Chương 79: Chapter 16

Shaya dodged out of the way of another heavy strike and put some distance between her and her angelic opponent. As he spun towards her, she threw the remains of her polehammer at his face. He deflected it with his sword, but Shaya lunged at him, switching the grip on her sword to grab it by the blade. With his weapon to the side, she brought the guard of her sword down on his head as hard as she could like a warhammer. The angel reacted faster than she hoped, intercepting the strike so that it glanced off his helm.

She bore down on him regardless, committed to the tactic now. With her sword guard, she hooked onto his blade and kept it down and to the side, letting her close in. The large angel was taken off guard, unused to others closing in against his normally superior strength. But Shaya was no mere human. And she felt her anger burning within her, stoking it by reminiscing about the family she had lost and what she had to endure on the streets because of it.

She couldn't get back at the Inquisition that had broken her family apart, but she could get back at this angel of the god they served. With a roar, she hooked one of her legs behind his and pushed him to the ground. They fell to the ground grappling, their swords pinned between them. Shaya tried to straddle him and failed, the angel bucking his legs wildly to prevent her from consolidating the upper hand. They wrestled, the angel managing to roll atop her. Shaya wheezed from the weight and her vision went dark.

Her anger snapped her back and she shoved him off. The angel worked desperately to free his sword from between them, trying to bring the sharp edge towards her exposed face where it might do him some good. Shaya dropped her sword and did what she could to keep her opponent's blade in check with the freed-up hand. With her other, she drew her dagger. They struggled for a brief eternity. She managed to roll atop him again.

Before he realized what she had planned, Shaya punched her knife through the angel's visor and into his eye. Not letting herself rest just in case the exam's timer didn't end until she exited the room, Shaya pushed herself up, stumbled up some cursed stairs, and through the door. When she didn't see a finish line or anything else to demarcate an additional end zone, she let herself slump to the ground and just breathe. Seconds later, a pair of doors opened down the row.

Shaya's eyes popped open as Bri and Shep exited their buildings. Bri and Shep looked about as beaten down as Shaya was, but they managed to stumble to her before collapsing.

"Damn," Bri said, nose wrinkling, "I could've sworn I was going to beat you at this one."

"I haven't been here for very long." Shaya smiled and raised two fingers that were almost touching.

"You were this close."

"Yeah, yeah." Bri rolled her eyes.

"It looks like I came out in better shape than you, at least." Shaya winced as Bri prodded her wounded leg.

"Rude." Shaya turned her attention to Shep, who politely smiled at their banter.

"I think we still kicked ass, and I'm sure the marks are by brackets and not competitive anyway." Shep nodded.

"All of our training has paid off, I think."

"It's almost a shame you're so skilled at psychometry," Shaya chuckled.

"You're already really skilled with weapons."

"Thank you." Shep's smile grew into its usual knife-thin line.

"As good as we are, I would hesitate to compare ourselves to the veterans and masters I can draw skills from, however."

"Humility isn't one of Shaya's virtues, alas."

"Alas," Shaya mirrored with mock sincerity, "I lacked the religious upbringing that has turned you two into upstanding, humble citizens of the Empire."

"And yet you managed to nab one of Astoria's saints as your esper. That just doesn't seem fair to me," Bri added with a grin. Shep suppressed a wince at the joke.

"That's the problem with you Astorians," Shaya retorted with a smile, not caring how awkward the joke could be perceived, "always thinking the world is fair, when really it's all about who you know." Bri snorted and rose to her feet, offering a hand to each of her friends.

"Come on, let's get out of here and get some food and healing in us before our next exam."

"But I want to see Azreon's furious face when he sees that we beat him," Shaya whined as Bri pulled her up. A door opened a moment later and Shaya's wish came true. +++++"Good work." Bari nodded her antlered head as Shaya approached the hilltop where the professor surveyed her students completing their exams. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

"Hold there, Talon." Shaya dismounted and patted her mount's head, the giant raptor fluffing out his green and brown feathers to help it cool down. Talon snapped his jaws and tossed his head happily at the attention. Well earned, given how well he performed for her during the mid-term they just finished.

"You wanted to chat?" Shaya said, turning to her professor.

"You have a way with animals and moving fast," Bari commented, her eyes on a student still working through the exam.

"I'm a little surprised, given the time you spent in Kelahk."

"I loved riding when I was young," Shaya explained, following the older woman's eyes to where Shep weaved their raptor through various obstacles while shooting a bow at targets—a few of their shots hitting bull's-eyes.

"Mom, er, Devi, was more than happy to take me riding wherever we travelled, using whatever local animals were safe for children to ride." Bari's attention moved to another student and Shaya's gaze followed. In the distance, Azreon tossed his bow aside and drew a lance from a sheath on his raptor. The mount picked up speed and Shaya knew that Azreon put his spurs to it harder than was necessary.

