Orn spent the next week studying under random teachers who drilled him on noble houses and their relation to each other. Marriages, feuds, trade agreements, and sometimes all three between the same houses. To Orn it sounded like the first time he went to the village; gossip about people he did not know. However, he did his best to commit as much of it as possible to memory. Sporadically that day’s instructor would point to a coat of arms on the wall and ask who it was and its relation to another coat of arms.

Kao seemed intent to distract him at every turn, though he knew she was just bored and lonely. The teachers were keeping him late and he did not have the energy to spar with Kao afterwards, so they did not get to talk any more. So she spent the entire time adding details he did not want to know and definitely should not have needed. He remembered one of her interjections perfectly.

“Friendship?” she burst out laughing. “That old dowager countess only tolerated the baron, because she was sleeping his son.”

Orn did his best to ignore Kao, so he could repeat back what he was told when the instructor asked. The last thing he needed was to repeat something she told him, or appear crazy by talking to nothing.

“That is of course when she was not sleeping with his stepmother, the baroness,” Kao whispered into his ear, forcing Orn to hide a laugh by pretending to cough.

This earned Orn a glare for the teacher, while Kao cackled.

It was a very long week for Orn. He almost missed the horses… almost.

….

The carriage wheels clicked as it rolled through the king’s city. None of the boys in the carriage with Orn had spoke since they entered. Orn initially thought they were just unhappy to be stuck in the carriage with him, but this stopped when he realized the boy across from him was praying for protection from “them.”

The closer they came to the event the more gloomy the atmosphere became. They look like they are headed to the gallows, Orn thought as the carriage rolled through the noble district.

When the carriage finally came to a stop, the boy across from Orn was nearly in tears, and the boy next to him was slowly patting him on the shoulder. “Keep it together,” the boy said softly, “you can do this.”

The boy across from Orn nodded, as the door opened on their side of the carriage. Since the other boy was still working to collect himself, Orn exited first. Their carriage was part of a long line with academy students slowly exiting onto a paved walk beside a tall flowering hedge. To Orn’s left he could see an open gate set into a trellis of flowering vines.

The third boy cleared his throat behind Orn, who stepped aside so he could pass. Without even glancing at Orn the young noble looked over his shoulder into the carriage. “It will not matter, they can smell fear, and will swarm you regardless.”

This immediately brought the sound of a choked sob from one boy and a shout of outrage form the other.

“Better him than me,” the boy said before walking away from the carriage towards the gate.

Orn stared at the noble boy walking away from him. The boy seemed more confident than most as he headed straight towards the gate. No, he is not going for the gate. He is sliding into the middle of that group.

“Hiding in a herd may work for most animals, but the predators in there will not care,” Kao whispered. He turned to stare at her hoping that she would finally, tell him what is going on. Instead she gave him a pitting look and patted him on the shoulder. “You will be OK. Probably.”

Crowd or not, Orn was about to reply when she disappeared giggling, leaving him glaring at thin air.

“You did not leave us?” the second student said dragging his friend out of the carriage. “I appreciate you waiting to walk in with us.”

The other boy just stared at the ground, silently. He looks like he has given up on life.

“Not a problem,” Orn replied as the footman closed the door and signaled the driver to move on. The other boys were either inside the gate or gathering into a second group near the gate.

“Oh no, we have to hurry,” the boy continued. “We may not have to enter alone. Hurry!” The boy directed the last to Orn and dragged his friend toward the few boys trying to summon their courage near the gate.

Without any idea why he was doing it, Orn rushed to join the group before they walked through the gate. However, the group seemed undecided on who should go first. Still unsure what the issue was Orn walked through the gateway. He felt silly but he kept his hand resting on his sword. Orn walked through a tunnel of leaves, and into a garden party.

The center of the space was taken up by a long table covered in finger foods and drinks. A few servants carried in the last couple trays through a small gate in the roses that enclosed the space. To his right he could see the other students standing along a hedge of roses that bordered the open space. They seemed to want to back further away, but the presence of the thorns seemed to be holding them back. They milled about nervously, doing their best to look anywhere, but the other side of the garden. But it was the crowd to the left of the table that drew his attention.

A large group of young women stood holding parasols watching the academy students closely, almost predatorily. He nearly jumped when he heard a voice to his right begin to speak. “Introducing Mr. Blackthorn, Mr…” Orn spun in the direction of the voice. A guard was standing in a recess of the hedge completely invisible except to those in the garden.

When did he? How did I not hear him before? Orn stepped out of the flowering archway and turned to stare at the man. He is completely hidden here unless you are looking right at him. But I still should have heard hi.

The man either did not notice Orn, or did not care. He continued to look at the tunnel entrance and announced the other boys. From the corner of his eye, Orn noticed figures rushing past. He turned back to see the other students moving quickly while trying to look calm and staring straight at the other boys.

What the hel…? Orn’s internal question died as the last boy walked past and he saw dozens of eyes starring at him. The girls had pulled out fans and were whispering to each other. If Orn had not spent the last several months learning to silently signal with Kao during class, he would not have realized what was happening. They were subtly gesturing at the noble students and picking out boys. His blood ran cold as the whispering and giggling that was occurring as they divided up the academy students opposite them. Then his eyes stopped at one who was staring at him. DID SHE JUST LICK HER LIPS?!

The brown haired young woman’s fan flincked to cover her face, but her eyes never left Orn. She appeared to be a couple years older than him, but something about her appearance made it feel she was trying to appear younger. Suddenly, as if by some agreed upon signal, they all started to move. The brown haired girl made straight for Orn, gently lifting the hem of her blue dress slightly so she could take longer steps through the grass.

Orn felt a surge of fear and wanted to run.