The Battle Of The Basilisk

-13-

Raghavi felt unable to digest what Pranaty was saying- Mostly because Colin and Austria were talking at the same time.

"Stop!" Cereza commanded. "Can only one of you speak?"

Colin looked like he wanted to, but Pranaty stepped forward and explained everything in the most simple and heart-stabbing manner possible:

"Hydra's been murdered. Charles is bringing her."

Hydra's been murdered. Raghavi felt sadness overwhelm her. Hydra..... She was too nice for something like that. Nobody could have even dreamed that Hydra would have to die like that.

They all watched as Charles slowly came towards them, carrying Hydra's limp, bloody body.He set her down on the ground, and Raghavi automatically looked away, not wanting to see those empty, lifeless eyes staring back at her.

"We have to bury her." Charles said quietly.

"Um..." Colin started. "Shouldn't her parents be the ones burying her?"

Everyone stared at Colin.

"Uh, what?"

"Colin..." Austria said slowly. "The whole school knows that she's an orphan."

Colin's face reddened. "Well, I'm not the whole school! I'm just Colin!"

Austria glared at him. "Well then, 'Just Colin'-"

"Don't you two start!" Raghavi spat. Her fists shook a little. "This isn't a joke! We need to find out who killed her!"

"Raghavi, this has something to do with the Moerder." Charles put in. "It's starting. And it's not good. Firstly, we must find the Ravenclaw First-Years. They are in danger."

"I don't get this." Pranaty seemed frustrated. "Why only the First-Year Ravenclaws? Why Ravenclaws in particular?"

"Nobody knows." Cereza said. Her face reflected worry. "But they don't deserve whatever is happening to them. They're innocent."

A thought occurred to Raghavi- And she would've have spoken, if screams had not reverberated throughout the fields, and shards of glass had not pierced her skin.

*

"You have made a grave error, Ayano." Damian whispered, his brown eyes glinting with malevolence. "You should not have heard the Moerder."

"Damian, please." Ayano nearly begged. She refused to believe that Damian, the boy who supposedly had a crush on her, would remove her memories. "This isn't like you. I only heard half of the Moerder, I swear-"

"Your words no longer have any effect on me, Ayano." Damian's voice was like silk, smooth and free of obstructions. "I know well that you are lying. You have broken my heart, and I will have great pleasure in freeing you of any knowledge of the Moerder."

I broke his heart?!?

"You never had a heart in the first place, Damian." Ayano spat. "I knew you had feelings for me, and this is why I never acknowledged them. I always knew you were despicable- I just never imagined that you would stoop so low one day."

To Ayano's shock, Damian laughed. "Look, Sovereign! Another fool who refuses to understand our cause!"

Mallory-Alice smiled a little. Ayano wanted to smack her.

"If you're going to remove my memories now, it'll have to wait." Ayano snapped. "I want answers first."

Damian's eyes narrowed. "I do not see the harm, but...."