Element Wielder (The Void Wielder Trilogy Book 1) by Cesar Gonzalez Page B

great…just great.” Chonsey’s shoulders remained hunched in defeat. “Well, enough of this. Let’s get going or we’ll be late.”
    Falcon followed behind Chonsey as he expertly navigated the maze of hallways. The day had just begun and he was certain the surprises were far from over.

CHAPTER 10
     
     
    Falcon walked into the classroom. Dozens of desks stood aligned in perfect rows. At the front of the class an oversized desk had been set for the professor, who had yet to show. The room was bright, too bright for Falcon’s taste. Even worse, the lights caused a musky heat to linger in the air. 
    Lao pointed at a pair of empty desks by the back window. “Let’s sit over there. We can get some fresh air.”
    Falcon doubted they would get much of a breeze. All the windows in the room were high up by the ceiling. “It won’t offer much comfort, but something is better than nothing, I suppose.”
    Lao nodded. They made their way to the back and took their seats as Chonsey set up materials on his desk.
    Aya, the student Falcon met earlier, strode in. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, but she quickly looked away. She took a seat a few chairs in front of him.
    “Hey,” murmured Falcon to Chonsey, trying to get his attention.
    Oblivious to Falcon’s efforts, Chonsey splashed paint on a small canvas he’d pulled from his satchel. The paint brush danced up, down, right, up and down again as Chonsey created his “art.” It looked more like a streaks of random splashes to Falcon, but he wasn’t one to discourage a friend.
    “Hey, Chonsey,” repeated Falcon, louder than before. Chonsey held up his free hand and signaled for Falcon to wait. His tongue stuck out from the right side of his lip.
    “Is this how he always looks when he concentrates?” Lao laughed as he waved his hand in front of Chonsey. “Tongue flying about for the world to see?”
    Falcon shrugged “How am I supposed to know? I just met him.”
    Chonsey finally set his brush down and acknowledged Falcon’s presence. “Oh yes, mate. Sorry about that. When I start painting I disappear into my own world. I need to put all of myself into it in order to create my absolute best art.”
    “Yeah, yeah that’s great,” said Falcon. “Now can you tell me who the girl over there is? The one with black hair?”
    “The one with the black hair?” Chonsey rolled his eyes. “You’re going to have to be a little more specific than that.”
    “The one with the crest of a pouncing lion on her blouse.”
    “Oh, her . She’s Aya Nakatomi.”
    “Yes, I know her name. We spoke earlier.”
    Chonsey put up his hands in defeat “Now you’re confusing me. Why ask me who she is if you already know her?”
    “I was getting to that…I know her name, but I don’t know much about her beyond that. I’m trying to figure out why she introduced herself in the first place. Is that something all the nobles do? They get together and see how many peasants they can reach out to in one day? Hah, I wager they have a good laugh at our expense later. Probably huddle up in their mansions and share stories of how pathetic we are.”  
    “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, mate.”
    Falcon tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
    Chonsey stared at Falcon with his mouth wide open. “Don’t you know about her family? What rock have you been living under?”
    “I don’t go out much.” Falcon was certain that was the understatement of the year.
    “I’ll fill you in.” Chonsey lowered his voice. Lao leaned in closer, obviously eager to hear what he had been missing out on. “Aya’s family is not on the best terms with the rest of the noble clans of Ladria. You see, after the Ladria high council was murdered by…well, you know.”
    Falcon’s gaze remained locked on Chonsey. “Yes, yes, I know. Go on.”
    “Well, after the council members were killed, none of the nobles wanted to serve in the council. The fear of being murdered themselves by a copycat killer