34. Uninvited Guests
A strange energy was in the air that morning, something that Aeden didn’t like.
The cohort had been summoned to the Great Hall, and Aeden had opted to sit in the back row, as far away from the front as possible, and as far away from prying eyes as he could manage.
Aeden had just got to cartography when Mistress Jara was handed a letter which she seemed surprised at.
All classes had been cancelled and all the students were to attend the Great Hall for an address from Director Vale.
Was it the Conclave? Were they finally here?
Aeden reached out to Nyra on the way, but she was fast asleep as Aeden was getting used to, which actually allowed him to focus on his lessons, something that he needed to get better at.
He felt like he had gone from pushing to be in the top percent of students to struggling to keep up at the bottom, and that had to improve.
He sat patiently, wondering what it was they had been called in for, praying that it wasn’t the Conclave. He was sure enough to sit towards the back of the hall, just to be on the safe side, in case he needed to make a speedy escape.
His ribs still ached thanks to Master Storme’s brutal training and being flung from the back of Nyra.
Though he was pretty certain that nothing was broken, it still didn’t mean he was comfortable, especially at nighttime when he was trying to get some sleep.
Today he was feeling particularly tired given he’d had to sleep on his back all night due to discomfort, when he usually slept on his side.
Students arrived in the Great Hall in dribs and drabs, the vast majority whispering and pointing, sometimes even sniggering when they walked past Aeden. Had they seen his attempts to ride Nyra? A flash of heat erupted in his cheeks.
Instead he chose to focus on the blackened stone that rose high to the vaulted ceiling. Small gargoyles – or at least he thought they were gargoyles – sat perched around the outer edge of the ceiling, like they were watching over everyone.
Aeden started daydreaming, wondering if Director Vale had found a way to use magic to spy on them through the gargoyles. He wouldn’t put it past her.
“Mind if we sit here?”
The voice startled Aeden from his thoughts, and he raised his head to see who it was.
Harrison was standing beside him sheepishly, a hopeful expression on his face.
“I don’t think that’s for me to say,” Aeden said. “Pretty sure you can sit anywhere you want.” He came off ruder than he had intended, but he had heard the message loud and clear from Master Storme: his friends would get hurt by associating with him .
“Great,” said Harrison as he shuffled past Aeden and took a seat next to him. “How are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m okay,” Aeden said, an awkward silence falling between them.
“I just wanted to check in after you nearly drowned. That’s what friends do,” Harrison said.
Friends, Aeden thought. Harrison still saw him as a friend despite how he had been keeping him at arm’s length recently.
Vivienne and Serene entered the hall, talking to each other. Vivienne wore her usual serious expression, whereas Serene was happy and smiling. They were the very definition of grumpy and sunshine.
“Over here!” Harrison waved, catching their attention. Serene offered him a warm smile, which was certainly an improvement from the usual disdain she showed for him.
They shuffled past the empty seats and sat down next to Aeden.
“We know what you’re doing,” Serene said, “and it isn’t going to work.”
Aeden wanted to sink back into his chair. He was too tired for this conversation, not now, not when they were waiting to find out why the whole cohort had been summoned to the Great Hall.
“Although that doesn’t mean you’re forgiven for acting like an asshole,” Vivienne said, her focus remaining on the front of the Great Hall.
“We know you think you’re doing us a favour by pushing us away, but that isn’t what friends do. We fight for each other, and I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the three of us have got your back. ”
“But you all got hurt, because of me, because I came back to the academy with an Aer-Kin that can’t fly. You guys don’t want to be associated with that, Master storm said?—”
“Who gives a fuck what Master Storme said,” Harrison snapped, his raised voice drawing attention from the two rows of students in front of them.
“I mean, since when have we ever listened to what he has to say? The guy’s a dick.
” He looked around him nervously. “Just don’t let him hear that I said that,” he laughed.
“Well, maybe try keeping your voice down, Harrison,” Serene said. “But he’s right, don’t listen to what anyone is saying about you and Nyra, Aeden. What you two have is beautiful and something that everyone in this cohort would kill for.”
