6. Lessons Learned
“ I don’t know where you think you are, but this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. Especially against a Blackthorn. Do you have a death wish?”
Aeden was standing in a side room from the corridor where the faculty member had dragged him to, his strength and power far beyond anything that Aeden could fight back against.
“Is there anything you want to say?”
“Not really,” Aeden said. “That asshole had it coming. Ask those around me. He was about to sucker punch me. I was simply defending myself, which, according to the statutes of the academy, I am entitled to do.”
Aeden felt a rush of air as he was lifted off his feet and dragged towards the low, rumbling face of the teacher.
“So we have a smartass,” the teacher said in a low, threatening voice. He slammed a fist into Aeden’s stomach, winding him in an instant.
Aeden gulped for air, but he didn’t have a chance to do anything as the teacher grabbed hold of the back of his head with a fist full of hair and dragged his head back.
Aeden braced himself for a blow to the face, but it didn’t come.
“You will address me as ‘sir’, do you understand?”
“Clearly,” Aeden choked out as he struggled to breathe, his lungs burning as he stifled back a cough.
Another boulder-like fist greeted his stomach. His legs wanted to give way, but they couldn’t, as he was still being suspended by his hair.
“Yes, sir,” he replied, coughing and spluttering all the while frantically gasping for breath.
The teacher let go of Aeden’s hair and gave him a smug grin. “You’re spunky, I’ll give you that, but the quicker you understand that I am here to break you, the better. We can’t have disobedience in the ranks. This academy needs Aer-Kin riders that will follow orders.”
Aeden had done his research prior to coming, and given this teacher’s frame, horrifically scarred face, and penchant for violence, he knew exactly who he was dealing with.
Formerly a frontline Aer-Kin rider, Aleric Storme had come to the academy a few years past, although the full reasoning for leaving the front line to train at the academy was unknown to Aeden. He knew that this was not an instructor to be on the wrong side of.
“Listen, I get it. I’ve seen it for the last few years that I’ve been here.
The students will all create little factions, and lines will be drawn.
My role here is to be stop battles from raging within these walls.
Besides, you must have a death wish, picking a fight with a Blackthorn.
That family has deep pockets and influence far outside the boundaries of Aviara Academy. ”
“Are you Master Storme?” Aeden asked. Breathing was slowly becoming easier, but that didn’t stop his body from throbbing.
“I am, and I want you to know that I do not like it when students step out of line, not on my watch, and certainly not in my classes. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir,” Aeden said, not making the same mistake again. He didn’t fancy another blow to the stomach. Besides, he had done what he needed to with Kael, which should now give him some breathing space when it came to the cohort dynamics.
“I am glad to hear it.” Master Storme’s face was still a picture of frustration and ire as he went and took a seat at his desk.
It gave Aeden a chance to take in his surroundings. By the looks of things, Aleric Storme was a neat freak, which was not what Aeden would have expected given his rough appearance. His desk was tidy, with scrolls and parchments laid out neatly across its surface, along with a quill and ink pot.
“Now I have a report to start writing for Director Vale, no thanks to you and Blackthorn.” Master Storme rolled his eyes, clearly less than impressed with the additional work that Aeden had given him. “I will speak with him after, but before you leave, can you confirm your name?”
“Aeden Harrington, sir.”
“Interesting.” Master Storme looked back at Aeden, who was still standing to attention, his posture straight as a pin. “ You are just like him,” he said before taking the quill and starting to write his report.
His words piqued Aeden’s interest.
“Did you know my?—”
Master Storme glowered a warning look that made Aeden decide not to push further. Instead he made a mental note that there was possibly a link between Master Storme and his father.
“I have your group next for combat training. May I suggest you keep your tendency for violence in check until then? I do not want to see any fighting in these halls outside of your lessons, do you understand?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Because next time, you will be sent to the stocks to think about your actions.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Aeden did not need telling twice. He headed for the door, leaving the darkened room. Once the door had shut behind him, his breathing became heavier as he stopped suppressing the adrenaline that was coursing through his body.
The corridor was busier than when he had been dragged to Master Storme’s office. The rest of the students were now leaving the dining hall. Some gave him smiles and nods as they passed, while others ignored him, which he expected; he was a first year, after all.
The corridor was noisy, with the sound bouncing off the Gothic walls, amplifying the volume. Aeden figured there wasn’t much time now until his first combat lesson, but as he looked one way and then the next, he realised he didn’t have a clue which direction he needed to go .
As the dining hall contained all year groups, there were students walking past each other in both directions, like fish trying to swim upstream.
Aeden made a note of focusing on the fresh-faced students that looked as lost as him, and hopefully he would see someone that he recognised.
When he noticed the beaming smile of Cassian through the crowd of faces, it brought a welcome reprieve.
The young man was beaming like a proud parent as he pushed his way through the crowd towards Aeden.
As they got closer, Aeden could see the top of Rowan’s head as she shuffled alongside her cousin.
“How did it feel? That was awesome!” Cassian’s eyes were wide with wonder as he spoke to Aeden. “I knew the second I met you that we were going to get along.”
“Have you got a death wish?” Rowan asked, echoing Master Storme’s warning. “Pulling a knife on another student in the dining hall, on Kael of all people too!”
“In my defence, it was in self-defence,” Aeden said, raising his hands. He continued to look at the students flooding from the dining hall, but so far he had not seen Harrison, Vivienne, or Serene.
“That was so badass,” Cassian continued. “What I would give to be able to give that smarmy, good-for-nothing a punch to the face.” He feigned jabbing at the air.
