When he made it to the high perch's archway, Jasper rammed his shoulder harder than ever and forced his way to the ravens table. Aldric watched angrily as he whispered his tale to the others. Their eyes all focused on him briefly before more conversations began.
He breathed deeply before continuing toward the ravens table.
"Something to say?" He asked, interjecting on their speculations. The boys went silent and averted their eyes, shunning him.
"They want to know why you weren't in classes. Jasper here seems to think you came out of a special classroom downstairs. So, yeah that's that," Harden said, his cheek stuffed with a chunk of chewed sandwhich.
The other boys glared in his direction, but he didn't seem to notice, or care.
"Let me save you some time, it wasn't a classroom. It was my den that Jasper saw me come out of. And I wasn't in classes because I was given a special assignment from the master magus. Anymore concerns?" Aldric snapped glaring stares toward all of them.
"So Rhys gets a hospital suite for another two weeks and the golden boy gets his own quarters? Yeah because that makes sense," Jasper scoffed.
"We don't get our own rooms for another four years. How did you get one?" Harden asked, diverting his attention from his food for the first time ever.
"Well I suppose sleeping outside wasn't a great option, and seeing as I was banished from my dorm, maybe the architect made an exception. Or, maybe I'm advanced enough to have earned it early," he shrugged, nanchelantly.
The boys stayed silent with their noses raised high. Jasper gazed into his eyes as if to search for a lie, but quickly looked away angrily.
"Whatever, good. Means I don't have to share a room with the likes of you anymore. Good riddance," he pouted. Aldric stared him up and down with very little care. He felt a sense of sadness, but his anger burned brighter. He was hurt to lose the only brothers he'd ever known, but he was angry at how easy they'd turned on him.
"Too bad we have to share a table still," one of the others chimed in.
"Pfft with his exclusive schedule he always gets here late if at all. When he shows up we'll just leave, easy enough," Jasper said, pretending Aldric didn't exist anymore. The boys laughed aside from Harden, who rolled his eyes and continued his endless search for everlasting sustenance.
Aldric went to speak, but decided against it. They weren't worth it, and he had more pressing matters on his mind. He thought to sit down with Harden and let the others filter out, but something caught his eye. Across the perch, Grum, the most well-known boy from the falcons, had begun a demonstration.
He drew a rune along the floor, an odd symbol Aldric hadn't yet learned. He placed his palms on the floor and began to harness one of his emotions. Below him, the wood of the stump rippled outward, like a droplet had just fallen into a still body of water. Then, with a loud creaking and crackling, a large spire erupted in front of him.
The boy peeled his hands from the wood, where his prints had been burned into the grain and stumbled back onto his hind end. He seemed to breath heavily and heave to himself while the other large faced boys patted him on the shoulder.
"Way to go Grum, that's it!" One of them yelled.
"An architect in the making!" Another added. Aldric smiled slightly before brushing past the ravens table and toward the falcons. Harden and Jasper followed him with their eyey momentarily before he approached Grum.
The falcons saw him coming, and they went from cheerful to cautious. Their eyes locked with his as he stood just inches from Grum.
"H-help ya with somethin?" Grum huffed, holding his right side like his lung was going to fall out.
"I think we may be able to help each other," he replied, extending a helping hand. Grum's hazel eyes gazed at the hand then back at the raven before accepting his offer.
"How could you help me?" He asked, slowly catching his breath. Aldric gazed up at the wooden spire that stuck from the floor like a spear forced through a soldiers back.
"You can do that, and I can show you how you can do it more than once before losing your nerve," he smiled. The falcon's eyes gaped and locked onto his intently, before flashing toward his flock mates.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his breath finally steadying, and his eyes recentering on Aldric.
"Tonight, before bed, come to my quarters, small door with a big star on the front. I'll explain there," he said, bowing, and retreating toward the ravens table. The boy called after him but he knew he had his interest, and would be seeing him again soon.
He continued back to the ravens table, wedging himself between Harden and Jasper, as he grabbed a sandwhich. The other boys rose to their feet as he reached over the table, and went to leave.
"Hold it boys. I know when I'm not wanted so don't worry your prissy heads, I'm not staying," he insisted, raising his sandwhich in a toast. He went to leave but felt someone grip his arm.
"What was that?" Harden asked, gesturing to the falcons' table.
"Come to my room and see tonight," he shrugged and pulled his arm back softly. He made his exit swiftly trying his best to reach the door before another scuffle began.
"You aren't one of us Al, not anymore!" Jasper yelled suddenly. Aldric halted in the archway again and smirked to himself, frowned and then breathed deeply.
"I know," he felt his rage rise suddenly and without warning. A bright blue flash exploded from his back, and the silver feather embroidered on his tunic burst into flame.
"I'm better," he finished his sentence as his tunic was left scorched and unclaimed. He pushed through the archway and continued to the main hall hoping for his next assignment from the architect.