32. Fitting
A eden sat in the healers wing, a place he had already spent more time than he would have liked. Mistress Plato stood over him, looking into his eyes and finishing off her observations.
“There’s nothing we need to do. You’re very lucky,” she said, passing him a glass of water.
“I’m okay, thank you,” Aeden said. He had seen more than enough water for one day.
“And you’re sure you had no cramping in your legs prior to coming into difficulties?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips.
“I’m sure. All I kept thinking was that I was drowning. The next thing I knew, I was kicking as hard as I could but just couldn’t swim or catch a breath, even when I was above the water. My heart felt like it was trying to burst out of my chest.”
“I see,” she said. She picked up a chart at the bottom of Aeden’s bed and scribbled down some notes. “It sounds to me like you had a panic attack. Have you ever had one before?”
“No,” Aeden said, slightly defensive as he shook his head. He had never had one before, and he never wanted one again.
“Most likely trauma related.” Mistress Plato continued to make notes. “I imagine something in the water triggered a reaction from you. I recommend scheduling some time with Master Reinhouse to talk this through. He can help you come to terms with this.”
“I’ll be okay,” Aeden said. He didn’t know who Master Reinhouse was, and he didn’t feel comfortable opening up to a stranger. Especially about a newfound fear of water.
“In the meantime, I’ll report back to Master Kato and explain the situation.
I’ll be able to give you a pass for freshwater swimming for a short while, but the academy will insist that you show you’re able to pass the tests.
It sounds like your Aer-Kin proved to be quite capable in the water. That’s quite rare, you know.”
“Is it?” Aeden asked. For how well Nyra had swum, it had seemed like second nature to her.
“Absolutely. Aer-Kin are meant for the skies, not open water. The fact she dived straight in to help you shows how strong your bond must be.” She held her notes against her chest and smiled at Aeden.
“I believe she has an issue with her wings and that you have bound them. If I was to hazard a guess, I would say that actually helped her to help you. Wings and water are not usually the best combination.”
“That makes sense. She was incredible,” Aeden said, pride swelling within him.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like it.
” He laughed to himself. It was a statement he was going to have to stop using given all the experiences he’d had.
It hadn’t been plain sailing since the day he’d arrived at the academy.
“Well, treasure her. And ignore what people are saying.”
“Pardon?” Aeden said.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to” – she diverted the conversation as fast as she could.
“We’re all done here. I’ve checked you over, and you don’t need any treatment from us.
As I said, I will pass my report to Master Reinhouse, and I recommend you talk to him about this experience.
He’ll help you unpack what caused your panic attack. ”
“Thank you,” Aeden said. He had no intention of following this up. He would deal with it himself.
As he hopped down from the bed, he knew where he wanted to go and who he needed to be with. He wanted to be there straight away.
When he reached the hatchery, Nyra was in her pen finishing her food. It was a goat that Lyric had prepared for her, and judging by the joy Aeden could recognise through the Weave, he was quickly learning that goat was her favourite meal.
Nyra was that focused on eating her meal that she hadn’t even noticed Aeden walking into the hatchery.
Lyric was up on the rickety ladders beside Nyra, fiddling with the harness on a winch as he used his weight to pull it into position.
“Ah, Aeden,” he said as he strained against the chains gripped tightly in his hand, “just in time. Can you give me a hand?”
The ladder slipped from underneath him .
“Bugger,” he said as the ladder clattered onto the ground, startling Nyra. Lyric was suspended in the air, holding on to the chain, his legs kicking beneath him.
Aeden laughed and probably stood watching for longer than he should.
“Well, don’t just stand there! Are you going to help me?” Lyric asked, the frustration clear. “Don’t leave me hanging here.”
“Sorry.” Aeden laughed again as he hopped over the gate of the pen and raised the ladder, holding it firmly until Lyric was able to plant his feet on the top. It took a couple of attempts, and the chains tangled with him, spinning in the air.
“This harness has been the bane of my life,” Lyric said. He spent a moment untangling the chains. “Here, you hold this one.” He passed Aeden one of the chains.
They were thick, heavy, and cold to the touch, uncomfortable for Aeden to hold on to.
