aldmoor academy

------------chapter two-----------

CORDELIA---

It felt like, my heart was beating in my stomach.

I slowly turned to face my sister who was standing there frozen in shock.

how could this be real? both sisters had gotten in? no. this had to be some kind of joke, after all the odds were hardly ever in our favor.

beside me Glynis audibly gulped, evidently thinking the same thing I had.

"What?" she breathed turning to look at me with a hesitant smile on her face, one that I gladly returned but before I could say anything, the man who read out the announcements came striding down the rows upon rows of people to get to us. I assessed his face and demeanor, he was impatient and had this waft of alcohol about him, following him like a dark, evil cloud.

"halt! " he booms in a voice that makes me almost positive that he is a wolf shifter. we tended to be... loud. "as a direct request from the king, I have been ordered to escort you both back to the academy where you will spend four years training to be dragon riders"

wow. he's rehearsed that speech.

Glynis was practically bursting with excitement at the prospect of going to the academy right away where as I just stared at the man in curiosity. however, before I can even get the chance to voice my concerns, two more guards I don't recognize from the town square saunter up to our group while their silver blades gleam furiously at their hips. One of the guards leans in towards the announcer and says in barely above a whisper, but still loud enough that my enhanced ears pick it up,

"General Caitem, we need to start moving, the king does not like to be left waiting,"

so the first guard, or should I say general's, name is Caitem. interesting, even his name sounds untrustworthy. although, one particular part of what that guard said to Caitem catches my eye.

did he just say 'the king'?

my blood boils at the thought of having to face the man who caused the kingdom so much pain. the man who killed my father.

I turn to face my sister and see that she's noticed that little detail too. I see a wide range of emotions flight across her face including rage as she no doubt recalls the night we came home from school only to find all our money gone and our father in a pool of his blood and a slit in his throat. to this day we still don't know why exactly the king murdered our father in cold blood but we know it was him. the king marks all of his' victims' with a single red rose laid upon their dismembered corpses. I have to choke back a sob just thinking about that day but I know that if I cry Glynis will too and the next thing you know, well both be on the floor in a mess of cries and sloppy hugs. Ever since that dreadful day, me and glyn were forced to survive on the streets and live in the slums of Tarrin, barely making it by stealing food and sleeping in a shack the size of a small bedroom. it was all we could afford. but all that's about to change for the better.

not realizing I zoned out, the sound of General Caitems voice pulls me out of my trance.

"We need to go now, are you girls ready?" the general says harshly, I can tell that he has probably guessed that we don't have many belongings other than the thing in our matching brown leather satchels.

Glynis nods timidly as I do the same. without another word, General Caitem turns on his heel and, followed by the other guards, all but marches toward three military-grade vehicles, armed. the sight makes me gulp and I feel Glynis's hands, which somehow managed to get interlocked with mine, clench. I look at her and give her what I hope is a comforting smile as an armed guard practically shoves us into the back of the car, if you could even call it that, more like a death vehicle.

I'm pulled out of my thoughts when the car lurches forward and we start to drive through the village, it's not long until I'm staring out of the backseat at the familiar sight of the market, fading away into the distance. I watch as we leave my home behind. my village. my people. my life.

one hour later-----

I awake with a jolt as the general open the door I was leaning on, causing me to fall nearly.

rude.

"wake up your sister, we're here," he says in a bored tone.

I shake Glynis awake and step out of the car to view my surroundings with curiosity. my mouth fell agape as I stared at the scene in front of me. the academy was big, to say the least. a long narrow pathway leads up to a large 5o ft tall wall that bends around the entire castle. the roofs are a worn navy blue, representing the kingdom of Tsrrin's official color. the castle itself is huge, taller than the eye could see complete with hundreds of glass windows that seemed to take up all the walls. the parts that were not covered in copious amounts of windows, however, I can see they are cream. the tourettes are long and the tops are impossibly sharp. I hate to think about what would happen if you fell on one, probably tremendous pain. in the distance, I can see large mountaintops behind the castle, no doubt where the dragon games are held. every year, Aldmoor Academy hosts annual dragon games, in which only the toughest, smartest, and most quick of their students are selected to compete. the games consist of 4 trials: strength, bravery, intelligence, and selflessness. each trial is different from the last. however the dragon games are very exclusive and no one knows for sure what is going to happen in each trial, not even the contestants. the winners of the games are given ridiculous amounts of money and a better chance of making it into the king's guard. the thought of working for such a monster shakes me to my core

"oh my god," Glynis exclaims staring at the academy in awe "This place looks like a palace!"

I imagine it was, at some point. from where we stand at the grand entrance gates, I can see a woman standing at the door to the academy, standing tall, and looking impatient and slightly constipated.

"any day now ladies," the guard chuckles in a deep, mocking voice as I glare at him for talking to us like children. nevertheless, I grab Glyn by the hand and we make our descent down the long winding path. at least five minutes go by of me, Glynis, General Caitem, and two other guards just walking awkwardly towards the wall surrounding the castle, toward the tall woman. we finally make it there and I take my time to study the woman in front of us whilst she talks to the several guards escorting us, in hushed tones.

the first thing about her that I notice is her eyes, they're steel grey and calculating. her facial features are sharp and defined by the tight high bun that her hair is in. She is dressed in silver armor with thick shoulder blades and elbow protectors. a pristine-looking sword is attached to her back and the grey contrasts with her overly pale skin.

she clears her through politely, "Hello ladies, welcome to Aldmoor Academy". the woman's voice is low and she speaks slowly, as if she's got all the time In the world, as if we're supposed to count ourselves lucky that she's even speaking to us.

"My name is Professor Sharp, and I will be your instructor for the next four years of your miserable lives," she says. Professor Sharp turns on her heel and shouts to the top of the wall surrounding the academy, I notice two guards in silver leather standing at the two posts on top of the wall.

"Open the gates!" I hear the professor shout. the guards nod and each grabs two small levers that I didn't notice before now. they turn and turn the levers and slowly the gigantic gate opens, revealing the inside of the academy.

professor Sharp starts to walk forward and me and Glynis look at each other in confusion. Are we supposed to follow her or...? I turn around when I hear the start of an engine. General Caitem waves at us mockingly from the passenger seat of the military vehicle we arrived here in. Huh. I guess I was too busy marveling at the academy to notice him and his entourage walking away. a bad feeling settles in my stomach. why were they so quick to leave? I can't help but think that maybe if we were smart, we leave too. I face my sister, ready to voice my concerns when Sharp sighs impatiently.

"Are you coming or not, we don't have all day ladies"

I take Glynis's hand and she gives me one last reassuring look before we both force our feet to move forwards and cross the threshold, entering the Academy.

this is supposed to be an exciting opportunity, right? So why can't I shake the feeling that we're being marched to our deaths?