Chapter 27A — The Ember Courtyard
The food helped.
Not by much, but enough.
Aiden's stomach stopped tying itself in knots, and Nellie's shaking slowed to something manageable. Myra devoured two rolls like she meant to duel the entire Academy bare-handed and needed the carbs for the effort.
They left the Arrival Wing together, still sore, still fog-stained, wearing travel leathers that looked like they'd been dragged through three storms and a grave.
Which… wasn't wrong.
Morning had thickened into full day. The Academy no longer felt like a quiet fortress watching from the mist. Now it felt like a living city of stone and green flame—awake, loud, full of footsteps and opinions.
Students filled the main walkways in waves. First-years in fresh steel-green sashes tried to look calm. Upper-years strode past with the confidence of people who already knew where they belonged. Instructors moved in small clusters, their robes marked with different sigils that made Aiden's eyes want to follow them like a magnet.
The Ember Courtyard lay ahead.
It was the heart of Erylwood's first-year grounds—an open circle of red-stone tiles warmed from beneath by old rune-fires, just barely visible in the seams. Four massive braziers stood at each cardinal point, their flames low and green, licking at the air like patient tongues. Statues ringed the edges: beastbinders of ages past, carved in mid-stride, weapons drawn, beasts at their heels.
Aiden stepped into the courtyard and felt the atmosphere hit him like weather.
Not the kind that fell from the sky.
The kind made by people.
Eyes turned immediately.
Not all at once. Not dramatically. But in that subtle, creeping way attention gathers until you realize it's already wrapped around your throat.
"That's him."
"Three-day caravan kid."
"Hollow survivor."
"Is that a lightning cub?"
"Why is it so small?"
"Why is it still alive?"
Beneath the whispers was another sound: the soft, steady crackle of the pup's sparks.
It stayed close to Aiden's heel, a tiny storm shadowing his steps. It sniffed the red stone twice, sneezed at the warmth rising through the runes, then looked up at him like this place smells weird but I guess we're doing it.
Aiden scratched behind its ear without thinking.
The pup leaned into the touch and huffed, satisfied.
That helped his nerves more than he wanted to admit.
Myra leaned close enough for her breath to brush his ear. "You feel that?"
"The staring?"
"That, and the way half of them are pretending not to stare while doing it anyway."
Aiden exhaled through his nose. "Yeah."
Nellie tugged her cloak tighter. Not because she was cold. Because she looked about to be swallowed by the crowd.
She was getting stared at too.
Some of it was harmless curiosity.
Some of it wasn't.
Aiden watched a pair of first-year boys "accidentally" step into her path and then not move until she squeezed around them. One of them eyed her height like it was a puzzle he didn't like the answer to.
"Didn't know they let garden gnomes enroll," he muttered loud enough to be heard.
Nellie flinched.
Myra's head snapped around.
Aiden felt something in his ribs tighten.
Before either of them could speak, a stocky shape slid between Nellie and the two boys like a boulder deciding it had enough of the river.
Runa Ironjaw.
She hadn't moved loud. She hadn't even looked angry.
She just appeared.
Arms crossed. Hammer slung at her back. Bored expression sharp enough to cut pride.
"Say that again," she said.
The boys blinked.
One of them scoffed. "What?"
Runa tilted her head, as if genuinely confused at their survival instincts. "The part where you talk like that's your courtyard."
The boy puffed. "We're just joking."
"Then joke quieter," she replied. "Or I'll help you learn the difference between humor and teeth."
Her voice never rose.
But the air around her did something strange—like respect snuck in when fear wasn't looking.
The boys backed off with hard swallowed pride, moving away fast enough to pretend they weren't retreating.
Runa didn't watch them go.
She looked down at Nellie instead.
"Tiny," she said again, like it was a fact she was still processing. "You alright?"
Nellie's cheeks went pink all the way to her ears. "Y-yes. Thank you."
Runa grunted. "Mm."
Then she did something completely impossible for a dwarf who looked like she ate iron for breakfast.
She adjusted Nellie's cloak for her.
Not fussing. Not coddling.
Just a quick tug to pull it back off her shoulder so it wasn't strangling her.
"There," Runa said. "Now you look less like a frightened mushroom."
Nellie blinked twice, then let out a tiny giggle.
