by Kenna Bardot
“Yes. Go.” Porter held up a hand as Ronan marched over to him and started whispering to him angrily, although I had no idea what on earth they were talking about.
Emerson just shrugged as he walked over to the door. He waved at the room in general and gave me a big smile. “Good luck, Kaia! See you tomorrow!”
The man with piercing blue eyes who had neither spoken nor moved at Gale’s orders, suddenly sprang up and stalked towards me with a confident swagger. Only then did I notice that he carried a long sword with him. I had to stop myself from squirming, such was the intensity of his stare on me.
“So you’re Kaia Wren Shaw.” His hand reached out to grab my right wrist. The way he held me made me want to let my sword go.
“Yes,” I squeaked out even as I wondered how on earth he knew my full name when I finally remembered where I had seen his eyes before. I felt my eyes widen, and I tried to jerk my wrist back as the knowledge finally came.
“You remember me.” It was more statement than question but I nodded in response anyway.
“Well, you’re quite insubstantial aren’t you, Kaia Wren?”
Yet I survived you, didn’t I?
I thought it and wished I had the courage to speak up and say it. I said nothing and just stood there, getting more and more disconcerted as time passed.
I suddenly realized that it had gone quiet and I looked over to see Ronan and Docent Porter watching us - one with unbridled, sardonic curiosity and the other with barely masked exasperation.
“Alec Gaius, what in Zeevarna are you doing?”
“She’s the reason I failed, Gaylord. It’s intolerable. I can toss her with a thought and push her with a barely-lifted finger but, somehow, she’s the reason you had to fight to keep me here. How, in Zeevar’s name, is that possible?” Blue-eyed Alec Gaius whispered, disbelief rampant in his voice.
“Well, Zeevar knows you need a little deflating.” Ronan smirked as he gave his Alec Gaius’ hair a quick ruffle.
“Ronan,” Porter warned as he walked forward and rested a hand on Alec Gaius’ shoulder. “Alec Gaius, Zeevar has plans and we need to trust them. You’re still in Inkhaven and you’ll still continue on to be a great Assassin.”
“I know. It’s just incomprehensible.” He dropped my wrist unceremoniously and without a second look, strode from the room.
Docent Porter let out a stream of breath and whipped around. “Ronan Asher Daniels, out.”
“Ooooh, that’s telling me.” He just smirked at the way Porter glared at him, exposing deep cheek dimples as he did so and softening that flattened mouth. He held up his hands when Gaylord simply continued staring him down. “Fine. Going.”
He swung the long double-headed axe he carried and gave me a small pat on the head, as one might a child, as he passed and closed the door behind him.
“Thank Zeevar,” he sighed in exasperation, bending down to pick up the wooden sword I hadn’t noticed he’d dropped. “Now, Miss Shaw, as I mentioned, as much as I would love to teach you at your own pace, we do not have the luxury of time. In a matter of weeks, you will take part in the Tumult. Should you be unaware, the Tumult is the yearly Air event where all students, from years one to five, fight. Not to the death by any means, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t fierce. Most of the students in the Tumult have been training for the years prior to their entry to InkHaven so I don’t expect you to best them. Our only hope is for you not to severely fail at it. Should you be fatally injured, you will be cured, yes, but likely removed from the Air Class. Trust me, you don’t want that to happen. Have I been clear so far?” I nodded, eyes wide with fear at the prospect of having to fight anyone, let alone the entire Air Class.
“You will also attend your first weapons and combat class soon. In this, you will be learning to use swords, daggers, etc.” He pointed at the row of weapons at the back. “For combat training, you will practice how to fight with your bare hands, your feet, your entire body. Do you ache now?”
“Yes.” My throat was suddenly dry.
“That will get worse. Trust me,” he said so simply that I let out a strangled laugh. “I promised to help you, Miss Shaw, but I never promised it would be easy.”
“I never expected it would.” I gulped and must have looked terrified as he laughed mirthlessly.
“I won’t kill you, Miss Shaw. In fact, you can trust that I will have your best interest at heart for very personal reasons that I have already previously outlined. But trust me, no matter what your physical ability is at this point, I will push you to the very edge of what you’re capable of doing.”
