Chapter 8

Raiel coughed and moaned in pain, as a hard boot stomped down with force on his solar plexus. Suddenly, his breath wouldn’t come, and he started to panic more and more with every failed inhalation. He tried to suck in air, but the breath was caught in his throat every time, unwilling to enter his lungs.

“Well,” said Clavic, waving the branch in his hand around like a sword. “are you not going to protest? Are you not going to defend yourself?” he waited for an answer, but when Raiel could do nothing but lie gasping on the ground, his face turned cold.

“You don’t belong here!” he snarled and thrust the stick into Raiel’s ribs with an abrupt jab, eliciting another gasp for air. “We, on the other hand, do. Our bloodlines put us above your kind. What would people think, if suddenly nobles and commoners mingled like that? Think about that!” Clavic turned away and paced around in an attempt to calm himself, allowing Raiel to regain his composure.

As Raiel became able to think clearly again, he felt his own rage build. His face grew hotter and his body started to shiver wildly. He wanted to scream, but kept his mouth shut as tightly as he could, his lips a white line.

That cursed boy was grinning to himself in satisfaction, having beaten Raiel for no discernible reason. Raiel’s fingers curled into a half fist in the dirt and the shaking got even worse as he desperately wished to rip out his assailant’s throat and tear the flesh from his body. He hungered for the thrill of a bloody hunt. The thrill of a slaughter.

But, he could not. It would not do. There were things here he had to do, which were more important than his petty scuffles and badly controlled temper. He would have to escape from their attack before he did something that could not be undone. And it would have to be soon. The Huntley brothers stood over Raiel, gazing at him, their faces expressionless, as if the events unfolding in front of them were wholly uninteresting.

Raiel braced himself for the pain to come as he waited for the right moment to flee. With a sudden cry of frustration, Clavic spun around and brought his weapon down on the ground right between Raiel’s legs with a loud thump, making the younger boy wince.

“How was a damned orphan like you even allowed to come here?” Clavic exclaimed.

Raiel didn’t think it a wise idea to reveal his circumstances, especially not this early or to someone like Clavic, so his mouth remained shut. Instead, he glared defiantly at Clavic, whose anger only seemed to intensify at this. Raiel honestly could not comprehend where Clavic's animosity stemmed from. They had barely met, and he was already flying off the handle.

Clavic scowled at Raiel and made to kick him, but Raiel's own foot shot out and intercepted Clavic’s kick. Raiel caught the older boy in the knee, resulting in a dull crack and a sharp inhalation from Clavic, who tried to contain a yelp of pain. Before the three boys had a chance to retaliate, Raiel was on his feet, sprinting away. Luckily, his backpack was still strapped to his shoulders, so he didn’t have to worry about getting it with him.

He headed toward the campus with no other clear direction in mind. He would have to see if he couldn’t find a place to hide until he could get away unseen. If he could avoid it, he’d prefer to not get into this kind of trouble before his first day had even begun.

As he ran, Raiel silently applauded himself for his ability to turn away from his instincts and resist his deadly urges, unsure whether it was something he would be capable of doing a second time if he had to. He would, however, not forget the deeds of those three boys, and it would be paid back in full. He promised himself that much, at least. In his mind, it was crucial that he did not make himself someone whom everyone could trample into the mud whenever they felt like it.

Looking back, he saw that the Huntley brothers were quite far behind him, but were gaining on him much faster than he’d anticipated. Their pace outstripped what he’d thought possible of any humans. Clavic himself was following, as well, but the limp in his gait said he wouldn’t be the one to worry about right now. Raiel desperately tried to make his legs go even faster, but he could feel his limit clearly. There was no more to give. He might make it to the campus before they caught him, but not much further. He feared what would happen when they caught him.

Raiel cursed the trio for their actions, and once more found the disgust at the way he had been treated in the past four months and the yearning for the fellowship of his own kind colliding within him in a tumultuous struggle. These opposing notions were two sides of the same coin, and he had begun to suspect that one could not exist without the other.

As he neared the buildings, he chose an alley between two ordinary houses at random and headed straight for it. The Huntley brothers continued to draw closer and closer, and Raiel could see their expressionless faces just as he slipped into the alley. He stormed through the narrow gap between the two houses, past barrels, crates, windows, and doors.

A door to his right stood ajar and when he tried looking in, a hand shot out and grabbed him by his collar. Raiel was pulled through the doorway and a hand closed around his mouth, muffling his words of protest and surprised exclamation. The hand smelled of dirt and plant sap. The door was closed enough to only let a tiny speck of light through the gap between door and door frame.

“Hey, be quiet! He—hey, don’t move around so much! They’ll hear us!” a quiet voice whispered into his ear, the warm breath on his neck causing goosebumps on Raiel’s skin. He understood what the voice meant, but still ripped the hand away. He was perfectly capable of being quiet without a hand covering his mouth!

