somehow her fault. Her
eyes began to water, and she squeezed them hard, wishing she could
forget the sights of their lifeless bodies. She told herself that
they hadn’t died in vain – that by helping her reach the end of the
Challenge, they, too, had played a part in changing the world.
She’d make sure that everyone remembered that.
Hearing a swoosh above her, she
opened her eyes. Through her hazy vision, she saw a gold figure
descending toward her. Was she dead? she wondered. Delirious? Then
she stopped thinking, too tired to care.
The last thing she knew
before blackness fell was a Sentinel pointing his wand at her and
whispering, “ Sopor .”
Aurelia opened her eyes
and saw a dark red wand pointed at her.
Alarmed, she yanked it out of the Enchanter’s hand and held up a
fist.
“ Calm down, Aurelia. I was
lifting the sleeping spell.”
Recognizing the voice as Professor
Williams’, she relaxed. When she looked around, she realized that
she lay in her bed in the tiny dorm room at the Academy of
Supernatural Defense. She was … home?
Puzzled, she gave the wand back to Williams
and sat up. “What happened?”
She remembered killing the fangbeast and
seeing the headless body of the source creature dead beside her,
but nothing after that. The anger and satisfaction she’d felt in
that moment seeped back into her mind, but paled next to the whirl
of confusion. How had she ended up back in her room?
Williams handed her a mini Procul Mirror.
“It’s easier to show you. This is what the Triumvirate broadcast
from the Challenge.”
Confused, she looked at the mirror, where
she saw herself swinging her swords, beheading fangbeast clones as
the Chinese boy threw his wand blasts.
She couldn’t help
smiling. I look good.
Then the boy went down, and the image went
black. She frowned, then felt a sudden sob rise up her chest, and
clenched her jaw. She had no reason to cry – she’d already known
the Chinese boy was dead, and he’d fallen because of his own
mistakes. Why should she care?
But despite everything she
told herself, she couldn’t stop the deep sorrow from penetrating
her heart. She hadn’t known anything about the boy, but he was
a person – and
she’d failed him. Just like she’d failed Vilk.
Meanwhile, the image on the Procul Mirror
remained blank. She looked up at Professor Williams with a
quizzical expression, wondering what his point had been.
“ Keep watching,” he
said.
A few seconds later, the image from the
Challenge broadcast reappeared, showing a gold-cloaked Sentinel
standing beside the slain fangbeast with Aurelia, unconscious, in
his arms.
She looked up at Williams, even more
confused than before. The memory of someone whispering a spell
returned to her mind, and she realized it must have been a sleeping
enchantment. “He knocked me out? Why?”
“ To make it appear as
though he’d rescued you,” Williams replied. “According to the
Triumvirate, that Sentinel took pity on you and stopped the
broadcast to kill the fangbeast.”
“ What? ” She shot up, unwilling to believe what he’d told her.
“ I killed
it! I did what a
dozen Sentinels couldn’t! What any Enchanter couldn’t!”
“ I believe you. And that’s
precisely what the Triumvirate couldn’t let the people see.” His
voice sounded calm, but she detected the wrathful fire in his
expression, blazing behind his crinkled brown eyes. She got the
feeling that there was more to him than the calm, scholarly teacher
she knew, but she wasn’t sure what question she could ask to learn
more.
Her gaze flew back to the
Procul Mirror, which showed the Sentinel, still holding Aurelia,
telling the Challenge officials that he’d had enough of the
bloodshed and couldn’t stand by while a young girl was slaughtered.
Rage couldn’t begin to describe the desire she had to rip the
Sentinel’s throat out and dump his body into a pit of fire. How
dare he lie like that? How dare he? A million curses
eyes began to water, and she squeezed them hard, wishing she could
forget the sights of their lifeless bodies. She told herself that
they hadn’t died in vain – that by helping her reach the end of the
Challenge, they, too, had played a part in changing the world.
She’d make sure that everyone remembered that.
Hearing a swoosh above her, she
opened her eyes. Through her hazy vision, she saw a gold figure
descending toward her. Was she dead? she wondered. Delirious? Then
she stopped thinking, too tired to care.
The last thing she knew
before blackness fell was a Sentinel pointing his wand at her and
whispering, “ Sopor .”
Aurelia opened her eyes
and saw a dark red wand pointed at her.
Alarmed, she yanked it out of the Enchanter’s hand and held up a
fist.
“ Calm down, Aurelia. I was
lifting the sleeping spell.”
Recognizing the voice as Professor
Williams’, she relaxed. When she looked around, she realized that
she lay in her bed in the tiny dorm room at the Academy of
Supernatural Defense. She was … home?
Puzzled, she gave the wand back to Williams
and sat up. “What happened?”
She remembered killing the fangbeast and
seeing the headless body of the source creature dead beside her,
but nothing after that. The anger and satisfaction she’d felt in
that moment seeped back into her mind, but paled next to the whirl
of confusion. How had she ended up back in her room?
Williams handed her a mini Procul Mirror.
“It’s easier to show you. This is what the Triumvirate broadcast
from the Challenge.”
Confused, she looked at the mirror, where
she saw herself swinging her swords, beheading fangbeast clones as
the Chinese boy threw his wand blasts.
She couldn’t help
smiling. I look good.
Then the boy went down, and the image went
black. She frowned, then felt a sudden sob rise up her chest, and
clenched her jaw. She had no reason to cry – she’d already known
the Chinese boy was dead, and he’d fallen because of his own
mistakes. Why should she care?
But despite everything she
told herself, she couldn’t stop the deep sorrow from penetrating
her heart. She hadn’t known anything about the boy, but he was
a person – and
she’d failed him. Just like she’d failed Vilk.
Meanwhile, the image on the Procul Mirror
remained blank. She looked up at Professor Williams with a
quizzical expression, wondering what his point had been.
“ Keep watching,” he
said.
A few seconds later, the image from the
Challenge broadcast reappeared, showing a gold-cloaked Sentinel
standing beside the slain fangbeast with Aurelia, unconscious, in
his arms.
She looked up at Williams, even more
confused than before. The memory of someone whispering a spell
returned to her mind, and she realized it must have been a sleeping
enchantment. “He knocked me out? Why?”
“ To make it appear as
though he’d rescued you,” Williams replied. “According to the
Triumvirate, that Sentinel took pity on you and stopped the
broadcast to kill the fangbeast.”
“ What? ” She shot up, unwilling to believe what he’d told her.
“ I killed
it! I did what a
dozen Sentinels couldn’t! What any Enchanter couldn’t!”
“ I believe you. And that’s
precisely what the Triumvirate couldn’t let the people see.” His
voice sounded calm, but she detected the wrathful fire in his
expression, blazing behind his crinkled brown eyes. She got the
feeling that there was more to him than the calm, scholarly teacher
she knew, but she wasn’t sure what question she could ask to learn
more.
Her gaze flew back to the
Procul Mirror, which showed the Sentinel, still holding Aurelia,
telling the Challenge officials that he’d had enough of the
bloodshed and couldn’t stand by while a young girl was slaughtered.
Rage couldn’t begin to describe the desire she had to rip the
Sentinel’s throat out and dump his body into a pit of fire. How
dare he lie like that? How dare he? A million curses
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