60. Bonding
K ael stood defiantly, poised to take control of the situation.
Nothing about his body language suggested he was fazed.
In fact, he was thriving, and that pissed Aeden off.
His focus only intensified as he turned, analysing each and every one of the Aer-Kin standing before him, while the rest of the Great Hall fell into silence.
Every person seemed to hold their breath.
It was a strange experience for Aeden. He had never seen this before, just like everyone else.
Even though he had experienced the bonding process himself, it was woolly in parts of his memory, fragmented, making it difficult to remember exactly how things had happened.
What he could remember was the pain, the confusion, and the fear that had gripped him simultaneously like a coiled viper.
Kael continued to focus as he tapped into the Weave, drawing on the connection to bond with his Aer-Kin.
“Arghhhh! ”
With a cry, he collapsed to the floor, landing on his knees and clutching his hands to either side of his head. He writhed in agony as the connection took hold.
All of the faculty members watched on, unfazed by what was unfolding in front of them as Kael continued to cry out while the bond formed.
All of the Aer-Kin stopped dead in their tracks, lifting their heads as if they had all heard something that no one else could hear. They stayed motionless for a few moments until eventually, the Aer-Kin with the obsidian scales tilted its head to one side and took a step towards Kael.
Aeden scoffed. Of course the fiercest-looking one would be the one to form a connection with him. He still held hope that the connection would break, but looking at how things were progressing, he found this hard to believe.
Kael lifted his head, palms still clutched to the sides of his skull, but he defiantly planted a foot on the ground before rising slowly.
“You will submit to me,” he said with fierce determination.
That was not what Aeden expected to hear from his mouth.
It was worrying, the terminology he was using.
That wasn’t how Aer-Kin bonds were meant to form.
That wasn’t how the Weave worked. It wasn’t about bending or breaking the other.
It was about working in partnership. Still, it wasn’t like he expected anything less from Kael.
The obsidian Aer-Kin shook its head as the connection continued to form between them. Kael took slow, steady steps towards it, lowering his hands from his head and reaching out a hand to the struggling Aer-Kin .
“Go on, bite his fucking hand off,” Harrison said under his breath, and Aeden laughed dryly.
“Now, that would be a sight.”
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The creature shook its head a few more times, and then, in a sign of resignation, lowered it. The connection was complete, and Kael was bonded. He had gotten the pick of the bunch, and Aeden had no doubt how powerful this Aer-Kin would be.
Weary but triumphant, Kael raised his fist into the air to the accolades of the other Offence class students, and even the Scouts, and Guardians, and – to Aeden’s dismay – some of the Supports.
“That wasn’t so tough,” Kael said as he stared into the eyes of his bonded Aer-Kin.
“Now, I just need to come up with a name for you.” He paused for a painfully long moment.
It wasn’t like the rest of the cohort needed to wait for their Aer-Kin or anything.
“Threxel,” he settled on with a grin. The obsidian Aer-Kin danced around in glee, clearly approving of its new name.
Lyric shook his head disapprovingly, and Aeden wondered what name he had already given the Aer-Kin.
“This way,” Lyric said, pointing towards the tunnel. “The hatchery hands will guide you where to go now that you’ve bonded.” Kael set off towards the tunnel, Threxel walking beside him.
Aeden watched on as each of the privileged Offence class students remaining stepped forward one at a time to go through the same process, each of them struggling as they writhed around in pain until their connections were complete.
They all managed to bond with the different Aer-Kin as if they had all pre-agreed which ones they were going for.
One by one, they received a cheer before making the walk down the same tunnel that Kael had vanished down.
That was aside from one unfortunate student, who did not complete the bonding ceremony.
He had been left a crumpled heap on the ground as his connection to the Weave failed.
Aeden wasn’t sure if it was the Aer-Kin that rejected him or he simply wasn’t strong enough.
The whimper-like cry that the student cried out as his life slipped away was something Aeden wasn’t going to forget.
