The Academy: Making of a Ruler (The Eagle King's Academy Book 1)

by C. C. Monö

  “It’s the best Academy for anyone who wants to become a leader.”

  “You want to be leader?”

  “Of course,” Axel lied.

  “Why?”

  “I want to lead people. I want to make a difference in the world.”

  Mr Nakata hummed with obvious displeasure.

  “Japanese poet Matsuo Basho once say, ‘Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise. Seek what they sought’.” Axel had no idea what the man was talking about so he remained quiet. Mr Nakata eyed him for a few seconds and then stood up. “What you seek is not clear, Mr Hallman. You claim to be a king but you behave like a servant.”

  “What do you want from me?” Axel exclaimed, his heart filled with sour frustration.

  “I want truth.”

  “I’m telling you the truth, damn it! I want to be a leader.”

  Mr Nakata shook his head and a moment later the black door closed with a heavy thud.

  “But I am a leader,” Axel yelled, and was shocked to realise that a part of him actually meant it.

  When nothing happened, Axel grabbed the empty porridge bowl off the table, and with all his might, he threw it against the door so it shattered in a million pieces.

  “Damn you!” he roared. “I told you I’m a leader! What else do you want from me?”

  CHAPTER 41

  In the background, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons played at a low volume, the gentle notes mixing pleasantly with the aroma of coffee.

  “Sir?”

  Smooth lowered his newspaper. Thor was standing by the door, the golden communication device in his hand.

  “Yes?”

  “I just got some information.”

  The old man folded the paper and reached for his cup.

  “By that look of yours, I’m guessing it’s not positive information.”

  “I’m afraid not, sir.”

  Smooth frowned and then nodded towards the leather armchair that stood empty beside him.

  “Go on.”

  “It seems all the students have returned after their latest exercise,” Thor said and sat down. “All but one.”

  “Let me guess, Mr Hallman?”

  “Yes. Rumour has it he’s been hospitalised for appendicitis, but that’s a lie since his appendix was removed at the age of seven.”

  Smooth’s eyes hardened.

  “Do we know what’s happened?”

  “No. We haven’t been able to confirm anything –” Thor flipped the communication device in his hand “– but our mole has his suspicions.”

  He read the message he’d received a minute ago. When he was done, Smooth returned his cup to the coffee table and stood up without haste.

  “This is worrying news,” he said, walking over to the window. After a moment’s silence, he shoved his hands in his pocket and let out a long sigh. “Let’s keep this to ourselves for the moment, shall we? I want it confirmed before we inform the others.”

  “And Mr Hallman?”

  “There’s not much we can do, is there? He’s on his own.”

  CHAPTER 42

  It was torture. Mr Nakata had changed strategy and now, every second hour or so, he or Dr Vella entered, just to ask Axel the same bloody questions: why did he want to become a leader, did he think people would follow him, and why did he want to help people? By now, Axel realised that the Academy was trying to break him mentally, which made him all the more determined not to give up. He wondered how Thabo, Izabella, and Paul were doing.

  “Why will people follow you?” Mr Nakata asked for the hundredth time.

  “Because I’ll show them the way,” Axel replied without thinking.

  “What is the way?”

  “The way to the vision.”

  “Who decides the vision?”

  “I do.”

  The Security and Defence teacher nodded, obviously pleased.

  “And why do you want to lead others?”

  “I was meant to be the seed that creates change,” Axel replied without hesitation.

  “What you mean by that?”

  Axel was a little puzzled himself. The seed that creates change. What in the world had made him say that?

  Mr Nakata was regarding him with noticeable curiosity, and somehow Axel knew the next few words would be important for his future.

  “I was meant to make a difference in the world,” he said, feeling strangely calm when he said it. “That’s why I started Talk Thirteen. I wanted to change the future. People depend on me. I must do what I was born to do.”

