25th day of the season of the sun 2448

Some apprentices arrived at the time of the execution. Some seemed shocked while others continued on their way as if this bloody show was merely part of their routine. Azena noticed that those who were shocked were either moon elves or humans from Daigorn, the two most peaceful and evolved kingdoms of Aerinda. Such brutality was rare in these lands and if it was necessary, it was often hidden from the public.

Of those who were indifferent, Serfantor was one and did not stay behind to watch the rest. He walked towards Archlan's academy with a frustrated step despite his neutral facial expression, his brother and their dragons at his heels. Shalith had healed from her wounds, but her eye still bore a noticeable scar. Katanor asked his brother to stay.

- We'll get organized, Serfantor snapped. I don't want to see this stupidity. Come or stay. I don't care, but I'm leaving.

- I guess so, Katanor replied, unsure of himself. But, are you sure the masters won't be angry with us if we do?

He hurried to catch up with Serfantor.

- Slow down! Just a little at least!

Despite his keen hearing, Azena couldn't follow the rest of their conversation. They were too far away for her to hear.

- Hmph, she grunted as a familiar warmth distracted her.

Of those shocked, Fayne had closed her eyes and huddled to her friend. The half elf wrapped her arm around her, allowing her to bury her face in the crook of her arm.

- That's horrible.

- I know, Azena answered. I don't know what's going on with the world lately, but it pisses me off.

- Ah, but you've just met the world, Vigoth explained. Expect more surprises. Now, if you'll excuse me, the Bonding Ceremony is about to begin.

He settled on Karia and the great white dragon flew away in an uncomfortable silence.

On the ground, two dragon riders placed the body on a stretcher and carried it away. The crowd bombarded the executioner with questions and criticism. The executioner stared straight ahead without batting an eye. Nothing impressed him enough to make him waste his time fighting back.

Azena stood up, certain that she would be heard by the imposing man.

- I have a question! she shouted, her voice getting lost in the chaos.

- Forget about it Azena, said Fayne.

Her hazel eyes crossed the ocean that were the eyes of the half elf.

- An executioner is only that, an executioner. He's not there to worry about the opinion of the audience.

- You're right, agreed Azena, clenching her fists.

- Perhaps Grand Master Terenas will tell us more at the Bonding Ceremony. Speaking of which, we'd better go if we want to get good seats in the front row.

She smiled, her warm smile who could instantly comfort hearts.

- Well, fine..., said the half elf who stubbornly made sure she appeared frustrated and avoided Fayne's gaze as she headed towards Tyrath.

She climbed onto the drake with the agility of a feline as elves so gracefully did. The group took its place in the courtyard of Archlan's Academy. The fort was even bigger and sturdier than in Azena's memories. Its strength reminded her of a majestic knight in mithril armor who rode a fine stallion with a brilliant white coat. Although such a figure probably did not exist, she liked the idea.

Half an hour later, the twin suns were high in the sky, illuminating their subjects like kings. The heat they produced was particularly intense. Azena was already beginning to miss the playful breezes of the Storm Kingdom.

This year, Azena and Fayne were mere spectators. The bonding ceremony was long and fruitless. Several recruits were rejected by all the dragons. Azena noticed that the dragons seemed to be anxious. A pale red drake lost patience with a toddler pulling his tail. He was stopped in time by Terenas as he was about to burn the child alive. The parents were furious and did not give their eldest son time to be inspected by the dragons and simply left.

Once the ceremony was over and everybody settled inside the academy, Azena and Fayne sat down at the table for the second year apprentices. Tyrath and Buhrik were perched above them. Ella, the green dragon of the wood elf Teriondil, was at their side. She had grown up again, her big wings were like clouds of jade. She bowed her head respectfully, greeting her two companions. Buhrik imitated her; Tyrath, his eyes wide open, started pawing at one of the pendants attached to Ella's horns. Ella growled and then resigned herself to letting Tyrath have a little fun.

- She's outgrown Buhrik, that's for sure, Fayne said. Look at her long neck and slender body. She's beautiful. Hey, by the way, where's Teri? We haven't seen him for a long time. I can't wait to see his face again.

The two friends were seeking him. They saw many of the familiar faces, but Teriondil wasn't there. Ariella Valkirel greeted them from across the table and then turned her attention back to Renora Shenir, who seemed irritable, as always. Above them, their dragons, two red ones, waved their tails impatiently.

