20. Report
“ H oly shit,” Harrison said, pacing up and down in front of Aeden so fast that he risked burning a hole in the sole of his shoes.
Aeden was sitting on the step of the bunkhouse, fighting yet another wave of nausea, this time from the magic that had been pushed into his body by Mistress Plato.
He had spent most of the afternoon at the healers wing, receiving treatment again.
This time, however, he got to watch the healer in action as she set his ankle before using her magic to accelerate the healing process.
It hurt in more ways than Aeden could describe, and Mistress Plato had warned him of the effects of too much magic being used in too short a time, which was what had led to the nausea.
Master Ember had taken in Nyra as instructed by the director.
However reluctant she and Aeden were to separate, it was all they were permitted to do at the academy.
Aeden had assured her that once he was healed up, he would come and see her to check how she had settled.
But the guards at the hatchery had sent him away, instructing him that the hatchery was out of bounds for the rest of the day.
What Aeden had found was that he was still able to reach out to her through their bond while they were separated.
Although he didn’t know how far this would stretch, he felt like it would be something they could test in the coming weeks.
He was hoping to catch an early night and get to the next day as soon as possible so that he could go and see her again.
They hadn’t been bonded for a full day yet, but all he could do was think about her, pine for her.
It hurt to not be near her, a feeling that was truly unbearable.
“This is fucking unbelievable,” Harrison said with a beaming smile. “You have an Aer-Kin! I have so many questions right now.”
“I’m not really in the mood for an interrogation. Today has been a lot. There’s a lot to process.”
Harrison acted as though he didn’t hear a word Aeden said as he carried on firing questions at him anyway. “Tell me again, what did it feel like? The bonding process?”
Aeden sighed at the repeated questioning from Harrison, having already explained as best he could.
“I can’t explain,” he said, “not fully, anyway. It was like we were in a dreamscape in complete darkness, surrounded by a magic core that pulsated like a glowing star, except it was right there in front of me., with the light reaching out to me until we were one.”
“Okay, any tips you can give me for when I bond?”
“It literally just happened. I still haven’t processed everything myself. And I don’t think I’ll have time to, judging by what Director Vale has said.”
“She needs to get laid,” Harrison said. “Walks around like she has a stick up her ass. ”
Aeden couldn’t help but laugh. Harrison wasn’t wrong in his appraisal, not one bit.
“Wonder what she does for fun?” Harrison said, stopping his pacing to stand opposite Aeden. “Probably poisons babies.”
Aeden let out another laugh. It was what he needed.
That and a hot bath and a serious massage to relax his muscles.
He had never felt tension like it, and his neck and shoulders ached from falling down a huge embankment and into a cave.
No amount of magic would fix the level of tension he was holding, only a good night’s sleep.
“This whole situation is fucked,” he said, leaning forward and placing his head in his hands.
“Have you seen the shit you’ve pulled off in just the first few days of being here, Harrington?
You took on a Blackthorn, were nearly murdered, survived the murder attempt, injured your ankle before finding and bonding with an Aer-Kin without any training .
. . Give it a few years and there will be a statue in the courtyard dedicated to you. ”
“When you put it that way,” Aeden laughed.
It was actually ridiculous when he thought about everything that had happened to him since joining the academy.
“I guess I’m just not looking forward to what comes next.
I thought I had until the end of term to get ready for this, but now I am here, and I don’t know what to do.
I still know nothing about Nyra. I don’t know what breed she is, I don’t know what her powers are other than being able to ease the pain in my leg. ”
“That’s why we train,” Harrison said. “Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. It’s not like it’s life or death.”
Aeden couldn’t help but laugh. “It is life and death if we don’t pass the training. I still don’t know what it is that we’re going to have to do outside of the classes with the rest of the cohort.”
“Maybe this is your opportunity to find out.” Harrison pointed towards the pathway that led towards the courtyard.
The dark outline of the unmistakable Master Ember was walking towards them.