“Hold that chain steady while I lower this,” Lyric said.
“Nyra, if you could just lift your head up for me.”
“ What? ” Nyra’s head shot up, blood and gore smeared around her face from the goat. Lyric had promised to give her an extra meal thanks to her rescuing Aeden, but he also said she would need the extra energy after the ordeal.
Either way, Nyra didn’t care.
“ Sorry, it’s just this goat is soooo good .” There was no denying the satisfaction in her voice. She quickly bit down on the last of the goat in one big gulp, the bones crunching in her teeth like snapping branches.
“Don’t be getting blood on your new harness,” Lyric said as he stopped pulling on the winch. “Aeden, will you just give her face a quick wipe? I can’t wait until she can swallow a full goat in one, it’s far less messy.”
There was a towel by the ladders, which Aeden assumed Lyric had already prepared with, so he picked it up. “Am I okay with this?” he asked, holding up the coarse towel.
“Aye, that will do it,” Lyric said, still holding on to the chain. “Be quick, though. I can’t hold this for long on my own.” His face was reddening, and Aeden laughed again before wiping over Nyra’s face with the towel.
It wasn’t Aeden’s favourite job, but by Nyra’s standards, the mess wasn’t too bad, and he quickly wiped away the blood on her face before helping Lyric once more.
“Nyra, can you lift your head up for me again?”
Nyra did as she was asked, and Lyric slowly lowered the harness.
“Make sure that front loop goes over her head,” Lyric said.
It took Aeden a few moments to realise what he was actually looking for, as there were many straps and loops. He soon realised what Lyric meant and helped manoeuvre it over the top of Nyra while Lyric lowered it into place.
It slipped over her and looked oversized on her, as all the leather straps hung loosely.
“Isn’t it a bit big?” Aeden asked as he inspected his Aer-Kin. It was like a child wearing a parent’s shirt, the leather harness sagged that much around her. Nyra looked less than happy as she instantly started squirming to try and get it off.
“Do you think I have time to fit and mould harnesses every month for all the Aer-Kin we have?” Lyric asked as he climbed down the ladder. “I’ve been able to modify Nyra’s as I have time due to the rest of the eggs not hatching yet. ”
“I didn’t mean to cause any offence, but I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say she looked funny.”
“ Hey! ” Nyra said, less than impressed with Aeden.
“Sorry, girl, I didn’t mean any offence.” He patted her side and dug his fingers into the scales on her neck. Nyra chittered with satisfaction.
“ That’s okay ,” she said, enjoying the scratch.
Lyric moved in front of Nyra and inspected her like an artist inspecting a sculpture, tilting his head one way and then the next. “Yup, that’s in the right position. Give me a hand with these straps.”
He grabbed hold of the loose straps and started pulling them tighter before looping it through buckles on the opposite side. There were eight straps in total at the front.
“Don’t just stand there,” Lyric said, nodding towards the other straps.
Aeden set about pulling them tight and passing them to Lyric, who would pull them even tighter before linking them to the buckles.
“Tell Nyra to let you know if we pull these too tight. Although I can communicate with her through the Weave, drawing on two strains at the same time will take too much energy, especially when she’s so young.”
“She’s already complaining,” Aeden said, stroking her again.
“ It’s not painful, it’s just uncomfortable ,” she said. “ Ow! ” She let out a soft growl of displeasure, one that Aeden hadn’t heard before.
“Sorry,” Lyric said, loosening one of the straps.
“Right, that’s the front done. Now comes the tricky part.
Nyra, could you lie down for us with your back pointing towards the ceiling?
” He leaned into Aeden and whispered, “I’ve noticed she likes to sleep on her side, which means she feels safe, but that isn’t ideal when in the pens with the other hatchlings. ”
Nyra did as she was asked and lowered herself, stretching her legs out in front of her before getting as comfortable as she could.
“ I don’t like this harness ,” she said, “ it’s digging into me .”
“She said she doesn’t like it.”
“Aye, they always say that. It’ll feel more comfortable when it’s fastened correctly.” Lyric climbed up the ladder again, then leaned across Nyra and pulled the straps that he could reach. The ones he couldn’t, he asked Aeden to help with.
