“Get back up, boy.”

I held my side and panted, one of my black and tan wings held in front of me in defense.

“I said, GET UP!”

I leapt back as my father lunged at me with his spear, only barely escaping his attack.

“Harmen!” 

My father slowly stood to his full height when my mother shouted his name, his cold gray eyes still locked on me.

“How many times do I have to tell you using real weapons in these sparring matches is dangerous and irresponsible?” She moved between me and him, her tan and white wings spread just enough to block me from view.

“The boy has to learn to defend himself, Maria.”

“The boy has a name.” She turned her back on him and knelt down in front of me. “Where are you hurt, Serin?” I lifted my arm to show her the bloody wound on my side. She gently laid her hand on my injury, the warmth of her healing magic soothing my pain. She waved her hand over the tear in my tunic, the fabric stitching itself back together and the blood fading away. She stood and whipped around to face my father again. “You could have killed him.”

He rolled his eyes, disappearing his spear and folding his white and silver wings. “You think he’s going to be shown mercy during his entry fight? You think a Demon would not gladly do far more than that?”

She crossed her arms and stared him down. “The students are not supposed to actually kill each other in their entrance fight. They are our future and we cannot afford for them to murder each other.”

He shook his head. “They’ve gotten soft at Abnocto. In my day, they only let in those who could prove their worth.”

“He has worth, Harmen. He’s a bright boy and talented in multiple kinds of magic. Not everyone has to be a warrior.”

He grunted and turned away from us, stalking back toward the house without another word.

My mother offered me her hand and helped me stand again. “How’s the pain?”

I shrugged, my eyes on my bare feet. “Not so bad now. I was trying so hard and I still can’t defend myself.”

She lifted my chin and gave me her kind smile. “You are still young and learning. You haven’t even gone to school yet. Your father has years and experience that you cannot match. But I think one day you will be much greater than you or he can even imagine.”

“How can you say that when I’m so weak?”

She ran her fingers through my dark hair. “I know many things. One of those things is that you are not weak. You are not as physically or magically strong as an Angel thrice your age and more than twice your height. You have to have realistic expectations or you will always be disappointed. Your father has unrealistic expectations, but you don’t have to have those same expectations. Believe in yourself. I believe in you.”

I smiled up at her. “Thank you. I’m glad someone does. It certainly isn’t me.”

“Not yet, Serin, but one day, you will see your worth is not measured in combat ability. We have not been at war for a long time. No one wants to unbalance the alliance we have formed with the Demons. It would mean the end of Order. Your father is stuck in the past. Don’t let him lead you down that path.” She kissed my forehead. “Now, how about we go study in the library for a bit while your father cools down?”

My eyes lit up with excitement, my pain forgotten. “I would love to do that. After reading about defense magic, I didn’t get to finish that book by Cornelius Woodburn when we were there last week. I really think his theory on growth magic is the best I’ve seen yet.”

She laughed as we made our way toward the back gate of the house. “You will have to tell me which parts you like best. I have studied quite a bit of his work. Did you know he taught at Abnocto Academy when your grandmother was there?”

“No! That’s really amazing! Did Nana take his class? I have so many questions!” My excitement made my mother smile from ear to ear as we made our way to the library.

“Back again? Weren’t you here just yesterday?" Nerif the librarian chuckled as he opened the door for us.

"Yeah, but there are so many books I haven't read yet." I darted into the expansive home of tomes, going straight for the section for growth magic and retrieving Cornelius' book. I made my way to my favorite reading corner and settled into the sun warmed armchair. I could see almost the whole first floor of the library from my vantage point, not that I often paid attention to my surroundings after getting entrenched in my reading.

"That's a pretty advanced book for a kid your age, isn't it?"

I glanced over the top of my book at the unfamiliar girl with black and red feathered wings. They almost looked like they had been dipped in blood. She looked a couple years older than me.  "I read at a pretty advanced level for my age. That's what I'm told at least. I don't think we've met before. I'm Serin."

She laughed musically. "Oh, I know who you are. Who doesn't know Commander Ryven's son is? I'm Lyza. My family just moved here and I was checking out town. Thought I'd check out Vasin's famed library. I'm not disappointed. Mind if I sit with you to read my book?" She waggled the dark leather book in her hand.

I moved over with a friendly smile. "Not at all. I probably won't be very interesting company once I've gotten back into my studying."

She lounged next to me, the soft edges of one of her wings brushing my arm. I wasn't certain why my face heated up and buried it in my book again to hide the color in my cheeks.

We read together in silence for quite some time. We were equally engrossed in our books which was a rare experience for me. Most Angels were chatty types by nature and I was often interrupted if someone came to sit near me. This was the most pleasant social interaction I had experienced in a long while.

"Serin, it's time to go home." 

I looked over my book at my mother. "I have five pages left. Can I finish them?" She nodded and went to the desk to talk to Nerif. I quickly read through the last few pages and replaced the book on its proper shelf. I returned to my reading companion. "It was nice to meet you, Lyza. Think you'll be here often?"

She raised a thin eyebrow with a smirk. "Why? You want to be reading buddies?"

I smiled with as little nervousness as possible. "As long as you're okay with that."

She let out another melodic laugh as she stood. She was taller than I was but I was used to that. "Sounds like a deal to me, Serin." She offered me her hand which I readily took. There was an odd yet pleasant tingling when our hands touched. I was almost sad when she let go. She winked at me as she walked toward the section her book belonged in. "See you around."

I watched her disappear into the sea of shelves before going to the desk to meet up with my mother. I frowned slightly when I saw her having a quiet, tense conversation with Nerif. They stopped speaking before I could hear any of their words, so I decided to not ask questions. My mother gently took my hand and we made our way toward home.

"Who was that girl you were sitting with?"

"Oh, that's my new reading buddy Lyza. She just moved here with her family." I was confused by my mother's concerned look. "Is everything okay, mother?"

She smiled, but the worry was still in her eyes. "Yes, of course. Just be careful around her. Not everyone who seems nice really is nice."

I shrugged as we walked through the back gate. "She seemed pretty nice to me."

She sighed and closed the gate behind us with her wing. "I know, sweetie. Go wash up for dinner."