“Hey, barbarian!” Galo shouted from behind Shaya, to the laughter of some of his fellow goons. Azreon was notably not among them and Shaya assumed that was for plausible deniability.

She, Bri and Ralus were walking to their Mounted Combat class together, the sun shining down from a cloudless sky and making for an otherwise beautiful day. They were almost to the enclosure where the stables were located and where the class took place when the harassment began, drawing the attention of other students in the area.

“What’s this? The mongrel can’t understand human speech?” Galo and his friends laughed, “I wonder if she’s illiterate because she was raised by barbarians or if she was too busy eating the hearts of her enemies like a savage.”

Shaya sighed at how ridiculous it was. The whispers of the campus at large caused her grief – but this...she was actually embarrassed for Galo. Bri, on the other hand, grit her teeth so loud Shaya was worried she might crack them, so she gave her friend’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Her friend quivered with anger, restraining herself from turning around and assaulting Galo.

“I’m talking to you bitch!” Galo shouted, changing tact again, “Maybe what you really need is a tumble with a real man, huh?”

That was the final straw.

Shaya burst out laughing.

Seconds passed as she laughed uncontrollably, doubling over from the pain of it and gasping for air. Tears leaked from her eyes at how stupid her tormentor was, and the dumb-founded expressions Galo and his friends wore just made her laugh even harder. This in turn made them go red with embarrassment and frustration, especially as more students turned to watch the spectacle.

“I’m sorry,” Shaya said, turning to Galo and wiping tears from her eyes, “That’s just...so stupid, I couldn’t help myself. Really, thank you, I’ve spent most of my life mistaken for a man, so your heinous advance was almost welcome. The good laugh was, anyway.”

“You should take me more seriously, mongrel,” Galo growled at her.

Shaya walked towards him, shaking her head and still chuckling. “It’s just SO hard when you say stuff like that,” she cranked up her snark, “you considering yourself a real man, gods Galo, it’s too good!”

“How dare-”

“You thinking you’re even good enough to touch me is hilarious,” she spoke over him, coming to stand in front of him. Standing a full head taller than him, she looked down at him as she continued – voice going flat, but still carrying to their many spectators, “your tongue isn’t even good enough to lick your master’s boots, you mangy cur.”

His eyes widened, brows knitting in rage. Now she heard his teeth grinding and his knuckles pop as his hands closed into fists. One of his friends laid a reassuring – or restraining – hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sure Yllaneth came to the same conclusion.”

“MAKUL!” Galo screamed, invoking his esper.

Two of his friends moved to restrain him.

“That’s how you push someone Galo,” Shaya said, looking down at him, “I hope you’re taking notes for your master.”

“You have no idea who you’re dealing with,” one of his friends snapped at her – yet another nephilim of Astoria. She was short and wiry, with a shock of short, bronze hair and stone-grey skin. Shaya recognized her from Intro to Biomancy – the Jade mage of Azreon’s Lance, perhaps?

Her bloodline looks potent, but not as much as Galo’s and Azreon’s, Shaya thought, maybe one of their invitees? Definitely a scrapper from the looks of her though.

“On the contrary,” Shaya turned to look down at the new speaker, undeterred, “you don’t know who you’re dealing with. If you did, you wouldn’t try to make me angry. Or you’d at least know that stupid, childish spit like this wouldn’t cut it.”

She turned back to Galo, watching as his eyes filled with red light. “Throw your punch, you dog,” she looked him in the eye, “maybe you won’t get expelled, but I’m sure your family won’t look kindly on you making them look bad again. But maybe you’re already used to that.”

“I’m going to-” he growled.

“-do as your master told you to do,” Shaya finished for him, “like a good boy.”

With a smile, she turned her back on the enraged mage and walked back to her friends. Galo didn’t take a swing at her and Shaya knew the moment he dismissed his esper by the tension leaving her friends’ shoulders.

Bri looked pleased with how things went.

