Chapter 19: Creed
Theron sat in class. He was silent, but then again, so was everyone else. In this place, no matter how unruly you were as a student, there was only one person allowed to speak.
Which of these youths would willingly get on the bad side of a Gold Mancer? Much less a Thistle?
The old man at the helm of the classroom looked as though he had a foot in the grave. His manner of speaking was mind-numbingly slow and labored, and unlike the vigorous Teacher Fern, he didn't use the board much at all, seemingly too weak to walk around as often as he would need to.
Teacher Burne Thistle, he had introduced himself as. But ever since he had spoken those words, Theron had heard nothing else but blaring warning signs.
He was in danger.
While he hadn't been an assassin for long, Theron had always had a rigorous attention to detail.
Teacher Fern was gone, only to be suddenly replaced by a Thistle. He had already noticed that there were large movements within the Imperial Academy. Before, he wasn't sure why. But now...
Someone big has been replaced. For Teacher Fern to lose her job when she had long secured tenure requires someone with heavy influence. In all likelihood, one of the Deans has been replaced. More accurately: one of the Deans has been replaced with a Thistle.
The Sects were moving, and now there was such a large change in the Imperial Academy of all places. On top of that, a bounty had been placed on the head of a Thistle.