aldmoor academy

--------chapter 3--------

GLYNIS

me and Lia walk into the castle grounds, following after professor Sharpe. she seams really uptight and borderline sociopathic but I'm sure she's not really like that once you get to know her... right?

my fingers squeeze onto Cordelia's for dear life as we marvel at all the buildings around us, this all seems unreal, like a dream I have yet to wake up from. I see several people sitting around a patch of grass reading books. probably history I think to myself. history is the only real class taught at Aldmoor Academy, everything else is all dragon or rider-based. I hear grunts and clashes of metal and I spin around to pinpoint the cause. To my left, in the middle of the courtyard is a raised platform, and on it are two men sword-fighting whilst a small crowd looks on with the occasional cheer. wow. they are really going at it, one of the guys is sporting a rather painful looking gash that runs across the length of his bare arms, whilst the other guy is holding his sword with one hand and clutching his side, no one seems to be even slightly concerned and continue to cheer them on. As me, Lia and professor Sharpe Walk past, I can't help but feel as if we might get more than we bargained for here.

we keep on walking until we reach a large arched door so big, a dragon could pass through, not that I would know. No one knows what a dragon looks like, except riders of course, and even then they don't get one until halfway through their first year at Aldmoor. no one except riders and the royal families are allowed to see the dragons, especially in battle. any civilians that manage to see them during battle, are wiped of their memory afterward by the king himself, who happens to be the only person/ rider with that seal ability.

nobody knows why the dragons insist on this but most assume that it's because they want to protect their young and avoid being hunted by non-riders. Although, now that i think about it? who would be stupid enough to try and capture a dragon.

professor Sharpe brings out a ring of different coloured keys ranging from rose gold, silver, gold and black. She hurriedly unlocks the door, as if she has more important places to be. The woman takes hold of the door and turns back to look at us.

"Try not to get trampled on"

what's that supposed to mean I think to myself and spare a glance towards Cordelia who is probably thinking the same thing and turn my attention back to the woman before us.

she smiles at our confused expressions and sighs boredly before pushing open the surely heavy wooden door. At once, my senses are flooded by the sound of chatter and the shuffling of heavy boots. Turns out, the door the professor opened leads to a large passageway/ corridor. students of aldmoor academy walk hurriedly through from left to right.

Sharpe doesn't give us time to marvel at the passageway and starts to walk forward. me and Lia practically have to jog to keep up with her impossible pace. She was right though; I have to fight to not be stepped on by the passing students. They don't take any notice of me and Lia even in our run-down village clothes. I'm eager to get away from the crowd as I feel the overwhelmingly familiar rise of anxiety coil in my stomach and resist the urge to throw up. The riders however, are dressed in a large variety of battle armour, flight suits and black leather. Everyone looks... strangely menacing in their gear and out of the corner of my eye I see Cordelia clutch the side of her simple dress in what Is no doubt self-consciousness.

Professor Sharpe reaches, yet again, another, smaller door and I don't even realise we've stopped walking. Instead of opening the door she simply stands there, staring at it. before i can ask why she's not moving, Sharpe mutters some sort of incantation that leaves confused and bewildered, before finally opening the door and stepping through. me and Cordelia follow her through and i nearly faint at the sight. i thought the passageway we were just in was big, well it pales in comparison to what lies before me now. the room were in is impossibly large with all sides of it lined with infinitely tall stairs with doors on different platforms.