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

20. Vision

LAST NIGHT HAD scared Azalea Selene, the people she had killed were alive. And they wanted to kill her. She hadn't been able to sleep after the whole thing. So she trained a bit more. She broke another staff. Had a little glaring contest with it. Late in the night she finally tired herself to her limit. She found her way back to her room. Passing out on the bed. It wasn't even a few minutes before she was pulled into another nightmare. Or rather a troubling vision.

She breathed with no rhythm. Her eyes moved furiously under her eyelids. But, what was even more intriguing was the argument that was happening in an office a few hallways and a floor away from the Selene girl's room.

The Black Academy was a twisted beauty. Such grace from such pain. Such expertise in a game. Knives, Guns, And Swords weren't things you found in any school. In any academy. You didn't find children killing each other. Being taught ways of killing each other from a young impressionable age. Normal schools certainly didn't have a group of teachers fighting in an office over which students to bring back to life.

The lights in the room were dim, yet the atmosphere was alive. Maybe because the people in the room were nearly ready to rip each other's heads off. Or maybe only a cannibalistic blonde was.

"We are bringing all of them back! Give me the last vial!" A voice exclaimed. The voice belonged to a brunette. She was pointing a dainty finger at the man that stood two steps ahead of her.

The one who ran the academy held a glass of amber liquid and smelled of cigarettes. It certainly wasn't a new thing for the woman. She seemed to always smell of something toxic. Be it blood, or man-made cancer sticks and alcohol.

"We do not need to." The man hissed back, "We need the vials in case anything happens to— to the White Queen."

"Nothing will happen to her." A blonde said. She stood with her arms folded to her chest, "This is a fool-proof plan, now unless you doubt Victoria then you shall have no other problems."

"What about the others, the white queen's followers are already spread thin." The male argued, "If we lose the ones we have, our cause is as good as dead."

"Nicholas, our cause has just started. The white queen shall live." The ruthless blonde said, "And anybody who can't work with us, shall be dead."

"Yes, I do realize that Avaria— but you can't actually think that the Company won't try anything. We cannot take risks." Nicholas answered. The blonde woman- Avaria- just glared at the man.

The brunette woman that stood turned away from the group. The 2 blonde women and the man. She finally turned around, sipping from her glass. She sighed and said, "I can assure you, Nicholas, we will not die or get caught. We are not using all the vials... I have a feeling."

The group watched the woman intently, wanting to know more. The woman smirked at the faces they all held; she huffed minutely and said, "Ms. Selene will be our ultimate champion... The last stage will make her the champion. I am sure of it. And the last stage will give us the last person to bring to life, and that person will help us control Ms. Selene."

The members looked at each other with blank looks. Wondering what was going to happen. But, only one woman out of them knew what was going to happen. By far the least humane out of them.

•

The Black Castle was quiet, the Black Academy's students were asleep. The night sky was clear outside the clear glasses that stood in the windows. There was a light breeze rapping on the pane. The trees swayed in the light wind. It was the end of October. The cold was going to come in a few days.

The group had left the office. They were standing in the cramped small room, the papers were around them. But, they weren't there to discuss anything. They were there to plant the last part of their genius plan. The last piece that would put their plan in motion.

Everything had been going according to plan, Elizabeth Maine and Azalea Selene had followed everything down to a 'T'. The plan was coming together, and not a moment too soon.

Victoria Casella stood with a glint in her eyes. Her amber-filled glass was back in her warm office. Nicholas Lavel stood beside the smirking Avaria who was raising her hands to put the paper to the wall.

There was a yellow scrap of paper in the woman's hand. A familiar scrawl had written a few simple words that would make their plan unbreakable and unbeatable. The simple plan to make Azalea Selene their champion. Avaria's arms fell as Victoria Casella straightened up. Nicholas Lavel and Mademoiselle Faith watched the two women, who were as twisted as each other.

They both glanced at each other and then turned back to the paper that stood on the wall. The simple words were, 'The sixth stage, fight to the death.'

The trap was set. Now they had to wait for the prey to bite.