Isaiah 11:6 - The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
Rhiannon Harker had been the Baroness of Old Temple when she started teaching self defense classes for children. Working with children was something she greatly enjoyed. When Tass regained the barony after Nayun's decision to retire her time as Baroness, Rhiannon decided it was time to open her school as a formal entity. Harker's Dueling and Defense Academy was born. Several of Rhi's students were magical adepts that had no mentors to guide them. They were generally children that had a non-adept parent remaining or had been adopted. Not every child's talent had been nurtured like Maggie's or Doran's had been.
Unlike her own mother, some parents didn't see the need for their children to be prepared to defend themselves. And then came the request, or was it a demand, from the current Baron, Rakeesh Sah Tarna, to screen and register all persons that were magically gifted. A few requests had come from suddenly worried parents to have their children added to the class enrollment.
Rhi shook her head when she read the notices, stirring up hornets was never wise. Even more foolish, however, was stirring up a normally peaceable hive of bees that had been going about their daily lives and doing no harm to others. She continued with her daily tasks of tending to her home, family, and working at the school. And then, the killing began. While she suspected there was more at work than just people targeting magic users, the simple fact was extra precautions and lessons were needed.
Lasher's Restaurant was right across the street from the academy. Sometimes, the students were allowed to collect lunches and snacks that had been prepared. Two of the children, Maggie and Doran, ages six and eleven, had been given the responsibility that day. Having donned their winter coats and other gear, they waited on the sidewalk in front of the school until it was safe to cross the street.
On the corner stood several young adults bantering back and forth about how Rakeesh's plan was going to make their own criminal activities less noticeable. The shortest of the bunch upnodded toward the children and grinned. "Let's go have some fun."
A tall woman dressed in a white hooded cloak had been nearing the corner when she overheard. "Leave the little ones alone," she murmured.
A sneer accompanied the voice that answered her, "Whattaya gonna do, lady?"
Golden green eyes locked on the group. "It is not what I shall do that will matter today, but what you might begin."
"Like I'm afraid of you?" a third hood piped up
The woman sighed as she was reminded of a line from a Midsummer Night's Dream, Lord, what fools these mortals be! She went on her way, she had an appointment to keep. There was something about her that caused them to wait until she was out of their sight.
Rhiannon Harker had been the Baroness of Old Temple when she started teaching self defense classes for children. Working with children was something she greatly enjoyed. When Tass regained the barony after Nayun's decision to retire her time as Baroness, Rhiannon decided it was time to open her school as a formal entity. Harker's Dueling and Defense Academy was born. Several of Rhi's students were magical adepts that had no mentors to guide them. They were generally children that had a non-adept parent remaining or had been adopted. Not every child's talent had been nurtured like Maggie's or Doran's had been.
Unlike her own mother, some parents didn't see the need for their children to be prepared to defend themselves. And then came the request, or was it a demand, from the current Baron, Rakeesh Sah Tarna, to screen and register all persons that were magically gifted. A few requests had come from suddenly worried parents to have their children added to the class enrollment.
Rhi shook her head when she read the notices, stirring up hornets was never wise. Even more foolish, however, was stirring up a normally peaceable hive of bees that had been going about their daily lives and doing no harm to others. She continued with her daily tasks of tending to her home, family, and working at the school. And then, the killing began. While she suspected there was more at work than just people targeting magic users, the simple fact was extra precautions and lessons were needed.
Lasher's Restaurant was right across the street from the academy. Sometimes, the students were allowed to collect lunches and snacks that had been prepared. Two of the children, Maggie and Doran, ages six and eleven, had been given the responsibility that day. Having donned their winter coats and other gear, they waited on the sidewalk in front of the school until it was safe to cross the street.
On the corner stood several young adults bantering back and forth about how Rakeesh's plan was going to make their own criminal activities less noticeable. The shortest of the bunch upnodded toward the children and grinned. "Let's go have some fun."
A tall woman dressed in a white hooded cloak had been nearing the corner when she overheard. "Leave the little ones alone," she murmured.
A sneer accompanied the voice that answered her, "Whattaya gonna do, lady?"
Golden green eyes locked on the group. "It is not what I shall do that will matter today, but what you might begin."
"Like I'm afraid of you?" a third hood piped up
The woman sighed as she was reminded of a line from a Midsummer Night's Dream, Lord, what fools these mortals be! She went on her way, she had an appointment to keep. There was something about her that caused them to wait until she was out of their sight.