12. The Weave #2
Doing as he was told, Aeden sat down on the chair. It groaned underneath him, and he worried that the whole thing would collapse. When it didn’t, he leaned back and allowed the rest of the chair to swallow him up. It was surprisingly comfortable.
Master Ember groaned louder than the chair as he sat down opposite Aeden and let out a sigh of comfort before drinking his tea. “So, why are you out at this time? Is it the weave?”
Aeden gave him a look of shock .
He laughed before taking another sip from his tankard, slurping it loudly, avoiding spilling any on his beard. “Let me guess, you’ve been feeling nauseous and a strange tugging feeling in the pits of your stomach like an invisible piece of string is pulling you.”
“How’d you know?” Aeden asked.
Master Ember let out a raucous laugh and slapped his free hand on his knee. For a moment Aeden wondered if he would fall over the back of his chair.
“Remember where you are, Aviara Academy. We have seen thousands of students connect to the weave as part of the bonding process. Do you think you’re the first student to be wandering around aimlessly?
I could tell in the hatchery that you already had a strong connection to the weave.
That’s a good sign for your Aer-Kin bond. ”
“What about the dreams?” Aeden asked, taking another sip of his tea and nursing it on his knee between his hands. “They’re so vivid, like they’re real.”
“Dreams?” Master Ember said, his eyebrows lowering and his tone changing.
“Yes, dreams. I had one while I was unconscious. I was in a black space, I felt loneliness, sadness, like when I connected to the weave in your lesson. But this time, it was my own. A glowing light moved towards me from a distance, and when it attached to me, I felt a little more settled, like the weight on my shoulders had been lifted.”
“No, no, no, that can’t be true, it’s too early.” Master Ember shook his head as if he was arguing with himself.
“It is true,” Aeden said somewhat defiantly.
“Trust me, after today, I want nothing more than a good night’s sleep.
But ever since that dream, I have felt like I’m being drawn somewhere, like a moth to a flame.
I can’t shift the feeling. It’s driving me insane, like it makes my skin itch.
All I can say is, the more I walk in the right direction, the stronger the pull gets, but the less it feels uncomfortable. If that makes sense.”
Master Ember sat silently for a moment before drinking the last of his tea and placing his tankard beside him.
He rubbed his hands over his face as if giving himself a wash before staring intently at Aeden.
“You are definitely in the weave. Your connection is intensifying, but what you’re describing is what students experience during the hatching ceremony, and I don’t need to remind you that we are some way off from that yet.
Your body shouldn’t be ready for that level of connection and” – Master Ember cut himself off as he gathered his thoughts.
He started muttering under his breath, but Aeden was unable to discern what he was saying.
“What is it?” Aeden asked, leaning forward. More than anything, he was worried there was something wrong with him. “Am I going to be okay?”
“That remains to be seen. The bonding process is not for the faint-hearted, son. After all, two souls combining into one is no easy feat. If you’re not ready, it can kill both you and the Aer-Kin.”
Aeden felt like there was something more, something that Master Ember wasn’t sharing with him. He already knew how dangerous the bonding process was. That was why they had to train so hard.
“What are you not telling me?” Aeden asked, choosing that directness was the best course of action.
“I have tended to the eggs at Aviara Academy for the last thirty-three years. There is not a single egg that has come out of here that I didn’t know everything about.
The Aer-Kin that are the parents, their breeding cycles, the incubation periods, everything.
This batch of eggs have been personally cultivated by me.
Do you have any idea how long the incubation period for an Aer-Kin egg is? ”
“Eleven months and one week,” Aeden said. “I understand it is a slow process. Some Aer-Kin can take even longer.”
“You’re right, son,” he said, “and the way we breed the Aer-Kin means that they are all ready to hatch around the time of the bonding ceremony, as it is the bond that allows them to finally hatch and complete their initial cycle. If an unbonded egg remains that way for too long, they simply turn to stone and become nothing more than a decorative ornament. We don’t want that.
The dream you have described . . . that is something you should experience when an Aer-Kin is close to hatching.
The light you have described attaching to you, that is the pull you are feeling towards your Aer-Kin.
That’s how students and eggs are matched up, the students are drawn to their Aer-Kin’s egg. ”
Aeden thought about what Master Ember was saying, but it was all a little too much for him to take in.
“So you think I’ve started bonding with my Aer-Kin already?” Aeden asked, confused.
Master Ember leaned forwards in his chair, the air around him becoming more ominous as one side of his face was lit up by the fire with the other half-shrouded in darkness.
“As I said, I have curated and cared for every single one of those eggs in the hatchery. You could point any out, and I would be able to tell you their parentage, their size, breed, potential powers, and most importantly, I know when each and every one of them is ready to hatch. At this stage, I am checking each and every egg for signs that they are where they should be. Let me tell you, they are not ready yet. Not one of those eggs is ready to hatch yet.”