  Mr Nakata didn’t say anything. He just watched Axel with an unreadable expression. Axel lowered his head and looked at his bare feet. Was he trying to fool Mr Nakata or himself, or was he being honest? He wasn’t sure anymore. He’d always wanted to improve the world, but never like this. Still, here he was. Surely, that wasn’t just a coincidence. It had to be some kind of fate, right?

  “This is my destiny,” Axel whispered, as much to himself as to Mr Nakata.

  The Security and Defence teacher got to his feet and left without a word. This time, Axel showed no anger. He sat on the edge of his bed feeling confused.

  This was his destiny.

  * * *

  Professor Jackson was staring at the screen when Mr Nakata entered.

  “Now that’s interesting,” he confessed, not taking his eyes of Axel. “Do you think he was honest?”

  “Hai.”

  Professor Jackson scratched his chin while contemplating the situation. He didn’t trust Axel but, at the same time, he wasn’t getting the answers he needed. Time was running out. He turned off the screen.

  “All right, let him go.”

  There was more than one way to skin a cat, Professor Jackson thought, as he walked over to his wooden cabinet. He pulled out a bottle of scotch. One way or the other, he’d find out what was going on. He had to. He must protect the Academy no matter what.

  CHAPTER 43

  Nicole entered the small room and found Axel on his bed, staring at the ceiling. She felt a stab in her heart. She knew Professor Jackson was good at what he did, but that didn’t mean she always approved of his methods.

  “Well done, Mr Hallman,” she said with as much cheerfulness as she could muster. She wasn’t educated and skilled like the professors, but she could see that Axel was in dire need of some kindness and positive reinforcement. “You did it! You’ve passed ‘Black Sunday’.”

  When hearing her voice, Axel turned. For a moment, he seemed confused. Then a tiny smile spread across his weary face.

  “Ms Swan.” He sat up and ran a hand through his messy hair. “I…I’m glad to see you.”

  “That’s kind of you to say, Mr Hallman. Come, let’s get you back to your apartment.”

  “Is it over?”

  The relief on his face was heart-breaking for Nicole to see.

  “Yes, sir, it’s over.”

  They left and walked side by side through one corridor after the other. Nicole kept her silence, allowing Axel to contemplate what he’d been through.

  “You know where you live, don’t you,” she said when they reached the elevators. She pressed for the wing-shaped doors to open. “Ninth floor.”

  Axel stared at the elevators and let out a wheezing sound.

  “We’re still here?”

  “Yes.”

  “Inside the Academy?”

  “Yes.”

  “But…the car ride?”

  Nicole held up the doors.

  “Just a little trip around Brussels and then back again. Simple but ingenious, don’t you think?”

  After a moment’s hesitation, he shook his head and stepped into the elevator.

  “I guess.” He threw a quick glance at his reflection in the large mirror, and frowned. “I look like something that would crawl out of a dark alley at night.” Nicole laughed and Axel’s handsome face softened. “What day is it?”

  “Friday.”

  Axel stopped flattening his hair with his h
ands and gave Nicole a sceptical stare.

  “Friday? I’ve only been here six days? Jesus, it felt more than that.”

  Still smiling, Nicole shook her head.

  “No, Mr Hallman. It wasn’t just six days. You’ve been down here for twenty-one days.”

  “What?” Axel’s face paled. “Three weeks!”

  “Yes,” Nicole replied and let go of the doors. Her contract didn’t allow her to discuss Black Sunday with the students. She adjusted her suit jacket and said something she immediately regretted. “I’m very glad you made it, Mr Hallman. You’re one of my favourites.”

  She said it as if it was the most natural thing in the world, but, true as it was, she had no right to express any opinion about a student, especially not to the student in question. Professor Jackson wouldn’t be pleased.

  Axel was somewhat taken aback by her comment. He stared at her as the doors began to close. Then he placed a hand between the doors, forcing them to open.

  “What are you saying?” he asked. “You have more than one favourite?”

  Nicole paused just long enough to see the playful glimmer in Axel’s eyes. Then she laughed.

  “No, Mr Hallman. I can’t say I do.”

