The Azra-El Series Ch. 09

"Sup! You could say I am from Varan. As for getting to know you all, I am sure that will happen soon" Blaze replied with a smile. If he was going to be around them day in and day out, he might as well get to know them.

"Sup?" Bi questioned his choice of words.

"It's a way of greeting"

"Sup! I like it. Where is it from?" Aahna asked.

"Somewhere far away. All the cool kids used it. And I was the coolest of them all" Blaze replied, donning a mock expression of coolness.

"Cool kids?"

"Never mind. What are your names?" Blaze asked, turning to the others.

"Sara, Arjana, Moana, Kida, Gloria, Leia" the bunch that surrounded him introduced themselves.

Blaze had always been surprised by the diversity of angels' features. Now, it was even more apparent. If they were on earth, they could've easily represented most of the continents.

"So, what's today's schedule? What did I miss?" Blaze asked, turning back to Aahna after he acknowledged each of them.

"You missed Math, Literature and Art. We have Geography and Physics left. Then we have a Tea break and the Pegasi flying class. I am really excited about it. My mom never let me ride one before. I wa..."

"Did you get a schedule for the week? Where can I get one?" Blaze interjected, before she could go off on another rant. The girl seemed quite garrulous.

"Yeah. We have it in our dorm. Did you get to see your room yet? Mine's the fourth one on the second floor. I ..."

"No. I only saw our dorms from the outside. So where are y'all from?" Blaze interrupted her again. The girl didn't seem to care.

He chatted with the girls for the next few minutes before the Geography teacher walked in, forcing the angels to go back to their seats. She was an older brunette and seemed to be focused on simply getting on with her lecture.

Blaze tried to pay attention, but it was too basic for him to keep focus. Soon, his mind wandered, and he started thinking about the war, the Hela empire and his hot History teacher.

He brought out a map of Azra El from his space ring and looked at the locations of the places he had heard in the history class. The pixie lands and the Mesa basin were to the far south of the continent. The Inoan plateau separated Aranya from the Mesa basin.

The fairy lands had once occupied the northwest region beside the Koram Mountain range. The Xian empire was currently confined to the mountains to the north of Aranya and the purple sea, but they had once occupied a land five times their current size.

The Physics class was as boring as Geography.

Why the freak do I have to sit through this?

He pulled out a book on Civics and started reading it. Besides History, it was one of the subjects he may have failed in.

"Hey you! Can you pay attention?" Blaze suddenly heard an irritated voice. He looked up and spotted the teacher, whose name was Edna something, giving him a glare.

"I am sorry teach. I love Physics, but I am way ahead of this material. I am only here because I failed in social studies and the headmistress thinks I should hang out with kids my own age. It's pointless for me to listen about how to calculate the speed of an object when I can solve optimization problems in wing dynamics" Blaze spoke up politely.

Edna was startled for a moment before she wrestled the idea of asking him a question.

"Ok. I will let you quietly read your book for today, but I need to confirm this with your class teacher" Edna replied strictly.

Blaze nodded. Edna gave him an appraising look before going back to her teaching.

***

Physics, the last class of the day, ended at 4 in the afternoon and Blaze followed the rest of the class to the school cafeteria. Apparently, each year had its own.

The cafeteria had three entrances and as he walked, he saw the first years from other classes flooding in through the other doors. Soon, the place was filled with three hundred odd students.

The cafeteria was a huge space with massive twenty-person hard wood tables and benches arranged in neat rows. Some of the kids in his class mingled with the other first years, but since Blaze hadn't even familiarized with the students from his own class, he joined Aahna and her quieter friend Bi's table.

He sat a few feet away from them and tried to make casual conversation with the angels who joined them. The kids were pleasant enough, but he couldn't help but feel out of place.

Soon, a bunch of adult angels arrived with food carts and started serving them tea, hot cider and coconut flaked biscuits. He chose the aromatic cider, but he asked his neighbor for a taste of her tea.

The piping hot cider was thick and sweet with a slight tanginess that titillated his taste buds, each sip sending a comfortable warmth down his throat and stomach.

