46. Unwanted Attention
F or the first time, Aeden enjoyed a lesson, something he had thought would never happen at the academy. With so much time spent with the brutal Master Storme, he appreciated what he had actually learned today.
It turned out that although riding Nyra on his own had allowed Nyra to get used to him riding her, it had also enabled Aeden to pick up all the bad habits.
What he had taught himself to do to remain seated and keep his balance had only been making things harder for himself.
It turned out that his core strength needed to improve, rather than him slumping in his seat.
He also needed to lower himself forward, leaning into Nyra and allowing the air to flow over them both rather than his body causing resistance, which would only serve to slow down Nyra, not that that was a bad thing given how fast she was.
Mistress Jara likened being a rider to being a sail on a ship, which had helped Aeden click everything into place. He needed to position himself in a way that would cause the least resistance for him and Nyra.
That didn’t mean the lesson was easy for Aeden or Nyra, not one bit, but for Aeden, he felt that he had learned something meaningful, something that would truly benefit them in the future.
It also told him that despite thinking he was fit and active, he had a long way to go when it came to being a rider, his core strength being something he needed to prioritise.
His stomach ached like he had gone a few rounds with Master Storme as he got used to leaning into Nyra while they moved around at speed.
Mistress Jara had gotten the second years to start their training by manoeuvring around the training field on the ground, only they didn’t use the columns like Aeden and Nyra had been doing.
They started off slowly so Mistress Jara could demonstrate the correct way to carry oneself when moving, again emphasising that the principles remained the same whether a rider was in the air or on the ground.
Aeden observed while the other riders gave examples, until Mistress Jara was confident enough for Aeden to take part.
One thing that was noticeable to Aeden was just how cumbersome all of the Aer-Kin seemed running around on the ground.
They were heavy creatures, their movements not suited to the ground.
Two riders were even unseated by their Aer-Kin, telling Aeden that they must seldom practice on the ground.
Some laughed and joked with each other as they pushed themselves, some took the training with deadly seriousness .
Mistress Jara was a combination of the two as she watched on, giving directions to each of the second years for how they could improve their posture and positioning.
She demonstrated on top of Thalmaar, who, despite his larger size, demonstrated agility and speed beyond any of the second-year students’ Aer-Kin.
It reminded Aeden that although they were further along in their training, they were not that much further ahead of him, all of them still honing their riding skills and their bonds with their Aer-Kin.
More than anything, it gave Aeden more confidence that it would take him years to truly master being a rider, let alone the Weave between him and Nyra.
When it came to being let off the leash, Nyra wasn’t as fast as usual with her wings unbound.
At times she struggled to adapt as the wind caught under her wings.
Aeden would feel the tension rising up her back as she suppressed her discomfort.
She continued though, as if she had something to prove to the other Aer-Kin, which Aeden could certainly relate to.
He had spent so much of his time pushing himself to his limits to prove that he was just as good as everyone else in the academy, even in the top group of students in his cohort, it was little wonder to him that Nyra was starting to act the same way.
Aeden struggled with the new posture, and he felt out of sync with her at times. He struggled with leaning into the turns from his new seated position, but that was down to him and his paranoia that he was going to fall off.
By the end of the training session, Aeden felt particularly proud of what they had managed to achieve in the session as he and Nyra lined up next to the other riders.
Nyra stood out more than the others, not because of her wings but because of her size.
Aeden was proud of how hard she had worked, and by the looks of it, so was Mistress Jara.
She sat atop Thalmaar, who stood tall and resolute, the crown of his chest upright as he sat on his hind legs with his spiny, ridged wings folded in on themselves against his side.
Mistress Jara was holding on to her saddle, leaning forwards in more of a comfortable, casual position as she addressed the students.
“That was a great session,” she said. “It’ll do you all good to do some groundwork.
It’s been a while, and we’ve certainly been neglecting that in your training, evidenced by how some of you struggled.
Nyra is still young, yet you can see how she has adapted to the ground.