He tapped my shoulder lightly with the tip of his wooden sword. “Now, attack me.”
I gaped at him even as my mind struggled to process him - here was the man who hung a dagger on the door to his classroom. “Attack? You?”
“Yes. Me. Trust me, you will not hurt me.”
I took a deep breath and gripped the sword like I would a hammer and lunged straight towards him. I almost fell to my face when he sidestepped easily and tapped my back lightly.
“Do better.”
“I don’t know how!” I shouted and heaved the sword away as hard as I could, disgusted when it fell with a clank barely a foot away.
“If you exhibit half that much energy in attacking me perhaps you’re not entirely hopeless.” He bent and picked up the sword I’d thrown, and I squinted at how easily he held the heavy item in one hand.
“Here.” He handed me the sword. “Treat it as you would a weapon, not a simple crafting tool. Copy the way I hold my own.”
He demonstrated, and I did my best to mimic him, my arms straining with the effort as I cursed myself for not working out more.
“Come at me again,” he demanded, and I gritted my teeth and did. Any gratitude I’d been feeling towards him evaporated as I used my entire body and lunged.
I attacked him. And attacked him. Until my body could barely support my weight, and even with all those attempts over the next hour I never managed to strike him.
“You’re half dead, Miss Shaw. You need to go back to your room. Stretch and I’ll see you here tomorrow, same time. Try not to embarrass yourself too much in my class.”
“Yes, Air Docent. Thank you.”
He turned from me then, rubbing his temples as he put the swords back to where they were stored. “Remember, I’m not doing it for you.”
✽✽✽
“Honey? Are you still alive in there?” Lottie shook me awake, and I groaned at the rush of aches and pains that tensed my body. I whimpered, and I must have looked pitiful because her bright blue eyes looked down at me sympathetically.
“Kaia, honey, it’s time for breakfast and then class.”
I groaned and buried my head in the pillow but the movement reminded me that my entire body hated me at the moment. “Lottie, no. Please.”
“Sweetie, I’m sure you’re dead tired after all the training you did last night, but you need to fuel your body. Especially with all the extra work.”
My words came out muffled as I turned my face into my pillow, “First time holding a sword.”
She chuckled, but I heard her walk off. Glass clinked as she cooed at me, “How horrid. I remember my first time. I was horrified I’d break a nail.”
I couldn’t help but laugh as I slowly pushed myself to a sitting position. “Oh, Lottie, trust you.”
From her side of the room, she shrugged at me. “I learned. Now I keep them trimmed but still pretty - a proper lady has pretty nails or so my mama always told me. It’s also a good thing I have a fan as a weapon. It’s more forgiving.” She waved the pink fabric even as she transferred liquid from a big bottle to a short glass. The shadows of raven’s wings printed on it seemed to flutter as she moved it through the air. “Here you go, honey, drink this,” she walked over and handed me a cool glass with the pale blue liquid.
I eyed it suspiciously even as I took it from her. “What’s this?”
“It’ll help with the pain.
I’m sure you feel bruised all over. That’ll help. It’s a Fire tonic.”
I pretended I understood what she was saying as I sniffed at the contents. It had a slightly bitter herbaceous smell with subtle floral notes. Didn’t seem poisonous to me so I gulped it down, grimacing a little at the acrid aftertaste. “Pleasant.”
Lottie laughed out. “Oh, as pleasant as washing your mouth out with a bar of soap, I grant you. But very effective.”
“Thanks, Lottie.” I handed the glass back to her, my body already feeling more loose. “I’ve no appetite though. I think I’ll skip breakfast this morning.”
“Are you sure you’ll be okay waiting until lunch to eat something?”
“Mhmm, I think so. Thanks, really, I appreciate it.”
“No thanks necessary. Don’t be late for class now.” She walked out of the room with a casual wave.
