Wren headed out with Jake and Ladislaya after Alchemy class. Unfortunately, her bag split as she was walking. Ladislaya bent to pick up her books for her.

'No, it's fine - you two go on, I'll catch up -'

'You'll find us in the common-room,' Ladislaya told her, and departed.

As Wren straightened up, she crashed into someone standing in front of her. 'Watch it!'

'Well, well,' said a familiar smug voice. 'Look who it is.'

Wren looked up, putting on a scowl on her face. 'What do you want, Lucian?' she said fiercely.

'Oh, don't be so aggressive, Princess,' said Lucian impatiently.

'You'd know about aggressive,' said Wren through gritted teeth.

'But does she know?' said Lucian Ailwood quietly.

Wren didn't need him to tell her who he was talking about; instinct did - he was talking about Nicaea Valdis. She looked around them to see that several people had silenced and was watching them with great interest.

'Don't,' she said quietly.

'Don't what?' said Lucian, sniggering.

'Why do you keep bringing her up?' hissed Wren.

'Why not?'

'Get out of my way!'

She started walking away but Lucian Ailwood blocked her. Wren glared into the air.

'Wait,' he said. 'I just wanted to tell you one thing. One thing only. And I thought it might help.' He bent down and whispered in her ear, 'She'd go to no extent to finding you and killing you. And she knows. She knows you're here, Princess.'

Wren could hardly hear him. He began to strut away. Wren wanted to call him back and demand more answers, demand him to tell her what he knew of Nicaea Valdis but just as much as she wanted to, she didn't want to call him back. It might as well have been the last thing she was to do but her curiosity got the better of her.

'WAIT!' hollered Wren. The crowd had already resumed for the little scene had retired. She fought her way through the crowd. 'Oi! Lucian! Lucian Ailwood!'

But he was gone.

Wren felt like kicking something.

'Great,' she muttered. 'Just great.'

⋆‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙⋆

'Wait, wait, wait,' said Jake, propping himself up on a cushion. 'Let me get this straight. You want to talk to Lucian Ailwood?'

'Yes,' said Wren simply. 'And I'm going to.'

They were in the common-room, sitting in front of the crackling fire with a few other students in the room. Ladislaya sighed.

'He's not worth talking to, Wren.'

'Yeah, well, not in this situation,' said Wren furiously, stabbing her book with her pen. 'He knows something, that Lucian Ailwood. He just wants to keep me in suspense.'

'Yeah but ... why?' said Jake in a troubled voice.

Wren didn't know the answer. She didn't know what Lucian wanted to do with her ... why was he always in her way, whispering about Nicaea Valdis ...

She straightened up so suddenly she knocked over Jake's ink-pot. Jake gaped. 'I'm going to find him,' said Wren determinedly, not taking any notice of the ink-pot. 'Is he in his tower's common-room?'

'Yeah,' said Jake, bending down to pick up his half-empty ink-pot. 'Yeah, you'd find him in West Tower's common-room.'

Ladislaya sighed, shaking her head. 'If I were you, I'd keep my way out of his.'

'Well, he doesn't keep out of my way,' said Wren. 'I'll see you ... later.'

She hurried out of the common-room. It was already evening, but there was still a number of students hanging around in the corridors. She forced her way through, parting through the crowd to get to West Tower.

Just as she was climbing up a staircase, she bumped into Professor Alana, who taught her Abilities.

'Goodness me, Wren, darling!' she called. 'What are you doing, heading to West Tower? It's almost nightfall!'

'I-' begun Wren distractedly. 'I - um, Professor, do you happen to have seen Lucian Ailwood?'

The moment she mentioned the name, Professor Alana's face deepened into a frown.

'That boy,' she said, 'failed to have handed in his homework thrice in a row! Clearly, handing out detentions isn't helping him at all...'

'Well,' said Wren, hoping that they hadn't gone off-topic, 'well ... have you?'

Professor Alana seemed to have just realised Wren had asked a question.

'Oh, I expect he's in the West Tower common-room, dear. But don't you belong in North Tower?' she added sternly.

