The Matriarch's Daughter

Chapter Nineteen: Trying to Survive to Graduation

"You can get off me, Ms. Fox."

Rory's eyes snapped open. She had braced for a crushing blow, expecting to shield the youngling with her body. Instead, she found herself sprawled atop Deeprabbit, who looked mildly disturbed.

"I...what?" she fumbled.

"I said, 'You can get off me.'" Deeprabbit repeated.

Scrambling to her feet, Rory's confusion only deepened. She nearly walked straight into the automation, its arm frozen mid-swing, moments from what should have been a fatal strike. Instinctively, she raised her shield, but the construct didn't move, standing motionless.

She sidestepped cautiously, scanning the battlefield, searching for some explanation. When she found none, her gaze flicked back to Deeprabbit, who was dusting herself off, her earlier irritation fading into something more amused.

"Well, I must say that was unexpected," Deeprabbit said, as if grading a school exercise. "The tribunal will need some time to review your score. I imagine it will be ready in an hour. In the meantime, clean yourselves up and find something presentable to wear. It's always best to leave a lasting impression."

"Um... okay?" Rory answered, still trying to catch up.

Deeprabbit lifted her hands as if to cast a spell, but hesitated.

"Oh, almost forgot." She muttered to herself, then reached into her robes and pulled out a small vial of red liquid, pressing it into Rory's palm. "For Ms. Silver over there. This should get her back on her feet."

With that, she traced a circle in the air, then vanished. Around them, the automations collapsed where they stood, their lifeless metal bodies hitting the dirt with a series of dull thuds.

Rory took a moment to process everything before finally exhaling. She glanced at Thepa and Einkidi, who were already walking toward her. The tension that had coiled inside her for an entire competition unraveled in a dizzying euphoria. She twirled with reckless abandonment, her boots kicking up dust, her arms flung wide as if she could take flight. Laughter bubbled out of her. 

"No more drills, lectures, automations trying to bash our skulls in!" She pulled back, eyes gleaming. "We did it."

She spun faster, letting the world blur around her. Across the battlefield, Thepa crossed her arms, watching with an arched brow, while Einkidi clapped along, shaking her head with a grin.

At some point, Rory unlatched her shield, flipping it like a coin before catching it and pressing it dramatically to her chest. "And to you, dear tormentor," she said, addressing the battered thing as if it were a lifelong rival, "I bid a fond farewell and hope never to see you again." With a flourish, she flung it onto a fallen automation's metal chest. "May you rust in peace."

Einkidi burst out laughing. Even Thepa, exasperated as she looked, couldn't suppress the faintest twitch of amusement at the corner of her mouth. And then, because Rory could, she threw her head back and let herself laugh again; loud, shameless, and free.

Einkidi shook her head, amused. "So... what do we do now?"

Rory continued to dance around, twirling in circles with her arms flailing. "Now we celebrate!" she declared, striking a ridiculous pose.

Thepa rolled her eyes. "We need to do something about Claudia."

Rory gasped. "Ah! Right! Fear not, for I have been gifted divine intervention!" She triumphantly held up the vial of red liquid and sprinted over to Claudia, dropping to her knees with dramatic flair. Bending over her unconscious friend, she held Claudia's nose and poured the potion into her mouth. For a moment, nothing happened before Claudia finally opened her eyes.