“Come on, let’s get out into the courtyard and out of the halls,” Rowan said, leading them away.
Cassian gave Aeden another proud smile before shrugging and following his cousin. Aeden did the same .
“What happened to Kael?” Aeden asked, trying to keep up with Rowan, who continue to push her way through the crowd.
“He was whisked off to the healers. I imagine he may miss the start of the next block of classes. Still, threatening a Blackthorn with a knife isn’t the most intelligent thing you could have done,” Rowan said.
“I barely broke the skin on his neck,” Aeden said. He knew it wouldn’t need much attention from the healers. The cut he had given Kael was more superficial than anything, but the blood trickling down his neck had made it look far worse than it actually was.
“They will have seen far worse on the battlefield, let alone the academy, but that’s not someone you want to make an enemy of,” Rowan said with an air of irritation, glancing over her shoulder at Aeden.
“Have I done something to offend you?” Aeden asked.
They reached the courtyard, which felt much less suffocating than being cramped into the corridor. For the first time in a while, Aeden felt as though he could actually breathe.
Rowan continued a little further up the stone path, stopping when she reached a water fountain of a cherub holding its hand out. The water spouting from the stone statue’s mouth made a calming, trickling sound, and suddenly Aeden felt the urge to go to the bathroom.
Rowan took a seat on bench and let out a frustrated sigh. “I’m fine. It’s just . . . I would like to make it to the hatching ceremony at the end of term, but if you two have anything to do with it, we won’t make it past the first week.”
“I didn’t go looking for the fight,” Aeden said.
He didn’t understand why he was protesting his innocence to someone that he didn’t know, but Rowan seemed like one of the good people, a kind person.
Aeden needed more friends and allies than enemies – especially now that he had gotten on the wrong side of the Blackthorns.
“Kael came over to me looking for a fight. He thinks all Supports are pushovers and are only here to serve him and his Offence class. I merely reminded him that this year it isn’t going to work like that, and I’ve given my friends some breathing space in the meantime. ”
“You hope,” Rowan said. She reached into her satchel and took out her schedule. “Honestly, Aeden, Kael Blackthorn is not a nice guy. You really don’t want to stay on the wrong side of him. His family connections run deep inside and outside of Aviara Academy.”
“What Rowan is trying to say is, you better sleep with one eye open,” Cassian laughed, much to Rowan’s disapproval, who gave him a hard stare. He laughed again. “For the time being, anyway. Still, it was so satisfying to watch you wipe the smug look off his face.”
“I just did what I needed to for the situation.”
“I mean, where did you learn to fight like that? Supports are not usually combat driven, but I already think there are not many that could match what you just showed in the dinner hall.” Cassian started shadow boxing again, ducking and dodging his own strikes.
“I’m built a little differently,” Aeden said.
“My parents” – he stopped himself. He didn’t want to disclose too much.
It was his first day, and the last thing he wanted was whispers in the corridor.
“I was raised by my grandparents. I’m not ready to talk about why yet, but what I will say is that I have been training since I was young to get into this academy. ”
“And they let you combat train, despite being a Support?” Cassian asked.
“They understood my reasons for wanting to. Even if they didn’t agree, they never showed discouragement. My grandpa would even spar with me from time to time.”
“There is no way you learnt all that from your grandpa. Ro, can you imagine what Pops would be like if he tried to spar with us? Well, me. You have as much fight in you as a child.” Cassian smiled and playfully boxed in front of her.
Rowan shoved him to one side and shook her head in disapproval. “Not all battles need to be fought with our fists.”
“Still, it wouldn’t do you any harm to learn how to throw a punch,” Cassian said.
“Listen, if I promise to stay out of trouble and not get into any fights with Kael from now on, will you agree to give me a bit of a break?” Aeden asked.
Rowan thought on this for a moment. “Maybe.” Her smile told Aeden that was a yes, which was good enough for him. “We don’t have long before our next class, what have you got next?”
“Combat training. I was looking for some others from my class. I was hoping they would point me in the right direction.”
“Ah, why couldn’t we have had combat training? I hear Master Storme pushes all of his students to the edge to get the best out of them. What was he like when he took you away from the hall?” Cassian asked. Aeden was surprised at how excited Cassian was at the prospect of training with him.
Aeden rubbed his stomach, which was still bruising from their earlier encounter. “He’s certainly one for obedience. Whatever you do, just make sure you address him as ‘sir’.” He looked back at Rowan, who was looking at her schedule again. “What is it you two have?”
She put her schedule back into her satchel and offered Aeden a smile, which he certainly appreciated more than the stern look she was giving him previously. “Cartography.”
“Urgh, map drawing?” Cassian sighed. “I want to be in on the action.”
“You will be. These classes are some of the most important ones for us. What use are Scouts if they can’t draw maps?
” Rowan said. Unlike Cassian, she actually looked excited for her lesson.
“We need to get going, our lesson is in the tower on the East Wing, and I really don’t want to be late. Today is all about first impressions.”
Aeden sighed, thinking about Master Storme. He had already gotten on his wrong side, and worse than that, he had him for the rest of the day in combat training.
“Keep out of trouble,” Rowan said.
“Catch you later, Aeden.” Cassian playfully pushed Rowan as the two of them set off towards the East Wing.
Aeden stood there feeling lost, still not knowing which direction he needed to head in to get to class. Knowing his bag and schedule were in the dining hall, he figured he best head back and grab it.
One thing he knew was that he did not want to be late for Master Storme’s combat training.