Despite disagreeing with his methods, she couldn't deny that the vicious noble was a capable cavalier—his raptor snapped to execute each command without hesitation. His lance punched through an armoured target and he drew his sword, still favouring a straight sword despite being mounted.

"I never did get the riding raptor she promised me," Shaya said, the sight of Azreon reminding her of what the Empire had taken from her and leaving a bitter taste in her mouth.

"I'm not sure if she meant to keep the promise or just made it to shut me up, given how much I wanted to ride a raptor when I was a child."

"She was right not to let you," Bari said, turning to Shaya with sympathy in her eyes.

"Raptors and other exotic mounts are for experienced riders only, even within Asharel."

"I know."

"And for what's it worth, I never knew Devi to make promises she didn't keep." Bari smiled, turning back to watch another student. This time Shaya's eyes fell on Bri. Her friend struggled through the mid-term, her manoeuvres not as smooth as they had been with the horse she had bonded with for much of the class. There were certainly disadvantages to relying on strong bonds over brute force, at times.

Despite that, Bri navigated her steed through a thicket of "spearmen" and hacked through the targets with her long sword until she emerged on the other side.

"So, what did you actually want to talk about, Bari?" Shaya asked, eyes still on her friend as she slowed her steed now that the exam was over.

"I know you're not the biggest fan of reminiscing."

"Actually, I do owe Devi a few favours," Bari said with a chuckle, "which I'm happy to pass along to you."

"You're getting me a raptor, eh?" Shaya smiled, scratching Talon's head gently.

"I think you're good to skip the raptor actually." Bari pulled out a sheaf of papers and handed them to Shaya.

"I want you to take my Flying Cavalry course next semester."

"But—that's a second-year course." Shaya blinked, looking down at the papers. At a glance, they appeared to be an exception document, already filled out and signed by Bari.

"Oh wow, you think I'm ready for it already?"

"I don't do paperwork for fun, Shaya." Bari shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, I think you have the reflexes to make an excellent pilot. Hells, your heart might even be pure enough to ride a pegasus, though we'll cover different mounts in the course."

"Thank you…" Shaya said, blushing.

"I actually don't know what else to say."

"No thanks needed. You have a promising future, Shaya. Those of us who can see that will be more than happy to encourage it." Bari gave her a toothy smile.

"Just don't hug me. And get that paperwork submitted to the Registrar soon so they can process it in time, I'll never forgive you if you make me do more paperwork to justify the paperwork I've already done."

"Yes ma'am!" +++++ Shaya and her friends stood at the back of the large hall, its bright, white stone walls and glorious banners a sharp contrast to the miasma cast by the huge crowd of students that pressed towards the boards at the front. Running the gauntlet looked dangerous, with some students cutting through the tide of their peers with agility, others with charisma, and others yet with force of will and the occasional elbow.

Many made their way to the front only to have their hopes shattered, more than a few of them crying out in dismay or disbelief—or both. Friends consoled one another after reading the boards, while more dysfunctional Lances blamed each other for personal failures.

"I can't believe it," Bri said, gaping at the display before them.

"I've seen better behaved hooligans at sporting events."

"And over their grades, no less," Samorn sniffed.

"There is still plenty of time to correct course and seize the top spot, if they work hard."

"Yeah…" Ren drawled, "I don't think most people share your view, Samorn." She looked up at her friend in mock offence.

"I agree with Samorn," Apricot said, studying the crowd like they were some puzzle to solve. Oraeus did the same, then sighed.

"I know I'm the one who suggested we wait for things to die down, but some of us have plans today." Shaya caught Apricot's shy smile and was happy for her friend, hoping that whatever plans they had worked out.

"Well then," she said, eyeing the crowd and pushing up her sleeves like she meant business, "we should get in there and make sure those plans get executed smoothly." Then Azreon and his Lance entered the hall. Shaya stiffened as they walked past, Lan shooting Galo a dark look. Sensing the daggers aimed at their backs, Azreon looked their way. A moment later, his head snapped forward as if slapped and they moved on without a word or another glance. Shaya blinked.

"I guess the suspension really got to him," Shepherd theorized aloud. Shaya doubted that greatly, but he had avoided her ever since his return. As the crowd parted before the noble and his Lance—if reluctantly and with no shortage of dirty glances—a plan hatched.

"Quick, follow in their wake! Bri, with me in the front to make sure the crowd doesn't close in around us too fast!"

"Genius!" Ren stated, falling into step behind them.

"So, Shaya," Bri asked as they hustled up behind Azreon's group, "how do you think you did?"

"I dunno," she replied with a haunted expression, remembering the practical and theoretical portions of her exams with a shudder. I just hope Auric and Rea keep me around if my average drops…