- It's good to see everyone again, Fayne said happily.

Everyone was settled in. The first years' table was sparsely populated. An uneasiness invaded Azena until a new presence distracted her.

A moon elf with long silky snow hair stood up in front of the audience. His stern and strong gaze examined the apprentices, who immediately fell silent. The doors of the Great Hall were magically closed, shutting by themselves.

A shout from the other side of the doors drove Terenas to stop his spell. A young elf sneaked into the opening. He ran to his table, looking lost. The great master waited patiently and then ended his spell. The huge wooden and metal doors closed in a deafening bang.

Teriondil Murkwan, as usual, was drenched in a strange smell of flowers and cool night.

- I was meditating, he explained to Azena and Fayne.

He sat in front of Fayne, his hair had grown during the summer vacations. It looked like waves of mint leaves that cascaded down to the middle of his back. He wore an extra ring on his left ear. As usual, his clothes were made of leather and fur, his eyes dreamy and his hair was decorated with coloured feathers.

- Yeah right..., answered Azena. You were meditating...

She wasn't convinced. He must have been drinking his infamous twilight flower tea. Fayne smiled faintly, then the three friends turned their attention to Terenas. The red dragon rider took his time before starting the speech:

- Welcome to the new recruits and welcome back the old ones.

His gaze stopped on the table of the first years.

- As you can see, this year's recruitment has not been very successful. The atmosphere is tense, rumours are flying and we have to take steps to prepare for certain eventualities.

Azena shrunk in her chair. She felt Tyrath readjust on his perch, his restless energy made her anxious.

Terenas' eyes lowered slightly.

- This year, a new threat is posed to Aerinda. Even Daigorn's kingdom has reported shocking events. An organization called DarkBlade has surfaced. Their purpose and intent is not yet clear, but they are hostile to us. Therefore, we will focus as much effort as possible on preparing you, the trainees, to be ready to be regarded as an accomplished dragon rider as soon as possible. This year will be compressed, crunching two years within one.

One apprentice shouted his opinion:

- But it's hard enough as it is! We're going to fall apart after a single season.

Before Terenas could respond, a second apprentice spoke:

- How do you recognize a follower of this DarkBlade, Grand Master?

Then, a third:

- We're not ready for war!

The dragon perched above him supported his rider with an affirmative growl.

- Hey! DarkBlade, that's the name of a skotar team! exclaimed Azena, who remembered that the question that had been running through her mind for a while.

With a wave of his hand, Terenas asked for calm.

- Patience. I will answer all your questions. I realize it won't be easy for anyone, but in the event of war, we must be ready. We took an oath. Protecting Aerinda is our duty. As far as DarkBlade's minions are concerned, we can identify them by a tattoo they all bear on their left shoulder blade. To be marked with the symbol of the organization is an obligation to become a member. This symbol is simply a sinister looking sword. It may differ from one individual to another, but the basis of the design and the location are the same.

He continued his speech and skipped the question asked by Azena.

- Strange, resounded the voice of Turion in the mind of the young half elf. It's all fishy. Why does Terenas refuse to answer your question?

Azena almost jumped. The amethyst quill containing the soul of the ancient dragon was nestled in her tunic's pocket. She often forgot he was there.

- I don't know, she replied in a whisper. It's annoying.

Tyrath exhaled a breeze from his nose and kneaded the perch with his claws, scraping the polished stone. Tonxa, at first confused, stared at him curiously, then she imitated him, convinced that he was trying to prove her dominance. This time, Tyrath didn't find it amusing. He shook his head and stared at Terenas. The little brown dragoness was perplexed and made a slight groan.

Azena looked up.

- What is she doing here? she asked, talking about Tonxa. She should be with Dogan.

- She's probably tired of playing guard, Tyrath grunted, so she came to bother me. Anyway...

He blew fiercely from his nostrils again before continuing:

- ...the Grand Master is unjust. He should answer you. It gnaws at me, it makes me angry, he finished as he began to knead the metal again.

Azena was not in the mood to raise her voice to be heard by the silver dragon. She preferred to focus her attention on Terenas. She was too late, because the elf had finished his speech and the food was served. As usual, it was a feast fit for all tastes.

- A new dish! exclaimed Teriondil.

He paused to examine the plants with white leaves in the strange salad. He grabbed his fork and tasted it.

