60. Bonding #2
Cassian was the first to stand back up. He dragged Rowan to her feet and the two of them stepped forward as their newly bonded Aer-Kin bowed their heads, the pale Aer-Kin in front of Rowan and the black Aer-Kin in front of Cassian.
They laughed nervously to each other, then swapped around and stepped forward again with their hands outstretched. Rowan had bonded with the more muscular looking black Aer-Kin and Cassian the other, which wasn’t how Aeden had thought this would go.
The rest of the room erupted into applause, with Aeden and the others joining in, a swell of pride conflicting with Cassian and Rowan’s privileged position, something that Rowan had never shared with him.
The two of them walked side by side with their Aer-Kin as they exited via the tunnel, and Aeden couldn’t help but feel intrigued as to where it was they were all being held now. Something he likely wouldn’t find out given he wasn’t here to bond, he was only here to watch the ceremony.
Director Vale turned to face the rest of the cohort and cleared her throat to bring silence from the rest of the room, the nervous excitement continuing to grow.
“We will now move cohort by cohort until the ceremony is complete. Please be patient as you wait for your turn,” she said, pointing at the first row of the Offence class.
Of course they got to go first.
“Line by line, you will enter the pen and begin the process. Good luck. ”
Aeden watched on with keen interest as one by one, students entered the pen.
This time, though, Lyric brought in a bigger group of Aer-Kin, too many for Aeden to count before the bonding would begin.
Some students’ connections started to form as soon as the Aer-Kin entered, others took longer to tap into.
The students formed their connections and exited down the tunnel as the remaining students in the pen bonded.
There were seven people overall in the Offence class that didn’t form a connection, three of them standing with worried expressions on their faces as their peers dropped to their knees in pain as their connections through the Weave failed.
Each of them collapsed, their lives taken by the bonding process.
Aeden had stopped applauding those that bonded. He wanted to remember those who were failing, regardless of their class. They didn’t deserve this. No one did.
Those that survived, either bonded or not, were instructed to leave via the main door into the Great Hall, which seemed like a lonely walk as they lowered their heads in shame as they left, their time at the academy ended.
At least they still had their lives, but Aeden felt a wave of empathy for all of them.
He would hate to be in that position, alone and unbonded, cast out from the academy as if they didn’t matter.
Aeden watched on as the process continued for what felt like most of the day, and he didn’t enjoy a single moment of it.
Seeing those that failed to form their own connections, that lost their lives, was splintering a part of him every time he observed it.
Twelve from the Offence class had failed, twenty-two from the Guardians, and then another twenty-seven from the Scouts overall, with one of the Scouts losing their arm when they tried to place their hand on a disgruntled Aer-Kin’s head whom they hadn’t bonded with.
Not all of them had perished. Around a third refused to even try to bond having seen what happened to the others.
More than half of the rest had not left the Great Hall with their lives.
Each time a student bonded, there was a round of applause from the rest of the cohort, although this was getting quieter and quieter each time as their numbers dropped.
Aeden couldn’t join in the celebrations, and he couldn’t wrap his head around why others would; there was nothing to celebrate.
So far they had seen so many of their peers fail, so many of them that were no longer here.
Those that had survived would be sent home from the academy.
There was nothing to celebrate with the ceremony, despite them knowing the risks before they started.
Aeden focused on Nyra through the Weave, and all he felt was guilt, not Nyra’s but his own. Up until now, he had taken for granted that he was a bonded rider. That was something he wasn’t going to do any longer. Over and over again both he and Nyra had defied the odds.
Aeden sat silently until the only class that remained were the Supports.
“Holy shit, it’s our turn now,” Harrison said, his voice quivering with nervous energy. His eyes were wide and bulging as he stared at the pen as the last Scout exited with her Aer-Kin, a thin, orange-coloured one with streamlined wings.
“Supports, if you would like to enter the bonding pen,” Director Vale said.
Aeden and the others were sitting on the fifth row, which meant it would not be long until Harrison, Vivienne, and Serene would finally have an Aer-Kin.