The tea was clear and pale amber in color with an aromatic fusion of orange, cardamom and ginger. The smell alone made him feel wide awake and he quickly struck a deal of sharing half of his cider for half of the girl's tea.

The coconut biscuits seemed to go well with the latter.

His class stayed in the cafeteria for about half an hour before Aahna stood up and called them out for their Pegasi class. She had apparently been made the temporary class representative by Eloa.

They made their way out of the cafeteria and Blaze spotted a few envious glances. Since Blaze and his classmates belonged to Class 1A, they got to attend the first Pegasi class of the year. Class 1E and 1F had theirs on Friday morning and evening respectively.

Aahna and Bi led their class out of the Lecture building and took the paved pathways through the gardens to the aviary Blaze had seen earlier in the morning.

As they neared their destination, Blaze was hit with the smell of horses and hay. They combined with other rustic smells of the aviary and the surrounding, making it quite pleasant.

At the entrance of the aviary was a large seven-foot-tall angel, standing beside a magnificent looking white and brown Pegasus.

The white-haired angel was large, but it was because she was big boned. She did not seem to have an ounce of fat on her. She was sinewy and exuded innate strength. Blaze was immediately reminded of Brija.

Her white hair was cut short into a boy cut with a lock of hair swept to the side. She had strong angular features and piercing grey eyes that did not make anyone want to mess with her. Her lips were painted crimson and her brows were dark and thin with an angular arch in the middle.

She had strong muscular legs with wide hips and a slim waist. She wore a pair of brown leather boots with thigh high black socks. Her arms were covered with long bicep length cloth gloves.

She wore a simple pair brown boyshorts and a tightfitting half top that tightly held on to a decent sized bust that was only diminished by her size. She also wore a black leather harness that wrapped around her like a web; making her figure look both hot and dangerous.

Just like her master, the Pegasus was also a grand creature. It was one of the largest pegasi he had seen; its head reaching a height of almost eight feet. Blaze wondered how it would feel to be run over by it, either in midair or on the ground.

"Good afternoon angels!" the woman's voice reverberated and immediately quietened the chattering angels.

"I am Claudis Falhoffnir and this is my partner Gyllir. She is neither my pet nor my friend! She is my partner" Claudis said with a hoarse commanding voice, and gave a pause for her words to sink in.

Why does her name feel familiar? Maybe some myth from Earth.

"She obeys my commands, but I also listen to her instincts. If I am alive and teaching you today, it is because of this mutual relationship of respect. You will all strive to build this sort of a relationship with you own Pegasi. It may take some time, but I won't have any of you slacking off. If you are here just to have a merry time, feel free to leave my class and learn the art of Pegasi riding from somewhere else. Though I don't expect to make you all into knights, you will become as good as any knight has ever been at your age. Is that clear?" Claudis said with authority and strictness.

Though most of them had not known that the class was optional, they all nodded in response. Blaze was convinced that Claudis had a military background.

"Now head into that building and grab a harness. You will find them in the first room on the right. Don't make a mess" she commanded them.

Aahna took lead and the rest followed her into a building adjacent to the stable. The room contained a bunch of harnesses hung on twenty odd racks. The students quickly fell into a line and grabbed a harness each. Blaze picked a black one.

"Can anyone tell me why we need the harnesses?" she asked, once they gathered back in front of her.

"Because we can't fly?" someone in the front guessed.

Since he was the tallest among the students, Blaze stood at the back. Rachel, the pink haired girl from the History class, stood beside him. She was only an inch or so shorter and Blaze caught her surreptitiously measuring herself against him. He couldn't help but give her a supercilious look.

"Yes, that's reason enough for you lot. But a Pegasi knight always goes into a fight with a harness. Do you think it is because they can't fly?" Claudis asked again.

Rachel raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"To not get separated from you Pegasus. If you get knocked off" Rachel answered concisely.

"Correct. So, don't think you wouldn't need these once you've grown your wings. Get into your harnesses. It should be straightforward. Help each other if necessary"

Rachel put it on with practiced deftness, but Blaze fumbled around before he finally managed to fasten it around himself.

"This strap should be higher on the shoulder and you should tighten it a little more over here" Rachel said pleasantly, adjusting the strap over his shoulders and tightening the belt around his waist. It suddenly fit a lot more snugly.