Ralus looked pensive, their scab red eyes meeting Shaya’s as she returned to them. “While I respect why you did that,” the would-be chaplain whispered, “you shouldn’t have provoked them.”

Out of the corner of her eyes, Shaya noticed two blue cloaks relax, hands dropping off the hilts of their weapons.

“Sorry, I might have made things worse for us,” Shaya sighed, “I’m not used to dealing with bullies that are immune to the law or repercussions.”

“Astoria will punish them eventually,” Bri assured her, “don’t you worry.”

And yet it’s Her blood running through their veins.

+++++

“Hey little guy!” Shaya said, kneeling to scritch Quill as he bound over to her, seeming to have adjusted fairly well to only having three legs. The class was taking place in an enormous, grassy field within the magical enclosure, where the trained animals were allowed to roam.

“Gods, he is SO cute,” Bri said, “Does he bite?”

“Quill,” Shaya said to her friend, “This is Bri, is it okay if she pets you?”

Quill looked her over and then gave an affirmative little squawk. Bri giggled as she scratched his back end, watching his feline tail rise with pleasure.

“I knew gryphons were smart,” Bri said while petting Quill, “but can he actually understand us?”

“I think he understands more than he lets on,” Shaya said, “but less than we assume. More than once, I’m pretty sure I’ve interpreted one of his reactions the way I wanted to, rather than factually.”

Ralus stood back and watched, arms crossed. Present, but somewhat closed off from the group, as always. Shaya wondered if it was the way of a chaplain to belong to a squad, but not get too close for when they had to lay the souls of their comrades to rest. Or if Oraeus simply told the chaplain not to get any closer to Bri and Shaya, given the high born’s dislike for them. Ralus seemed like a good person, but also one that was loyal to the noble that offered them a path to their dreams.

Given that Ralus doesn’t seem to be politically connected, Shaya mused, maybe Oraeus is a good person too... he likely could have picked a vassal or retainer of higher status to better benefit him and his family.

“Alright class,” Bari said, standing amidst a herd of roaming horses of varying sizes and shapes. “Let us begin. We have much to cover about the basics of riding before we move onto the complexities of mounted combat.”

“Sorry buddy,” Shaya gave Quill a parting scritch, “We’ll hang out later tonight, off you go.”

He complained, but started walking away from her, going around the back of the class rather than crossing through to get back to the center of the enclosure. As he left, Lan walked up to her and her friends, giving them a friendly nod. Up close, the grace he inherited from his Progenitor made him look effeminate to Shaya’s eyes, reinforced by his small build and the silk robes he wore that evoked the colours of winter.

“I heard what you did earlier,” he said, Shaya finding warmth in his otherwise cold blue eyes, “very foolish of you, but I commend the courage it took to cement Azreon as your enemy. I’d like to extend an offer of aid – from one of his targets to another. The enemy of my enemy is a friend, as they say.”

“Track record here notwithstanding, I’m actually always on the lookout to make new friends,” she extended her arm to him, “hopefully even beyond allies of convenience.”

Lan hesitated for a moment, then gripped her forearm. “We’ll see,” his grip strengthened and his voice took on a cooler tone that matched his wintry appearance, “but do not bring Yllaneth into your taunts again.”

Yikes.

“I won’t. I’ll pass on my apologies to her when I next see her,” Shaya sighed, “Galo got to me more than I let on.”

“I understand, but we cannot afford to slip in front of them if we wish to survive here.”

Over his shoulder, she noticed Azreon standing with Galo and his goons, the nephilim’s eyes of molten gold watching her exchange with interest. The number of people always around him greatly exceeded a Lance, so clearly many people flocked to be his ‘friend’.

Azreon took a knee, pulling out a piece of jerky, and held it out towards Quill. Shaya’s eyes widened as he made coo-ing noises at Quill, and she willed her companion to steer clear of him.

Quill turned his head and looked towards the meat, approaching Azreon cautiously.

“Serra Shaya,” Bari called her out, seeing her distracted. Shaya was forced to look toward her as she continued, “I can assure you that you’ll want to pay attention-”

“Ah!” Azreon shouted, “This filthy cripple bit me!”

