Ubarra; Approximately 2,800 years ago
Thereka Mozaralt was agitated. This.....schoolmaster. He was definitely incompetent. He'd left her here, in his 'office', promising to return with her son in a matter of minutes. It had been an hour. She arched her back and spat a bit of venom onto the floor. She really didn't want to be here. She should be in the castellan's boardroom, whispering things in his ear-hole, poisoning his weak mind. She shouldn't be here, in this manky old hovel, moping about, waiting to hear what mischief her son had gotten up to. Just wait, she thought, just wait till we get home. Ill wring his neck.
The schoolmaster, an old, doddering wrym, reappeared in the hovel's entrance, astride a small, sickly looking specimen that she recognized, to her disdain, as her son.
"So." she said in a venomous, no nonsense voice, "What's he got up to, eh?"
The schoolmaster cleared his throat and his eyes darted from side to side. He was obviously scared of her, and so he should be, she thought. She had a frightful reputation, after all. However, he seemed to be afraid of something else as well, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Not that she had fingers, of course.
"Well....." he began "You know as well as anyone else, miss Mozaralt, that it is the duty of a young Goldcrest Wrym to grow up to be a ruthless killer. We are at war, after all, with hideous, necromancy - addicted amphibians who threaten to defile us with......magic. As you might have guessed, your son has murdered another pupil. Unintentionally, mind, but nonetheless the deed has been done. Now, normally, as Goldcrests, we wouldn't have a problem with this, as he is simply asserting his superiority. However, the way in which he has done this........deed.......it is......unnatural."
Thereka frowned "In what way?" she demanded
"Well........ um........" the schoolmaster squirmed. Then he let out a sigh. "Let me show you the body. Come with me." And he led them down a long dark corridor.
Her son stuck to her side "Mum," he began "You ain't mad, are you?"
"Aren't." She corrected. "No, Kelovius, I'm not mad. You were simply doing what you should've done. I presume the victim attacked you first? You aren't the type to go looking for trouble."
Kelovius nodded.What a disappointment, Thereka thought
The schoolmaster led them into a large stone hall. This was he classroom, she guessed, where young Goldcrests learned warfare tactics and how best to remove someone you don't like. In the corner lay a corpse. As she drew closer, a chill wind seemed to blow from nowhere. She inspected the corpse. It looked fine, up until she looked at the head. The head wasn't there. Only red chunks of offal and brain matter remained. The student's brain, and head, had exploded.
"Ma'am" the schoolmaster said hoarsely "It appears that your son has powers over mana, and whats more, its on a level we have never encountered before."
Thereka was speechless. She looked down at her small sickly son with awe and wonder. Then a cruel smile creased her reptilian lips. "Well, son, this could prove to be quite interesting." she remarked.