Myra stared openly.
Aiden bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.
Runa seemed to realize she'd just been gentle in public. Her whole face reset into scowl-neutral and she stepped back like none of it had happened.
"You three staying by the brazier line," she said, jerking her chin toward the center. "They're herding first-years into groups."
"You're… helping?" Myra asked, half suspicious, half amused.
Runa shrugged. "Instructors asked me to direct arrivals."
"That's not what I meant."
Runa looked Myra up and down. "Then say what you mean."
Myra opened her mouth, then closed it again.
Aiden cleared his throat. "Thanks."
Runa grunted again. "Don't thank me. I don't do this for you."
Her eyes flicked to Nellie for half a heartbeat.
Nellie looked like she might float.
Runa looked like she might bury herself in the nearest brazier to escape having feelings.
Myra leaned toward Aiden and whispered, "Oh yes. This is going to be a whole thing."
Aiden whispered back, "Be nice."
"I am nice."
"That wasn't nice."
"That was honest."
They moved toward the center of the courtyard where a dozen other first-years were gathering. Some wore fresh Academy gear. Some wore family colors. A few had beasts already—foxes with ember tails, stone-horned rabbits, a tiny crow that kept rearranging its owner's hair like it owned the place.
Aiden felt the glances sharpen when they noticed the pup.
A girl with long black braids and a silver-threaded tunic elbowed her friend. "Storm cub."
Her friend murmured, "There's no way that thing bonded on the road."
"Maybe he stole it."
"He doesn't look clever enough to steal lightning."
Aiden didn't react.
He pretended to be interested in the carvings on the braziers.
Myra didn't.
She turned slowly toward them with a warm smile that was absolutely not warm at all.
"Hey," Myra said. "Loud enough so I can hear your opinions, quiet enough so you can pretend you're innocent. Real brave."
The girls stiffened.
One of them said flatly, "We're not talking about you."
Myra shrugged. "Good. I don't care what you think about me."
Aiden felt Nellie tug his sleeve.
"Let it go," Nellie whispered.
Myra didn't look away. "Sure. But if they talk about him like he's a thief, I'm not letting it go."
Aiden touched her shoulder once.
Myra's posture eased just a fraction.
The pup sniffed the air and made a tiny angry crackle at the girls.
Which… didn't help.
The girls backed up fast.
"See?" Myra said brightly. "Even the baby lightning beast agrees you're annoying."
Aiden muttered, "Myra."
She gave him a grin like a blade hidden in velvet. "What? I'm practicing diplomacy."
"You're practicing murder with words."
"The Academy should be grateful I'm using words."
He couldn't even argue.
A bell rang out across the courtyard.
Not the deep curfew bell.
This one was bright and sharp, rolling through the air like a command.
Every first-year went quiet.
Instructors stepped onto the raised red-stone platform at the courtyard's edge. There were six of them, all wearing different shades of green and different iron sigils at their throats.
One stood forward.
A man in layered leather and steel-green trim, hair tied back in a warrior's knot. His face looked like the kind of face that didn't laugh much but kept a tally of everyone who tried to make him.
"First-years," he said. "Welcome to the Ember Courtyard."
His eyes swept over them, calm as a blade in a sheath.
"You have arrived at Erylwood Academy. That alone has already killed many of you in other versions of your lives."
A ripple of nervous laughter passed through the crowd.
He didn't smile.
The laughter died.
"My name is Master Halden Voss. I oversee first-year Trials and field readiness." He let that sit. "If that title scares you, good. It should."
Students shifted.
Aiden felt the pup press closer.
Master Voss continued. "Today you will not begin Trials. Today you will be sorted."
A groan moved through the first-year line.
Voss ignored it.
"Erylwood does not train lone heroes. Lone heroes die. We train teams. We train bonds. We train people who can survive not because they are strong…" He prowled the platform a step. "…but because they are not stupid enough to stand alone when the world bites."
Aiden's eyes flicked to Myra and Nellie.
He felt them flick back to him.
The storm inside him stirred at the memory of Myra's shoulder under his arm and Nellie's hands pulling him upright in the Hollow.
Not stupid enough to stand alone.
Yeah.
Voss raised a hand. Green flame in the nearest brazier flared in response, as if it recognized authority.