'I-I do,' said Wren, breathing heavily. 'I - I want to see him, Professor. There's something I - I need to ask him.'

Professor Alana's frown deepened.

'Don't you and Mr Lucian Ailwood have, let us say, terms on which foes are on?'

'Wh - you noticed,' said Wren, her lips dry.

'Oh, I noticed,' said the professor, close to scoffing. As though remembering herself, she straightened her dress and said in a rather flustered voice, 'oh well, what service do you require from Mr Lucian Ailwood that you couldn't possibly require from a professor?'

'No, it's got to be him,' said Wren. 'I'm sorry, Professor, but - are you sure he's in the common-room -?'

'Pretty sure, yes. Where else would he be at this time? But I doubt you would be let into the West Tower's common-room -'

'Hey!' yelled Wren so suddenly the professor almost toppled back in fright. She had just spotted Lucian Ailwood striding down the corridor, who, as usual, was with his friends. 'Sorry Professor! That's him! Got to go!'

Wren dashed down the stairs, pushing her way through the crowd. Every now and then, she lost sight of Lucian Ailwood, but he would come back in sight any moment. Wren looked up just in time to see him turning the corner.

'Oi!' she yelled, but she her shout was equal to the loud chattering and laughter of the crowd. Furious, Wren sped through a couple of students a few years older than her, yelling a quick 'Sorry!' after her.

As soon as she turned around, Lucian Ailwood had disappeared out of sight. Just like lightning, Wren thought, as she zoomed down a corridor to the left.

The furor of the crowd silenced as she walked down the corridor, her footsteps echoing behind her. She could hear no one, no other footsteps, no breathing except her own ...

Wren decided to stop in her tracks. She pressed her back against a thick pillar and held her breath, waiting as she tried to listen for the slightest sound possible.

But there was none. She let out a slow, shaky breath and was just about to head out of the deserted corridor when a loud bang sounded the entire corridor and she ducked her head just as a spark flew over her head and landed on a massive wooden door behind her. A roar of flame shot up immediately, slowly spreading out like a circle of fire.

Instinctively, Wren ran for exit but she crashed into an invisible shield on her way out and a voice screamed out of nowhere - 'HOLD IT!'

Then she did something extremely stupid.

'Who's there?' she bellowed. 'Come out and show yourself!'

More crashes and bangs answered her. The fire was spreading like a wildfire in a forest; the entire empty, deserted corridor had lit up by the flames. Then, Wren couldn't work out if she'd imagined it or if it was too fast for her brain to register what was going on, a white-blonde head zoomed past her.

'EMMETT! RAFE!'

'There's someone there!' roared a voice from behind a pillar. Wren turned her head round so fast she cricked her head. Ignoring the pain, she dodged a spell that missed her by the ear and went for another pillar.

'There!' screamed Lucian Ailwood. 'It's her! It's the princess! What are you doing, Carezby?'

'What are you doing?' yelled Wren. 'What are you - is that - you!'

'Who's setting the bloody place on fire?' screamed Lucian Ailwood as another spark of flame shot past them both. Lucian Ailwood, like Wren, was hidden behind a pillar opposite her.

'Emmett?' he screamed loudly, though it was pointless - the roar of flame drowned out his voice. 'Rafe? Are you there? Is that you? Come out! Do something!'

Wren jerked her head round just in time to see an incoming inferno mutating into a giant serpent, roaring and thrashing into the air. Wren gasped and hid behind the pillar, bracing for impact. Lucian Ailwood, on the other hand, was screaming his head off.

'Get out, let's get out!' he yelled, jumping up and down. 'Emmett! Rafe! Where are you? We're gonna die, we're gonna die!'

'Stop blathering!' yelled Wren. The smoke and heat were overwhelming - it was red and orange and yellow around them. 'Where'd the serpent go?'

But Lucian Ailwood had run, run out into the flames. Swearing out loud (nobody could hear her anyway), she looked at her hands, as though expecting water might gush out of them immediately.

'Come on, come on...' she muttered. 'Your ability's hydrokinesis ... water, water ... anything ...'

But that didn't work.