  “Good.” He let go of the doors. “That means I can take it as a compliment.”

  “You should.”

  As soon as the doors closed, her phone buzzed, indicating a new text message. “I want you in my office NOW!” Nicole drew a deep breath. As expected, Professor Jackson wasn’t pleased.

  CHAPTER 44

  TWELVE YEARS EARLIER

  Sarah shook her head.

  “I don’t care. It is wrong.”

  “How can it be wrong if it makes you a better leader?” Lorena objected. “They’re helping you grow, and sometimes growing is painful.”

  Sarah walked up to the windows covering an entire wall of her living room.

  “You weren’t there,” she said and looked out over the Academy garden. “This had nothing to do with them helping me. They want to persuade me into accepting their theories.”

  Lorena cupped her hands behind her head and leaned back in the white sofa with a smile.

  “This is the Academy, Sarah. It’s supposed to be tough. While you were away, Professor Jackson gave Ahmed added homework as punishment for stumbling on his way out of the classroom.”

  “That’s absurd,” Sarah mumbled.

  “No, as Professor Jackson explained, people make fun of leaders who trip. It happened to Gerald Ford in 1975. The amount of mockery he had to endure is ridiculous.”

  “How is this relevant?”

  “The Academy won’t do things unless it helps us become better.”

  “It’s still wrong.”

  The warm sound of Lorena laughing filled the room.

  “You’re a rebel in disguise, aren’t you?” she said.

  Sarah watched the sun cast its burning gaze over the magnificent landscape outside. God she’d missed the sun.

  “For four weeks they kept me locked up in a room without windows,” she whispered as the dark memories returned. “Every day they came in to ask me the same three questions: Why are you here?; Why do people follow leaders?; What is power?”

  “And what did you say?”

  “I said that they know why I’m here, so why ask me? Regarding the reasons why people follow, I told them it’s because people want to achieve something. And as to their final question, I explained that power is the ability to make individuals obey regardless of their willingness to do so.”

  Lorena sat up, her cheerful expression gone.

  “You said that? Shit, no wonder they’re pissed.”

  Sarah turned away from the window.

  “Well, that’s my opinion.”

  “Damn it, Sarah! They don’t care about your opinion.”

  “They should.”

  Lorena put her hand on her forehead and moaned.

  “They don’t! I mean, Professor Jackson has said it a million times: ‘Power is the capacity and willingness to act; the ability to make things happen.’ Why didn’t you just say that?”

  “Because it’s a stupid definition,” Sarah snorted. “I was never powerful, but I still had the capacity, ability, and the willingness to act and save an orphanage.”

  Lorena shook her head and leaned over to the coffee table where a large cheese tray and a bottle of wine stood.

  “You can’t go on being this obstructive,” she said as she grabbed her glass of wine. “You’re going to get yourself in trouble.”

  “I’m just expressing my views. How can that be obstructive?”

  “Because the Academy isn’t your enemy. They’re preparing us for our future. They’re tough, but it’s a cruel world out there, and if we’re not prepared, we’re going to get eaten alive.”

  Sarah frowned.

  “I’ve seen children die because of malnutrition. I’ve met rape victims, girls who were barely teenagers, rejected by society because they became pregnant. I know cruelty. I’ve seen it. But you know what?” She pointed out the window. “There’s more light than darkness in the world. It’s just a matter of what you choose to see.”

  Lorena grimaced.

  “I hate it when you go philosophical on me,” she muttered. “It’s embarrassing.”

  Sarah turned her back to the scenic view and crossed the dark wooden floor to one of her armchairs.

  “There’s cruelty in the world, but there’s also compassion. Most people are kind. For every child who is left at an orphanage, there are hundreds who are embraced by a mother’s loving arms.”

  “Your point being?”

  “Why are we being trained as if entering a war? Why are we talking about people as if they’re sheep? Why are we focusing on supremacy instead of collaboration? Why are we discussing strategies to win instead of strategies to make the world better?”