Footsteps approached outside, and Raiel and the person behind him remained deathly quiet. Two shadows passed the door outside before the footsteps came to a stop. Muffled mumbling could be heard as the Huntley brothers spoke softly to each other.

Soon, a separate set of footsteps announced Clavic’s arrival. He wasn’t running, but instead cursed under his breath as he hobbled through the alley.

“Well, where the hell is he?” he snapped.

“We lost him, Clavic. He ran in here, but he’s gone. Probably just taking random turns to get us off his trail, by my guess.” Duhen said. Or perhaps it was Hector.

“Fuck!” Clavic yelled as he stomped on the ground with his good leg.

“Hey, man. Let’s just forget it and go get something to eat instead. I’m starving.” one of the brothers said.

“No. I’m not in the mood right now.” Clavic grumbled.

“Yeah, okay. Guess we’ll see you around, then.”

The brothers started walking again. They discussed what to get to eat as their voices gradually faded. No sound had told Raiel that Clavic had left, as well. He and his unknown rescuer sat still and silent, waiting for any indication of Clavic’s departure. Finally, the tell-tale gait of someone favoring one leg over the other clacked against the cobbled street of the alley.

“Damned orphan…” was all that was heard before the alleyway was empty once again. None of them moved, content to wait for their nerves to calm a bit first.

“You…think he’s gone?” the voice whispered.

“Yes.” Raiel stated plainly. “He is gone.”

“How can you be so sure?” the voice questioned.

“I heard him leave.”

“Yeah, me too but…what if that’s just a trick?”

“A trick?” Raiel asked, puzzled.

“Yeah. What if he just pretended to leave to get us to come out?” The voice shook slightly.

Instead of answering, Raiel simply stood up from the wooden floor and walked casually to the door, pushing it open unceremoniously. He heard a gasp from the dark corner of the room and turned to look at the owner of the voice. It was a boy around his own age with a tangled mop of black hair. The boy was a bit on the smaller side, but his age was still quite easy to discern. He sat against the wall, fearfully looking out into the alley, afraid that his suspicion might be correct. His face was slightly round with dark eyes.

Slowly, the boy stood on shaky legs. He walked over and peered out of the door to the left and right, checking for himself, that Clavic and the Huntley brothers really were gone. When he was satisfied, he leaned against the wall inside the house, breathing a great sigh of relief. Then he turned to Raiel and shot him a stern look.

“What the hell, man! Why did you bring ‘em here?” the boy scolded with a voice that cracked more than once.

Raiel frowned, not understanding. “I did not bring them. They chased me.” he clarified.

“Yeah, yeah, but did you have to run right towards me?” he exclaimed, “That guy Maledes – he’s powerful, rich, and has got his head up his own ass! He’s seriously bad news.”

“How?” Raiel asked, confusion evident on his face.

“What?”

“How does he do that?”

“How does he do what?” the boy looked at him with narrowed eyes.

“How does he get his head up there?” Raiel elaborated.

The boy took a long moment to process Raiel’s question before he answered.

“… It’s just something you say… He’s a total snob!” he noted with clear annoyance.

Raiel left the boy to his complaining as he once more peered out of the door to see if the coast was clear. A few people on the main street passed the darkened alley, but otherwise, none were nearby. Raiel turned to the boy, who had stopped to look at him.

“I’m going.” Raiel said, and spun on his heel to exit. He started toward the main street, noticing the scent in the air. It was fresher here than in the big city. He liked this place much better. A slight bustling could be heard all around, but it was nowhere near the chaos of Canyon’s Gate. The boy called out and came bounding after Raiel.

“Wait! Where are you going?” he asked carefully, still scanning the area for any signs of Raiel’s assailants.

“They’re waiting for me.” Raiel told him without stopping.

“Who are waiting for you?” the boy asked.

Raiel stopped abruptly as he realized he did not have a clue. Neither did he know where he was supposed to go. Only that it was here on campus. He faced the boy, who had bumped into him face first when he suddenly stopped. Raiel put his hands on the boy’s shoulders and looked him in the eyes intently.

“You must show me the way.” he said, “Please.” he added. For good measure.

“Erh, okay. But who do you have to meet?” the boy enquired with a look somewhere between worry and confusion.

“I’m new.” was all Raiel could say. He stared expectantly at the boy.

“So… Maybe the admission office?”

“Yes! The admission office! That sounds perfect!” Raiel exclaimed happily. “Let us go to this admission office!” He smiled brightly and gestured for the boy to lead the way.

