34. Uninvited Guests #2
“How exciting to hear,” a well-spoken man’s voice came from behind the door, and Aeden was instantly curious to see who it was.
He didn’t recognise the voice or the well-spoken accent.
“Don’t stop on my part, Director,” he said as he stepped into the room.
The man’s armour clinked with every step that he took, but it wasn’t just his; it sounded like there was more than just one person walking in.
Aeden was right: the frames of two people entered the Great Hall, one man and one woman.
The male stood at around six feet tall, his posture strong and his frame athletic. He had well-kept short, dirty-blond hair. From the side, Aeden could see a well-maintained stubble that gave him a rugged appearance.
“He’s handsome,” Serene sighed, and Vivienne nudged her with an elbow.
“Doesn’t look that much to me,” Harrison mumbled, raising onto his tiptoes to get a better look at the two of them.
The woman was slightly shorter, the top of her head reaching the man’s shoulder height.
She had soft, pale skin, with long jet-black hair that flowed freely down her back with an Aer-Kin-shaped clasp clipped to the side of her head.
Their armour was like nothing Aeden had ever seen before.
They both wore full suits of darkened plate armour, intricate patterns etched onto the bodice, shoulders, legs, and gauntlets.
The outer edges and detailing of the armour shone with what looked like gold plating, giving them both a regal look.
The way they both carried themselves as they sauntered into the room only served to solidify that.
The woman didn’t look around the room; she only had eyes on the director, and she had a serious expression that would rival Vivienne – a stark contrast to the jovial-looking man walking beside her.
“Don’t stop on our behalf, Director. Please, continue,” the man said.
The director’s eyes widened, and she stammered on her words. Aeden had never seen her this uncomposed, which only added to the intrigue surrounding these two mysterious people. Were they riders? Were they from the Queensguard?
Aeden’s mind went back to the conversation that he and Lyric had had.
Lyric had warned Aeden that the academy may have already sent word to the Conclave about Nyra.
Were they here for her? Aeden wasn’t ready to fight, but he would if he had to.
He wouldn’t give them a chance to take her from him, regardless of what armour they wore.
At the front of the hall, Master Storme shuffled to stand to attention. Even he looked perplexed by the two of them.
“Something isn’t right,” Aeden said. “Something has Director Vale spooked.” His fear that she had contacted the Conclave evaporated when he realised by her expression that she was just as surprised as everyone else. Still, he couldn’t let his guard down, he needed to be prepared.
“I agree,” Vivienne said, her eyes unmoving as she continued to analyse the situation.
“What great news that all of your Aer-Kin have started hatching, soon to be bonded with their riders. Although looking at you all, I’d say the academy is some way off in getting you all in shape for the bonding ceremony.
” The man eyed up a row of students that he passed, offering them a snort of disdain.
“It would seem that the academy’s standards have dropped far below what is expected. ”
“Shall we retire to my quarters?” Director Vale said. She was trying to pass as confident, but there was no denying the tremor in her voice.
“Oh, no,” the man said, “not on our behalf. There’s no conversation I would have that I wouldn’t share in front of your students, Director.
” The two strangers reached the front of the Great Hall where the man brought his hand to his chest to salute the director.
The woman did not; her right hand remained resting on the hilt of her blade.
“Orion, Rosheen,” the director started. “What is it that brings the fabled Sable twins to Aviara Academy?” Her tone was ice cold. Whoever these two were, she didn’t seem to want them there .
“The Sable twins,” Harrison said, “never heard of them. Do you think they’re from the Conclave?”
“I don’t think so,” Aeden said. “Something seems off about them.”
Orion clapped his hands together in glee at Director Vale’s question. “Well, let’s just say that our masters have an expressed interest in this academy. It looks like the standards have been dropping. We’re here to ensure that they are raised.”
They couldn’t be from the Conclave. If Director Vale had sent word, she would have been expecting them. Director Vale looked just as – if not more – surprised than the rest of the cohort.
“How do you mean?” she asked, confused.
Orion raised a letter and walked towards Director Vale, his focus solely on her. His gaze did not falter as he handed her the letter. Director Vale gave a pointed stare back, as if there was only the two of them in the room. You could have cut the tension with a knife.
Orion spun around to address the hall as a whole. “How rude of me to speak with my back to you all.”
It felt to Aeden like he was making a point of turning his back to the director.
“My sister and I are here to ensure that the standards of the academy do not drop below what we expect.” He looked at his sister, whose dark eyes bore into the students as if they were all her enemies, her hand unmoving from her bade.
“We’ll be supervising as well as going through records to make sure everything is as it should be.
There should be minimum disruption to the students, but I can’t say the same for the faculty.
” His smile was polite, but something about it was menacing.
He was clearly toying with the director.
The question was, was he telling the truth? Had the standards really dropped?
The training was brutal as Aeden knew it always had been. That was the same for all Aer-Kin academies, not just Aviara. After all, the standards set for riders needed to be ridiculously high. Aeden understood that.
“You’ll all go about your day as you usually would. Rosheen and I will make changes where we see fit, and we may want too speak to some of you privately, but please know” – he lowered himself to a feigned bow – “we are your ally.”
He raised his head to meet the rest of the room, his eyes moving across each and every student as if he was addressing them one by one. He turned his head to the director. “What is it you say director?” He faced them all once again. “Dismissed.”