Shadow's Rising {Wing 1} Chapter 10 (part 1)

Chapter 10

Jarid woke in a panic as the sharp sound of a horn pierced the air. He jumped out of bed and quickly put his clothes on. The dim light of early dawn, shining through the small window above the desk, barely provided enough illumination to dress.

He pulled out his bag and put on the scale necklace, tucking it under his clothes. He was about to hurry downstairs when he heard a sharp knock at his door.

“You may enter!” Jarid called, trying to remember how nobles talked.

Gunther opened the door and stepped into the room. After looking around the room briefly, he nodded to himself, letting out a gruntled sigh.

“I’m here to inform you about a few things before you meet the rest of the squad.

Classes don’t start for a few more days to allow time for anyone who got held up by bad weather or such to get here. You will use that time to get yourself accustomed to how things work around here and hopefully bond with the other members of the squad.”

Gunther looked at Jarid with a stern gaze, but Jarid could also see kindness in his eyes. He had the air of a retired military commander.

“No one at this academy cares who you are or where you came from. Anyone who thinks they will be treated differently because they are royalty or peasantry will be sorely disappointed. So don’t come to me or anyone else expecting favoritism but you shouldn’t hesitate to ask for help when you need it either.

You are a dragon rider now. Not a peasant or a child. Never back down when the time comes to fight and never hesitate to seek aid from a fellow rider. We are all brothers here. We treat each other as our own flesh and blood.”

“Yes, sir,” Jarid replied, in what he hoped was a knightly fashion.

Gunther gave a stiff nod. “Good. You will treat your fellow students with respect and work together with your squad if you want any hope of lasting the month. I will do what I can to provide help should you seek it from me, but I do not tolerate slackers nor liars. My job is to aid this squad as its counsellor and discipline its members should the need arise. If you need something, ask. But don’t expect me to be lenient with you, nor provide you with acts of charity.”

Gunther’s eyes seemed to bore into Jarid for a moment as if searching for any kind of weakness or deceit. After a few seconds, Gunther relaxed.

“This academy will not pay for lost, damaged or stollen equipment, so take good care of it. I will be in my office most of the time if you need anything. It’s the second last door on the left down the right hall.”

Then Gunther stood up straight and opened the door, motioning for Jarid to take the lead. Jarid nodded and proceeded out the door and down the hall towards the entrance. Gunther closed the door and followed close behind.

As they approached the top of the stairs, Jarid began to hear voices coming from the entryway. When he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a small group of students on the floor below.

In daylight, the room looked comfortable. There was a table on each side of the room and a sofa lined both walls. Opposite the entrance was a simple wooden desk with a door behind it. The soft morning light shone through windows behind the sofas, and a chandelier hung in the center of the room.

Most of the students in the greeting room were talking while a couple others lounged on the sofas trying to get a few more minutes of sleep.

“Squad! Attention!” Gunther bellowed suddenly as they descended the stairs.

Jarid flinched and the other squad members jumped up to stand in a line at attention. Gunther stood in front of them and gestured for Jarid to join him.

“This is the newest member of our squad. His name is Jarid, and he is a new arrival at the academy. If anyone has an objection to having him join us, please voice it now.”

Jarid hadn’t realized that he may not be accepted if the other members didn’t like him. What would happen to him then?

As he scanned the faces of the rest of the squad, he saw Steven at one end of the line. He gave Jarid a sly smile and a wink then stared straight ahead again. Jarid kept looking and found that Airel was standing in the middle of the line. She gave him a slight nod when his gaze met hers.

No one else was familiar but he noticed that there was one other girl besides Airel. He had always been under the impression girls didn’t fight or ride dragons. He thought they were too weak or easily frightened (another bias he kicked himself for having).