They walked through the street, past shops with doors opened wide, delicious smells coming from within. Raiel stopped to look in the window of a certain shop, where a myriad of diverse wooden contraptions were displayed. He asked the boy what they were, and was told that they were instruments, and that they played music. He knew what music was. During his imprisonment, the night carried many sounds of merriment and happiness. He had yearned to be a part of it all, but had been held back by the bars on his window and the lock on his door. If possible, he would like to play music.

Raiel wanted to go inside to look at the rest of the merchandise, but was pulled along by the boy, who, by the look of childish wonder in Raiel’s eyes, thought they would never come back out again.

Raiel’s attention was quickly caught again by the delicious scent of freshly baked bread and pastries. He ran towards the smell, much to the dismay of his guide, and ended up in front of a building with a large sign above the open door.

“Bay-ker-ry… Bakery.” Raiel read aloud. “What’s a bakery?” he asked the boy, who came up next to him.

“Well, they bake stuff and sell it.” he answered, perplexed. “You’ve never seen one?”

“No.” Raiel said with wonder.

Before the other boy could stop him, he had gone inside, lured by the sweet and savory smells. Inside, a smiling clerk stood behind the counter, on which he presented all manners of cookies, cakes, and sweets. The windows of the shop covered the entire outer wall from floor to ceiling, casting a gentle and warm light on the interior. Shelf upon shelf of baked goods sent Raiel’s saliva flowing and he wanted to eat everything, until he would have to be rolled out.

Seeing Raiel standing in an oblivious torpor, the baker chuckled jollily and pulled out a plate of small, bite-sized slices of something that looked like a cream-filled bun from another shelf under the counter. He set them in front of his new customer, who ogled the slices with a dreamy gaze.

Trying to contain his laughter, the baker grabbed a bag of chocolate icing from his worktop and squeezed a large, viscous gob onto two of the pieces.

“Try a slice of my famous cream puffs, made with hazelnut powder for extra flavor.” he offered. “Homemade recipe, courtesy of my humble self. The secret ingredient is sugar.” he added with a wink. Raiel pointed to the plate with hesitation and a questioning look, seeking confirmation that he’d heard the man right. The baker nodded enthusiastically and gestured reassuringly with a hand.

Raiel snatched up a slice of the soft, yet crispy pastry and stuffed in into his mouth before the baker could change his mind, or his disapproving guide pulled him away from yet another new and exciting shop.

The explosion of taste took Raiel completely by surprise and he was almost knocked off his feet. The sweet cream complimented the savorier bun so well that he found himself swallowing when he really wanted to chew. The chocolate on top only added to the tasty goodness. He almost reached for the second slice before stopping himself, not wanting to upset the baker with rude behavior, thus ruining his chances at another piece.

He was, however, caught staring intently, and the large man couldn’t help but laugh heartily.

“Go ahead. Take the other as well.” The baker managed to say in between fits of laughter. Raiel’s hand shot forward in a blur and the pastry vanished as the baker’s muscular frame shook with mirth.

“So,” the man began after having calmed down. “See anything you’d like? My prices are quite reasonable.” he assured the boy, who was still licking is lips. Raiel looked around the shop and couldn’t find anything he didn’t want. He paused before looking out of the open front door.

“Hey… so, uh, what’s your name?” he called to his unfortunate guide. The boy crossed his arms and snorted with indignation.

“It’s Yaeth.” the boy replied. “Thanks for asking.” he added sarcastically.

“You’re welcome! I’m Raiel. Yaeth, please buy cream puffs for me!” Raiel begged and a booming laughter resounded from within the shop. A seething and red-faced Yaeth stomped over to Raiel.

“Why would I pay for your food?” he growled with a look of incredulity.

“Because it tastes really good and I don’t have any money. Don’t you want to try it?” Raiel asked him, tilting his head.

“Good prices, too!” the baker called from within the shop.

“Good prices, too.” Raiel echoed.

“… No, I don't.” Yaeth mumbled after a small pause.

“But you should try it, Yaeth.” Raiel insisted. “You won’t believe how good it is. I’m sure you’ll want to buy them if you taste them.”

Yaeth remained silent as he tried to gather enough self-restraint to decline the offer.

The two boys strolled down the street, each munching on a chocolate covered cream puff. Raiel couldn’t help but hum as he ate, remembering a happy melody he’d heard played in the night a few times from the cell. Yaeth resolutely kept a slight frown as he attempted to show that, even if he had ended up liking the pastry so much that he bought five of them, he most certainly wasn’t happy about it.

The crowd around them was almost non-existent compared to the city and Raiel felt much more comfortable walking here. A few street merchants called out to the boys, asking them to come over and peruse their wares. Raiel wanted to go and look, but Yaeth always managed to catch him by the neck of his jerkin, unwilling to see the previous incident repeat itself with something else Raiel just happened to fall for.

“So, where are you from?” Yaeth asked as he wiped a wad of whipped cream from his cheek.