There’s something there that we could all learn from, even you, Thalmaar.
” She patted the side of his neck, and Thalmaar let out a huff of air through his nostrils.
It wasn’t clear whether he agreed or disagreed with his rider.
For Aeden, though, that was the first time someone had accepted Nyra and acknowledged her for how she was, and it affected him more than he realised it would.
Even the other students, although quiet overall, still cheered them on as they tried to master the basics.
Suddenly it felt a lot less of Aeden and Nyra vs them, and that was nice.
If only the rest of the academy could act in such a way.
At least this gave him hope for how life could be for them both, without feeling they needed to escape.
That feeling was short lived, however, as Mistress Jara’s body language changed from relaxed to on edge. She sat up straight, her focus going far beyond the formation of students in front of her .
“Well, I must admit, this is quite the peculiar sight.” Orion Sable’s smug, well-spoken voice sent a shiver of coldness down Aeden’s spine.
“Tell me, Mistress, do you always conduct your flight training on the ground?” He walked past the formation, Rosheen beside him, her face expressionless as always.
“It’s Mistress Jara,” she corrected him.
Thalmaar let out an even larger huff of air before emitting a low, threatening growl.
It was more than a warning; neither of them were happy with the Sable twins walking in on the training session.
“How I train the students at the academy has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, you do have some fight in you,” Orion said with a goading smile. “I was warned about you. What else can you tell me, Rosheen?”
“Jara Oceanside, rider of Thalmaar, Scout bloodline and Master of Cartography. Renowned by the academy as being in the top group of students when graduating from the academy, specifically for having a Aer-Kin that is battle ready and has shown great aptitude despite a less than favourable ability.” Rosheen spoke matter-of-factly, her voice monotone.
“Which is?” Orion said, he seemed quite disinterested, which begged the question, why were they here?
“Cartography,” she answered.
Aeden didn’t understand what that meant. How was cartography a power?
“Increased vision and a capability to memorise large areas that can be later drawn into maps, combined with their higher-than-average ability in combat, due to Thalmaar’s larger-than-average size for a Scout Aer-Kin. They have proven quite the asset not only to the academy but for Nevaria. ”
“You have done your research,” Mistress Jara said. “The question is, why?”
“Why is a good question to ask, but don’t let that fool you into believing you will get an answer from me,” Orion said.
His tone had changed to one of petulance as he replied to the cartography master.
“Did Director Vale not tell you? Were you not present when we arrived? Standards have slipped at the academy. I have been less than impressed with what I have seen, and trust me, you do not want to hear what my dear sister thinks. She is even more blunt with her words than I am.” Orion turned around to inspect the formation of students, his hand placed behind his back as if he was their military captain, except he wasn’t.
Aeden had no clue who these two were and who they served or represented. What he was sure of was that they had nothing to do with the Conclave.
“Not only am I curious as to why you are training on the ground instead of in an Aer-Kin’s natural environment, which is the sky, but also why one of your Aer-Kin is so small.”
Aeden’s heart plummeted. This was where he didn’t want to be, with the attention of Orion boring into him.
“There is a lot to be learned from practicing on the ground,” Mistress Jara said. “Agility, closer control?—”
Orion raised a hand into the air to cut her off, all the while his attention on Nyra and Aeden. They stood still, remaining in formation like they were part of the second-year students’ cohort, but Orion was right to notice them given the vastly different sizes.
“This one looks young. Why would that be, Mistress Jara? Tell me, what is your name? ”
Aeden stayed silent. He didn’t want to show any intimidation, so he stared forwards, beyond Orion and Rosheen, beyond Mistress Jara and Thalmaar.
“Your name, recruit!” Orion raised his voice, a flicker of a rage simmering on the surface like coal on a fire.
Mistress Jara gave Aeden a slow nod.
“Harrington,” he said, “My name is Aeden Harrington.”
“Harrington.” Orion turned to Rosheen.
“Harrington,” she said, “first-year student, Support bloodline, Aer-Kin unassigned, awaiting pairing at the bonding ceremony.”