✽✽✽
I walked out of the Academy through a side door I’d spied the day before. More than I could want food, I simply wanted fresh air and solitude. Stepping out onto the pale sunlight, I was greeted by the sight of a beautiful fall garden. I sighed as contentment washed over me. I knew all the plants by name, knew how they would thrive in this climate. Plants were my home in a way being amongst the Air Mages would never be. I sighed at the useless knowledge when what I really needed was to be able to jab and parry with a weapon I’d never used before.
“Hi!”
The familiar and bouncy, friendly voice made me smile even as I inwardly cursed having my quiet disturbed.
“Kaia, it’s nice to see you here. I rarely see anyone in the gardens.” As I stared at him, I couldn’t help but think that his gorgeous red hair fit in so well in the reds and oranges of the trees.
“What a shame. It’s beautiful out here. And really very peaceful.” I clasped my hands in front of me and took a deep breath. The action reminded me of meditating in class the day before but, somehow, I felt more comfortable out here where I could hear the rustling of the leaves in the blowing wind.
“It is. But students in Inkhaven Academy are more devoted to serving Zeevar and doing their best in all their classes to survive.”
“Survive?” I was startled out of my examination of a fully-blooming rose bush.
“Sure. Even with training, the journey to graduation can be quite dangerous.”
I muttered under my breath, “Great.”
He chuckled. “Gale will whip you into shape, trust me. He’s very strict.”
I put a hand on my waist and stretched the small of my back. “Almighty, yes. My joints are still shouting.”
He guffawed at that. “And you’re doing it again tonight, right? You can get a tonic for the pain from the Fire Ward.”
“Lottie gave me some already, pretty potent stuff that.” I ran my fingers over the leaves. “How do you deal with the pressure? The reality that failure means death?”
He turned serious, those earnest green eyes peering at me, close enough that I could see the freckles on his face in the dappled sunlight. Suddenly he seemed wise beyond his years. “I have faith that all will be as it should, Kaia. You should too.” He smiled and the spell was broken - back was the cute young man. He dipped into his pocket and pulled out a leather-strapped watch. “Zeevar has a plan for all of us. It will be as He intended.” He studied me as I nodded in silence, far from reassured by his faith in the system. “We should head back in or we’d be late. That wouldn’t be ideal particularly for Gale’s class. He’ll skin me alive if I make you late.”
✽✽✽
It was obviously not the first time I’d been in Gale’s classroom, but it was the first time there were chairs and desks laid out - eight for the number of first years in the Air class. I walked into the empty room with Emerson, and he turned and guided me to a chair, pulling it out from behind the desk like a perfect gentleman so I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from telling him it wasn’t necessary. Nobody had ever done something so simply sweet for me before and I didn’t want to make too much of it by mentioning anything.
I grinned when he sat beside me at the back of the class. While I remembered Lottie’s warning, he felt safe and comforting when Alec Gaius and Ronan weren’t present. I turned a shy smile his way. “Looks like we’re early.”
“Gale would appreciate punctuality.” He grinned back. “Remember last night?”
I couldn’t forget, but I simply nodded. I was wondering where the rest of the class was, but my stomach grumbling reminded me they were likely eating breakfast. Emerson shot me a concerned look. “Was that you? Didn’t you eat breakfast?”
“Nope.” I grimaced. “I woke up pretty late and achy so I wasn’t really up to it.”
“Kaia, you should eat.” He pulled the watch he kept in his pocket out and frowned over it. “Damn. Too late to run out and get you food.”
“It’s not a big deal.” I pushed the hunger down, and he pointed at me. “You need to take care of yourself if you want to survive InkHaven, Kaia.”
“Yes, you do,” a voice interrupted, and I looked up to see Docent Porter walk in from the adjoining room - the one I’d seen lined with weapons on all the walls. As Emerson had done, he frowned at me before turning to the red-haired man. “What did she do?”
I opened my mouth to protest but Emerson put a hand lightly on my arm to stop me. “She skipped breakfast.”
Docent Porter crossed his arms over his chest as he eyed me. I squirmed and, without a word from him, felt chastised. “If you don’t want to survive InkHaven, Miss Shaw, kindly tell me now. I’d much rather not waste my time and energy training a lost cause.”
