Ryns.
The soldier caste of dragonlings, a particularly vicious species of shapeshifters.
Dragonlings are dangerous.
Ryns are deadly.
Born and raised to be a bloodthirsty soldier, Anita's life has never been her own. She always knew her fa...
A Lira's job is to learn. A Ryn's job is to fight. A Mora's job is to craft. An Umny's job is to serve.
This is our Law.
~ From the Dragonling Grimoire
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Lyosha cleared his throat, playing with his fingers. "Hey, guys. This is Anita Rhyan. She's going to be studying with us. Professor Alek told us about her, remember?"
Whispers filled the room and I felt my skin heat up. Right. This is why I hated Shkola.
I had never quite fit in - after all, I was technically enslaved to Lord Edik. While the adults recognized it as something out of my control and never treated me different, draggies weren't so tolerant of my status. Liras, at the top of the social ladder, went out of their way to annoy me. Other Ryns rarely even looked at me. Inas and Moras avoided me like Black Scale.
In other words, school sucked.
I let my hand drift to my sword again and they all tensed up. Oops. Guilt bubbled in me. I hadn't meant to scare them.
That feeling lasted about two heartbeats before a young wyk stood up. "It's dangerous." She sniffed in a high-pitched voice that made my ears ring. She was pretty, in an off-handed sort of way. Honey-colored hair and vibrant purple eyes. "Lyosha, take it back."
Irritation welled up inside of me. Oh, fitting in be damned. "Bitch, excuse me?" I crossed my arms, mentally reaching for my old pride. "I have a name, and I'm certainly not an 'it.' I am dangerous. Don't push me."
The wyk went a bit pale, but she held her chin higher. "You wouldn't attack me. T-that's," she cleared her throat and straightened up, "that's against the Laws." Her voice steadied out as the dragonlings closest to her murmured their agreements.
"Not for Ryns," I said loftily, straining to keep the upper hand. "How else do we keep our skills sharp?"
"By training." A sharp voice from behind me said. I jumped and whirled around, almost pulling out my sword. A tall, willowy Lira with long dark hair and cherry-colored eyes glared at me, not one bit amused. He had beautiful elfish features, which was hardly hindered by the black-wired spectacles he wore.
The fyn was beautiful indeed. If only he weren't giving me a look colder than ice. "Miss Rhyan, I do hope you're not threatening your fellow students."
I watched the ground, feeling a tad guilty. "I wasn't threatening them. I was stating a fact." I mumbled. "There's nothing in the Laws about attacking others. Just killing."
"Lovely." The fyn said icily. "A technicality we could have gone on without knowing. Find a seat, all of you. Miss Rhyan, you've missed little. I expect you to know as much as your classmates." He passed by, then added, "My name is Professor Alek Lavrov. Now, get to work."