"You will be placed into provisional parties of three. Not permanent. Not yet. This is to observe natural synergy and friction under controlled pressure."
A first-year boy in a rich blue sash raised his hand. "What if we already have partners?"
Voss looked at him like he'd asked if the sky was optional. "Then you will learn whether the Academy agrees with your preferences."
The boy sat down fast.
Voss gestured over his shoulder. "Your assignments will be called. You will step forward. You will meet your provisional party."
The courtyard tightened.
Aiden felt Myra's fingers tap against her thigh—nervous rhythm.
Nellie held her satchel like it was a shield.
The pup seemed weirdly calm.
It was chewing on a leaf.
A name was called.
Three first-years stepped forward.
Another set.
Another.
Some parties cheered. Some looked instantly miserable.
Aiden listened, half aware, half drifting in that tense space where your mind starts building scenarios before they happen.
What if they split us?
What if they put Myra with people who hate her?
What if Nellie gets paired with someone who thinks gnomes don't belong?
What if I get stuck with someone who wants the pup?
The storm behind his ribs pressed against the edge of his heartbeat like it didn't like those questions.
He made himself breathe slower.
He did not let anything flare.
Not here.
Not in front of this many eyes.
Master Voss called another name.
Then another.
Then—
"Aiden Raikos."
The courtyard changed shape around that sound.
Whispers did it first, like dry reeds catching fire.
Heads turned full now.
Not subtle anymore.
Aiden felt the weight of it spike.
His pulse tried to sprint.
He didn't let it.
He stepped forward.
The pup rose instantly and padded with him, sparks fizzing softly.
Master Voss's eyes flicked to the cub.
He didn't react visibly.
But something sharpened in his gaze.
"Aiden Raikos," Voss repeated. "Step to the ember line."
Aiden did.
He stood under the brazier's warmth, heat pressing against his cheeks.
The green flame above him crackled like a living thing deciding whether to respect him.
Voss lifted his ledger.
"Myra Lynell."
Myra muttered, "Finally," and strode forward with her chin high like she'd been born in this courtyard.
She took her place beside Aiden.
The crowd murmured.
Myra didn't care.
Voss read the last name.
"Nellie Tinkwhistle."
A pause.
Not from Voss.
From the courtyard.
A tiny ripple of surprise moved through the first-years like wind finding dry grass.
Nellie stood.
She swallowed once, squared her shoulders, and walked to them.
She was small.
But the way she held herself right then wasn't.
She reached the ember line, took her place on Aiden's right, Myra on his left.
The three of them stood together.
Provisional party.
Exactly what they wanted.
Aiden felt a breath leave his body he didn't know he'd been holding.
Myra nudged him with her elbow.
Nellie smiled up at both of them like she couldn't believe luck still existed.
Behind the line, Runa Ironjaw watched.
Her face stayed unimpressed.
But when Nellie reached her spot, Runa's hand slid to the hammer at her back—not drawn, not threatening.
Just resting there the way a guardian rests a hand near a door.
Aiden saw it.
Nellie didn't.
Myra saw it too.
Myra's eyes widened just a bit.
Then her lips quirked.
Oh, she saw the whole thing.
Master Voss closed his ledger.
"Provisional Party Nine."
He looked directly at them.
"You three arrived under unusual circumstance."
Myra said, "That's one way to put it."
Voss ignored the sarcasm. "You will be under observation for the first trial. Instructions will be given at midday, at the Trial Grounds beyond the eastern wall."
He took one step closer.
Not threatening.
But not gentle either.
"Aiden Raikos."
Aiden met his gaze.
Voss's eyes flicked to the pup again.
"I do not care what rumors say about your bond. I care what you do with it. Understood?"
Aiden nodded once. "Yes, sir."
"Good." Voss straightened. "Because if your beast is unstable, it will fail you. If you are unstable, you will fail it. Either way…"
He paused just long enough for the courtyard to go still.
"…you will fail here."
The words hit like a cold bucket on hot stone.
Aiden felt Myra stiffen.
Nellie's fingers curled.
The pup gave a tiny, annoyed spark-pop at Voss like who is this tall man telling my human things?
Voss didn't flinch.
He only said, "Midday. Eastern wall. Don't be late."
Then he turned to call the next party.
