Upon entering the changing room, Draco quickly scanned the stone-walled room. The long, windowless room was divided into sections by six large metal lockers, which looked as though they were intended for storing armour and other equipment needed for training exercises. A small bench was attached to the wall beside each one to make it easier to put on certain pieces of armour. Above the seats hung dwarven lamps casting a steady, slightly yellowish light. On the wall opposite the entrance, practically right up against the ceiling, were air vents providing ventilation for the room.
The dragon flinched when something moved within his field of vision and instinctively caught it. In his hand, he felt a cold key with some sort of keyring attached. He looked in the direction from which the object had come. Parthir nodded at him and pointed to the locker at the far end of the room.
'The one on the left is yours.' The rough voice didn't quite match the boy's appearance.
'Thanks.' The reptile smiled sincerely, but parthir had already turned towards his locker and started taking off his uniform. He went about his business, just like the others.
Cedric walked over to the first locker to the right of the door; opposite him, a troll from their class was listlessly getting ready, and right next to him stood an elf with earrings in his ears. The dragon stifled a sigh of frustration, realising there was no point in hoping his team-mates would be talkative. Although the fact that, apart from Cedric, none of them had introduced themselves did border on the absurd.
'Don't dawdle; we're not going to wait around for you,' grumbled the young Retfield, seeing the reptile's sluggishness.
Draco shot the Scion's brother a brief and somewhat unfriendly glance, but nevertheless set off. On the way, he glanced at the key he was still holding, though the tag attached to it, bearing the inscription:
D. Ignis
III-2/45-5
It seemed the place had been assigned to him beforehand, and the decision to place him in this particular team hadn't been made on the spur of the moment. However, he had no one to ask why. The only consolation he could take was that, compared to Dagos, all four of them were actually quite nice. Taking into account the behaviour of the other pupils in their class as well, he expected it would be easier to get on with them.
'Don't worry, they'll get over it eventually.' The calm, quiet voice belonged to the elf, who was sitting on his bench, carefully wrapping bandages around his hands. 'They're not really the jerks they're trying to come across as.' He stated without looking up. 'I'm Zane. This is Shath.' He pointed to the troll, who didn't seem to mind. 'And the one who greeted you is Noah.' Parthir paused dressing and nodded to the dragon. 'Cedric's probably introduced himself, but he might just as well have kept quiet.' The elf shot a meaningful glance at Retfild's back as he pretended not to have heard the dig.
'Thanks, I'm Draco.' He took the plunge and held out his hand to the talkative lad. To his own surprise, the elf shook his hand, then went back to putting on his wraps. The dragon had to admit that Zane didn't look the part, but his handshake was very firm. On closer inspection, it was hard not to notice that the lad specialised in hand-to-hand combat, as indicated by his worn leather wraps, bruised knuckles and grazes on his palms suggesting familiarity with brass knuckles. Furthermore, it was only now that the dragon was able to tell that the elf was very agile.
'Cedric was right, though, that you should hurry up.' Zane looked up, and it turned out that his earlier general weariness with life had been somewhat dispelled by a faint smile. 'If anything, I'll wait,' he added, going back to checking whether he'd tightened the straps properly.
The dragon didn't need to be told this so many times and began to move of his own accord, even though he didn't know what to do next. He wasn't really prepared for practical training and doubted he'd find anything in the wardrobe. However, he opened the metal door and was taken by surprise. Oscar had really thought of everything. He thought to himself as he saw the white gambeson, cut in the style of an Ed'heer uniform and reinforced at the shoulders, elbows and chest with pieces of thick leather. In addition to the outer garment, all the other items of armour were laid out on the shelf beside it: trousers made of thick fabric, a plain shirt, long leather gloves, greaves and a helmet. At the bottom of the wardrobe stood a pair of high boots made of reinforced leather. All the items were immaculately white, with blue stitching and the lining of the gambeson.
Draco set about changing, trying not to notice that the three others in their team had just finished and left, leaving him alone with the elf. The opportunity presented itself, practically begging for a conversation to begin.
'Have I offended them in some way?' he blurted out, setting Gler'thys down beside the wardrobe.
'Don't take it personally. They react like that to every newcomer.' The calm voice seemed to encourage him to believe the other person. 'Actually, there's a reason for it.'
'I wonder what it is.' He didn't want it to sound blunt, but he didn't seem to have managed it. 'Sorry, Zane, I shouldn't have asked.'
'You'll probably find out at the first opportunity anyway.' A quiet sigh seemed strangely fitting for the elf. 'In our first year, a new student joined our group. Somewhere around the middle of the term. As we were short of a fifth member, Carter assigned him to us. He was having a bit of trouble keeping up with the material, so Cedric made it a point of honour to help him. That's how we spent half a year.' Another sigh, this time full of disappointment. 'We thought we'd become friends and got on well together. The five of us passed the year and the holidays came, and then came the shock. Suddenly, our supposed friend turned out to be Frank Kerling's loyal lackey. He's the sort of…'
'I've had the displeasure of meet him,' Draco interjected, helping him get on with the story.
'Oh, in that case, I'm sorry,' Zane almost snorted. 'I don't need to tell you how Cedric reacted to that, given he treated the lad almost like his own brother.'
'I imagine so.' The dragon merely grunted in reply. He had neither the experience nor any precedent for such behaviour. 'It must have really hurt him, seeing as he's still holding a grudge a year on.'
