Wicked Games Academy

CHAPTER 8

The Headmaster greeted us that midnight.

"My favorite duo. Rottings and Vagrant. Let me explain your missions; the first rule is to call each other by a different name. Now, give me your pseudonyms."

I was in the dumb getup and matching Clive and with the Headmaster in his office was embarrassing more than honorary. I didn't even know we had to come up with names.

"Would Nell and Five work, sir?" Clive said.

Oh, so he was Five. What was Nell? Was it like a pet name for Nelson? I scrunched up my face under the mask.

"Great," the headmaster said. "Now, your missions are going to be, well, killing rebels. There are terrorists and rebels who will be trying to escape Goldenvale, once we've located their hiding locations we will send you to them, usually one or two, and we expect you to kill them."

"What?" I spoke up. "You can't tell us to actually kill people! The King and his real knights do such things, we are students!"

"Haha." The Headmaster showed no change in his lower facial muscles. Was he angry or apathetic? "Yes, indeed. The secret, though, is that we always take some of the easy tasks and give them to students as extracurriculars. I thought the older Rottings boys would have told you."

"Well, sir, they never told me I would actually be killing people, which I believe students shouldn't...do." I was so dead. Why was I babbling so much? I turned to Clive for help. He looked on, sympathetic.

"I don't think we even had practice killing, or evening hunting, for example deer or pheasants. Maybe we could start with smaller tasks, sir?" Clive asked.

"You two are the hope of the Academy, and these missions the court have issued to me to give my students. It's a chance that could ensure your future citizenship, Vagrant, and you, Rottings, a spot as a knight after graduation." He waited for us to think it over.

"Don't force yourself," Clive whispered.

I didn't know what to think.

It was the an honor the king always employed a male from the Rottings house since our great-grandfather was involved with making new bills. We all swore to keep the family line going, but hadn't my two older brothers fulfilled it?

A part of me wanted to kick back and enjoy years with my peers, playing ball and maybe jousting, but it was all too hard to picture.

Then the part of me, the majority, was still suffocating under the pressure of our family and father especially. I wanted to feel that pride in my own veins for myself, and as always, I followed what I was told.

"Sir," I said, bending down on one knee before his desk. "Pardon my previous words. There is no greater pleasure as I have always wanted early exposure to the missions knights are in charge of. I will kill the mages as directed."

Clive followed, bending next to me, and I could see from the corner of my eye that his eyes were looking down and he was as serious as me.

"Same here, sir."

The Headmaster stepped out from his desk and stood over us before clapping softly with his gloves hands.

"This is it. The passion needed to be a knight. Perfect."

The Headmaster turned to get a piece of paper and began to read from it.

"Get up, Rottings, Vagrant," he said. "Your mission today is to find a few rebels the court found. They are in hiding in the forest here. There's one male and one female rebel but only the female throws small knives, be careful."