He raised a brow at her in surprise. Her opinions on the pixies had made him assume that she was unpleasant one.

"Thanks" he muttered.

"You're welcome. I am Rachel, by the way", she told him in friendly manner.

"Yeah. I remember you from class. Have you ridden a Pegasus before?" Blaze asked her back.

"Yep. Been riding them since I was nine. Mother is a knight captain in the Cloud Nine regiment. I want to follow in her footsteps. I love Pegasi. What about you?" she replied with pride.

"I think they are cool, but I hope to ride a Quetzal one day" Blaze replied.

"Haha. I would love to do that as well. As a kid, I dreamt of being a Quetzal knight. It's too bad that we can't tame them" she replied with a friendly laugh.

"Maybe that will change"

"I hope it does. The cavalry currently experiences the highest rate of casualties because of the lack of Quetzals on our side. Mother says that the Quetzals maybe evil creatures and can only be trained by the demons. Something about a resonance of energies. I hope it's not true"

Blaze nodded, and a thought suddenly struck him, making him fall silent.

Am I evil? Sky has never been too friendly with anyone except me.

That can't be. He is slowly getting used to the others, isn't he? Besides, I don't really have any thoughts or ambitions that can be considered evil.

What about lust?

"Good. Now follow me" Claudis shouted, bringing Blaze out of his reverie. All the students had finally managed to don the harnesses.

Claudis turned around and walked into the stable. Gyllir followed her without any explicit instruction.

The stable was massive and housed a hundred Pegasi of varying colors in large roomy stalls; big enough to stretch their wings. They noticed the presence of the students but paid them no mind.

Claudis led them to six saddled Pegasi tied to the right of the entrance and a couple of them gave her a friendly neigh as she approached.

"These ones are the friendliest of the lot. They are docile and won't give you any trouble. However, once you learn the basics, each of you will be assigned a Pegasus. You will not only learn to fly them but also create a bond with them. Now, watch closely" Claudis said, grabbing Gyllir's reins.

She held the horse by the saddle horn, put a leg on the stirrup and deftly jumped up on to the Pegasi's back. Blaze noticed that the saddles were a little higher on the back when compared to normal horses.

"This is where you attach the harness" Claudis said, clasping her harness to a rope and hook at the back of the saddle.

"If you get knocked off, the rope extends up to twenty feet. This makes sure that you don't get tangled with your Pegasi's wings. Gyrill, UNFURL" Claudis said out loud.

The Pegasi immediately unfurled its massive fifteen-foot wings. They were a dusky brown with white along the edges.

"There are two common positions for sitting on a Pegasi. The first is casual seating. You can sit normally with your legs hanging on the sides and in front of the wings. You can ride this way, if your pegasus is on the ground or if you're flying it in a glide. Glide is when your pegasus is not exerting itself and only has to flap its wings to keep the elevation steady. Does that make sense?" Claudis explained.

She waited for their affirmation before she continued.

"The second position is used when you are in a Swift or a Dash and always when you're in a fight. You hold onto the horn of the saddle, lean forward and sit on your knees, like this"

Glide, swift and dash seemed to be the Pegasi terms comparable to a horse's trot, canter and gallop.

Claudis folded her knees and placed her shins over Gyrill's wings. She held the saddle horn with one hand, hugged the saddle tightly with her shins and raised her large protruding large butt high up in the air like a jockey. However, the arch of her back was more pronounced, and the sight of her figure stirred something within Blaze. Hehehe. More options!

"We will get to this later" Claudis said, coming back to her first position. "For today, you will learn to climb a Pegasi and give it basic instructions. You can also take them around for a short walk. I need six volunteers for the first round" she said, finally sprouting a smile.

Claudis wasn't surprised to find an abundance of volunteers, so she picked out six students at random.

By the time the sixty angels had finished trying out the horses and taking them for a walk, the sun had begun to set. Though there were a few who seemed to have previously ridden a Pegasi, most of them were first timers like Blaze.

However, the Pegasi were gentle and forgiving. By the end of the day, though they didn't get to fly, they were all happy and satisfied.