“How interesting.” Orion looked back at Aeden and Nyra. His smile widened, and that caused concern for both of them. “Yet here he is atop a young Aer-Kin. As far as I knew, Aer-Kin only accepted a bonded rider to mount them, so how is it we’re in this situation? What do we know of his bloodline?”
“Mother was Nyra Harrington, father was Piotr Harrington. Their Aer-Kin, Selvora and Calion, were renowned as good pedigree Support riders. Their Aer-Kin themselves were found to be a breeding pair. It’s rare for riders to be mated as well as the Aer-Kin they ride.”
“Interesting,” Orion said, curiosity whirling in his eyes.
That was new information to Aeden, who’d had no idea that Selvora and Calion were a breeding pair.
He had never had a chance see them in person, or if he had, he was too young to remember.
His parents had been frontline riders, which meant that seeing them when they were alive would have been a rarity, such was the life of being the son of riders.
Rosheen continued to rhyme off information about his parents. “Both were held in high regard by the academy and Nevaria for their service as Support riders. Mistress Jara was also from their cohort.”
More information that Aeden was unaware of. That made two members of the faculty that knew his parents now, Mistress Jara and Master Storme. That was information Aeden would hold on to; perhaps Mistress Jara would be more open to a conversation about his parents than Master Storme was.
“Both perished in the Battle of Weir,” Rosheen continued.
“Did they now?” Orion said. “Well, I suppose most of the academy was affected by that. The Support numbers are vastly lower after that dreadful ambush.”
The level of insincerity in Orion’s voice made Aeden’s blood boil.
His hands gripped the reins as he fought every urge to say something, but that would give away that he had overheard them in the archive, and that in itself was suicide.
He wouldn’t be able to uncover what had happened to his parents if he was dead.
They may not have had anything to do with it, but their master did.
Orion took a step towards Nyra, who pressed her feet into the ground, lowering her head and voicing her displeasure with the Sable twins with a threatening growl. Aeden had no intention of telling her to calm down as he struggled to contain his own frustrations.
“ Steady ,” he said through their Weave.
Nyra stopped grumbling but remained in a poised position as if she could strike out at any moment.
“Oh, this one has fight, quite strange for a Support rider. But that doesn’t answer the question as to why a first-year student is in your class, on an Aer-Kin, when the bonding ceremony has not yet happened.
” Orion turned away, unfazed by Nyra’s warning.
“More importantly, why is there no record of this at the academy?”
That stirred interest in Aeden. Why hadn’t the academy reported it?
What records had the Sable twins been reading?
Where exactly did they get their information from?
Aeden understood that Lyric had been writing reports for Director Vale, and both he and Aeden assumed the director may have passed this information on to the Conclave, which led Aeden to his next question: Just what had they done with the reports that Lyric had been providing on a regular basis with updates on his findings about Nyra?
“That is a question I can’t answer, it is beyond my role at the academy,” Mistress Jara replied. “I have no say or knowledge about how the archives are managed by the academy. I am merely an instructor here to train the next wave of riders for Nevaria.”
“And what a fine job you are doing,” Orion said with a sarcastic tone. His attention returned to Aeden and Nyra. “Consider yourselves under the attention of myself and my sister. We will likely see you soon. For now, it seems we have a meeting with Director Vale.”
Orion turned to leave, heading back towards the academy via the training field.
His sister followed, but for once her expression changed; Aeden wasn’t sure what the look was as his eyes crossed Rosheen’s, but her stony exterior softened for the briefest of moments before returning.
It was like she wanted to say something but stopped herself.
“ Well done, Nyra ,” Aeden said, patting Nyra on the side .
She let out a chitter of agreement, but she watched the Sable twins with an intent stare until they were far enough away to no longer pose a threat to her or Aeden.
One thing Aeden did know was that he was grateful for Nyra’s decision to have Lyric remove her bindings.
Only the gods knew how the Sable twins would have responded had they realised she couldn’t fly.