Wysand Keep, the oldest of all the Dragon-faith Academies, looked more keep than campus, spanning an entire three leagues across, boasting the Citadel, a towering keep in the center with its own towers and walls, as the seat for the largest library in the whole continent. Ecco was very fond of that library…
Bang
"I see you chose to spend the night at the library."
The young son of Lord Finn looked upwards to see a silhouette of a young boy. "Is there something wrong with that?" he asked, scratching his eyes. "What time is it?"
"Just after first light," the boy replied, gathering the pile of books. "Take a bath, you're dustier than these bookshelves."
"So funny, Flamen."
"It's true."
Both of them laughed at his state. "My back's a prick as well," he remarked, clutching at his spine. "Is this how it feels to be like Tutor Wace?"
"Not much," Flamen replied. "The old man's more hunchbacked than you will ever be. And Gods forbid he hits you with a stick after finding out you've spent the night at the library."
Ecco shivered at the thought. "Don't let him, I beg!" he exclaimed, letting out a chuckle.
He jumped high to place the final book. "You wouldn't know."
"I'm not stubborn."
With another hop, the final book titled Magics of Old and New was finally placed. "I like being it either way. It adds thrill! The very thought of lectures is boring. I've come here to make it bearable for my little head!"
"You dine too much with leisure." He stood up, padding down his clothes—a simple cloak of ruby red. "I found that out the moment I met you."
"Mm… I also recall you having no friends," Flamen taunted, smirking lightly. "Do you remember? Your mind… it's different. All the knowledge you spat out got you nowhere, did it?"
"It made me friends with you."
"For your information, I'm still with you because I still pity."
Ecco didn't believe that. How come you've taken your way to wake me up? Of course, he did not assume. "I'd best get my bath. We have a lecture today, don't we?"
Flamen looked confused. "Did that newfound knowledge jog your memory? We're outdoors today. Three from the Fudge are visiting us—"
"The Fledge," Ecco corrected.
"Fledge, Fudge—whatever. What matters is that they're visiting us today. Combat demonstration, Old Wace called it."
"You mean to say we're fighting them?"
"I mean to say… I don't know either," Flamen laughed. "Come on! Get bathed and get dressed. The bells are close to ringing—best not be late."
And that Ecco did, rushing as fast as he could through the halls of bookshelves and up the many stairs. Of course, he was a small boy. He got tired easily, but when it came to classes, he was as swift as any trained knight.
Not a moment too soon did he arrive before the large bells of the Citadel rang. The lecture of Tutor Wace really was set to be outdoors, among the grassy space of the castle's field. There, all gathered in the center, were other scholars his age and level—Hatchlings, as they were often called.
"Late."
"Nearly late, my tutor."
With that reply, Ecco was gladly given a gentle tap on his head. "You must check your time better." The old man, nearly hunchbacked, made his way closer to the three students in front of him.
"You know who they are?" asked Flamen, who roughened his hair.
"By name? No…" The young boy smiled greatly, his hands shaking. "But by the Gods… the Fledge truly have arrived."
The boy nodded. "Are you a fanatic now, too?"
"Enough!" The boy's strained whisper was unfortunately heard.
"Boy at the back!" Tutor Wace turned around to see them, squinting his eyes to see where the boy at the back was. "You're the one who was nearly late. You spoke! Come forth, child."
Ecco did not dare move until his companion nudged him forward as he cursed under his breath. Once he arrived where his tutor was, he shivered. Perhaps he was scared for his life. Perchance, it could have been at the tutor's wrath. Deep within, maybe he feared for his stubborn friend, too.
"Do you know this man?" Tutor Wace glanced expectantly.
"By name, tutor?"
"Yes, by name."
He glanced up and down at the older lad in front of him. Odd, he thought. Hair of gold… unlike our men. Heavenly height… unlike what I often see. "Finn, tutor." Ecco guessed his own father's name. From behind, he could hear the restrained laugh of a young annoying Flamen.
The old man himself looked at the lad, and back at the boy "nearly late". "Does he look like a Finn?"
"Well…" He grew red with embarrassment as the lad he named raised his brow and smiled sweetly.
"Please, forgive him," said the lad, resting his hand on Ecco's shoulder. "He's a hatchling is all. They've been here three days—how could he have known, my tutor?"
The tutor nodded slowly. "Give him thanks, boy. Enoch has always been a merciful child even when he was a hatchling."
"And you've yet to change, tutor."
"Hah! Never will!"
Soon enough, Tutor Wace sent him back to the huddled group of students, with his companion smiling as if he'd been entertained by a hundred circuses.
"That's just foul."
Flamen did not turn, still paying attention. "You should give thanks to me. One of your idols just spoke to you—"
"Not in the way I wanted."
The old man finally began their session, gathering first the attention of the scholars and finally setting his staff on the soil.
"Now, we shall begin our combat demonstration." The old man gave way to the three. "What you see in front of you are the Fledglings. They are students, as you all are, but at the highest level before becoming true masters of the White Dragon's blessings."
The first one to come forward was Lady Hyacinthe. Her braided hair was long—reaching nearly to the soles of her feet. She did not smell of sweet ember as the other two did, but a gentle sound of humming escaped her mouth—a soothing tune.
