LITMIR.BIZ

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if it’s the last thing I do.”

      Britea had always wondered about Lianne’s anger, and she could no longer hold her tongue. “What did I ever do to you?”

      Lianne was taken aback by the question for a moment.

      “Ever since we’ve met, you’ve been nasty to me. So, I’m asking you why.”

      Lady Arkei’s cruel smile returned. “Oh, is the poor peasant girl about to cry?” She said it loud enough for the nearby students to hear. “Is it because she can’t wield even tier-one forms and will soon be kicked out of the college?”

      Britea was getting irritated with the speculative looks being sent her way. Her eyes soon strayed to the pitcher of water on the teacher’s desk.

      “Maybe if she demonstrated, then we would all know she wasn’t a fraud.” There was a challenging light in Lianne’s eyes.

      Britea could feel the heat rising and she was sorely tempted to wipe that smile off Lianne’s face with a giant tier-three orb of water. To the Deep with the Creed.

      Then the bell rang.

      “Well done, class. See you all tomorrow!” The instructor left the class before the students, clearly in a hurry.

      Lianne smiled coldly. “As I thought, all peasants are cowards and frauds.” She turned to walk away. Britea felt something snap within her. She had tried to keep out of trouble, she had tried to be nice, and she had tried to ignore every insult thrown her way.

      “Helia Weldrass was a blacksmith from a small village,” said Britea, a challenging tone in her voice. Lianne and the other nearby students stopped in their tracks.

      “Meaning?” asked Valerie as she and Pearl walked over to stand on either side of Lianne.

      “Meaning, she was also a peasant, but she led an army that brought down an empire. I’m just shocked you’ve forgotten that lesson already, Lady Arkei.”

      Lianne’s face went pale with fury as other students oohed and nodded approvingly in Britea’s direction.

      “Are you trying to threaten me?” demanded Lianne.

      Britea walked up to her. “I don’t have to. It’s clear that you, a noble, are already threatened by me, a peasant.”

      “Watch your tongue—” began Pearl.

      “Or what?” challenged Britea without looking at her. “What are you three going to do to a single peasant girl you’re clearly scared of?”

      “Tell them, sister,” encouraged a female student

      “Fight me? Wield at me? Or just scold me?”

      Lianne clenched her fists and Valerie grabbed one of them, only to have her friend shove her away.

      “Come on, Lianne” goaded Britea. “I’m standing right here.”In most battles, let your enemy be the first to attack. Then you respond as needed. She could hear Weapons Master Caren’s voice in her mind.

      Pearl and Valerie backed away from Lianne. The looks on their faces said they knew something terrible was about to happen.

      Britea kept still. Lianne had to make the first move.

      “You’ll pay for this…” began Lianne, and from the corner of her eye, Britea saw the pitcher of water began to vibrate.

      “What are you all still doing here?” The students all jumped when Warden Asteros suddenly walked into the class. His expression changed when he saw Lianne and Britea facing off. “I want an answer, now.” The warden’s voice was hard and unforgiving.

      Britea decided to take the plunge. “Lianne was just about to show me a dance step. She’s been an excellent teacher during my time in this class.”

      The warden’s eyes narrowed as he stared at Britea for a long moment. Then, he turned his thousand-yard stare on Lianne. She nodded quickly.

      “Yes, it was just dancing, nothing more.”

      The warden glared at the two, then at the other scared students, who kept silent. “Fine. Get to your recess, and no dancing on the way. Is that clear?”

      “Yes, warden,” chorused the class as they fled from his presence. Britea made sure she went in the opposite direction from Lianne and her friends. She knew the warden had seen through her lie. At the same time, Lianne was going to be even more mad at her for saving her noble hide.

      This was far from over.

       #

      The short recess came and went like a dream, and then it was time for the last class of the day: junior wielding class. Britea released a sigh of relief as she opened the door. Most of the students were already present.

      “Hello, Britea!” She smiled as she responded to the numerous greetings from the juniors. To be honest, she was more relaxed in this class than the others. None of the novices looked down on her, and at times, some of them even asked her for advice. She had wondered why, but one look at the stern face of Instructor Shelley had given her the answer. But Britea wasn’t scared of the senior wielder. For the past six weeks, she had been partnered with the instructor and had learned how to hold tier-one and two forms for far longer periods. She knew there was a lot more to learn, but she found herself liking the pace.

      “Good afternoon, Instructor Shelley,” chorused the class as said instructor stormed in as if on the warpath.

      Uh oh, thought Britea when she saw the expression on the teacher’s face. Who had been crazy enough to upset her? Instructor Shelley’s eyes scanned the class before settling on Britea.

       By the Deep, it was me!

      “Britea D’Tranell, may I have a word?” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were steel.

      With her heart racing, Britea silently stood up and followed the instructor outside the class.

      The door had barely closed before the instructor began.

      “What happened at your dancing class today?”

      “I—”

      Instructor Shelley held up a finger, cutting her off. “And don’t tell me it was just Lady Arkei teaching you how to dance!”

      Britea bit down on her lower lip and looked at the floor. That had spread fast.

      “Novice D’Tranell, you will tell me the truth!”

      Britea’s heart slowed down as anger replaced her fear. “The truth? Do I have your permission to speak freely then, Instructor Shelley?”

      The instructor folded her arms. “You do.”

      “I hate dancing. I always have, even in Weldaros. My feet are too clumsy, and I know I’m not much to look at, so I didn’t bother learning. I understand why I’m in the junior wielding class, and I truly appreciate how you’re trying to ease me into your method of teaching. But what I don’t see is the point of the dancing classes. It’s not going to stop an enemy from trying to kill me, and it certainly won’t help me further my wielding education. So, why do I have to do it?”

      Instructor Shelley gave her a thoughtful look. “Is that why you tried to pick a fight with Lianne?”

      “She started it! Ever since I entered that class six weeks ago, she’s been calling me names, making fun of the fact that I’m the daughter of peasants, and goading me about my so-called wielding ability. Today, she called me a fraud and a coward and swore she would kick me out of this school. So, I got tired of taking it and reminded her of when Helia Weldrass, a blacksmith, brought down an empire.”

      “Then what happened?”

      “She asked if I was threatening her, and I said there was no need to since she was already scared of me.”

      To

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