Dawn of Vengeance

Chapter 26 - Respects

Jake's POV:

"I don't care what problem you two have with each other, there's no excuse at all for a public brawl between my former and current students." Father Matthew said slamming his fist down on top of what Jake was going to guess was Wallace's desk since it looked far too nice to belong to just any other Saint. When the old man lifted his hand from the place that he'd struck Jake saw that the sharp blow had actually cracked the surface of the desk. Father Matthew was definitely feeling much better. "Jacob I've come to expect such actions from you, but Wallace, to think that you were once my apprentice and now attack those yet to earn the title of Saint brings shame not only to me or Mary, but to all of the Saint Shields that you represent."

Jake hung his head low at the mention of Sister Mary knowing that what he'd done probably could've and should have been handled much differently yet he allowed his anger to get the best of him. It was a child's mistake and one that Jake hoped he wouldn't make again especially here of all places. Aeria, the home of the Saint Shields and a place that all Unrisen should visit at least once before advancing to the rank of Saint. Father Matthew told Jake that he'd take both he and Lance when they were both 18 because they still weren't disciplined enough to be around such elevated company. Even though Jake knew that he'd only meet other Saints from both Americas, people who held the same title that he would someday he knew that he needed to be on his best behavior because if he ran around like a wild child he'd make his mentor look unqualified to teach another Unrisen.

Yet despite this Jake was beside himself that Wallace seemed almost annoyed that Father Matthew was lecturing him on things that as the Chairman of the Saint Shields he'd surely known about. It was in the subtlest of looks that Wallace would be giving his former mentor, as if he were thinking that he had no right to be talking to him the way he was. Not three days ago and Jake would've been inclined to agree with Wallace and that Father Matthew would have no real business scolding someone who was above his station had he not read a bit more about the roles that mentors play with their students who'd risen to the level of Saint.

As it would turn out it didn't matter that Wallace held the highest position that existed within their order, as long as Father Matthew drew breath he'd always have at least one person to answer to should he fall out of line. Mentors as fate would have it, have just as much authority over their elevated students as they did when they were still under their tutelage but they didn't exercise that right as often since a Saint was expected to be able to make the right calls without the guidance of a Father or a Sister. Yet this too seemed to have very little importance when it came to Wallace who merely stood with his hands behind his back and his attention on everything other than Father Matthew.

How on earth could someone under the guidance of people like Father Matthew and Sister Mary hold such things in so low regard was something that baffled Jake, sure he didn't hold those rules in the highest esteem either but he obeyed both of his mentors when instructed to do something no matter what it was. He didn't see how the man standing to his left could possibly had been brought up by the same couple who'd raised himself and Lance since they were children. The outcome of their bringing ups seemed to be as different as the sun was to the moon as far as Jake could tell he had almost nothing in common with the Chairman other than the fact that they'd both been trained by the same people. Lowering his gaze from that of the Chairman's face Jake become suddenly interested with his feet as he listened to Father Matthew read off the reasons that either of them should be ashamed of themselves. It was the when Jake noticed that he did have something else in common with the Chairman, because when Father Matthew got the part of his lecture about how they needed to be concerned with the image of their selves when it came to their peers both he and Wallace each side and looked up at the ceiling as if begging for some divine entity to intervene.