As his features became more visible thanks to the moonlight, it was clear that he was holding some kind of letter in his hand.
“Harrington,” he said, nodding at him before looking at Harrison. “I’m not familiar with your name.”
“It’s Harrison, sir,” he said, turning to attention.
Aeden stood up a bit too fast, judging by the head rush that greeted him.
“Steady, boy,” Master Ember said, placing his free hand on Aeden’s elbow to stop him from falling over. “I’ve spoken with Mistress Plato, and she informed me just how bad that break of yours was. I also know just how much magic she’s had to pump into you to fix it.”
“How’s Nyra?” Aeden asked. “I mean, I’ve spoken to her through the weave, but I need to hear from someone else.”
“To make sure that she isn’t lying?” Master Ember rubbed his hand through his thick beard and let out a sigh.
“She is as well as can be expected in this situation. She’s resting in the nursery, which is why you probably haven’t heard from her in a while.
You probably won’t for a day or two; you’d be surprised at the amount of energy it takes out of a hatchling to bond with a rider.
It’s just as dangerous for them as it is for us. ”
“I wondered why she had gone quiet. I’d been struggling to sense her. ”
“That’s normal. Aer-Kin need more rest than us.
You and I need a minimum of six hours of sleep per day to stay healthy, but with an Aer-Kin, you can more than double that, and with a hatchling, you can triple it easily.
I would advise to give her tomorrow to rest and then come and see her the day after that.
When she’s awake, she will feed and likely sleep again.
I’m sure she’ll speak with you through your weave when she’s awake. ”
“So that’s how we are communicating, through the weave?” Aeden said, thinking he had misheard Master Ember.
“Do you not pay attention in your classes, lad?” Master Ember said, shaking his head once again. “I remember you showing a particular sensitivity to it when I first introduced you to the hatchery.”
“I know what you meant, I just hadn’t realised that’s what we were connecting through.”
“Aye,” Master Ember said with a sigh, “well, you know now.” He passed Aeden the folded-up letter in his hand. “This is your updated schedule. I told Director Vale I would drop it off for you on my way back from the healers wing.”
“Thank you,” Aeden said, accepting the letter with anticipation. Not that he had spent much time studying his other schedule; he hadn’t had a chance to. More than anything, he didn’t like the idea of being segregated from the rest of his cohort, or training with the second-year riders.
“And please, you don’t need to stick to formalities around me. Call me Lyric. I don’t see myself like the rest of the teachers here at the academy.”
“Why’s that?” Harrison asked. Aeden had almost forgotten he was there .
“Unlike the rest of the faculty here, I don’t have an Aer-Kin,” he said with a faint smile.
“I passed the initial training, but after the allowed three attempts, I simply couldn’t find one to connect with.
After that, I was considered not strong enough.
Although I could no longer train to be a rider, it was decided by Director Vale’s predecessor Master Thawn that I had an affinity or natural rapport with the new hatchlings.
There is a whole story there that I won’t bother you with.
But aye, that’s why I don’t have one.” He scratched his bearded face before offering Aeden and Harrison another smile, but there was a dullness in his eyes when he drew on the memory.
“What will happen if we don’t bond?” Harrison asked, brash in his approach.
Aeden jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. Now wasn’t the time to press the matter.
“Ow,” he said, “what was that for?”
Aeden ignored Harrison and said, “Thank you, Master Em – Lyric.”
“That’s okay,” he replied with a wave of his hand. “Besides, Nyra had been on me all afternoon to go and check on you. Told me she wouldn’t rest until I did. So I agreed to. It’s there where I saw Mistress Plato and then Director Vale.”
He was so casual with how he spoke that Aeden almost missed the detail.
“You spoke to Nyra?”
“Yes,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“You can speak to her? How? I thought only I could hear her through our bond.”
“You’re right, it is your bond, but it’s more complicated than that. It will take you years to master the weave that you share. ”
“But if it’s our weave, how can you talk with her?” Aeden was still unable to wrap his head around what Lyric had said.