Stock did all his own work and most of Cinderflame’s for the next few weeks as Cinderflame healed. As they did their work, making breakfast, cleaning the cafeteria, going to classes, and mucking out stalls, they quizzed each other on what they had studied.

“Whats da word for a room underground that keeps things cool?” Stock asked.

“What is the word.” Cinderflame responded sitting on a stool as he watched Stock muck out a stall in their wing of the stables.

“Okay, What is the word for a room underground the keeps things cold?”

Cinderflame scrunched up his nose thinking, “A cold room?”

“Errr.” Stock made a negative sound, “a cellar.”

“ah, duh, I knew that.”

“Alright, how do you spell it?”

“C-E-L-A-R, cellar.”

“Nope. C-E-L-L-A-R. Cellar.”

“Why can’t this stupid language be spelled the way it sounds?”

“’cause then they couldn’t test us on it. Why aren’t you standing?”

“Cause I’m tired.”

“Do you want to get stronger? Stand.”

“You’re cruel.” Cinderflame pulled himself onto his feet, and rubbed his bandaged chest. “it itches.”

“Eagle Gill says that’s a good sign, he said that means its healing. Just don’t scratch it.”

He rubbed his chest harder, “I’m not.”

Stock pushed his friends hand down, “That will still irritate it.” Both boys looked up as a horse down the row snickered. A Hawk was putting a halter on the horse, he looked down the isle at the boys and smiled, he pulled open the door and in one smooth motion led the horse out, mounted and sent the horse at a gallop past the boys, out of the stable and into a field.

The boys ran to the end of the stable in time to watch the Hawk jump the horse over two fences and gallop off.

The two boys huddled over a book in their secret room. A candle lit their immediate surroundings as they copied a history of the Crystal Temple out of a book and onto their slates. Stock looked up, “Copper,” Cinderflame made a noise but kept working. “Copper!”

“What?” Cinderflame asked still focused on his work. Stock put a hand over the book and waited until Cinderflame looked up. “What!”

“We need to actually plan this.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, look at what we are copying, it’s a plan for building the Hawk training fields.”

“So?”

“That means that a Hawk is prepared. That means that he plans things out and doesn’t just move with the flow.”

“What’re you getting at?”

“We need to plan our way into being Hawks. Think about it. We have six months before the next batch of fledglings arrive. That means we have six months until the next trial day. Even wanna-be fledglings have to try out. Now, besides studying in all our free time, what else are we doing?”

“I guess I see what you mean.”

“Now, that you are healed we start working on the physical.” Both looked at Cinderflame’s bright scar on his chest. “I say we spend tomorrow afternoon watching the Hawk training fields. Plus, now we know that there are tunnels under them, we can hide better than anyone, probably even hear the Hawks give instructions. I don’t think anyone uses the underground practice room, we could watch and listen to instruction, practice down there and then go back up to make sure we’re doing it correctly.”

“You’ve really thought about this.”

“Yeah.” Stock whispered.

“Eventually we’ll need more training than that for fighting. And I think I know how we can get it…”

At four in the morning Cinderflame and Stock were out of their dorm and sneaking through the corridors. Ice covered the windows they passed, and snow was built up on the ledges. Cinderflame paused at one of the windows, looking out at the darkness. “Hey Stock, I think I just had another idea for learning how to fight.”

“Is it as dangerous as your other idea?” Stock said with a grin, as dangerous as the present plan was, Cinderflame knew that Stock was excited to enact it.

“Not even close. Come here.” Cinderflame rubbed his jacket sleeve against the window.

“What am I supposed to see out there?”

“See that lamp in the courtyard? There, by the fountain.”

“Yeah, so what- wait a second, someone’s out there.”

Cinderflame turned and leaned his back against the wall next to the window. “Remember that day we fixed the water bucket over the door for Eagle Cornwell?” Stock met his friend’s grin. “He thanked us, said he needed a shower because he had been up for hours.”

“yeah.”

“well, the next day I heard David asking him about it. Eagle Cornwell wakes up early to do tai chi every morning.”

“Wait a second, isn’t that what those fledglings were complaining about yesterday as we were mucking the stalls?”

“Yup. What do you say we layer up and copy him in the shadows?”

“If it means we will know something the other fledglings won’t, lets go.” The two boys ran back to their dorm grabbed their winter gear and raced each other to the courtyard. Pulling on their gear, they looked out a frosted window to see Eagle Cornwell do what appeared to be a slow dance. “That’s what we have ta learn?”

“I guess.” Cinderflame paused at the door.

“Well, better learn and look like a fool now, than learn and look like a fool in the Fledgling practice courts.” The two boys took one last breath of warm air and slipped out the door into the snowy cold. Going as quietly as they could they went to a shadowed corner behind the eagle and began to mimic the Eagle’s motions.

