Castien walked over and laid a hand on the back of Eridan’s chair. Eridan leaned back, trying to subtly get his Master’s hand on his shoulder instead of that stupid chair. His Master, however, didn’t indulge him. Eridan tried not to pout.
“Your apprentice nearly killed another apprentice today, Idhron,” Tethru said sourly, the air around him full of dislike, no matter how hard Tethru was shielding himself. Tethru could never quite hide his jealousy of the respect Idhron commanded in the Order and his wariness of Castien’s power and ever-growing influence.
Frankly, Eridan still didn’t understand why his Master allowed Tethru to become the Grandmaster after Grandmaster Kato’s death. Everyone knew Castien was the most powerful mind adept of the Order, both telepathically and politically. And yet his Master hadn’t put himself forward as a candidate when Grandmaster Kato had died. It still baffled Eridan a little.
Castien’s face remained impassive, his blue eyes fixed on Tethru. “Has he,” he said flatly. “I will make sure to punish him accordingly, Grandmaster.”
Tethru huffed. “I’m not sure I trust your judgment on the matter, Idhron. It does not seem the boy has learned his lesson from the previous times Grandmaster Kato allowed you to punish him. Perhaps I should take the matter into my own hands—”
“That is very thoughtful of you,” Castien said, and Eridan’s stomach dropped for a moment before Castien continued. “However, you have so many responsibilities, Your Grace. I cannot possibly ask this of you. But thank you for the kind offer. I have sent my report to your datapad for your perusal. Come, Eridan.”
Without waiting for Tethru’s response, Castien strode out of the room. Eridan hurried after him.
“Master, I—”
“Not now,” his Master bit out, without looking at him.
Eridan shut up.
They walked in silence through the corridors of the ancient monastery.
Eridan looked around curiously. He hadn’t been here often, only the few times he had accompanied his Master to a meeting with some high-ranking outsiders.
The monastery was the oldest part of the High Hronthar, the place their Order originated from. Thousands of years ago, it used to be the Order’s home, their headquarters, but nowadays it was little more than a front. As far as the rest of the planet was concerned, the monastery was the High Hronthar, and that was why all meetings with the outsiders were held here.
Eridan smiled a little at the thought. It always amazed him how utterly clueless the outsiders were. The Council of Twelve Grand Clans thought they were ruling Calluvia, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. The Chapter of the High Hronthar held the real power on the planet, since they controlled the royals and politicians that ruled the planet. In the view of the outsiders, the High Hronthar was just a bunch of monks that dedicated themselves to mind healing and a peaceful, unambitious life. It was kind of hilarious how utterly wrong they were.
Despite the late hour, Eridan and his Master still encountered a lot of people in the corridors of the monastery, Masters and apprentices alike. Wherever they went, they attracted looks, for different reasons. Eridan smiled crookedly to himself. He was rather infamous for his “outrageous” behavior as an initiate, while his Master was easily the most respected mind adept in the Order: admired and feared in equal measure. Eridan knew his age-mates envied him. His Master was the youngest Master in the Order’s history, the youngest Master to have a seat on the Chapter. Although most members of the Order didn’t know that Castien was a Class 7 telepath, everyone knew he was one of the most powerful. Castien was incredibly powerful, intelligent, and influential. Every initiate wanted to study under Master Idhron.
But he was just his, Eridan’s.
Flushing, Eridan reinforced his mental shields, hoping to hide his possessive thoughts from his Master. He had long given up trying to get rid of them.
They finally reached the nearest t-chamber and got into it. Castien put his hand on the control panel and said, “Hangar bay 14.”
The transportation room started moving, jumping through the teleport channels.
Eridan tried again. “Master, I—”
“Not now.”
Pursing his lips, Eridan hung his head.
At last, they arrived and stepped out of the t-chamber into the hangar bay. He followed his Master to his aircraft and climbed into the seat next to him. Castien entered his access codes and the hatch overhead opened, revealing the darkening sky.
Castien lifted the aircraft into the clearing in the forest.
Eridan breathed deeply in the clean, moist air, the mountains looming over them menacingly. He quickly did some calculations and estimated that the travel from this hangar bay to Hronthar would take at least half an hour. The magnetic field around Hronthar might be incredibly useful to mask its location, but it was also a pain in the ass, forcing them to use aircraft to travel there.