"That's it for today, angels. Do you have any questions?" Claudis asked after the last group of angels came back with their Pegasi.

Blaze waited for a few random questions to fly around before he raised his hand.

"Yes?"

"Do you think flying a Quetzal is different from flying a Pegasus?" Blaze asked.

Claudis was a little surprised but she considered it for a moment before she replied with a smile.

"I cannot be sure. I believe some of the basics will be similar, but there will also be a lot of things that you may have to do differently. Their body structures are quite different. However, I am positive that learning to fly a Pegasus will help you if you ever manage to get a Quetzal to let you ride her" Claudis replied with a knowing smile.

A chuckle went around among the students. Most of them had wished to ride a Quetzal at some point in their lives.

***

Blaze walked back to the dorm with a new motivation for his Pegasi lessons.

"Are you an honor student?" he suddenly heard Aahna ask from his side.

Blaze looked at her contemplatively before he answered, "I guess so. Why do you ask?"

"It's just a guess. You came late, and you told Ms. Edna that you were ahead of the syllabus" she replied.

When they walked into their dorm they were greeted by an elderly looking grey haired angel, waiting for them in the spacious living room at the entrance. Blaze guessed her to be over three hundred and fifty years old. She was dressed in a conservative white and gray dress and had a no-nonsense vibe about her.

The living room was a large comfortable area with multiple brick fire places, lounging couches, tables, chairs, and sofas scattered around in an easy but neat fashion. The walls were covered with landscape paintings, interspersed with a few portraits and mythological depictions.

The place seemed to have been lived in over the weekend. Blaze spotted a couple of board games and other doodads scattered around.

"Welcome back, angels. I hope the first day of your school was as exciting as you'd hoped" the matron said warmly, as the last of the students entered the building.

A bunch of happy replies went around before the matron spoke again.

"Good. Now hurry along to your showers. We've made a special meal to celebrate your first day. I expect you all to be at the dining room by seven sharp" she said, scooting at them with her hand.

Blaze paused for a moment before sheepishly walking up to her, as the rest of them hurried over to their rooms.

"Ah! You must be the talented Ms. Blaze Er Lokra. I've been waiting for you. How was your day? I hope Tir has been everything you've expected" she said, once she spotted him

"Hello. I already love the place. You are?"

"I am Ilona Kuznik. You can just call me matron. I will be taking care of you over the course of the year. Do you have anything you wish to ask before I take you to your room?"

"umm. About the showers... I have a condition..." Blaze started uncomfortably.

Showering in the same place as a bunch of teenage girls did not sit right with him, even if the angels of Azra-El did not have any such inhibitions. No one pranced around naked, but the angels were a lot more comfortable with their bodies than humans.

"Yes, I've been notified. I've arranged for you a larger room with a tub. The room was originally intended for nobility, but I guess we can use it in this circumstance. Now if you will follow me" Ilona replied, turning around and leading him to the stairs.

Blaze followed her to the third floor.

"Won't the others feel wronged about my room?" Blaze asked as they walked along the hallway. They ran into a few students on their way to their showers, but no one paid them much attention.

"Envy is not something an angel should cultivate, dear girl. However, I'd suggest you to be circumspect about showing off your room. If you are found out, just tell them it's a personal issue that requires its facilities, unless you're fine with revealing your condition" Ilona finished as they reached the end of the corridor.

The door of the room was the same as every other room, but a keen observer could make out the extra space even from the outside.

Ilona opened the door and invited Blaze in.

It was a large twenty by twenty feet room, with a queen-sized curtained bed. The sheets were white, clean and fresh, with a bunch of soft comfortable pillows arranged at the head. A light smell of daffodils permeated the room and it made Blaze feel relaxed.

A mahogany almirah with a mirror stood on the right and a table with a chair sat near the large Victorian window with frilly curtains. Blaze could tell that the view was going to be splendid.

A decent sized ceramic tub and shower was placed beside the almirah, with a couple of absorbent mats on either side. The tub was surrounded by a shower curtain to prevent water from spilling out.

"It's perfect. Thank you!" Blaze exclaimed. The room was more than he could've asked for. He suddenly felt guilty about plotting against the headmistress.