45. First Class
I t was another night of disturbed sleep for Aeden, with him unable to stabilise his thoughts. Almost all of his time was spent tossing and turning as he thought about Nyra and her first lesson at the academy. It was why Lyric had been working so hard on her harness and getting her used to it.
Today Aeden had a riding lesson not on his own or with his cohort but with the second years. Riding was certainly something Aeden needed help with, but being with the other students and the Aer-Kin – how was that going to be beneficial to anyone?
Lyric had told Aeden to head to the training field before everyone else would get there and that he would fetch Nyra to save some time.
Aeden stood at the edge of the vast training field, staring up at the columns and pillars that were scattered around.
He wondered what it would be like to fly, what the sensation would feel like, how fast they would travel.
A pang of disappointment hit him square in the face as he accepted this was something he would never experience with Nyra.
He wondered how fast she would have been if her wings were not damaged.
She deserved to fly, to be like all of the other Aer-Kin.
She didn’t deserve any of this, she was such a kind soul.
It made him even more determined to find a way to heal her, to fix her broken wings and give her a chance of being accepted by all the others.
“ Aeden! ” Nyra reached out to him, and he spun on his heels, happy to see her. He walked towards her and stroked her head as she lowered it to him.
“You look different,” Aeden said as he examined her.
It only took mere seconds for him to realise why; her bindings had been removed and her harness had been adapted so they didn’t keep her wings pressed to her body.
“What’s going on?” he asked, confused by what he was seeing. “Where are your bindings?”
Nyra’s wings were sat against her back. From this angle they looked like any other Aer-Kin wings, although the scales were a slightly lighter grey colour to the rest of her.
“ It was my idea ,” Nyra said. “ I asked Lyric to do it while you were away because you would have said no.”
“No to what?” Aeden asked. “Today is our first riding lesson! We made those bindings and your harness so that it wouldn’t hurt you when you moved.”
Lyric stood beside her, a sheepish look on his face. He was avoiding eye contact with Aeden. “I have to admit, at first I didn’t agree, but if you hear her out?—”
“Nyra, what have you done?”
Nyra lowered her head, her eyes softening as the bright sun reflected off her scales as if they had been polished. They were neater, more well-formed now than when she had first hatched.
“ Well, these people that have come to the academy . . . I heard you saying to Lyric they’re elitist. If they see something wrong with me, that will draw attention to me .” She puffed out her chest and moved to the side as if she was posturing. “ At least this way I can blend in better .”
“Except you can’t fly, Nyra. Moving your wings causes you excruciating pain. I wish you would have talked to me.”
“ I already said you would have said no. I’ll be okay, I’ll just be really careful.
Besides, the other Aer-Kin might be nicer to me if they see that I look the same as them .
” There was a naivety to her actions, showing that she was still a juvenile in her development.
She had an innocence that Aeden never wanted her to lose.
However, these were dangerous times they found themselves in, and the whole purpose of the classes was to make them stronger.
If he kept her cooped up and hidden in the hatchery all the time, they would never be able to survive as a bonded pair.
“You don’t need to be like them, Nyra. You’re ten times the Aer-Kin they are,” Aeden said.
He hated that Nyra would put herself through this to fit in.
He absolutely understood her logic and why she had asked Lyric to do this, but that didn’t mean he had to agree with it. “What if something happens?”
“I understand you being protective over her,” Lyric said, “but she has her own mind, her own wants and wishes, and we need to respect that. Trust me, it’ll only serve to strengthen your Weave.
” He grabbed hold of Nyra’s harness and gave it a little pull.
Nyra didn’t grimace or flail like she usually would.
“I think the bindings have worked with helping her regulate any pain. If she’s feeling discomfort, she certainly isn’t showing it, but she assures me that her wings are not hurting.
I’ve fitted her with a regular harness and adapted it to her size.
When all this is done and the Sable twins are gone, we can look at rebinding her. ”
“ That’s if I want them ,” Nyra said, and it didn’t take a genius to recognise her petulant tone, one that Aeden wasn’t used to, not when it came to Nyra.
“Nyra, we’ll talk about this another time.
