The Black Pawn • The first book of the Black Academy Series

19. Company

AZALEA WAS AWAKE once more, it wasn't surprising. It had become routine for her to wake up and go exploring the castle in the cover of night. Ben had been tired that day so she had told him that they could miss that night's training session. The boy had pouted but after a few minutes of arguing with him, he had caved. Simply because he was too tired to fight with her. She'd even used his excuse against her.

Her feet were warm against the cold wood. The creaking filled the hallway as she walked. The Black Castle was a labyrinth. Not a maze. It had one path but so many other small pathways that may lead you to different places. Not all the rooms in the Black Castle were dangerous but more than 40% were. Thinking of somewhere to go she decided on the mystery room that she and Ben had found.

Something tells me that, that room's the place to be tonight, She thought to herself groggily as she continued walking. The silence of the castle giving her some time to dissect her previous dreams, more like nightmares.

She finally turned the corner that led to the room, reaching the wall at the end of the hallway she lightly pressed on the wall. Pushing the white table with the white roses on them away from the wall. Pushing the door open. She pulled the string that lit the room with the dirty orange light.

She looked around, but something almost immediately caught her eye. Seeing the same sticky notes on the boards, but what was interesting was that there were new additions to the board. Something about a company.

Intrigued, she ventured closer. Her fingers reached out to touch the notes. The scrawl was different but it wasn't surprising most of the notes were written in different hand-writings. And there was no way that one person was planning this.

Tracing the scrawl the words formed on her lips, "The Altera Company."

She furrowed her eyebrows as she said, "The heck is that?"

Finding more notes she read them. They didn't make sense. That was until she tried reading them in a particular order. There she was, her fingers tracing over a scrawl that had dried. Seemingly written days ago. The paper a rough texture under the tips of her fingers.

"The candidate will be White Queen destroy— no, the Altera— nope." Azalea groaned in annoyance. Ruffling her hair before taking a step away from the board.

Murmuring under her breath, her eyes traveling over the paper. Finding connections she hadn't previously. Finally, she realized what it said. The notes had been spread over the wall to stop someone from understanding them. The candidate would destroy the Altera Company. Her eyes widened, I'm the candidate.

She looked around the rest of the notes, there was a note that held the stages of the Selection. She trailed her hands over the notes, the task for the sixth stage had been scratched out. She pressed her hands over her eyes, she moved the notes that she had deciphered away from each other, covering up her tracks. Her mind was running with her thoughts, unexplainable stress plaguing her body.

She walked out of the room, switching the lights off as she left. Her breathing was getting shallow, she had so many questions and she was in the need of many answers— but she wasn't going to get them so easily. She placed her hand on her chest, grabbing the fabric as she walked quietly.

You're fine, you're fine.

•

The shots rang out as she emptied the magazine of bullets into the targets that hung from the wall in front of her. Every bullet she shot was a question in her mind. Why? What? and the most important question- When? She dropped her arm. The gun lowered as she turned away from the target. Pulling the headphones off her head. She moved to the rack of weapons. Setting the spent gun onto the table. Pulling off a bo-staff from the hands of the rack that pushed outwards. Walking towards the peach-colored dummy that stood proudly in front of her.

Her bo-staff created a resonating thump in the room. She continued hitting the dummy. The sweat poured down her back, her face was flushed with heat. Her muscles and joints aching. She hadn't given them even a full night's sleep. Not since the nightmares decided to work with the dread that befell her when the Selection started. Her body screamed in protest yet she continued.

She felt her mind on edge, nearly cracking with the pressure of things. The staff snapped. She growled in annoyance. Her stance fell as she glared at the staff that was clutched in her hands, broken because of her continuous use of it. She sighed, "Perfect."

She held the broken staff closer to her face and said, "You look how I feel."

She dropped the broken staff. Not caring to pick up the pieces as she sat down on the mat. Closing her tired green eyes. Relaxing the taut muscles. Everything dulled around her as she slipped into a state. A state she didn't know, but a state that felt familiar somehow.

It felt as if a veil had been pulled off everything. All she could see was darkness. And then she heard that scream. A scream she had heard so many nights ago when she had been sitting with Ben in the library. The scream, it had been so close to her then. And now it was far, but it was floating towards her. The sound grew with the dread in Azalea's stomach.

Then the voice got so unbearably loud that she opened her eyes. But, when she opened them she was no longer in the room she had been in. Rather a bigger one. And a darker one.

Painful screams emanating from all corners of the room. Azalea looked around with wide eyes. Trying to identify if the room she was in was a part of the Black Castle. But, from what she could understand. It was not. She dared to venture in. She dared to walk towards where the painful screams were coming from.

She was horrified when she found that the screams were coming from people. People she thought she killed. Students that she knew for a fact were dead. Why? Because the wounds she gave them were fatal.

John Danor was screaming at the top of his lungs. Blood covered his hands. Gold moved under his hands. His skin was glowing. Not the way that you want your skin to glow. But, the way you don't want it to.

"What are you going to do Mr. Danor?" A graceful asked. Azalea turned in surprise. Finding Victoria Casella standing there. She gasped in surprise. But, quickly slapped her hand over her mouth. Scared that the woman would find her out. But, she didn't.

Ms. Casella didn't notice her gasp. She continued watching the writhing body of John Danor, "What are you going to do Mr. Danor?"

"I'm going to kill her." John growled. Victoria just tilted her head forwards, raising her eyebrow and asking, "What did you say Mr. Danor?"

"I am GOING TO KILL HER!" John growled loudly. Azalea jumped backward. His voice was loud. She watched as Victoria asked with a straight face, "Who?"

"Azalea Selene."