“Raha.” Raiel immediately answered, mouth full of cake.

“W-what?” Yaeth stuttered and looked questioningly at Raiel, sure he’d heard wrong.

Raiel took a moment to finish chewing before he spoke. “The Raha forest. That’s where I come from.” He said in between swallows.

“Are you from a village in the forest? I didn’t know there were any.” Yaeth mused. “Aren’t there ferocious beasts further in?” he added, growing a bit excited.

“Not a village. Just me.” Raiel corrected quietly. Yaeth stopped walking and just stared dumbfounded at Raiel. He didn’t know what to think about such a thing, other than that it had to be a lie. But he wouldn’t accuse someone he just met of lying to his face. He didn’t have the nerves for that.

“But how?” he asked.

“I…don’t know.” A somber mood came over Raiel as he tried, to no avail, to recall his distant past. A seething darkness suddenly flooded his vision when he attempted to remember, and he went to one knee as his head swam with a painful buzzing, like the sound of voices through water. Muffled and unintelligible.

As quickly as the discomfort had appeared, it vanished again, not a trace of it left. He stood up, confused. Yaeth looked at him worriedly, his hand on Raiel’s shoulder to support him as he got to his feet.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, thank you.” Raiel managed to utter despite his disorientation.

“What happened?” Yaeth questioned, wondering if he should change their course and go to the infirmary instead.

“I-I’m not sure. But I think it’s over. I’m fine.” Raiel said uncertainly. “Let’s go.”

“If you’re sure…” Yaeth followed, keeping an eye on his new acquaintance, just in case he decided to go tumbling to the ground again.

They walked in silence for about another five minutes before coming to a stop in front of a massive building, built of what looked to be several thousand stone blocks, all neatly stacked on top of each other. Another impressive construction.

“This is it. You feel up to it, or do you want to sit down for a bit?” Yaeth said and tried to lead Raiel by his single intact sleeve to a nearby bench. But Raiel gently removed Yaeth’s hand and shook his head.

“No, I really am fine. Let’s just go inside.” he smiled.

Stepping inside, the admission office resembled the hospital in that the first thing he noticed was a large and wide front desk, a single woman seated behind, deeply immerged in something in front of her. He couldn’t see what it was, since a part of the desk was raised, blocking his view. She wore small glasses, perched on the tip of her nose, and her dark hair was tied tightly in a bun. She didn’t seem to notice the pair before Yaeth called out to her.

“Excuse me, ma’am. Could you help us?” Yaeth walked up to the desk, Raiel standing behind him.

“Yes?”

“He’s new.” he said pointing to Raiel with a thumb over his shoulder. “Where should we go?”

The woman scanned whatever lay in front of her as she answered “Name?”

“I’m Raiel.” he answered. Unable to help himself he stepped forward and peeked above the desk to see what she was looking at. He had never seen so much paper in his whole life. And all of it had writing on it. He wanted to take a closer look at what was written, but thought better of it, considering the situation.

“Ah, yes. You’re expected.” she concluded after searching her desk for a specific document and going through what looked like a list. “The administrative office of the fifth wing will see you. It’s right down this hall, marked by a sign for ‘5th wing’.” she instructed.

“I know where that is!” Yaeth exclaimed. “I live there, too.”

“Perfect. Then you can show your friend where it is. Good day, boys.” She returned to her paperwork without another glance at them, and Raiel followed Yaeth along the hall. Also similar to the hospital, the hall had many identical doors, most of them closed.

All the doors had signs outside, which Raiel didn’t have time to read as they walked past, and the door of the administrative office of the fifth wing was just as nondescript as the rest of the doors. Only the sign, which did indeed say ‘5th wing’, reassured Raiel that they were in the right place.

Yaeth knocked and walked in first, before anyone who may have been inside could answer.

A woman’s voice rang out from the office. “Mister Baran, just the man I was about to send for!” She sounded jovial. “Turns out you’re getting a roommate today. Hope you cleaned your room.” she said jokingly as Raiel walked in after Yaeth.

“And who might this be?” she asked, tilting her head to look past Yaeth, who obstructed the entrance.

“I’m Raiel.” Raiel said as he attempted to wiggle past Yaeth, eventually just nudging the other boy out of the way with an elbow.

“Both of our main characters together from the start! You two have made my job so much easier.” She grinned to both boys. She had curly hair down to her shoulders and round glasses. It was difficult to judge her age, but from his meagre experience, Raiel would guess her to be somewhere in her thirties. She had a bright smile and a small figure. Her attire looked formal.

“It’s good that you already seem to know each other, because you’ll be getting even more acquainted from now on.” she crossed something off on the paper in front of her with a heavy pen.

Yaeth knew exactly what she was about to announce, while Raiel really wasn’t sure what was going on.

“Starting today, you two will live together.”