He looked again. Airel looked strong, and he felt fierce determination radiating off her. Jarid had no doubt she was just as strong and tough as any boy her age. Perhaps even more so. However, the other girl didn’t seem to have the same tomboyish air. Though she did look a little stronger than most of the soft noble girls he’d seen, she also seemed timid and shy. She certainly didn’t seem like a brave warrior much less a dragon rider, but he had learned recently not to judge a book by its cover.

No one had any objections, so Gunther turned to Jarid and continued. “As I said, use the next few days to get accustomed to how everything works here and to get acquainted with the rest of the squad. If you have any questions, ask me or your fellow squad members.

Remember. You are now a fully-fledged member of this squad. These people are your brothers in arms both here and on the battlefield. You must be able to trust them with your life, and they must trust you with theirs. No matter what, we stand beside each other. That is what it means to be a dragon rider and a member of this squad. If you have any further questions, I’ll be in my office.”

Then he turned to the other squad members. “Make sure he understands how things operate here and how he will fit into our squad. Also, you might need to teach him some noble manners. Use this time to show him around and introduce yourselves.”

Then he saluted. “Company, dismissed!” Gunther walked up the stairs and disappeared down the hallway. 

The moment he was out of sight, Steven leaped forward and gave Jarid a playful punch in the shoulder.

“Great to see you, Jarid! I just knew we were destined to be friends,” he said cheerfully. Jarid rubbed his shoulder.

“Yeah, well, I guess so.” It was still a bit awkward to be talking to a noble with such familiarity. Especially in front of other nobles.

Jarid shrugged mentally. He was just going to have to get used to it since everyone at the academy were nobles after all. Airel punched him even harder on the other shoulder.

“Ha! I knew you could make it,” she smirked, “but don’t think that it’s gonna be smooth sailing from here on. You’re just getting started.”

Steven shot a confused look at Jarid.

“You know her?”

“Yeah. Uh… she came down to the arena while I was cleaning and helped me to sign up for the exam.”

Steven nodded. “Huh. I was wondering how you signed up. Guess that explains it.”

Then he leaned over and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear. “She’s not too bad looking, but you’d better be careful if you try to catch that tiger. She’s got mean streak, and I heard the last guy…” Before he could finish Airel stepped forward.

Jarid was expecting her to slap Steven like some noble ladies he’d seen, but instead, she punched him in the gut so hard he doubled over with a groan. She stood over him with her arms crossed. Steven looked up at Jarid with a pained grin.

“See what I mean?” he wheezed. Airel shook her head with a resigned sigh and turned to the rest of the squad, gesturing first to the timid looking girl.

“Let me introduce you to the rest of the squad. This is Felicia Hale. She is the adopted daughter of our squad leader Gunther Hale and is training to be a medic. She’s already very good at first aid and using plants to make medicines, healing potions and salves. If you ever get hurt or have questions about medicine, ask her.”

Felicia waved timidly with an awkward smile. Airel moved on to the shorter thin boy with a nervous look on his face.

“This is Ethan Ezrahite. He is pretty wise when it comes to tactics and book-ish stuff. He’s also proficient at ice magic and strategic combat. Just be careful not to ask him about anything you don’t want an extensive explanation on,” she said jokingly.

Ethan gave her a long-suffering look, but he stepped forward and shook Jarid’s hand with a respectful nod. “Nice to make your acquaintance.”

“And last but definitely not least is Benjamin Dover,” she said, gesturing to the well-built young man at the end of the line. He bowed his head slightly as his name was mentioned.

“Please, just call me Ben,” he said humbly. Airel smiled.

“He is a strong and capable warrior who looks out for his friends. He’s also practical and smart if you give him the chance. Just don’t try to rush him. He likes to work through problems methodically so some of the shallower students think he’s slow. But he’s not,” she quickly corrected.

Jarid got the feeling that Airel was defending Ben. Probably because he stood up for her or something in the past. Jarid smiled. It was comforting to know that Airel cared for her friends like he did.

After the introduction, Airel motioned to the door behind the desk.

“Let’s check out the training hall while I tell you a bit more about black squad.”