21. Lesson Plan
A eden hated the day already, and yet it had only just started.
Having spent the night studying his schedule intently with the help of Harrison, Vivienne, and Serene, he had drawn the conclusion that this was a stitch-up.
His lesson schedule had been changed – his already packed schedule was now more packed, leaving him even less time to dig into the history of his parents’ deaths, something that he simply couldn’t lose sight of.
After all, that was the fundamental reason he was here, even if his plan had been catastrophically derailed.
Cartography, weave training, meditation, history, magic, and physical exercises were enough to manage already.
Now he had the added sessions of magic mastery, Aer-Kin riding, advanced flight mapping, and one-to-one tuition.
They wanted him and Nyra to fail. His schedule had been changed to incorporate one-to-one training with Master Storme, and Aeden would rather stick hot needles in his arms. But today’s schedule specifically listed that his friends were also there.
Not for the rest of the term, but only for this morning. It had to be some kind of punishment.
Deflated, Aeden soon found himself standing in an area they hadn’t been shown around before: the battle room. It was a large square space, lined with tiered benches around the outer edges for people to watch whatever training sessions were going on.
The space was only big enough for riders and not their Aer-Kin to hone their fighting skills, whether that be hand-to-hand combat or weapons training.
There were no windows in here. Thin slats of wood lined the wall, their dark mahogany stain amplifying the darkness.
Lit torches on both sides of the room created a dark and atmospheric tone that threatened to swallow Aeden up if he allowed it.
This session had not been on their schedule beforehand. What alarmed Aeden now was the fact that it didn’t just affect him. It affected his friends too. They had been drawn into all of this, all because of him, by being associated with him.
Guilt weighed heavy on Aeden’s shoulders. He hadn’t intended for any of this, but this was where they were.
Aeden, Viviene, Serene, and Harrison all stood in their training uniforms, lined up to the side of the battle room. Aeden couldn’t speak for the others, but his heart raced as they waited for their instructor to enter the room.
“What do you think they want from us?” Harrison said, breaking the silence with a nervous laugh. “I mean, I understand you having extra training because of your Aer-Kin, but why do we need to be here?”
Serene huffed, and there was a petulant edge to it that was tinged with frustration. “Isn’t it fucking obvious? Director Vale wants to punish us, and what better way to punish us than one-to-one training with Master Storme?”
The thought of it filled Aeden with dread. He had felt Master Storme’s wrath in his office where he had given him a blow to the stomach. None of them had a clue what was in store for them.
“It’s pretty obvious,” Vivienne said. Her hands were by her side as she didn’t break her stance.
Her expression hadn’t changed, she was focused and seemed undeterred by their current situation.
“He will spar with us as a group to show us where we are when it comes to our training. I expect we will have more than a few bruises following this training session.”
“Great,” Harrison said. “He’s huge, how are we meant to fight him?”
“Together,” Vivienne said, her eyes unmoving as they waited for the door to open.
“I’m sorry for all of this. You wouldn’t be in this situation if it wasn’t for me. I don’t understand why they would drag you in here,” Aeden said. There was a tremor in his hands as he clenched them into tight fists. He dropped them by his sides as he stood to attention.
The door swung open, nearly crashing off its hinges as it slammed into the wall. It was a miracle that the wall itself didn’t splinter from the force.
Serene and Harrison let out shocked whimpers in unison, jumping in their spots before trying their hardest to maintain their composure.
The doorway was filled by the hulking frame of Master Storme, and he looked furious. He looked even more unhappy to be here than Aeden and the others .
“Your combat sessions from now on will be with me on your own. For this particular exercise, the three of you have been chosen to attend. After this, however, it will be Harrington and myself.” He stomped into the centre of the room, leaving the door open behind him.
“Today’s exercise is about actions and consequences.
Hopefully by the end of this, you will have learnt a valuable one so as not to make the same mistakes you’ve insisted on making already.
Harrington!” His eyes darted to Aeden, who raised his head, ready to accept whatever it was they were about to do.