For now, we need to figure out how we’re going to get through this class.
” Aeden was dreading it. Ever since the two students had attacked them, he had been paranoid about anything moving past him at a fast speed, fearing an attack was imminent. He was used to always being on edge.
“I agree with Aeden,” Lyric said. “Let’s save this conversation for another time.
The reason I wanted you to get here early was so you could mount her before everyone else arrived.
That way if Nyra is struggling with her wings, I can make some adjustments to her harness to make her as comfortable as I can. ”
“Thank you,” Aeden said. He didn’t know what he would have done without Lyric’s help.
Lyric waved away Aeden’s thanks. “You don’t have to thank me.” He patted Nyra’s side, and she lowered herself to allow Aeden to climb on.
Aeden was delicate as he grabbed hold of her saddle and pulled himself up. To Nyra’s credit, she didn’t wince, but judging by the deep, slow exhale through her nostrils as she stood, Aeden knew that she was definitely in some discomfort. “Are you okay?” he asked, patting the side of her neck.
“ I’m fine ,” she said .
Sensing some frostiness from her, Aeden didn’t want to press her too hard, especially if she was hiding her pain to prove a point. This wasn’t a case of proving he was right; all he wanted was for her to be okay.
“We’ll just follow the class,” Aeden said.
“The flight instructor must already be aware of our situation, so we’ll just have to see what they have us do.
I assume it will be similar to what we’ve been practicing.
Just try not to move too fast, especially if you haven’t got your bindings to protect you. ”
“ I’ll be fine ,” Nyra said.
A large shadow flew overhead, causing Aeden to duck.
It was quickly followed by another shadow, then another and another.
Aeden looked up at the sky and counted no less than ten Aer-Kin circling the training field before they started their descents.
They were all of different shapes and sizes, some far larger than others, colours ranging from cerulean, orange, dark purple, and green.
Watching their patterns of movement, Aeden realised that they were flying in formation, something he had never seen before.
He studied their movements, transfixed by how effortless they made it look.
He wanted to be up there with them, to be able to join their ranks and navigate the skies, but that wasn’t going to happen.
Tension rose in Nyra’s body, the ridges on her neck rising and turning darker.
“It’s okay, this is a lesson, they’re not going to attack you,” Aeden tried his hardest to reassure her, which was difficult given he was feeling exactly the same.
The Aer-Kin started their descents in large circles until the largest one led them to the training field just ahead of Aeden and Lyric .
“This is where I’ll leave you to it,” Lyric said, giving Nyra’s harness one last tug before setting off back towards the hatchery. “I know I say it all the time, but please try and stay out of trouble.”
“I will,” Aeden said, his eyes still fixed on the descending Aer-Kin.
“I wasn’t talking to you,” he said as he left.
The Aer-Kin landed with a loud thud as they hit the ground, the largest cerulean Aer-Kin padding its feet and flapping its large, spiked wings. Atop it was its rider, and given she looked older and wasn’t in riding leathers, Aeden assumed this was the flight master.
One by one the other Aer-Kin landed on either side of the cerulean Aer-Kin, each flapping their wings as their riders steadied them until they were all in formation. It was breathtaking to behold.
Aeden focused on the rider at the front as the group of Aer-Kin riders moved steadily across the grassy field, dust swirling around the heavy steps of their mounts.
As they drew closer, Aeden recognised the teacher who was riding atop the cerulean Aer-Kin.
It was Mistress Jara, the cartography master.
The cerulean Aer-Kin was huge, at least three times bigger than the next largest Aer-Kin.
Its scales caught the sunlight like rippling water.
The Aer-Kin carried itself with quiet confidence, clearly used to leading the way.
Behind Mistress Jara, a formation of second-year students followed in close formation, each one astride a dragon of their own.
No two dragons looked alike. Some gleamed gold or bronze, while others bore darker shades of charcoal, rust, or slate, their horns, spines, and wings shaped by their unique bloodlines .
The riders wore practical leathers suited for training, just as Aeden did, their faces set with focus. The Aer-Kins’ wings stayed tucked against their sides as they continued across the field towards them.