The professor swept down the gangway, calling his power and forming what looked like a shield that I guess he intended to protect the class with.
I went to jump to my feet as well, but Vax snagged my wrist and shook his head at me. “It has to be her.”
Carnis nodded in agreement. “This is dragon business, dragon nature. Intervention on her behalf will make her look weak, which will do the opposite of resolving this dispute.”
“What the—seriously? Even in the middle of class?”
“Yes,” he and Vax responded in unison, and I saw their gazes meld with animal understanding.
“Stay your hand,” Professor Dryvan’s voice rang out.
Not at Evira.
Not at Keuric.
But at Winter.
Only half the class was aware of what was going on, thankfully a lot of students immersed in their battle exercises that were pretty intensive.
But I saw Christalyn ready herself.
The professor noticed and shook his head at her.
Yeah, if she assisted on behalf of Winter, we were talking extreme high-level power blasting through the classroom on all sides.
Also, Win couldnotfucking do this.
He normally wouldn’t go on the offensive. Ever. His form of protection was to shield the victim, not to attack.
Holy. Fuck.
What was even happening right now?
Evira grasped his arm and looked up at him, saying something I couldn’t hear from where I was.
He resisted, but then sat back down and snuffed his power out. His eyes drilled into Keuric, his body vibrating with rage.
“Mark of shame, yeah?” Keuric went on at Evira, getting off on the disturbance he’d caused, and inciting Winter in the process.
“Shame?” she spoke, coolly. “Is that your ignorant interpretation?”
“What else is there? You can try to play it any way you want, but—”
“Sometimes telling people the way things should be, telling them you see a better way, isn’t enough. Especially when it comes to dragonkind and its inherent stubbornness.” She eyed Carnis. “No offense. You know you stand apart.”
“Absolutely, Your Highness,” he responded with a lift of his lips.
She gave him a chin lift, then rose to her feet, looking up at Keuric steadily.
“I made a stand. We live the way the world should be, to demonstrate what it has the means to become. Change occurs through setting examples of what is right, what is courageous when that’s buried beneath fear and misunderstanding.” She slapped her own shoulder. “That’s what this signifies. How dare you come at me like this, thinking you had any right to, thinking you could?” An animalistic growl rumbled from her. “You fucking fool of a dragon bitch.”
Keuric lashed out.
But she was faster.
She batted his offending hand away and I heard a nasty snap just as he yelped.
Then she fisted her hand in his hair and smashed his face down on her desk.
