Nicasi finished demonstrating a series of advanced magical defensive moves to the newest batch of adherents who'd recently been placed with the Branch of Strength. He'd allowed them to wear their sleeveless training tunics to combat the heat of the late afternoon sun, and the bare skin of their arms flashed against the red as they did their best to replicate his technique.
None of them had yet turned nineteen, and though it wasn't fair to call them children anymore, he couldn't help but think of them as such. Once they stepped through the gates of his Branch, he was responsible for them all, no matter their age.
Most of them caught on quickly, or they wouldn't have been a good fit for Strength, though the two youngest ones were too quick to use force over strategy.