More than anything, he just wanted to get it over and done with.
Surely whatever Master Storme had in store for them couldn’t be any worse than what Aeden had already faced since arriving at the academy.
Master Storme’s words bounced around the room, his voice hammering inside Aeden’s chest. He didn’t like the teacher, and he was not ashamed to admit that the brute of a man intimidated him.
Why wouldn’t he? He was more than twice Aeden’s size, his arms thick as tree trunks, his neck barely visible from the hulking mass of his upper body.
“What do you want me to do, sir?” Aeden asked, calling out from formation.
“To learn your fucking lesson,” he snarled, venom on his tongue and spittle flying from his mouth.
Aeden felt this was all a massive overreaction to him bonding with an Aer-Kin.
“To do that, I have enlisted the help of four students from your cohort,” Master Storme said.
Aeden looked to his right at Harrison, Vivienne, and Serene. Harrison and Serene appeared utterly terrified, despite their efforts to hide it. Harrison was that pale that he looked ready to pass out at any moment.
“Not your friends, Harrington. The other students will be considered your enemy for this exercise.”
Confused, Aeden looked back at Master Storme with a puzzled look before it became clear what he meant.
Four students entered the battle room. Kael, the other student from their last exercise, the one with the pushy father, and two more that Aeden didn’t know but recognised nonetheless.
Their sinister grins drew back memories from when Kael and the others had jumped him.
The student to Kael’s right had a lean, athletic build, the dark training leathers he wore clinging to his frame, scuffed and worn from hours of practice – which was concerning, as this was Aeden’s first training session like this.
His deep brown eyes scanned the arena with quiet focus.
They had already been briefed on what was going to happen, although it didn’t take a genius to figure that out.
Braided hair framed his sharp features, and his grip tightened briefly on the hilt of a practice blade at his side as he prepared for the drill.
The other unknown man was broad-shouldered with a build that leaned more towards stocky than athletic.
The training leathers stretched slightly across his chest and midsection, the worn material creaking with his movements.
His pale skin was flushed like he had already been training, and a few strands of damp, sandy-blond hair clung to his forehead.
His blue eyes flicked around the battle room at the four of them, a smug grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
The other student was petite, with a wiry, agile build that spoke of speed over brute strength.
Aeden recognised her from his first day at the academy, having bumped into her asshole father when he arrived for registration.
Aeden hadn’t seen much of her other than in passing, but he did recall her name being Isolde.
Her training leathers fit snugly, scuffed at the knees and elbows from countless drills, but they moved with her like a second skin as she walked into the room with confidence.
Strands of blond hair tied back in a messy braid caught the light from the lamps as her piercing green eyes scanned the room.
When Kael sauntered into the room, Aeden wanted to dive across the floor at him straight away and wipe that smug grin off his face. He felt his fists clench into even tighter balls as his jawline tensed just by his presence.
What did Director Vale hope to achieve from this? Aeden tried to fight back the frustration, but it was too difficult. He could already see that he was losing his head before the session had even started.
“You and Blackthorn are already acquainted,” Master Storme said.
“This is Dawson” – he pointed at Isolde – “Sawyer,” he added, pointing at the largest student out of the four, “and Vignell.” He gestured to the remaining student.
“They have all already began their combat training, in line with that of the Offence class. This is why I have drafted them into today’s session.
” Master Storme walked into the centre of the battle room as he continued to address the group.
“All four of you will have combat training today, and the Offence wing will be your sparring partners.”
“But why?” Serene said. “This doesn’t make sense, and it isn’t fair. They’re built for combat. Why make us spar when we haven’t had any training yet?”
“I’m sorry, Turner, I wasn’t aware you were part of the faculty. Do you think you know our systems better than me?” Master Storme’s fury for insubordination was clear from the protruding vein at the side of his head. He was fast becoming Aeden’s least favourite member of the faculty by some margin.
“I was just?—”
“On the mat, Turner.”
Serene froze, her eyes widening in horror. “But?—”