Aeden was excited for them and wondered if any of the Aer-Kin he knew would come out.
Copper Top had already bonded to one of the Guardians, and Solus and Valin had both bonded with Scouts.
That must mean that the others Aeden had seen hatch would be Supports.
When the Support Aer-Kin were brought into the pen, Aeden’s heart leapt when he saw Midnight. She walked in slowly behind the others, her head lowered. She seemed nervous as she trailed behind.
The Support class began their bonding process, each time Midnight remaining hidden at the back.
When it finally came for Aeden’s row to step up, they all stood up in unison, with Aeden moving out from their line to let them pass.
“You will be okay,” Aeden said, patting Harrison on his back as he set off slowly. Serene grabbed hold of his hand, clearly just as nervous as him.
“I promise I will see you on the other side.” Harrison smiled, albeit with a nervous edge, as if he wasn’t fully convinced himself.
They edged towards the pen, Vivienne following closely behind, and entered it along with another five members of the Support cohort.
Aeden’s back ached badly from sitting through the ceremony, but he remained standing as he watched on with bated anticipation as each of his friends entered the bonding pen.
The pen was half-filled with Aer-Kin, and Lyric fetched a few more into the pen from the back room as the Support class lined up to start their connections to the Weave.
This was it. The nervousness that Aeden was feeling was like nothing he had ever experienced, and he found himself sweating as his heart raced.
What if one of them didn’t bond, what if one of them was kicked out of the academy or worse?
What if one of them was injured in the process?
There had already been quite a few near misses by this stage, with a couple Supports only just surviving the ceremony.
He watched on as each of the Supports started to form their connections via the Weave.
Vivienne was the first to cry out in pain, followed by Serene.
Harrison remained standing along with the five other students they had entered with, a stony focus on their faces.
They had seen enough connections form now to know that some took longer than others.
Aeden watched on as, one by one, the other Supports continued to bond, each time his heart sinking that little bit more when Harrison didn’t form a connection to the Weave.
“Come on,” Aeden muttered under his breath. He had to bond, there was still plenty of Aer-Kin inside the pen, there was time.
Aeden glanced over his shoulder at the remaining Supports still seated. It was just under half of their cohort, waiting for their chance to bond.
When Harrison clasped his hands to the side of his head, Aeden instinctively pumped a fist in the air, the tension too much to bear, drawing a scolding look from Master Storme.
Harrison cried out in pain, and a chunky golden-orange Aer-Kin started shifting around uncomfortably. It had short wings, far shorter than the other Aer-Kin, with a creamy white line running from the tip of one wing to the other. It had a round head with large eyes and a thick, club-like tail.
When Harrison stood tall, Aeden knew he could finally relax. Out of them all, he had been the first to bond. Director Vale ushered another two students out of the pen, but Harrison didn’t move. He was waiting for Serene and Vivienne to join him, who were still attempting to bond.
Two Aer-Kin started fighting the Weave as Vivienne and Serene fought against the intense pain that the connection brought.
One was a deep indigo colour with silver streaks running down its back to the tip of its ridged tail. This one had a thin, dark-blue ridge that ran down its spine. It had thick wings that were spread out to either side of it that looked like giant paddles.
The other was ivory white, with a soft pink belly and pink hues on the underside of its wings. It was a beautiful creature, more akin to a butterfly or even a flower. It was graceful, with a long, swan-like neck and large, black soulful eyes.
Vivienne and Serene continued to concentrate on their connections. This was the worst part, this was where their intense training and endurance came into play. Both of them, however, were nearly there.
A sudden cry of pain caused Aeden’s chest to tighten, as every part of him willed the bonding to be over.
One of the two Aer-Kin bowed its head – the white one. It was clear that the bonding process was over. Serene rose and slowly stepped towards it, placing her hand nervously against its head.
She turned and smiled before that soft expression on her face turned to worry in a matter of moments.
Something was wrong.
