Chapter 35: First Class
The cohort arrived on the twelth day of frostfall.
The lead rider dismounted first and introduced herself as Shu Lian before her feet hit the ground. She appeared to have been around Commander Xu’s age, late twenties with a solid build and her hair was cut short. She shook road dust from her sleeve, looked at the training ground, and made a hum of approval.
The next two riders came down without fanfare. One had a scar across his chin, the other looked at the river path toward zone two.
Then the fourth rider came down and he launched himself off the horse with an acrobatic vault and landed lightly on his feet.
"This is bigger than I thought," The young man said. He appeared to have a little older than me, maybe he was around Hao’s age, and he wore an everpresent grin on his face. "The garrison said it was a village school,”" He turned to Shu Lian. "Did you know it was this big?"
"Dian Lu…” Shu Lian said in a warning tone.
The boy seemingly ignored the tone and turned to face me. "Are you the instructor?"
"I am one of them. My nam is Pei Liang," I introduced myself with a courteous bow.
"I'm Dian Lu." He said it like I might have been waiting for the information. "I'm ready to start!"