Eridan counted to ten. Calm. He could be calm.
“My Master chose me,” he said evenly.
Salah snorted. “Come on, we all know how you got him to choose you.” He leered, looking at Eridan’s lips. “You must be exceptionally talented at cock-sucking to make him forget what a failure of an initiate you were—”
Something hot exploded in Eridan’s chest. Before he knew what he was doing, Salah was writhing on the floor, his hands clawing at his throat frantically as an invisible grip constricted his lungs, squeezing.
There were shouts, and then, “Apprentice Idhron! Cease this at once!”
***
Eridan stared sullenly at the desk in the Grandmaster’s office.
“This is your fourth such transgression, Apprentice Idhron,” Grandmaster Tethru said gravely, closing Eridan’s file.
Eridan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hated the grandfatherly act Tethru put on. It didn’t suit him. There was no grandfatherly bone in Tethru’s body. Privately, Eridan thought Tethru just tried to act like Grandmaster Kato, who had actually been ancient and grandfatherly. Eridan kind of missed the old man: he’d actually smiled sometimes.
“Yes, Grandmaster,” Eridan said in his meekest voice. Tethru didn’t tolerate disrespect. He also liked it when people called him by his title and acted as submissive as possible around him. Eridan despised the man, but he knew better than to show it. His Master had taught him better.
“I see that in the past Grandmaster Kato left it at Master Idhron’s discretion to handle your punishment, but I will not be as lenient—”
“When is Master coming back?” Eridan said before he could stop himself.
Grandmaster Tethru gave him a withering look.
Eridan hastily dropped his gaze. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you, Your Grace,” he mumbled in his most respectful voice. “You know how much I respect you.” For a moment, he was afraid he was laying it on a bit thick, but he could faintly feel Tethru’s satisfaction at his words. Barely resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Eridan said, “I’m just… somewhat concerned, Grandmaster. Master said he would come back in a month, but he still isn’t back. He hasn’t contacted me, either.”
“Hmm,” Tethru said, looking at him with his shrewd eyes. “I see now what Master Deira meant when she said that you are too attached to your Master, Eridan. Perhaps... Perhaps reassigning you to a different Master is the key to correcting your behavior.”
Panic flared inside him. Swallowing his instinctive No, Eridan forced his voice to sound calm as he said, “No Master would want an apprentice who has a training bond with another Master.”
Tethru smiled genially. “Training bonds are breakable, Eridan. I am sure there are Masters that would be willing to overlook that your mind was touched by another Master.” His eyes swept over Eridan. “Perhaps I can find time for you myself.”
Eridan felt dirty just from his gaze. “With all due respect, Grandmaster, I’m too old to easily switch to a different Master.”
“Hmm. How old are you, again?”
“Twenty, Your Grace,” Eridan said. Too old for you, you pervert.
Tethru raised his eyebrows. “You do not look it.”
Eridan suppressed the urge to scowl. He was perfectly aware that he looked younger, his features too pretty and refined to be considered manly. It was the curse of most throwbacks. Eridan knew he looked like he was sixteen instead of his actual age, which was less than ideal considering that he was dealing with Tethru, who was rumored to have a predilection toward young boys and girls. Eridan didn’t know how truthful those rumors were—no one had ever been able to prove anything—but those rumors had been around for ages, and there was no smoke without fire.
“I’m really twenty, Grandmaster,” Eridan repeated, putting on his sternest expression in the hope that it would make him look older. His heart was pounding, his nerves so frayed he barely stopped himself from touching the thaal around his neck, to feel his Master’s grounding presence. He fisted his blue robe in his hands, to distract himself from touching the gemstone. Tethru hated his Master. Drawing his attention to Castien’s thaal would only make the situation worse; Tethru might take him away from Castien out of spite. Although Eridan had never heard of an apprentice switching Masters, the Grandmaster of the Order had almost absolute power. Anything was possible, considering how much Tethru envied and hated Castien.
“If you are already twenty years old, your transgression is even more serious, Eridan,” Tethru said, with the same saccharine, grandfatherly look that just looked creepy. “You should know better by now. Perhaps I really should handle your punishment myself—”
“That will not be necessary,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
Eridan’s head whipped around. He broke into a wide, helpless grin. He drank in the sight of his Master’s tall, proud form, not even caring about the cold, warning look he received from Castien. “Master,” he breathed.