Thankfully, Master Mornar set off to do his rounds of the class. I was relieved that he didn’t intend to stand over us as we did the work as I doubted Ellaazi would have coped.
I smiled across at her again. “Just relax. I have complete faith in you, and if you don’t manage it, then I really enjoyed spending a couple of hours last free day working with you. It would be a pleasure to do it again.”
She grimaced back. I guessed it was a smile as she slowly relaxed. “I enjoyed it too, Adam. Maybe I should mess the runes up, just so we can do it again?”
“What is this?” the Master snapped, appearing from nowhere. “Are you flirting in my class, Ellaazi?”
She went brighter red.
“Hardly,” I replied for her. “We’re just building a good bond. It’s not easy to find friends in this Academy. Especially when you’re not an Archon.”
He glared at me. “I didn’t ask you.”
With a sigh at his volatile reaction, I picked up my pencil to begin.
The runes flowed out with far more ease than I’d expected. The repetition from the week before had really helped cement them in my mind, and as I slowly and steadily recreated the runes, I felt a resurgence of confidence.
Ellaazi took a little while longer to start, but when she did, it was clear the skill had remained. She caught up, and then kept pace with me as we worked.
Several minutes later and all the necessary runes for the enchantment had been drawn perfectly by both of us. I beckoned the Master over, though he seemed already to be heading our way.
When he came, he peered over our work then clapped his hands together. “This really is quite a miraculous day. Well done, Ellaazi. You’ve come on an incredible amount. If you can etch the rods and create the enchantment, I’m happy for you to jump straight on to Blissful Breeze and catch up with the rest of the class.”
Ellaazi beamed, then looked down at the rod, pulling it towards her uncertainly. She glanced over at me, and I quickly followed suit.
This time, the Master remained standing over us, which I felt was unnecessary pressure, but Ellaazi was emboldened by her recreation of the runes on paper and carved her rod without any mistakes. Once we were both finished, the Master nodded again, and we both activated our work.
Gentle heat and light burst forth, and the teacher nodded. “An impressive jump in ability, Ellaazi. And you too, Adam Henshaw. I am not entirely sure how you managed it, but I commend the efforts. I suspect young Torma had a hand in this?”
The Grunir, who had been focused on his own work until now looked up, curiously. “Did you want something, Master Mornar?”
“I am impressed with the work of your friends. I suspect you have had a hand to play in it?”
He was about to deny it, but I quickly agreed, “Yes, Master. Torma has been a huge help. We’re lucky to have such a friend.”
“Good!” he replied. “The people of the Union need to work together. It’s that sense of community that will ensure that the Union lives long into the future.”
A snort of derision came from the front. I didn’t see where it came from, but the Master did.
“Is there something funny, Arun?”
He was quick to answer, “No, Master.”
“You seem to have a lot to say today. Do you have a problem working with the other races of the Union? Do you feel they’re beneath you because of your Archon bloodline, perhaps?”
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“Not at all, Master Mornar. What kind of person would think Archons are superior to the other races. I mean, being the richest, oldest race in the cosmos, and having the highest percentage of Warrior Mages means nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
“I sense sarcasm,” Mornar said, walking back to the front of the class. “It is interesting to hear your thoughts on the matter. But did you know that the Velorians claim to be older? And they certainly had a great deal of wealth before the Xeo first arrived. Did you know their empire suffered the worst of the Xeo attacks in the early days of that war?”
“That’s because the Velorians are poor warriors,” He said as if it was simple fact, then turned to scowl at Ressa as he spoke. “Though they try to pretend otherwise and send their people to our academies.”
“Interesting,” the Master replied. “And in a sense I agree, the Velorians are not typically a militant people. But they have the best mages in the universe, as evidenced by the tournaments.”
Arun shrugged. “What’s an excellent mage against an average Archon Warrior Mage?”
The teacher nodded. “That result varies, but then what is an average Archon Warrior Mage against one of the Xeo? There is a reason the Union was formed, Arun, and there is a reason why we must maintain it. There are new rumblings every day that the Xeo are preparing something. It is Warrior Mages that will lead the fight from the front lines.”
“I can’t wait,” he said, folding his arms, straight-backed and proud. “When they do come, they’ll be in for a surprise. The Archons are stronger than ever. We’ll beat them on our own.”
“A sentiment echoed by many. Thankfully, the Prime Sovereign does not share that delusion, nor do most of the Primes who witnessed the first war, as Adam Henshaw can attest to. House Garazal have invested in him, and from what I’ve seen and heard so far, that investment has been a sound one.”
I wanted to disappear into my chair. After the shitshow in Unarmed Combat, the last thing I needed was to be pointed out again. Yet, that is exactly what happened, and all heads turned to me.
My savior came from the most unlikeliest of sources as Aeloria chirped up. “I assure you, Master Mornar, House Besas is open and friendly to all Union members.”
Ressa snorted. “She’s the most stuck up one of them all.”
I didn’t disagree, though I’d seen a slightly different side to her after training one on one. I’d also noticed this last week that she really didn’t have many friends. Probably because she spoke to everyone with the same disdain. I kept those thoughts to myself. She deserved no defense from me.
“I am glad that most of you see the value in a strong Union. There will come a time you are grateful for it. However, those are tomorrow’s problems. Today we must focus on enlarging your enchantment repertoire! It’s not long until the end-of-year tournament, and we have many other enchantments to learn in that time.”
“Ten cycles,” I heard someone mutter excitedly.
I still didn’t really know much about what this tournament entailed, and I didn’t really care. I intended to be gone long before then.
Master Mornar slammed a hand down on the desk. “Exactly! Ten cycles, so get enchanting!”
I was happy to get to work. Staying or not, if I could take any of these skills back to Earth with me, then you could bet your ass I was.
Despite the early drama in the class, everyone successfully made Blissful Breeze, and Mornar was about as happy as I’d seen him as we all marched out of the class.
Whatever had transpired in that class had also lessened everyone’s animosity toward me. Arun still cast a few dark looks in my direction, but by the time we made it to Healing, I was feeling ready to deal with whatever bullshit the ridiculous Master Siladris. He was up there as one of my least favorite tutors so far, and I expected trouble from him as I took my place.
He didn’t even acknowledge my presence after kicking me out last cycle. He began with the cut to the palm, and this time, I picked up the dagger and made the cut with little worry. It hurt, but surprisingly, it did focus my mind.
“First today, Aeloria. Well done.”
I heard Ressa hiss at my side as the teacher spoke. I blocked it out and focused on healing.
“Well done, Inos, second.”
Ressa hissed again. As much as her not getting first place was distracting for her, her reaction was throwing me off.
“Late today, Ressa, but well done. Still very fast.”
I could feel the anger radiating off my Velorian friend, but I was glad she’d healed. It meant I could focus properly now. A few more names were spoken before I my palm closed up. I barely heard my name called out, too busy marveling in the gentle power that pulled everything back together as it was supposed to.
“Well done, Adam. From useless to twentieth in a class of eighty must be some kind of record. Keep up the good work.”
The last of his words lingered with me. ‘Keep up the good work.’ What the hell was that all about?
By the time I looked up, he had already moved on with the names.
Ressa bumped me with her shoulder and whispered, “Well done, Adam.”
I felt buoyed by the success and the kind words, and was eager to get into the lesson properly. Despite my early success, the rest of the class passed me by. It was focused on curing respiratory illness, and I came out more confused than I went in.
Next up was Strategy. My favorite lesson, and the last one of the cycle, marking my first full cycle in the school. It felt like I’d been here an age, but in reality, I’d spent almost twice the amount of time in the Archon torture chamber.