His only solace was the thought that that was perhaps the only time this would happen, but his head and heart felt differently.
After the student’s body was carried away, the process continued like it was nothing more than a hiccup. Students tried their best to remain calm, but suddenly everyone was that little bit more nervous, including Harrison, who was unusually quiet.
Lyric brought a new group of three huge Aer-Kin forward for the one Guardian class that stood in the bonding pen.
Each of them had thick chests and short legs, their wings less pointed and jagged than the Offence Aer-Kins.
Two of them were emerald green, and one was a dark earthy colour.
They all grouped together as the stocky male student took a step forward, analysing each of the Aer-Kin in front of him.
He went through the same process as the others as he tapped into the Weave.
He managed better than the others; he was clearly in pain and discomfort, but he didn’t collapse to his knees or clasp the sides of his head, although he still grimaced and grunted as he concentrated.
It was the large earth-coloured Aer-Kin, its scales looking like they were made of stone, that started shaking its head as the two of them formed their connection.
When it was over, the student wiped his forehead with his arm before heading down the tunnel.
Lyric led the two remaining Aer-Kin away, disappearing himself before returning with four more.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” Aeden heard Rowan say to Cassian as the two of them were the last in the bonding pen.
Cassian turned to face her, grabbing hold of both her arms and pressing his head against hers. “You’ve got this,” he said in the tender moment. It was as if they were oblivious to everyone else in the room. Rowan raised her head and turned to face the approaching Lyric.
The first to enter the pen was a pale, silver-blue Aer-Kin with a faint iridescent shimmer down its sides.
It was a thinner build than the rest of the Aer-Kin so far, slender and smaller than the rest, with an elongated neck and body.
Its head was the same, with a longer snout and high-aspect wings that were built for gliding.
A singular thin ridge formed down each of its four legs at the front.
The next to enter was a moss-green one with muted bronze colouration on its underside, as if it were born to camouflage in the trees.
This one had thinner, pointed wings but was as equally thin as the first Aer-Kin, though this one had a smaller head and pointed ears that followed the shape of its head.
Its tail was the most interesting aspect, as it forked off at the end like a snake’s tongue.
It stepped into the pen, calmly, watching Cassian and Rowan as much as they were studying it and the others.
Next up was a matte-black Aer-Kin that had a sleek and muscular chest with purple hues rippling through it like cracked veins. A long, pointed snout protruded from its face, lined with razor-sharp teeth which it showcased as it snapped its jaws.
Last was a vibrant green Aer-Kin. This one had the longest body and the smallest legs.
It was more snake-like as its body twisted as it ran into the pen.
Its jawline was more beak-like, hooking into a curve.
For an Aer-Kin it was odd looking, but it must have shown some potential for Lyric to fetch it in with the others for Cassian and Rowan to choose from.
All four moved to the centre of the pen as Cassian and Rowan stepped forwards, holding hands with one another.
They gave each other a subtle nod as they attempted to connect to the Weave at the same time rather than individually.
They held themselves as if they had been briefed to attempt to bond this way.
Their focus was intent, but they kept hold of each other’s hands.
Aeden was surprised when he felt a swell of resentment in his stomach that they got to pick before everyone else. They had come from wealth, but he’d had no idea. Neither of them had confided in Aeden, and that hurt a little.
They were his friends, however, so Aeden swallowed that bitterness down as best he could, as he desperately wanted both of them to make it through the process unscathed.
Rowan was the first to cry out in pain as her legs buckled underneath her.
Cassian kept hold of her hand, but he too dropped to one knee as the Weave took hold of both of them.
Aeden felt himself instinctively lurch forward, as if he was in a position to help.
It all added to the increase in his anxiety at the situation.
This continued for a few moments before the silver-blue Aer-Kin and the black Aer-Kin with purple markings started to thrash about, each of them flapping their wings wildly, coiling their heads from side to side as the other two jolted back away from them.
At one point Rowan’s pain turned into an anguished scream, but neither of them let go of each other’s hands.