- Strange flavor. It reminds me of an exotic fruit.

Azena lost interest and buried her hand in the pocket where Turion's quill was. She touched it gently as if to gently wake him up.

- Do you know if there's any connection between the skotar team and this organization? You are much wiser, older and better educated than the Grand Master.

While she waited for a reply, Azena acted as if nothing had happened. She filled her plate with meat, bread, and some potatoes topped with roasted garlic.

Finally, the purple dragon spoke:

- Either my memory fails me, which I doubt, or I simply have no recollection of the name. I probably died before it was invented. This is not my time.

Azena already had a solution in mind.

- Let's go to the library, she told Fayne and Teriondil. We must know more about DarkBlade.

- I'll go with Teriondil, Fayne suggested.

Azena realized that she was still banned from the library. She frowned before a confident smile appeared on her lips.

- I'm coming too. We'll see what happens. Maybe I won't be banned anymore. It's a new year after all!

- I doubt it, but your enthusiasm is so magnificent that I'll let you come, hoping the babysitter will be tolerant.

- The crazy thing is a spell. It'll have forgotten all about it.

She and Teriondil exchanged a worried look and then the trio finished their meal.

At the end of the opening ceremony, they said good night to their dragon and left for the library instead of following the other apprentices in their respective turn. When they arrived at their destination, they were greeted by a sign hung on the doors.

- Reopening tomorrow morning, read Fayne.

- No, no, no! Azena screamed in frustration.

- Stop it! You'll make the warden angry again.

- I don't give a damn. It's important.

- A little patience, Teriondil advised. One night won't kill anyone.

- I refuse to wait! Azena growled. The Grand Master is hiding something. Do you realize that?

- What if it's for our own good? Fayne asked. Trust your masters.

She raised her voice and soon the two teenage girls were screaming. Their debate ended abruptly when a stern female voice buried theirs:

- Can't you read? What a bunch of idiots. Go away!

The three apprentices froze and turned to face the doors. There, an ethereal image of a woman with a translucent body floated, watched them with folded arms.

- Warden! Azena exclaimed. Could you grant us-

- No, cut off the warden of the library. And certainly not to you. I haven't forgotten about you.

Fayne giggled slightly, knowing she was right to doubt that Azena had been forgiven.

For her part, Azena felt impatience boil inside her.

- Why is the library closed? The learning season is officially open.

- It's not your concern, the warden answered firmly.

Azena took her eyes off the strange representation of the spell and tried to see what was going on in the library. Levitation spells were carrying several books from the public to the forbidden section.

The warden glared at Azena and with a dry tone of voice she ordered the trio to leave. Azena persisted until the spell threatened to call the Grand Master. At that point she was red with rage and it was Fayne and Teriondil who dragged her to the Tower of Motivation, the residence of the second year apprentices. It was perfectly identical to the Tower of Knowledge except for the small symbol at the top of the entrance door that represented its name: a warrior who trained at the end of his sweat. Once again, Fayne and Azena had asked for a room together.

As she unpacked her bags, Azena didn't say a word. Her mind was preoccupied with folly. A mad idea. She turned to Fayne.

- I'll sneak into the library at night.

- No! the herbalist exclaimed, shocked.

She calmed down and continued with more grace:

- You must understand the risks. You could be punished for trespassing.

- Is it really that bad? It's just the library.

- Stop being a fool, Fayne said alarmingly.

- We have to know. Imagine if it would change everything.

- It would. Your punishment would surely change your life significantly.

- Weigh the arguments. I think it's worth the risk. They can't take Tyrath away from me. He's bound to me.

- I don't think it's a good idea. Be patient for a while. The library opens tomorrow morning.

She sighed and pulled the covers up to her neck.

- We will talk about it again. I promise. Just get some rest, okay? You behave yourself tonight!

A moment passed. Azena leapt to her feet, but a faint voice resonated in her mind and she stopped:

- I have a bad feeling about this, said Turion. It will be wise to check it out. However, it is not very bright to look for trouble. We can avoid punishment for a small dosage of patience. I'm with young Litfow on this.

- Fine. Fine, thought Azena. I have another plan.

She smirked and lay under her wool blankets. She hated those blankets; they stung and kept her awake.

For hours, she thought about her plan before finally falling asleep. The next day, she was going to start the execution of this famous plan and this simple fact gave her a deeper sleep.