Azarian leaned back against the wall and breathed out a plume of smoke, smiling contendedly.

She was sat on the wall that ran around the edge of the balcony of the Student's common room, a large open air space that could be reached via full length windows that opened out from the main room.

She was tucked in a corner where the low wall met the wall of the main building. She stretched her legs out in front of her, enjoying the warm summer air on her skin and gazed out at the sunset that had bathed the city with a reddish gold glow.

She took another long drag of the small clay pipe filled with her favourite tobacco and looked up at the sky.

There is nothing so wonderful, she thought, as indulging ones vices.

Azarian watched a distant bird lazily turn circles in the sky. Watching it she became aware that the bird was spiralling lower and lower and becoming bigger and bigger, now starting to cast a shadow over the courtyard.

She pushed herself upright.

"Stormwing!" she called out, to no-one in particular.