"Mr. Blackburn, do I even want to know what happened?" Violet turned her head to Fae Misha's exasperated voice. Her soft, black hair was tightly pulled back in a braid, while the sight of her soul black eyes demanded authority. When Violet had first met her, she had thought Fae was as innocent as a butterfly. She had a round face and beautiful, fairy-like features, but as soon as she looked at her, she had known she was wrong. Fae was a warrior and no one would get in her way and come out unscathed.

On top of that, Fae was also the captain of The Guard, which made her Violet's boss. Naturally, they didn't get along very well.

"Probably not." Em smiled charmingly, making Violet's heart skip a beat. Embarrassed, she ducked her head and shoved her mouth full of eggs.

"I hate students," Fae mumbled and bit her tongue. Bishop, Em, and Violet were the only students in The Guard, which meant that they always got the short end of everything. If the chore chart wasn't full, they had to fill in. If someone messed up, it was guaranteed to be linked to them, and of course, they were always the victims of countless insults. It had brought the three of them close together, but Violet didn't want to think about how all of that would change in a few months. Bishop would be turning twenty, which meant he would be an official member of The Guard. She couldn't even begin to express how much she hated Bishop, but she hated the idea that he would outrank her even more, even if it was only for a year or two. She needed someone to push around from time to time.

"So, if you hate us so much, why are you talking to us?" Violet rolled her eyes. Sometimes, she just couldn't stand Fae. "We don't have to clean out the dragon pens again, do we? Cause last time I smelled like manure for a week."

"As much as I wish I could send you down there again, you guys need more experience in the field." Fae answered bitterly. Her arms were crossed as she stood firmly at the end of the table, yet Violet could feel every hateful vibe she sent their way. "The Camelot police reported some strange activity in their forest. Plant life has been damaged and there have been some stolen dragon eggs. We could just be looking at a couple of rebellious teenagers, or it could be something a bit bigger. Either way, you and a couple of other Guards are going to head down to Camelot today to check it out."

"Really?" Em whined. "But that's basically just perimeter checks! That's like the most boring field work ever!"

"I could send you back to the dragon pens." Fae raised an eyebrow, challenging him to complain more.

"Perimeter checks are fine." Bishop answered with a smile. "We'll be down in the paint room as soon as we can." Fae nodded her head and moved over to another table full of rowdy soldiers, most likely about to give them the same instructions.

"You know we're going to have to clean the dragon pens next week cause of that comment, right?" Violet glared at Em, who was hunched over his plate. He sighed, resting his head in his hands.

"Let's just say I'm not looking forward to next Monday."