Ezeas felt a calm settle within him; he knew these procedures, he had circumvented a fair share of them, many times in the past. He also understood what Casia was trying to do.

“And this complaint concerns an incident at the training arena, earlier today?”

“It does, sir.”

Lauril wrote down the information, then leaned back, regarding the woman with calm curiosity.

“Very well, make your case.”

She nodded and began recounting how she had offered their 'guest' the first fight, struggling to keep the sneer out of her voice. The challenger had announced himself and offered to let the human use magic, which she had accepted. There was a note of disapproval in her voice and she paused but the commander's face remained impassive. She continued recounting the fight.

“I called a halt to the match when it became clear the human was in no condition to continue, despite her refusal to yield, and Sethaernan immediately attacked my recruit.”

“I see,” Lauril said, calmly.

“And what is your recollection of the events?”

This time, his pale green gaze met Ezeas' as he waited patiently for an answer.

“Her report is accurate, except I did not 'attack' the recruit, I simply removed him before he could further injure the person I've been tasked with protecting.”

“You threw him across the arena!” Casia exclaimed, then seemed to remember herself. “Sir, Sethaernan's intervention was exaggerated and dangerous. It was clear he was unable to restrain himself.”

The commander had not moved his eyes from Ezeas.

“Sethaernan, do you have a counter argument?”

“I did what had to be done. The recruit did not stop when the signal sounded and my charge is only a human, a fact that needs to be taken into account.”

He shot Casia a scathing look and she pointedly glanced away from him.

“Did she yield?”

“No, sir,” Ezeas answered through clenched teeth.

“Had she been instructed on how to yield?”

This time his gaze fell to Casia. She nodded, decisively.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then the human is at fault for the match taking longer than necessary. Unless Sethaernan asserts that she was unable to yield?”

The cool manner of the question suggested Ezeas picked his words carefully.

“I believe the human was pushed into a situation where yielding was dangerous, maybe even impossible.”

“She faced no more danger than anyone else who enters a fight in the arena! She was even given an unfair advantage by being allowed to use magic.”

Casia's voice was defiant, almost triumphant and Ezeas saw his opening.

“But as a human, inexperienced with combat, she stands no chance against a combat-trained nyx.”

“She's supposed to fight in the war! She should be able to handle just one of us.”

“I see. Well, the captain does have experience with combat against humans, I hear.”

“That's correct,” she confirmed, proudly.

“And I hear her team is undefeated on the battlefield, even when outnumbered, many times.”

“Is there a point, Sethaernan?” the commander asked, exasperated.

“I believe the opponent deliberately exploited human weakness, to incapacitate my charge, so she couldn't surrender of her own accord.”

Casia sputtered.

“He did no such thing! I simply refuse to coddle her, just because she's human. Her weakness made her fail on her own.”

“You can't say that for sure,” he goaded.

“What do you mean?”

“You have no experience with this human, how would you be able to declare her weak?”

“I have enough experience with humans to recognize their strength. She is weak.”

“So, you've met strong humans before?”

“Absolutely!”

Her eyes were shining with defiance.

“So you must have struggled to defeat them, correct?”

“Not at all.”

“What is the point, Sethaernan?” the commander asked, impatiently.

“I believe the captain has exaggerated her victories. Her team probably struggled a lot more than she claims.”

“That's a lie! We've never had trouble fighting humans! It would take several of them to even come close to beating one of us!”

“But strength is not enough. Just admit that humans are more of a problem than you claim!” Ezeas yelled.

“Strength isn't the only thing!” Casia yelled back.

“We're so fast, that they don't even have time to act before we've defeated them!”

She stopped, a look of horror on her face as she realized what she had just admitted; the commander's gaze was cold as he looked at her.

“Am I understanding correctly, that you arranged for a match, knowing the human would have no chance to yield?”

“No, sir! What I meant to say was that while she lasted longer than I expected, it was no surprise that she could no longer think to speak or tap out. Which is why I made the call to halt.”

“I see.”

His voice held a subtle edge and Casia knew she had said too much.

“And when you called for a halt, did the challenger stop his assault?”

“He-...no, sir.”

“So, Sethaernan, being aware that his charge was in no state to further defend herself, separated the two?”

“He attacked my recruit,” she insisted.

“Is your recruit well?

“He's in the infirmary.”

She shot a sharp glare at Ezeas.