The boys had to cover their mouths at times so as not to laugh as they nearly fell into the foot of snow covering the paved courtyard. In one pose they balanced on one foot with the other three limbs up in different directions. When the sun peaked over the top of the eastern wall and illuminated the boys they ran for the courtyard door, glad that the snow hid the sounds of their leaving.

Back inside they peeled off their layers and were amazed to find that they were both covered in sweat yet neither wanted to admit to the other that they had had trouble keeping up with the old Eagle.

Folding their extra layers as they walked back to their dorm they stuffed them in their jackets so their hands were free and they could mimic the Tai Chi moves mockingly. Stock was in the midst of a move that looked like a swan diving, yet the person was still balanced on one leg as the bells began to chime the hour. Cinderflame laughed as he unconsciously counted the rings to the half hour. Five thirty… Six thirty… Seven thirty… Both boys stopped in their tracks.

“How many rings did you hear?” Cinderflame asked.

“How many did you hear?”

“Its light outside.”

“Its December.” Their eyes got wide and they ran as fast as they could to their dorm. “We should have been in the kitchens over an hour ago!” they ran in dropping their things on their beds and ran back out, not even noticing the other boys in the room just getting up.

Their bare feet slapped the floor as they rounded corners dodged Hawks and Eagles only bowing their heads as they passed. They ran for the cafeteria, knowing it would be faster to cut through than to try to go around to the kitchen doors. A few Mudlarks were mopping the halls and laughed as they recognized the boys and what their running meant.

“Better hurry Stock! Otherwise Cook will have your hide.” One called the to backs as they ran around a corner and bounced to the floor after hitting something. They looked up to the faces of four very mad looking Fledgling Hawks. Cinderflame and Stock looked at each other and knew what to do. The Fledglings walked around the sitting Mudlarks and kept on going.

“That hurt,” said Cinderflame.

“Yeah, I wonder how many sweets those Fledglings are eating to make us bounce back like that.”

“I’d guess a couple an hour.” The Fledglings had stopped walking. “It they’re that big, I bet that even I could out run them.” Cinderflame and Stock listened to the swish of the Fledglings clothes as they turned around. Cinderflame’s back was to the Fledglings and he watched Stock who had a view of them. When Stock stood and held down his hand for Cinderflame, he could hear a rustling behind him again. Grabbing Stock’s hand, he was pulled to his feet and the moment he had his balance they were running.

In a de Ja vu type setting, Stock sat in a chair with an icepack over his right eye as Cinderflame lay sleeping in a bed next to him. this time however, Eagle Gill was lecturing Stock as he stitched up a cut on the boy’s knee. “How often do I have to see you, huh? Disappearing in the middle of the night, skipping your chores and then I have you pulled in here with that satisfied look on your face, What am I supposed to do?” Eagle Gill muttered something before continuing his lecture. “We raise you, we feed you, educate you, give you free time, father you, some would say pamper you, and you spit it all back in our faces! Not to mention that now we have to write to those Fledgling boy’s arrogant parents and tell them they picked a fight with a few boys who couldn’t defend themselves…”

Stock smiled, “’Arrogant parents’?”

“Don’t you start now! You’re lucky we don’t toss you out, which I’m sure is what those parents will want to happen to you…” the Eagle finished his stitching and cut off the string. Standing he looked over at Cinderflame. “Looks like I’ll have to wake that boy again.” Stock looked over at his friend. They had run down what had felt like miles of corridors before the Fledglings caught them, Stock and Cinderflame has actually done fairly well against the bigger and stronger boys. The fight had ended with two Eagles wading in amongst them and pulling the boys apart. A Fledgling had taken one last swing at Cinderflame and connected. Cinderflame had stumbled back, tripped on someone’s leg and his head had connected with a table before he hit the floor.

Stock had watched his friend carried to the healing rooms again, his head shaved bald, and Eagle Gill stitch the cut on the back of Cinderflame’s head shut. Eagle placed a bottle of something under Cinderflame’s nose and laughed as his friend’s face puckered before his eyes opened.

“Cinderflame, you are a trouble maker. When I come back in two hours to clean this room you better be back in your dorm for the rest of the day otherwise I’ll make you will wish you were. I better not see you back in the healing rooms. I’m sick of seeing you carried about unconscious.” Eagle Gill turned on his heel and left the room with Stock snickering.

Cinderflame turned his head with a grimace to look over at Stock. “Well, minus my head, I’d say I faired better than you, black eye, split lip, stitches on the knee, and scraped up knuckles…”

“That’s just because they saw your red scar and decided to go easy on you.”