  Lorena stared at the glass. She knows I’m right, Sarah thought. She can feel it in her heart, but will she accept it?

  “You’re as stubborn as they get, aren’t you?” Lorena declared.

  “Only when I know I’m right.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  “I think I must talk to Professor Jackson.”

  Lorena paled.

  “Noooo,” she said, shaking her head. “That’s not a good idea.”

  Sarah didn’t reply. She’d already made up her mind. She was going to talk to the assistant principal in the morning.

  CHAPTER 45

  PRESENT MOMENT

  According to the hallway clock, it was near midnight when Axel stepped into his apartment. He found that a little odd. Why would the Academy release him at this hour?

  Someone had left the lights on, so he made his way through the warmly lit hallway with tentative steps. The living room was empty. Soft music played in the background and a fire crackled in the fireplace. Next to the coffee table stood an exclusive food trolley, giving off a wonderful aromatic smell. It seemed to be begging him to explore it.

  Axel hurried over. All he’d been eating for the past weeks was porridge. When he peeked under one of the silver cloches, he found a plate full of egg rolls, his favourite dish. He shoved one into his mouth, grabbed another two and headed for the shower. Starving as he was, with three weeks of dirt to get rid of, eating would have to wait a little longer.

  Half an hour later, Axel sat in his armchair, a thick Academy bathrobe wrapped around him and warm slippers on his feet. He bit another piece of Belgian chocolate in half and leaned back with a satisfied sigh. He wasn’t tired, just relieved that the whole ordeal was over.

  To his left, the fire seemed to whisper as it worked itself through the dry firewood. Axel sipped his steaming tea and stared at the aquarium while the shark made its usual tour around the tank. Axel scowled at the animal as if the poor thing was to blame for everything that had happened.

  That’s when the phone rang. Axel pressed a button on his phone and Dr Vella’s annoying and monoton
ous voice filled the living room.

  “Good evening, Mr Hallman.”

  “What do you want?”

  “Now, now. That’s not very leader-like, is it?”

  “I’m not in the mood for your games, doctor,” he replied. “What do you want?”

  “You’re very rude, Mr Hallman. Of course, considering the circumstances, I’m going to ignore it.”

  Axel frowned. He didn’t care what she thought, but he had picked up something tense and troubled in her otherwise-toneless voice.

  “I have a message from Principal Cunningham,” the doctor continued. “He wants you to know that, for the past few weeks, you’ve been engaged in an IDT: individualised training session.”

  Axel’s eyes narrowed and, with exaggerated care, he placed his teacup on the coffee table.

  “What do you mean by ‘individualised’? Are you saying that the Black Sunday was designed for me?”

  “No,” Dr Vella snorted. “Don’t flatter yourself, Mr Hallman. All students have to go through Black Sunday, although they’ll spend no more than a twenty-four hours down there. That’s why we call it Black Sunday and not Black Week.”

  It took Axel a few seconds to grasp the meaning of Dr Vella’s words.

  “One day?” He choked for a second. “That’s…all they did?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “This is the Academy, Mr Hallman.”

  There was a pause.

  “Hey! What the hell does that mean?”

  “Isn’t that obvious? It means that everything you do is part of your training. It’s an honour. You were given three weeks of personal training.”

  Axel felt his frustration take over.

  “Are you kidding me? You locked me up for three weeks as if I was a criminal. How the hell does that make me a better leader?”

  “I…I’m sorry you feel a need to question our training methods, Mr Hallman. None of the other students have.”

  “Well, were any of them locked in a cell for three weeks?”

  “Quite frankly, I’m concerned Mr Hallman,” Dr Vella declared. “Don’t you trust us? Without trust, it’ll be very difficult for you to continue your studies.”

  Axel got to his feet and stomped over to the aquarium. No, he didn’t trust the Academy. Not after what he’d just experienced. Nevertheless, as the shark swam by, he began to waver. There was no denying that the E.K.A. knew what they were doing. After all, they turned every student into a successful leader.