“No, don’t!” Bari shouted, head snapping towards Azreon.

Quill gave a confused wark, jerky still in his beak, when Azreon kicked him in the ribs. Sensing the hostility, Quill rolled with it despite his missing limb, turning it into a glancing blow and coming up a few feet away from the sadistic noble on all threes.

I’m going to kill him.

Adrenaline and rage shot into her, and she welcomed it as she moved towards him. Ralus and Lan tried to restrain her, but she simply walked out of their grips like they were children and not warriors.

Azreon turned toward her and smirked.

I’m going to rip him apart with my bare hands.

I don’t even need an Esper to do it, he’s so small.

So weak.

So stupid.

Thunder boomed and Azreon disappeared from Shaya’s view with a cut-off scream as a dark shape dove between them. Dirt flew into the air as a full-sized gryphon landed less than an arm’s length from the sadistic noble, who stumbled back and tripped to the ground from the shock of the gryphon’s sudden arrival. The black feathered and furred gryphon flared out its wings and unleashed an ear-piercing cry, sending Azreon’s goons stumbling backward with panicked cries of their own. Azreon scrambled away from the angry creature as it took a single, menacing step towards him.

“Storm Breaker, stop!” Bari shouted, and the dark gryphon paused, looking at her with a mix of frustration and disappointment.

Don’t you dare take the kill from me. Shaya thought, still stalking towards them.

“Let him go!” Bari ordered, standing within arm's reach of Storm Breaker. “Now!”

Storm Breaker snorted their displeasure, then stepped back, leaving four fist-sized holes in the ground where their talons had been not a foot away from Azreon. The young man sputtered as the imminent threat withdrew, “I will have this rabid beast executed for this assault on-”

He fell silent as Storm Breaker’s eyes swung back to him, their beak grinding sounding eerily akin to a whet stone honing a blade.

“No, Azreon,” Bari growled at him as he still lay on the ground, “you assaulted one of Storm Breaker’s kin, so he moved in to defend them. If you so brazenly assaulted one of the war horses here, the rest of the herd would have just as readily trampled you. What you will do is respect the animals here, and they will respect you in turn.”

Shaya neared the scene, knuckles popping as she closed her fists.

“Shaya,” Bari snapped, turning to the angry giant as she strode towards them, “Good hustle, go see to your companion.”

Shaya glared at the woman, who didn’t back down from her. Through the haze of rage, she managed to growl, “That’s not why I walked over here.”

“Don’t worry about our noble friend, I’ll make sure he didn’t sustain any injuries from his scare. Go heal your companion.”

Shaya felt her adrenaline slow, and asserted some control over her rage.

My rage. Not my blood’s, though I still feel... power coursing through my veins.

She shook her head, clearing her thoughts. Bari is saving me from doing something stupid.

She looked at Storm Breaker, their eyes meeting. The gryphon’s intelligent eyes were the deep grey of gathering storm clouds, and his feathers ranged from black to deep purple. A shock of white feathers formed a star on his forehead, emphasizing the sloped brow of his already angry visage. The feline half of the gryphon was solid, pitch-black fur, with a long tail that swayed in the air like a serpent ready to strike.

I guess she’s stopping both of us from doing something stupid, regardless of how good it might feel, eh?

Storm Breaker stepped back, giving her room to pass by and get to Quill. Her friend watched her approach, looking up at her in confusion, but a quick inspection told her he was otherwise unharmed. He might have some bruises, but nothing she couldn’t heal.

“Phaedra!” She invoked.

And felt the gaze of the class fall upon her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Azreon’s goons look on in horror and awe at the angelic figure floating behind her – re-evaluating who they had just tried to provoke to violence.

Bari’s eyes widened in shock and recognition, a war of emotions playing across her face as the Jade aether slipped from the experienced mage’s grasp. She turned away from Shaya, focusing on her patient again, but Shaya noticed the restrained tears in her eyes.