaria, to protect the King.”
“Director Vale sounds like she needs to get laid,” Cassian whispered under his breath. He was greeted with an elbow from Rowan, who shushed him quietly and aggressively.
Aeden couldn’t help but snort a laugh, which drew unwanted attention and disapproving glances from the students that surrounded them. He felt a burning sensation in his cheeks as he blushed, and he quickly wanted the ground to swallow him up.
“First things first,” Director Vale said, her voice echoing off the walls of the Great Hall.
“Please organise into groups based on your bloodline. I assume that you all know which group you fall into. However, if for some reason you are unsure, then see Master Ember at the far side of the hall. He will tell you which group you belong to.”
Director Vale stepped away from the lectern and walked towards the far left of the platform.
“Can I have all of the Offensive bloodlines here?” She moved across a few feet.
“The Guardian bloodline here.” After moving a few more feet, she said, “And the Support bloodlines here.” Finally she moved to the final spot on the platform and said, “And those with the Scout bloodline, line up here.”
She waited for a few moments, then sighed when nobody made a move. “Move quickly into your groups! The sooner you are organised, the sooner we can begin.”
The hall descended into chaos as all the students started pushing past one another to get to their dedicated class.
Aeden decided to hang back and wait. He wasn’t in any rush at all and didn’t fancy being crushed in the swell of bodies that moved against each other in front of him.
Director Vale did not look impressed as she seemingly analysed everything that was going on in the hall. Aeden watched as Kael Blackthorn made his way to the Offence class, pushing his way to the front of the line. He seemed well placed, as he certainly was ‘ offensive ’.
To Aeden it seemed strange for the director to set the groups up in such a disorganised manner, especially given that she seemed like she had a stick up her ass and was clearly a stickler for rules and organisation.
He couldn’t help but think that there was a reason for all this, and all his fellow students were falling into some kind of trap.
“Come on, Cass, we need to move, I don’t want to be last.” Rowan tugged on Cassian’s arm, who was weighing up the situation like Aeden.
“See you on the other side, I guess,” Cassian said to Aeden.
“What class are you both?” Aeden asked. Kael had said they were Scouts, but neither of them had confirmed. “I assume you’re in the same given that you’re cousins.”
“We’re in the Scouts,” Rowan said. “First behind enemy lines, which means” – she tugged on Cassian’s blazer arm once again – “we certainly can’t be last to get into our group.”
“How about you?” Cassian asked. “Will we see you joining us with the other Scouts?”
Aeden shook his head. “I’m afraid not,” he said, pointing to the group that was forming beside the Scouts group.
“You’re a Support,” Cassian said, an air of surprise in his voice. “That’s a shame. I wouldn’t have put you there.”
Aeden would have liked to find out just what Cassian meant by that, but he didn’t have a chance as Rowan pulled on his arm even harder, giving him no other choice but to fall into line.
By now the groups were starting to form and the chaos was slowly calming, leaving Aeden plenty of space to move forward into his group.
When he saw the opportunity, he made the short walk and joined the Support group at the back of the line.