Clary winched as a sharp pain shot through her hand, her gaze falling upon the red, swollen imprint of Astraea's pointed thumbnail. She was puzzled, unable to fathom why this woman had treated her with such cruelty. The last time they had met, she had been nothing but kind to her, holding her hand when someone had pushed her. Is that a mask, or could it be an athletic rivalry? The thoughts lingered in Clary's mind.
Rowar was also taken aback by the biting insults that came out of Astraea's mouth. He had always known her to be a bit quick-tempered, but he never would have thought she would be so blatantly insulting a co-athlete at a first meeting. He glanced over to his friend Alder, who was practically seething with anger at how his beloved student had been treated.
"What is this, Rowar?" Alder burned in anger at the insult.