'WATER!' yelled Wren. She closed her eyes and tried to remember what Professor Alana taught them in Abilities class. Focus on your strength ... master the weakness ... use force, if you must ...

Force.

Wren opened her eyes again, frowning. The roar of flame rushed on behind her.

Your ability is there to help protect you. That is one of the factors why we wizards have abilities. When you are in great danger ...

Wren hoped she wouldn't misunderstand this phrase. She sucked in a huge breath and sneaked a quick peek from behind the pillar.

The giant inferno of a serpent was slithering towards her, moving ten times as fast a normal snake would. Beads of perspiration started to form on her forehead as she wiped sweat off her palms. Then, Wren took a huge leap into the fire, bracing her eyes for the impact -

'YOU STUPID GIRL!'

Wren snapped her eyes wide open to find herself standing on the ground, out from the ring of fire ... well, sort of. There was another bigger inferno waiting for her outside.

'Oh, great,' she moaned.

'OUT OF THE WAY!' roared a voice so loud Wren jumped. Somebody was barrelling towards her and she leapt away just in time.

'Hey!' yelled another voice. Wren turned to where she detected the voice - it was Emmett, one of Lucian Ailwood's partner-in-crimes. 'It's you!'

Wren stood rooted on the spot, shaking madly, paralysed by fear. The giant serpent had risen up from behind Emmett and -

'WATCH OUT!' roared Wren, springing back to life.

'What the -'

As Emmett swung around, Lucian Ailwood came hurling towards Wren, crashing into her; he stood up and blustered away, running as fast as his legs would take him.

'It's pointless!' Wren hollered at the top of her voice. All this yelling was making her throat go hoarse. 'We have to wait! We have to wait until someone - COME BACK YOU MORON!'

For Lucian had made it all the way to the nearest door when another giant monster formed from the inferno of a serpent and it was coming straight at him from the left. Wren swore out loud and looked away as the inferno trapped Lucian Ailwood. All Wren heard was agony and agonized screams from the victim.

'I'm not gonna say "I told you so",' she breathed heavily, not bothering to raise her voice.

'Exactly what is going on in here?' thundered the voice of Professor Alastair Xandon. Wren turned to see him striding into the corridor with Professor Hldes at his side.

'Unbelievable!' gasped Professor Haldes. 'Immature! Definitely, terribly wrong of you -'

'What,' snarled Professor Alastair, 'are - you - doing - here?'

It took Wren a moment to realise he was speaking to her. She straightened up hastily. 'I swear, it wasn't me, I didn't do it -'

'I am not,' said Professor Alastair through clenched teeth, 'asking you who did it - what are you doing here, Wren Carezby?'

'Well, I was trapped in a fire, wasn't I?' said Wren, firing up. 'And I still am, if you haven't noticed!'

'You dare -'

'Who else is here?' shrieked Professor Haldes, flapping his arms around wildly.

'Lucian Ailwood and I think Emmett and Rafe -'

'Anyone else?' shouted Professor Alastair over the blazing inferno.

'No!' yelled Wren. 'I don't know!'

'Where are they?' Professor Alastair bellowed.

Wren swallowed.

'No idea where Emmett and Rafe are but - just now - the fire got to Lucian Ailwood and -'

'Hospital wing!' yelled Professor Haldes. 'Hospital wing for the boy, now! And,' he whirled around to face Wren and said, rather sternly, 'if I am not mistaken of course Miss Wren Carezby, your ability is hydrokinesis -?'

'Yes, it is, it is!' yelled Wren. 'But I don't know how to - I'm still new to this -'

'Tut, tut,' said Professor Alastair smoothly. 'Excuses, excuses. Dear me, Miss Wren Carezby, I expected better of you.'

'But it's TRUE!' shouted Wren, but Alastair wasn't listening. Both he and Professor Haldes were parading away to find Lucian Ailwood.

Furious, Wren stomped after them. Professor Haldes flicked his wand at the inferno and slowly, they began to die down. Professor Alastair rushed over to a body at the far end of the hallway.

Wren was rooted to the spot when she saw Lucian Ailwood lying on the floor, swimming in a pool of what seemed like his own blood. Professor Alastair and Professor Haldes both heaved him up, an arm on one shoulder and Professor Alastair glared at Wren.

