227 A New Teacher

"I'm here for training," Arran said.

The young man looked at him with barely veiled disdain. From his appearance and demeanor, Arran guessed he was a novice, albeit an unusually arrogant one.

Oddly, he wasn't wearing a sword. Perhaps this was meant to show he didn't need weapons, but to Arran's eyes, it just looked like a silly affectation.

"You're late, newcomer," the novice said sharply. "What's your House?"

"I'm with the House of Swords," Arran replied calmly, ignoring the young man's hostile tone.

"The House of Swords?" The novice sneered. "A barbarian come to learn magic? What's next, dogs learning to speak?"

Some snickers sounded from the group of initiates.

"You have a problem with my House?" Arran asked.

It was clear the novice meant to cause trouble, but he might as well take the bait — he had no intention of training with what were obviously the least-skilled initiates in the House of Flames.