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

2. Immortality

SHE GRUNTED AS ANNA hit her with her sword. The sound of clashing swords was familiar to both girls. Azalea continued to play the defensive card while Anna enjoyed the offensive. As expected the redhead never pulled punches; even ones thrown against her friends. The class continued as all pairs continued fighting with each other.

"Ms. Selene using your mind is something needed in weapon-to-weapon combat" She heard a familiar drawl behind her. She turned her head to see their instructor standing beside their mat.

"Yes, Miss Avaria." She said her face scrunched up as her hands put more weight on her sword. The length of her sword moved across Anna's. The swords emitted sparks as the iron clashed.

She looked up at her friend who was pushing against her sword with her own. She raised her eyebrows as she had done with Elizabeth in the class before this. The same principles applied to her and Anna. Except this class was one where Azalea lost herself in the weapons. She had more wins against Anna, but the redhead didn't mind it.

She put her sword at the start of the handle of Anna's. Striking that close hit her friend's hand. Anna gasped in pain as her sword fell and Azalea's sword went to her throat.

"Good job Ms. Selene." Ms. Avaria praised the girl as she inspected her form, "Now finish her."

Azalea and Anna's heads snapped towards the instructor standing there. Azalea looked at the lady standing there as if she was crazy. Ms. Avaria's head snapped up at the feeling of gazes on her.

"Finish her." She repeated in monotone. The lady was a twisted beauty, her looks paired with her deadly moves with her weapons made her the perfect assassin. She was a person the students were encouraged to look up to.

"But —" Azalea started. The lady tutted at the brunette. Her twist of blonde hair moved on top of her head as she shook her head at the girl.

"I must ask here Ms.Selene." She started, "Who here is the teacher?"

The answer remained unsaid as the Selene girl closed her mouth and stopped her sarcastic comment from tripping off her tongue. She turned to her friend with her face looking pained.

With that, she slashed her sword at her friend's legs and she fell to the ground. The girl kept her sword aimed at the redhead that was on the ground.

"I expected more." The lady said. The sword was closer to Anna's neck. , "Ms. Vanor will not die Ms.Selene if you kill her."

Anna hated knowing that. The redhead was a unique supernatural creature who didn't die, couldn't die. If she got killed she'd reform; even If her head was cut off she'd turn into ash and reform an hour later.

"Yes, Ms. Avaria," Azalea said, her head hung low. She hated seeing her friends in pain.

Goddamn it, Avaria kept pushing her sword down on her friend's throat. The sword's sharp tip kept digging into Anna's. The redhead on the floor clenched her jaw at the pain. The sword drew blood. The instructor didn't stop pushing the sword into her student's neck. Azalea pushed against Avaria's grip.

"Ms. Avaria." She warned. Her hand still pushed against the Avaria's grip.

"I would suggest Ms. Selene, that you don't forget about the first and foremost rule." The lady said as she turned her head towards her student who was standing beside her, "Next time I will not stop."

Her grip went missing from the sword and the sword let up. A streak of blood was still there on Anna's neck as Azalea dropped her sword and went to help her friend that still lay on the mat. Anna smiled softly at her friend that was helping her.

"It's fine," Anna murmured to her friend. Azalea's murmurs of 'sorry' continued to trip off her tongue. Elizabeth rushed over to her friends after she won.

"The class is dismissed."

•

The three made their way towards the garden outside, covered with overgrown ivy vines. Gardens were supposed to be sunny and fun but the ones at the Black Academy tended to take their inspiration from the actual castle and the Headmistress.

The grass was long overgrown and the sky looked like a grey ceiling. The birds looked afraid to come out. The three friends sat there as they talked with each other.

"Are you sure you're fine?" Azalea asked her friend as her forehead scrunched up in worry. Anna turned to her friend with a dismissing hand as she held a cloth to the small wound on her neck.

"Yes Az, I am perfectly fine," Anna said with a roll of her eyes. Azalea beheld her for a second, scanning her face and her arms.

"Ok," Azalea said with a slow nod. Elizabeth huffed exasperatedly at her friend's dramatics.

"I swear to god, she's fine Selene!" Elizabeth sighed to her friends, "Plus we have more things to worry about."

With that their friendly and fun atmosphere dropped into sadness and gloom. Something very common for the three. Azalea nodded at her friend's words.

The Black Academy trained them to be killers. Trained assassins with supernatural abilities.

But, not everyone could become a killer, an assassin. For that reason the Black Academy held a test, to separate the wheat from the chaff. To separate the killers from the weak.

Once you were 16 years old you were eligible for the Selection. A brutal contest where maiming was allowed.

"Do you think all of us will pass?"

Azalea turned to her friend with a reassuring smile as she shared a glance with Elizabeth.

"Of course, Anna," Elizabeth reassured her.

The selection was an important stepping stone for the students at the black academy. If you failed the Selection, that was it. Any student that couldn't cope with the levels of the Selection would die in the stage that they stumbled in.

Every single selection always cut the number of students into half for when they survived, well, passed The Selection. So the day went on well into the night for the three.

They had rooms that were close by. By close by it meant at least 3 minutes of a walk in the absolute dark to reach each other's rooms. But that hadn't stopped their late-night visits.

They continued with their nightly routines. Anna reviewed her remedy-making homework. Elizabeth lazed around. And Azalea tried to fall asleep, even though she knew that she'd wake up an hour later with a horrible memory running in her mind.