“That’s not why I didn’t eat breakfast, Docent Porter,” I sighed it out. “I woke up too late and wanted to be in class on time.”
“I appreciate your timeliness, Miss Shaw,” he replied stiffly as he walked to his desk. He turned around and threw me an apple. “But eat, I won’t have you fainting in the class you weren’t late to. I might need to chat with Miss Montgomery so she can warn you about the intensity of your future classes.”
Distressed, I stood from my seat. “Oh, Zeevar, no. It was my fault and I insisted. I’m sorry, I won’t do it again.”
The classroom door shot open and the rest of the class poured in, chatting loudly. Docent Porter gave me just one more casual glance, rubbing his right temple as he did so. “Take your seat, Miss Shaw. Everyone, please settle down,” he addressed the room and strode to the front with long, graceful strides.
“Children,” his voice was soft but authoritative and everyone quieted even though no one in the room could technically be called a child. “I understand everyone is excited about today but before we go to the thrilling bit, let me bore you all first. To those of you who are unaware, I am Air Docent Gaylord Porter. I am a certified Air Mage of the Assassin Sect. Welcome to Combat class. This class contains both courses on weapons and unarmed combat.”
He picked a dagger up off his desk, an almost exact replica of the one hanging on his door. Casually, he pointed to us with it. “In your succeeding years, you will take these two courses separately but, for now, we will discuss the basics of both.”
He pulled on a cord and revealed a blackboard filled with elegant handwriting. “Today, we start with weaponry. Yes, yes, an exciting subject for you all, I’m sure. Let’s first talk about the five weapon types. Ranged, Flexible, Defensive, Hand or fist and Close combat.” He held up his dagger and it glinted in the light menacingly. “But it’s perhaps best to show you all.
He strode towards the back of the room. “Everyone, follow.”
I saw that he’d stuck his dagger into a sheath looped around his belt - its hilt glinted dully as he strode to the back. He stopped in front of the weapons rack and picked up a C-curved blade. “Sickle, close combat and highly effective for surprise attacks. As your main conduit, it’s finicky but the one who handles it will have a lot of room for tricks up their sleeves.”
Next, he took a bow and arrow, “Bow and arrow.
Ranged, silent and cool. Docent Frost’s weapon of choice.” As he put it back, he spoke with a smile, “Not really surprising.”
He took a long leather whip. “Whip, this particular one made of a strong leather. Flexible. Hard to learn and control but equally effective as both defense and offense.”
“Finger knife,” he continued, whipping one out from the pocket of his leather motor jacket. “Hand weapon. This is my personal Air Conduit. Mysterious, secretive and highly unexpected.
“Finally, we have defensive weapons. This is the only category which we don’t use as conduits. However, you will all be furnished with your own - headgear, shield and armor. Again, they vary from mage to mage. Take note that these are all just examples as there are dozens of weapons for every category.” At that point, my head was already swimming from all the weapons so the idea that there were dozens more was mind-blowing. If we were expected to learn to fight with all or a majority of them then I felt I was a hopeless case given how poorly I’d performed the night before with only one of them.
Docent Porter swiveled around and strode back to the front of the class. As he did so, he waved his hand where he still wore his elegant and sharp finger knife. A jet of red light flowed from it and towards the board, which flew upward and revealed another one with the same elegant handwriting.
“Turn your attention to the board. I’ve mentioned Air conduits and while I am sure you all likely have an idea of what this is, let me explain in more depth. Being part of the Air Mages is the most dangerous sect in the Order. Or so I might be biased.” The class laughed but for me. I could only stare, horrified, at Docent Porter - danger was not a laughing matter to me. I questioned being there, in that class, amongst all these young men who exuded a sort of youthful exuberance and confidence I could not feel nor emulate.
“Every Air Mage, regardless of which specific track they choose or chooses them, gets one specific weapon that is loyal to them alone. We use these weapons as our conduit.” I perked up at the word. I’d read about conduits two days before in one of the readings I’d been assigned but the works didn’t speak of them in too much detail. I assumed that was because it was common knowledge. I’d meant to ask Lottie but hadn’t had a chance.