Aiden stepped back off the ember line with Myra and Nellie, the three of them moving automatically toward the side as new names were read.
The crowd surged around them.
Not touching.
But orbiting.
Myra muttered, "Provisional Party Nine. That's us."
Nellie whispered, "We stayed together."
Aiden nodded.
He didn't let himself relax.
Because he felt it.
The attention hadn't faded.
It had focused.
Someone bumped Aiden's shoulder hard enough to jostle him off balance.
He turned.
Emerald-robed boy from earlier.
Smug face. Clean sash. One of those kids whose parents probably donated half a tower.
"Didn't expect you to end up with a full party," the boy said. "Lucky again."
Aiden kept his voice calm. "Move."
The boy leaned closer. "What's the cub worth? You planning to sell it after trials?"
Myra stepped in instantly. "Say that again."
The boy smiled at her. "You're mouthy for someone who hasn't even been sorted properly."
Myra smiled right back, sweet as venom. "You're loud for someone who looks like he folds when the wind changes."
The boy's eyes narrowed. "What did you just—"
A low voice cut in from behind them.
"Leave."
Runa Ironjaw again.
She didn't shout.
Didn't posture.
She just stood there with that mountain-stillness.
The boy looked down at her height, scoffed, and made the worst mistake of his morning.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Runa's eyes lifted slowly.
Her smile was thin.
"I'm the reason you'll still have teeth tomorrow."
The boy blinked.
He didn't understand.
Runa stepped closer by half a step.
Still calm.
Still bored.
Still radiating the kind of danger that didn't need to announce itself.
"Walk away," she said. "Or I'll teach you why dwarves don't run from storms."
The boy stared at her.
Then at Aiden.
Then at Myra.
Then at the pup, whose sparks were starting to creep up its back in a quiet, protective crawl.
His confidence finally found sense.
He backed away with a laugh too loud to be real. "Whatever. Enjoy your little caravan club."
He vanished into the crowd.
Myra exhaled hard.
Nellie looked at Runa like she'd just watched a legend walk off a page.
"Thank you," Nellie said softly.
Runa's eyes darted anywhere except Nellie's face. "Mm. Don't thank me in front of people."
Nellie blinked. "Why?"
"Because then they think you need thanking," Runa muttered.
Then, even more quietly, like she was talking to herself:
"And you don't."
Nellie's throat worked.
She nodded once.
Runa cleared her own throat as if that moment hadn't happened and jerked her chin toward the eastern walkway.
"Go get ready," she said gruffly. "First trial's field-side. They'll make you run until you regret breakfast."
Myra groaned. "I already regret breakfast."
Runa snorted once, a sound dangerously close to a laugh. "Good. You're learning."
She turned away before any of them could say more.
But not before she flicked a glance at Nellie again.
Quick.
Protective.
Like a silent vow.
Aiden watched her go, then looked at Myra and Nellie.
Myra's expression had shifted.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Something steadier.
"Midday," Myra said.
Nellie whispered, "First trial."
Aiden nodded.
He looked down at the pup.
It stared up at him, bright eyes full of stormlight trust.
The courtyard behind them buzzed with rumors and ego and fresh-born rivalry.
Ahead, the eastern wall waited.
Beyond it, the Trial Grounds.
Aiden felt the storm in his ribs curl tighter, awake enough now to recognize what was coming.
Not monsters.
Not yet.
Pressure.
Judgment.
A place where the Academy would try to decide what kind of beastbinder he was.
And whether he belonged.
He slid a hand down the pup's back, feeling the soft crackle of its sparks under his palm.
"Alright, little one," he murmured. "We do this clean."
The pup chirped, like obviously.
Myra rolled her shoulders. "We ready?"
Nellie swallowed. "I think so."
Aiden took one long breath.
"Let's go."
They started toward the eastern path—
—and the brazier flame behind them flared once, high and sharp, as if the courtyard itself had felt the shift in the air.
Aiden didn't turn around.
But he felt every eye on his back.
Because Provisional Party Nine had walked off together.
And people who wanted lightning, or wanted glory, or wanted a rumor to bite—
were already deciding which of them to aim for first.
Midday was coming.
The Trial Grounds were waiting.
And the Academy had just begun to show its teeth.Thank you for reading!
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AUTHOR'S NOTE
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