"Charming," Flamen told him. "Too charming."
After her came a boy named Luke nearly as tall as Enoch, perhaps finer in look and even more dashing than the stuff of tales. His smile revealed an array of teeth—sharp and beastly in nature. The tone of his skin, the curl of his hair… he is not from here, Ecco thought. Though I'm sure the girls would not care.
Then there was Enoch himself—the largest of the three with his eyes pale and his linen robe of gold and cream forming waves behind him as the wind blew it.
Deep inside, Ecco still had the same question. Finally, he asked, "Are we to fight them, my tutor?"
The old man looked at him curiously. "Don't kid yourself, boy. Newly enrolled students facing off against three who are nearly masters… you have a death wish, I presume?"
The young boy shook his head.
"Good. Neither do I." Slowly, Tutor Wace paced the areas behind the three students and carefully drew a circle only about two men wide unto the grassy ground. "You will not be fighting today. You will watch and learn how a dragon-faith of white uses their abilities before you are to achieve yours. Understood?"
The students nodded, but Luke had something else to say. "My tutor… this is not the way you have taught us."
"And thus?"
"They will grow weak."
The tutor studied the lad's expression—concerned, angered, caring. "We were at war then. I'm sure you remember."
"War is coming," he replied. "Surely, you have not gone blind as well."
Before anybody else could say another word, Lady Hyacinthe rose from the shadow of her silence. "Enough, Luke. Let our tutor teach. We fought so they may enjoy what we didn't. It's a peaceful age, not a bloody one. He was our teacher. I'm sure he'll teach them well."
Slowly, the boy backed off.
"I would've thought he'd be like me." Flamen curled his fingers, saddened by the thought. "I thought he'd be fun and stubborn."
"Perhaps he's seen things we haven't."
The stubborn companion turned to face his friend. "Perhaps indeed."
Finally, the old man could announce the event uninterrupted. "Today, the goal of your seniors is to take my staff. I am not allowed to leave my cage, and I am certainly not allowed to hurt them severely. And they shall not murder me."
The three of the Fledge against… Old Tutor Wace? Ecco did not believe it. No… he couldn't imagine it.
Soon enough, the old man stepped into the circle and smiled gently, waving his staff as the three took to their positions—Enoch prepared to sprint towards him at full force, Lady Hyacinthe ready as if to pounce at him, and Luke standing calmly, his eyes fixated on either his target or the pupils that watched from afar.
Slowly, Tutor Wace raised his staff into the air. "Begin!"
Immediately, Enoch ran towards the old man, his eyes turning to flame as he raged, his body seemingly close to combustion and turning to flame itself. Lady Hyacinthe only needed to sing a note for her hair to turn alive, growing to ridiculous lengths and serving as her new legs and arms.
Luke remained stationary… studying the movements of his companions and his former mentor.
When it seemed that Enoch reached for the staff, the old man flew high to the air, his eyes closed and his breathing still, simply raising his hand as sharp bones from under the earth shot up, nearly impaling Lady Hyacinthe, who avoided them barely.
"I taught you all better than this!"
Enoch, on the other hand, was gaining ground, clinging to the sharp protruding boney spikes like his nails were clawed, swiftly reaching the tutor who was high in the air after a large jump. "Quite right, my tutor, but we've learned more!"
From behind him, Lady Hyacinthe appeared with the sun behind her, casting a shadow down upon their tutor as she shrieked loudly, shaking the ground. Her many tails that stemmed from her head charged at the old man, each with their tip turned to steel, and each one flew towards the old man in a frenzy of blades.
Dust. Ash. Both filled everything.
They fought well, Ecco thought. Surely, our tutor would not do this knowing he would perish…
His train of thought had been broken as a flaming Enoch was flung into their direction, landing at the feet of those at the front, a crater forming in its wake.
From below, the bones turned soft and charged towards Lady Hyacinthe, tangling her hair and pulling her back, slamming her against the soil. Tutor Wace did not look harmed. "You've all gone soft, hm? Perhaps Luke was right!" He clenched his fist tightly, slowly gliding down to the ground.
Behind him, Luke had finally appeared, his eyes glowing of heavenly light as he rained fire from the skies—a pillar of inferno directly upon the tutor's head that was brighter than the morning sun.
Enoch's eyes were finally ordinary, and Lady Hyacinthe's hair had settled to a single braid of still long length. Each stared in horror as their friend performed the miracle with a simple tilt of his head. He's dead, Ecco thought. Not even masters can survive dragon flame of… of that size.
The flame lasted for longer.
"Enough!" The booming voice of Enoch echoed throughout the field. "You've done plenty, Luke. The goal is the staff, not the tutor. You'll burn both!"
The lad looked at his friend, his eyes penetrating the flames. "And both of you have forgotten why we chose to become masters." He gazed at the pillar with curiosity. "I still feel a beating heart… from a man who has also forgotten his ways."
From his right, Lady Hyacinthe had finally recovered, sending her tails to the focused Luke, cutting his cheek lightly. "Stop your madness!"
