𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐌𝐀 • 𝐬.𝐬

Chapter 16

THEY SAT IN FARAHS OFFICE, LOOKING
at videos from today's training, commenting on the different things.

"Do you remember how well-trained we were," Farah said with a chuckle, "Rosalind-"

"-put us through hell," Anya said, "I've still got the bloody scars,"

She looked down at her arm. There was a small cut in her hand where she had a knife dig into it when she was training.

There were also several mental scars that would never leave her that Rosalind left behind. She'd always be there.

"And not one of the students took down a simulation. Most of them gave up," Farah explained, everyone else knowing it was true.

Saul sighed, "They're not ready yet, which is why we are training them," Saul explained until the door opened, Marco groaning as he stumbled in.

Anya and Saul jumping up to help him, he was in terrible condition and appeared to have been attacked; probably by a Burned One.

"Marco? What happened?" Anya asked, helping him sit down on the chair as he groaned.

Marco was a brilliant student and she didn't know how something like this could have happened to him. He wasn't careless.

"Noura and I were tracking a Burnrd One not far from the school," he explained, his voice hoarse and like he was in pain, "Once we killed it, we let out guard down,"

He pulled up his shirt, exposing a wound on his chest that seemed to be growing, "It wasn't alone," he explained, looking at Saul and Anya.

"I'll get some Zanbaq," Ben said, rushing out of the room to try to save Marcos life.

"How close was it to the school?" Farah asked. Saul and Anya shared knowing glances, both of them realising that something was very wrong here.

There hadn't been this many Burned Ones in years, and never in groups so big. It scared the teachers but none of them seemed to say it.

"Noura and the battalion will take care of it, don't worry, but-" Marco sighed, his breathing ragged, "-we were right that the Burned Ones are solitary hunters, two of them travelling together,"

"Well its rare, but it happens," Anya said, looking at Marco.

"We should alert the Solarians," Saul suggested and Anya shook her head, hating the Solarians with a passion.

"We tried, they've been radio silent for days," Marco explained, clutching his side where he had been attacked, "and they pulled their troops from the battalion,"

Anya couldn't understand why Luna would do something like that. She knew that there was something going on here that she didn't know about.

"What?" Anya asked, shocked that they would do such a thing. She looked at Saul as he grabbed her hand, Marco flashing them a weak smile before realising the matter at hand.

"When was the last time either of you spoke with Luna?" Saul questioned, looking at Anya and Farah. Anya rolled her eyes, stating that it was after the assembly.

Marco listened to the uncomfortable silence, looking at them confused. Nobody knew what to say to explain and nobody knew how to explain that Beatrix had killed someone.

"Is there something happening I should know about - expect for you two dating?" Marco questioned. Anya blushed, looking over at Saul before remembering what was going on.

"The Queen removed her daughter from the school over a week ago," Farah explained, "Since then she's been...distant,"

Marco eyes went wide in shock, "We don't have many more troops, if the Solarians abandon us we're in big trouble," He explained.

☆☆☆

"I'M STRUGGLING TO SEE HOW A single Burned One outside the Barrier is a serious problem," Queen Luna explained.

They had called her in order to understand why she wasn't helping the Alfean students, especially after one of their graduates were attacked by a Burned One.

Anya looked at her projection, "There are two of them travelling together, that hasn't happened since-" Anya said before stopping herself, looking over at Farah.

"In a long time," Farah finished for her, smiling weakly at her friend, "The problem is getting worse. Why did you withdraw your troops?"

Queen Luna narrowed her eyes at Farah and Anya, still not understanding why Anya was at this meeting.

"This realm has more concerns than just your school Farah," Luna explained, "And Alfea is not defenseless. You are training the students to fight,"

"They're still children," Anya stated, not understanding where Luna was coming from. These children didn't deserve to have to fight Burned Ones when they were barely adults. Anya knew the consequences of that.

The idea that children could be warriors at that age was something Rosalind used to believe, an outdated and awful belief.

"Is this some sort of punishment for not rehabilitating Stella in the way you wanted?" Farah asked, both her and Luna not listening to Anyas comment

"This isn't a punishment," Luna chuckled as she said that, "But you might consider updating your methods given the threats we clearly face,"

"Our methods are effective and they don't cause students to lose control and blind their friends," Anya said, spitting the last few words out at the projection, wishing she could just kill the Solarian Queen there and then. 

"Feel free to let me know when the Burned One has been, eliminated," Luna said, a smug look on her face as she turned off the projection.

Anya sighed, running a hand through her hair in frustration as she looked at Farah.

"I hate that woman," she stated.

Farah sighed, her head in her hands as she slumped down into the chair behind her desk, "I think we all do," she said, sounding defeated.

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