“Okay, so that’s the main harness fastened. Now for the modifications I have made. Nyra, this will feel uncomfortable at first, like when Aeden bound your wings, but the harness will help protect your wings as best as possible.”
“ Okay ,” Nyra said. She closed her eyes as she braced herself.
“On your side, there will be a row of loose straps. I’ve added studs and buckles along the ridge of your seat. Loop those straps over her wings and then pass them here. I’ll then connect them and make sure they’re tight enough.”
“Are you sure this won’t hurt her?” Aeden asked, concerned as he started to loop the straps like he had been told.
“ I’m okay ,” Nyra said, her eyes still shut tight.
They continued with the harness until all of the straps were in place, and Lyric tested it.
“Doesn’t she look grand?” Lyric said, his face beaming with pride. “Go on, lass, stand up.”
Nyra opened her eyes, stood up, and shook her body .
“How does it feel?” he asked her.
“ Strange ,” she said, shaking her back again as she tried to look over it herself. “ What exactly is this for? ”
“It’s for me to be able to ride you. You can’t see it, but there’s a seat for me at the base of your neck,” Aeden said.
“ That’s what that is. It feels heavy .”
“I suppose it will only get heavier with me on it.” Aeden rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry about that.”
Lyric paced around Nyra, adjusting a few of the straps until the harness sat perfectly on her.
“This harness should last her for the next year. We can loosen the straps as she grows to make sure she’s as comfortable as possible until we need to fit a new one.
It’ll take her a good few years to finish growing. ”
As Aeden understood it, Aer-Kin didn’t reach maturity until they were about twenty years old, and up until that stage, it wouldn’t be clear just how big Nyra would grow, especially given that they were still unable to identify her breed.
Nyra stretched out as best she could, the leather of the harness groaning against the strain.
“The more she wears it, the more the leather will wear, and that will make it more comfortable for her.” Lyric gave Aeden an expectant, wide-eyed look. “Well, go on.” He looked at the seat on the harness.
“Oh, you want me to climb on now?” Aeden asked. He looked around the pen. “Is there enough room in here?”
“I need to make sure the measurements are right before you ride her. We don’t want you falling off, it’s still a long way to the ground, even with her size now.”
“Will I still be okay to ride her, you know, with her wings the way they are? ”
“Those straps are to offer her comfort, and just because she can’t fly doesn’t mean you can’t ride her. Remember, you two have everything to prove to the academy. At least you have nothing to lose, as the academy isn’t expecting much from you.”
Aeden didn’t know whether to take confidence from those words or not. Did the academy really see them as that useless? Lyric’s words lit a fire in Aeden’s belly, and he readied himself to climb on.
“Be easy as you climb on. She isn’t used to bearing your weight, which is why we’re testing the fitting in here. At least there’s a bed of straw underneath you if you do fall off.”
Lyric had a point, and Aeden grabbed hold of a loose bit of rope that had a metal hoop through it, which was there to help him pull himself up.
Nyra pulled to the side but quickly adjusted her weight as Aeden climbed on.
He was less than graceful but managed to climb into the seat.
It was thinly padded and not the most comfortable, but Nyra and Aeden enjoyed a fleeting moment through the Weave as Nyra realised what the moment meant to Aeden.
For Aeden, it gave him the same feeling as receiving a warm hug. Suddenly the world looked further away as Aeden realised just how high up he was from the ground. He leaned forward and patted Nyra on the back of the neck.
“ We did it ,” he said as he continued to pat her.
“Pull the reins back. Make sure they don’t come off when you pull them.”
Aeden did as he was told and gave them a tug.
“ That feels weird ,” Nyra said .
“ I’ll try not to use them. I think they’re more to help me keep balanced .”
“Strap yourself in,” Lyric said.
Aeden looked around his seat until he found another leather strap and buckle, which he fastened across the tops of his thighs.
“Right, then,” Lyric said, his thick beard contorting into the smile of a madman. “Everything looks okay to me.” He moved to open the large gate of the pen, which squeaked loudly as he pushed it back on itself.
“Why, what are we doing now?” Aeden asked.
“We’re going to test it out in the field.”