“But she can’t fly,” Aeden said. “None of our peers – or the academy, for that matter – will accept us. They would rather we failed, prove them right and probably die in the process.”
Harrison leaned forward and whispered, “And you’re listening because .
. .? I remember when we first joined, before you had found Nyra and bonded, you thrived under that pressure.
You wanted to prove to everyone what you can do as a Support.
I mean, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone with so much aggression.
” He sat back and raised an eyebrow. “And I mean that in the nicest possible way.”
“Attention,” Master Storme’s voice echoed through the hall, bringing instant silence to the cohort, who all stood to attention as commanded. They were well drilled by now, and knew how to respond to his commands.
“Thank you, Master Storme,” Director Vale said from the front centre of the Great Hall.
Her hands were placed at the small of her back, and her chin was raised like she had caught a bad smell.
“Most of you are probably wondering why you’ve all been summoned here this morning.
” She remained rooted to the spot as if she were a statue, her head unmoving as she continued to address them.
“I bring news to you all from the hatchery.”
From the hatchery, Aeden thought as a swell of doom knotted inside his stomach.
He quickly glanced over his shoulder to the door at the back of the Great Hall.
Many of the faculty members were present in the room, but Lyric was not.
He usually took a seat at the back of the hall whenever they were in the Great Hall, but not today. Today, there was no sign of him.
Aeden panicked. Had something happened at the hatchery? Had something happened to Nyra? He reached out through the Weave but felt nothing but tiredness and a need to sleep. Other than that, she seemed perfectly fine.
“Will you chill out?” Serene said from under her breath. “I can feel the anxiety pouring out of you.” She placed her hand on Aeden’s arm, and he appreciated the comfort. It helped to settle his nerves, even if not entirely.
“Nyra seems okay. I was worried something had happened,” Aeden said.
“You will notice that Master Ember is not present this morning,” Director Vale continued. “That is because he has been incredibly busy.”
Director Vale was very matter of fact with the manner of which she spoke, almost businesslike. Whatever it was that had happened at the hatchery, it wasn’t something serious. That at least offered Aeden some relief .
“Last night, the eggs started to hatch, meaning that Master Ember’s time for the foreseeable future will be spent monitoring those hatching eggs and the Aer-Kin that are produced.
These Aer-Kin will be the ones that this cohort will eventually be bonded with.
Well, for those of you that make it to the bonding ceremony. ”
The room filled with bustling energy as the cohort’s understandable excitement grew, threatening to whip up into a frenzy.
Director Vale raised her hand to command silence from the Great Hall.
“Now that the eggs are hatching, we will begin our assessments to try and pair you with the right Aer-Kin. For some of you, that pairing has already been chosen. Although it will not be guaranteed that the Aer-Kin will bond, it will increase your chances.”
“That’ll be for the rich families who have donated to the academy, then,” Harrison whispered. “They’ll make sure their children get the most powerful Aer-Kin. Piss take if you ask me.”
“It’s still exciting,” Serene said. “To think, our Aer-Kin have started hatching! The ones we bond with might already be hatched.”
Lyric was passionate about being the hatchery master, but Aeden could only imagine the chaos he would be experiencing right now.
There were so many eggs there. That would lead to a lot of Aer-Kin for him to manage.
He knew nest hands would help him tend to the Aer-Kin, but still, Aeden had seen all the papers and mapping of scales that Lyric had organised.
That in itself must take him an enormous amount of time .
Even Vivienne threatened to show a glimmer of excitement on her stony face, a smile tugging on the corner of her mouth.
“This means that the bonding ceremony will be at the end of term as previously proposed. Those that are not ready will be sent from the academy. That is, those that survive the training.”
“Brutal,” Harrison said. “There isn’t any way I’m not going to be ready to bond with my Aer-Kin.”
The large wooden doors behind them opened up slowly, the creaking hinges amplified by the acoustics of the Great Hall.
“What is the meaning of this?” Director Vale said, her expression turning to one of frustration. Master Storme readied himself to launch from the front.
“What are they thinking?” Serene said. “Everyone knows not to enter the Great Hall when the doors are shut. It’s better just to be reprimanded for missing it rather than interrupting it.”