Slowly, Luke turned to her, grabbing one of her tails tightly, with her strength not able to take it back. From his pocket, the boy took a blade that glimmered under the sun's light like glitter and severing a piece.
The "tail" flailed about, slamming into the ground and shedding back to the length of her hair. The rest of her tails did not move forward as she knelt and screamed with pain, as if a limb was torn from her body.
All of the students backed away… all except Ecco, who stood frozen.
Enoch's eyes burned with flame once again as he charged towards the flaming pillar, only to be sent back by a wave of fire that charred the left of his body, with blisters forming and the skin slowly healing.
"This is how we must be taught…" Luke's eyes began to smoke. "War comes soon, and we must prepare. I will not see this order crumble and grow weak!"
The students ran. Each one, screaming and calling for the nearest tutor, was swiftly blocked by the ring of fire that formed around them all. No… Ecco stood still, watching the chaos unfold—Lady Hyacinthe incapacitated and Enoch screaming in pain. Most of all… Tutor Wace was still in danger.
"Run, you fool!" Flamen's cries for him woke Ecco from his trance.
"We have to do something!" As the minute passed, two students were already partially burned by the flame. "How does one get past dragon fire? Do you remember?"
He looked at him confused. "Nobody goes through dragon fire!"
"But I read it!"
Another two were burned and one had perished trying to escape. Their time was running out. At last, Ecco's face brightened and he ran towards the flame.
Flamen followed behind, refusing to leave him. "Are you mad?"
"Dragon fire does not burn dragon bone," he explained, turning towards the protruding spikes. "Quickly, give me a blade!"
The stubborn boy threw him a dagger he kept from inside his belt sheath.
Ecco tried again and again to cut a large flat portion from the soft bone. At last, the blade of steel made only small dents as he tried with all his strength. If I die… I will die with honor. And it seemed to him he would.
Behind them, Luke finally spotted them, sending a wave of hell's fuel towards the boys. As it came, both Ecco and Flamen closed their eyes…
But they were not burned.
In front of them, Lady Hyacinthe rose, her tails shielding them from the fire. "What are you doing with that?" Her voice seemed strained, and her scalp bled. "Dragon bone…"
"We can form a layer of cover to move under the raining flame. If we can find Tutor Wace under all of that fire, we can take him out and he will deal with him."
"Is the old man immune to dragon flame?"
"There's a reason Luke hasn't stopped yet," she replied. "He's alive."
Luke began to waiver as four others have perished also, each trying their luck at him. When he saw that his female companion was standing, he paced closer. His walk turned into a sprint as he unleashed his dagger once more, making her flinch.
Alas, a roar came from behind as Enoch had jumped unto Luke. "Go!" His voice was of dragon and man. "Hyacinthe's blade can cut through dragon bone. Free the old tutor while I hold him down!"
With a fast move, her steel tipped hair had perfectly cut the portion they needed.
The two boys ran, each holding the large piece of dragon bone as they charged into the pillar of inferno, holding their breath as their clothes singed and they began to have blisters form. A little longer… just a little longer!
At last, Ecco heard the soft breaths of the old man above them.
"How… how will you get him?"
Without a single thought, he thrust his hand out into the burning flame, reaching and reaching as his fat rendered and his flesh began to melt. He screamed in agony as he gripped the old man's ankle, pulling him down under their cover. Ecco had no hand—only a husk of char.
"Gods be damned."
Flamen was left almost alone to hold it up. Behind them, the three battled fiercely. Clashes of steel and bursts of flame formed. The young boy, left with no choice, dragged the man with him as he held Ecco and made his way out.
When the old man was spotted by Luke out of the fire, his skin turned pale as another strike from Lady Hyacinthe's steel wounded his arm.
"Fool." Tutor Wace seemed renewed. "You dare murder my pupils, betray the order, and attempt to kill me?" He laughed, taunting him. "You did not learn well."
With a raise of his hand, the pillar was gone and so was the ring of fire. He walked closer to the three, who by that time had restrained the mad Luke. "You… you have forgotten the ways, tutor! You make them weak and set them for death!"
"You murdered them—not me."
The man's eyes turned from heavenly to his normal stare. "They died because you taught them to be naive. We are not you're testing mannequins. They should be dueling since the first day, just like we did! Just like the War! "
"Boys are already stupid. I've taught plenty and turned them to men. You may have fought a war, but you returned a boy still."
The boy's face darkened as he realized the truth.
"In the name of the White Dragon, and his warriors that hold his blessings, I declare you unworthy of this order. You shall be kept in exile at the dragon's mountain to be consumed."
"No…" Luke kicked and yelled, tears from his eyes forming. "You've lost your way! I will not see this castle fall—not under your hands!"
The young Flamen moved forward, the veins in his head flaring as he faced the boy who knelt. "Shut up." He held Ecco tightly by his wasit. "A warrior of the Gods doesn't butcher kids, you fool! Whatever the fuck you learned, go shove it in your ass."
"And what does a boy know? You've been here for three days–"
"I'm human. You're an animal– a boar that tasted meat and has went rogue. You've muddied your hide and now you're sent to slaughter." The boy's breathing began to shake. "Go and become the dragon's bastard like you've always been."