'What are you waiting for, girl? Fetch the Matron, quick!'

Wren sped away as fast as she could. It was already nightfall, and rain was starting to drizzle down from the midnight-blue sky. She hurried to the hospital wing and on her way, she bumped into someone.

'Ow! Watch it!'

'Watch it yourself!' cried Jake's voice. Wren looked up, amazed.

'Wha - Jake!'

'Better watch you're going next time, kid - blimey, it's you!'

'It's me,' said Wren, breathing heavily from running. 'Get out of the way, I need to fetch Matron!'

'Ma - what for?' said Jake, bewildered.

'Long story,' said Wren, rushing past him, but Jake followed anyway. 'Why are you here?'

'Ladislaya was worrying where you were when she didn't find you in the girls' dormitory,' said Jake, hurrying to catch up with Wren. 'I said I'd go and look for you but of course,' he fished out a cupcake out of the pocket of his jacket (much to Wren's bewilderment), 'typical Ladislaya. Said I could get into a month's worth of detention if I were seen running around in the corridors at night.'

'Well, you could,' said Wren pointedly as Jake bit into his cupcake.

'Anyway, where were you?' he said. 'Did you find Lucian Ailwood? You're lucky no teacher's caught you!'

'Oh, I've already been caught,' said Wren matter-of-factly, knocking on the hospital wing's door. Jake gaped at her.

'What?'

'By two. Alastair and Haldes.'

'Both of them? And they didn't give you detention?'

'No ... not yet,' said Wren quickly. 'They're busy with ... well, it's part of the long story.'

In a low voice, she told the night's happenings to Jake who listened with his mouth open in astonishment the entire time. Just as Wren finished the story, the door swung open and Matron stood there, hands on hips.

'Feeling dizzy, dear?' she said, getting her trolley out at once. 'Don't worry, just try not to be too stressed for school -'

'No, it's not me, you have to come to the corridors - now!'

Matron looked rather astonished but followed Wren all the same. Jake trotted behind them.

'Where exactly are we heading to, dear Wren?' said Matron, looking around. 'Why, is there - is there someone who needs help -?'

'Yes! There's blood, there's blood everywhere and I don't know how that happened, considering he'd been trapped in a fire and it's not like anybody ran him through with a knife -'

Wren stopped talking and Jake's footsteps slowed. Matron put a hand to her heart.

'Good gracious, Wren -'

'Never mind,' said Wren irritably. 'We're almost there.'

They approached the corridor where Professor Alastair and Haldes were waiting with Lucian Ailwood. He could barely stand, and Wren could see that his breathing was slow and shaky.

'Dear Lord -'

'The boy can hardly walk,' said Professor Haldes. 'But we were able to stop the blood flowing out, but I must say, a huge amount left his body -'

Matron squealed. Professor Alastair sighed and grimaced. 'Here we go.'

'Matron, do you have - can't you -?'

'Well, I've got a few bottles for blood leakage,' she put a gloved hand into the pocket of her apron (Wren winced when she said that and she and Jake stole a glance at each other), 'it's not much, but it can help. It'll make him better.'

Matron summoned a hospital bed and they made Lucian Ailwood lie down on it. There were a few moments of silence and realisation dawned upon both Wren and Jake at the same time of what would happen to them now that they were out of bed and Professor Alastair Xandon was standing in front of them. He had his eyes fixed on Lucian Ailwood. Wren and Jake looked at each other for a second, nodded and dismissed themselves from the scene, walking backwards slowly -

'Not so fast, troublemakers.'

Wren let out her breath. She heard Jake whisper out of the corner of his mouth, 'Day of Judgement, brace yourself, Jake.'

Professor Alastair jerked his head towards them both. 'You two,' he said in his slow, monotonous voice. 'follow. Me.'

They had no choice but to obey. Once they were a little further down the corridor, Alastair whipped his cloak to stop them from walking. He whirled around.

'What,' he said. Wren's eye twitched, 'were. You. Doing. Out. Of. Bed. At. A. Time. Like. This?'