'If your best mate were to sling mud at you every day, whilst boasting that it was only thanks to him that you'd achieved anything, you wouldn't be too keen on new faces either.'
Draco made no comment. If he'd wanted to, he could easily have cited a wide range of far more hurtful and cruel behaviours that could be directed at another person. He shuddered, but not because of the memories, only because he realised how dispassionately he approached the matter. He shook himself and took the gambeson off the hanger. It turned out that a one-and-a-half-handed practice sword was hanging on the back wall of the wardrobe. A decent weapon with blunted edges.
'And since this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to Cedric, that's how he reacts to everyone now,' Zane concluded wearily.
'Right, I can understand him, but…' He didn't finish his thought, not wanting to offend his new friends.
'I know, it's not what you were expecting.' Zane stepped out from behind the wardrobe and leaned against it. He was wearing trousers and a shirt made of thick canvas, as well as bracers, shoulder guards and hand wraps. It seemed that the equipment for practical training largely depended on the cadet's personal preferences. 'You might find their behaviour a bit much, but apart from that, they won't cause any trouble. I guarantee it.' The elf glanced towards the door. 'You'll see for yourself, anyway. I assume neither Cedric nor Carter mentioned today's class to you.'
Draco shook his head as he finished fastening the buckles on his gambeson. It fit like a glove. He reached for his sword and glanced at the silent boy.
'They didn't say anything. I only got the timetable today, so I had no idea I needed to prepare for anything. Luckily, my master's butler sorted out everything I needed.' He smiled more broadly.
'You'd have managed even without that, it's just a shame about the decent clothes.' Zane shrugged. 'Anyway. We're having joint lessons with Group Ten today, and it looks like we'll be seeing them more often.'
'Aiden said as much. I think we've got alchemy together, and riding as well.' Draco pulled on a pair of long gloves and reached for his helmet and practice sword.
'So you do know someone, after all.' A crooked smile appeared on the elf's face, though it was hardly a grimace so much as the result of his rarely changing facial expressions.
'We met during the exam. In the meantime, he's managed to explain a thing or two about Solvein to me.' The dragon looked around to see if he'd forgotten anything. The rest of his belongings were neatly folded in the wardrobe, and his school cloak hung where his gambeson should have been. He closed the metal door and slipped the key into a buttoned pocket on the side. 'I suppose we can go,' he said, picking up the steel sword and helmet.
'No need to rush; Cedric went a bit overboard earlier.' Zane rolled up his shirt sleeves and adjusted his earrings, checking each one with his fingers. 'We usually wait outside the training hall at the very bottom, but that's not where our lesson will be today. Before the holidays, Carter told us that at the start of the year we'd have a field combat test, based on which we'd be assigned to groups according to our level of proficiency in fencing and combat in general. So we're heading out into the field, which means the woods behind the Academy.'
'Sounds interesting.' Draco quite liked the idea of field training combined with combat, although he didn't yet know what form it would take. The only thing that might worry him was teamwork within their group, though he didn't even know yet if that would happen. 'Don't pay any attention to how the other three behave; just do your bit and it'll be fine.' Zane gave the reptile a reassuring pat on the back and opened the door onto the corridor. 'Maybe they'll warm to you quickly.'
*****************************************************************************************************
Outside the hall at the very base of the Tower of Fire, nearly sixty cadets had gathered, equipped with all manner of gear. This ranged from loose, unrestrictive outfits similar to Zane's, through various types of reinforced armour, to full suits of armour. Each of them also carried a training weapon, although most of these were swords of various kinds. They all seemed to be gathering in groups, engaged in lively discussions whilst casting appraising glances around them.
'Draco!' Aiden patted the lad standing next to him on the shoulder and waved at the dragon. A broad smile seemed to be permanently fixed on the redhead's face, which was a bit odd given his nervous nature. 'Hi, Zane,' he called out as he approached them. The elf merely muttered something under his breath. 'Yeah, I thought I'd see you lot together. Cedric and the others have gone off somewhere on the other side,' he added, pointing down the corridor that ran the length of the entire floor.
'You're in good spirits.' The reptile looked around once more, trying to commit to memory at least a little of what he might have to face. 'Aren't you nervous?'
'A bit, but…' Aiden faltered, as if suddenly flustered. 'Instructor Hartmann recommended another alchemist to me.'
'See, that's a step forward.'
'It's something, at least.' The boy shrugged and looked around, as if making sure no one could hear him. 'Watch out for Kerling,' he warned conspiratorially. 'He can hold a grudge, and you've really got under his skin.'
'Did something happen between the two of you?' Zane interjected.
'Frank mistook Draco for one of Cedric's brothers and made some rather crude jokes.'
'He's lucky we can't fight at Solvein,' the dragon almost gnashed his teeth. 'I'd love to show him, quite bluntly, that he needs to take responsibility for his words.'
'Don't count on it,' the elf snorted. 'His father has too much money and too many connections in academic circles.'
The reptile didn't have time to reply, as a boy not much older than them came out of the hall and looked around at the gathering.
'Today's tests will take the form of a territory-capture exercise,' announced the assistant instructor. 'You are to operate within your own teams, unless otherwise stated in the instructions. Group Ten will play the role of defenders, and Group Two the attackers. If you have any questions, come and see me after the tests.'
There was no time to waste, so they set off straight away, following the monotonous crowd.