“What are his injuries?”

“He was burned, badly, during the fight.”

“Well, he agreed to let his opponent use magic. Has he suffered any other injuries?”

“Not...that I know of, sir.”

“In other words, Sethaernan managed to tear the young man away from the human without causing injury?”

Casia was fuming, feeling her smug victory crumple to dust, in front of her.

“He used too much force.”

It was a weak argument, and for a moment, Casia seemed to ready herself for a scolding. Instead, Lauril leaned forward and grabbed his pen, filling in his report.

“As the matter stands, your complaint does not have enough merit to warrant any action against Sethaernan,” he declared, calmly.

“However, regarding the fight, itself, the young woman was given instructions on how to yield and should have used the opportunity before things escalated beyond her expectations. No action will be taken against you, Captain Sersha, but I do hope the officers of our compound have more integrity than to let personal matters affect their professionalism?”

“Of course, Commander.”

Though she had escaped punishment, it was clear that she was being reprimanded, if subtly. Her expression was a mix of relief and fury.

“As luck would have it, the healer seems to think the human will make a full recovery but she won't be able to partake in regular duty, in the coming days, so the odds of another incident should be rather slim.”

His hand glided across the paper with swift elegance as he finished.

“Captain Sersha, you're dismissed.”

Ezeas stayed as Casia made her way to the door, shooting a curious gaze at Ezeas before she opened it and left. When the door closed, Commander Lauril stood, his expression firm.

“How is it that my old protege is once again my biggest concern in this place?”

The silence stretched on between them.

“I trust I won't have this pleasure often repeated during your stay?” the commander asked.

“I wish I could make such a promise.”

“I see.”

His posture was straight and he regarded his old pupil with calm interest.

“And would I be correct to assume that your hesitance is tied to the unexpected arrival of Sergeant Nessaia?”

“You hardly need me to confirm that, do you?”

There was no response and Ezeas sighed.

“Yes, it is. Though only in part.”

His former teacher seemed to relax and gestured for him to sit, before doing the same.

“Captain Sersha is a credit to her uniform but emotion still runs her far too often for my liking. It is bad misfortune that your cousin has accompanied you, or she might have left well enough alone.”

“There were a lot of unexpected surprises on this journey,” Ezeas said, his tone clipped.

“I'm sure. The healer has given his recommendation regarding the young lady's rehabilitation. I trust that the rest will be welcome but it does present with its own problems.”

“Your evaluation of her abilities.”

Lauril nodded.

“I have to make a judgment regarding her skills' usability in the coming war. I would hate to give the council cause for concern on that front.”

Ezeas rubbed a hand against his cheek.

“Her progress has been stunted. It seems the dragon is somehow holding her power back.”

“I didn't realize such a think was possible.”

“It shouldn't be. But whatever the case, her magic use isn't improving fast enough.”

The commander seemed lost in thought for a long moment.

“We will give her time to recover,” he finally said.

“When she's ready, I'll allow you the use of our magic facilities. With extensive training, we may be able to turn the situation around before I have to send my report.”

Ezeas stared at the older man in surprise.

“I would be...very grateful for that, sir.”

Lauril shook his head.

“I expect your conduct to be beyond reproach in the meantime. It may very well be that another confrontation is inevitable, but I won't accept your seeking it out, Ezeas.”

“May I ask why you're so willing to help us?”

He pursed his lips, staring into the distance. Ezeas started wondering whether he would speak again.

“I can understand how scared and confused she is,” the man finally said, in a soft tone. “She has had no say in what part she plays in our history. I need not go out of my way to make the situation harder for her.”

“Then why didn't you punish the captain? You know she let her feelings regarding Laelith go too far!”

The commander took a deep breath before answering.

“What I said was true. Your charge should have yielded but that's not the only reason. If I had gone out of my way to punish Sersha, do you truly believe she wouldn't find a way to retaliate against the human?”

Ezeas wanted to protest but he thought better of it; Lauril had never played favorites and they needed his impartiality to keep the problematic elements in check, even if subtly. He nodded and the older man leaned back in his seat.

“I'm glad you can still see reason. Now, I want you to stay away from Nessaia and Sersha. If they make trouble again, I'll allow your intervention but until then, I expect you to remain inconspicuous.”

Before Ezeas could respond, Lauril made another dismissive gesture.

“You may leave, Sethaernan.”