'Professor,' blustered Wren at once; she was not going to let Alastair accuse her being out of bed when it was the appropriate hour to do so, 'you see, professor, it was around evening when I was walking the corridors and if you must know, there were a lot of students in the hallways too, and if you really must, you may check the CCTV -'

She fell silent as she remembered that here in Elryzian, in Argonian, there were no such things as CCTVs.

'CC-what?' snarled Alastair.

'Sorry,' said Wren quickly, 'I meant -'

'Do you take me as a fool, Miss Wren?'

Wren's mouth twitched and she wanted to say 'Yes, I jolly well do,' but that would have been suicide. Instead, she said, 'No, sir.'

For a second, Alastair looked as though he knew exactly what was going on in Wren's head and was about to dish out a year's worth of detention for her but -

'Very well,' he said softly. He turned to Jake. 'And you, Mr Jake Gagneus? I don't believe you were with young Miss Wren here from the very start.'

Jake seemed paralysed with fear. Meanwhile, Wren was racking her brains to think of an excuse for him but Alastair was quicker.

'That'll be a week's detention, Mr Jake Gagneus,' he said smoothly. 'Every evening, seven p.m. And mind you be on time. I don't recall you being on time for any of our detentions before.'

'No!' said Wren before she could stop herself. Both Jake and Alastair looked at her, Alastair glaring. 'Y-you see, sir,' said Wren imploringly, 'I-Jake here, he was - he was feeling sick. He wanted to go to Matron and I ran into him there - he's been feeling light-headed, see -'

'Yeah,' said Jake quickly, playing along, 'I had a headache, that's why I was coming down from North Tower!' he sounded a bit too enthusiastic. 'I mean,' he said hastily, 'I thought Matron could have me treated.' He added a convincing cough.

'I,' said Alastair after a moment's pause, 'shall be. Asking. Matron. For the exact. De. Tails.'

'Right,' said Jake. Wren nodded. They could easily beg Matron for mercy, anyway, that was one of the reasons why Wren loved Matron.

'Stay here!' barked Alastair as the pair made a motion ready to run. He strode over to Matron and spoke to her in low voices. Eagerly, Wren and Jake crept closer to eavesdrop.

'- they say Mr Jake Gagneus was feeling dizzy and was asking you for a pill -'

Behind a pillar, both Wren and Jake clasped their hands together and made pleading eyes at Matron. She narrowed her eyes. Jake mouthed silently, 'Lovely, lovely Matron.'

Matron glared at him and put her hands on her hips, turning to face Alastair. 'It is, as it happens, quite true,' she said stiffly. 'Mr Gagneus was already there when Miss Carezby came running in. I'm afraid the boy's under a lot of stress lately -' (this was even better a story than either the pair from behind the pillar hoped), '- I've given him a pill, Professor. And I doubt that they would be lurking around at times most inappropriate.'

Professor Alastair narrowed his eyes, looking deadly. His face had gone a ghostly pale before he said in his stony voice, 'Very well, Matron.'

Wren and Jake mimed glory, affection and love from behind the pillar. Anyone who walked in on the scene would most probably think they were rehearsing for a theater. Matron glared at them and mouthed silently, 'I won't spare you another time.'

'That was close, don't you think?' panted Jake after Wren as the pair hurried away from the West Tower corridors.

'Very,' agreed Wren. 'Could've died there, honestly, if it wasn't for Matron.'

'Did you see Lucian Ailwood though?' said Jake reproachfully. 'I mean - it's not like I didn't hope he wasn't on the hospital bed,' he added, 'it's just - did you see the blood?'

Wren nodded grimly. 'There were more. He was practically swimming in his own pool of blood.'

'How'd that happen though? I mean, he was caught in a fire, but nothing -'

'That's what I thought,' said Wren grimly. 'Fire causes physical damage to the skin - a few burns here and there. Fire doesn't rip half your body apart and create a pool of blood out of you.'

Together, they walked up to North Tower in silence. Wren headed to the girls' dormitory and said 'Night,' to Jake and after he'd said it back, they both trotted off to their own dorms.