Something was catastrophically wrong.
Vivienne dropped to her knees. She cried out once again, clasping her hands to either side of her head, her eyes remaining fixed on the indigo Aer-Kin with a fierce determination. The Aer-Kin wailed, an unnatural, guttural cry, shaking its head as its body contorted.
“What’s going on?” Serene said, panic in her voice. “Vivienne, you can do this, just focus like we practised.”
Vivienne continued to grapple with the Weave, desperately clinging on to the bond with the Aer-Kin.
Serene looked across at Harrison, who was frozen to the spot, his eyes wide with a fear that brought a cold, icy chill down Aeden’s spine.
Vivienne stopped screaming, planting her hands on the ground and panting heavily, her skin almost translucent as she stared into the ground. With trembling arms, she pushed herself to her feet.
Aeden released a held breath. Vivienne was okay, she had bonded, or at least that was what it looked like. He couldn’t be too sure due to the indigo Aer-Kin’s movements.
Something was definitely wrong, however. The way the indigo Aer-Kin jerked its head, the way it didn’t bow its head. With an ear-splitting shriek, the indigo’s body convulsed as it collapsed to the ground.
This was something they hadn’t seen before, and Aeden had no clue what they could do to help. All he could do was watch as the horror unfolded.
“What’s going on?” Serene said, looking around at the masters of the academy for help or guidance.
None came.
Vivienne took a step towards the Aer-Kin. Aeden couldn’t tell if they had formed a connection through the Weave. Her steps were slow and pained as she closed the gap between them both .
The Aer-Kin let out another cry of pain, falling flat on its stomach, its legs splayed out to either side of it. Vivienne dropped too, as if she was weakened.
She reached out a trembling hand and placed it on the hatchling’s head.
“There, there, it’s okay,” she started through short breaths. “I’m here, you’re not alone.” The Aer-Kin calmed at her touch, its breaths slow and laboured. It took in a large gulp of air before exhaling one long crackling breath as its life slipped away.
Vivienne looked up at Serene, who rushed to her side. Aeden ran towards the edge of the pen as close as he could get without interfering with the bonding process with the other students.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Serene said as Vivienne rolled onto her back, resting her head against Serene’s knees.
“She was scared, something went wrong, I needed to let her know that she wasn’t” – her voice trailed off.
“You were bonded?” Serene’s voice cracked as tears streamed down her face.
A knot formed in Aeden’s throat, and his eyes stung when he blinked. If they were bonded, that meant that Vivienne’s life was connected to her Aer-Kin’s.
Vivienne’s eyes started to close, her own breathing slowing.
“No, no, no!” Serene said.
Vivienne raised a hand to brush a tear from Serene’s face. “It’s okay,” Vivienne started. “I knew” – her hand fell beside her .
Serene let out an agonising cry that ripped through Aeden. His own cheeks were wet with tears as he came to the realisation that she was gone. They had lost a friend.
Serene sobbed, bowing her head against the back of Vivienne’s, and Aeden’s heart broke watching. They were best friends. Now one of them was gone.
Hatchery hands entered the arena with a stretcher to remove Vivienne’s body, like they had with all of the other students who had failed the bonding process.
“Get away from her,” Serene demanded, her voice hoarse. “She’s still warm.” She looked at Director Vale for help.
“There is nothing we can do,” the director said, “she is gone.”
Serene continued to sob.
“At least let us carry her out,” Harrison said as the hatchery hands transferred Vivienne onto the stretcher. “Serene . . .” He gave her an understanding look as he grabbed her attention.
The two of them lifted Vivienne up and started walking towards the exit tunnel.
Aeden was just about to hop over the pen to get to his friends when the deep noise of a horn sounded, followed by another. Director Vale turned to face Master Storme and the other masters, and they exchanged worried looks.
Another long blow of a horn came, followed by a distant rumble, then a roar that shook Aeden.
He knew in an instant what it was.
They had been preparing for this moment, but the timing could not have been any worse.
The Sable twins had returned.