This picture was taken in Scotland!!! The mountain Quinag (don't ask me to write the pronunciation, I have no idea! I can say it and I can spell it but I can't spell how it is said... Does that make sense? I have no idea...

A loud gong sound fills the whole academy and Lady Indira curses.

"Quickly, get Isla to the closest safe room," she orders.

"What's that sound?" Serenity asks panicked.

"That is the sound of intruders entering the academy. The Academy is under attack. I should have seen this coming, we are all distracted by Isla that it leaves us vulnerable. Toryn comes running toward them.

"The rooms are destroyed. Only my bed had the Black Root, the girls beds were clear. What is that sound?" He asks.

"We're under attack. Can you fight?" she asks.

"I am almost out, that fire magic took a lot out of me. Serenity, are you good?" he asks, somehow managing to keep his voice calm.

"I can fight," she says.

"Okay," Toryn starts. "Serenity, you go and protect Lady Indira. I know she has to go and make sure the students are safe. I will stay with Isla and be her final line of defence. I could still summon more fire if I really need to save her. I've got her," Toryn says. "And the healers." Serenity looks at him with panic.

"Go, I will make sure my Isla is secured. Good luck, Serenity. Tell Tanya to stay with the High Queen when they arrive and that we are under attack." Serenity nods, mind linking her sister and informing her.

Toryn and the healers rush Isla into a small dark room hidden away behind a wall of stone.

"Hopefully, they won't find us in here, this is one of our safe rooms. We have them many of them across the Academy to hide students in an event like this," one of the healers says. Toryn nods as they lie Isla on a bed.

"Unfortunately, we can't go to the Healing Rooms. That is one of the first places they would go to look. It also means we can't get some of the supplies we need."

"Will she heal on her own?"

"I don't know. I myself have a healing gift, but it would be useless against anything caused by Black Root as it is a power blocking magic. Even with all of it out of her system, I am useless."

"What can we do?" Toryn asks, worried. The healer sighs.

"For now, we can try and keep her temperature level and try and bandage up the wounds. The safe rooms all have plenty of supplies in case of injury during attacks. They also have running water and food in case we have to be in here a while."

Isla screams as they turn her over to inspect her back. Burns make their way all over her skin and Toryn almost bursts into tears. That is his handiwork. Deep holes also sit in her back, though they seem to have been burnt shut. They poor plenty of cold water on her back and rub some ointments that will stop infection. Already, her body begins to heal from the burns as it was caused by Toryn's magic and not Black Root.

"The burns will be healed by tomorrow, but that isn't what we need to worry about. It is all the internal damage that we have to worry about. I don't know if she will heal from this and even if she does, she will never fully recover." Toryn sighs and sits down next to Isla who still whimpers in pain.

"I'm here, Isla. I'm here," he whispers while he wipes away blood from around her mouth. She looks awful. Her skin is pasty and lips pale. Dark purple bags sit under her eyes and blood stains her skin. She is clammy also. It is awful to see.

It is odd, Serenity thinks. As they rush through the corridors, they are empty. She would think that students would be rushing around everywhere but there is no one.

"Where is everyone?" she asks Lady Indira as they check all the corridors and rooms for students.

"Hidden," is all she replies. "The gong gives them enough time to hide before attackers get here." At the end of the corridors, they run into Lord Black, the defence and fighting teacher.

He nods his head, handing her a long black cloak. One that he fashions for himself. He then hands one to Serenity.

"What is this for?" she asks. Lady Indira makes a sign of quiet. Another teacher comes around the corner, also wearing a black cloak. He nods his head. More and more teachers appear, all nodding their heads. Serenity has no idea what is going on, but it appears that no words are spoken. They all make signals with hands or heads. Serenity realised that they must have had drills before and all must know what their roles are and what they must do. She watches in confusion as the group of all the teachers separate. Serenity almost gasps in surprise as all the lights go out in the corridors. It is so dark with the storm blocking out the moonlight that would normally stream through the archways. The teachers who remain with herself and Lady Indira all hide next to the walls. The black cloaks hiding them in the shadows. Serenity follows in their example. She switches her vision to the dragon night vision, the world now switching to black and white.

It is so silent as they walk quietly through the corridors. Like the calm before the storm. Though she could not physically sense any noise or smells that might indicate any attackers, she could feel the tension in the air. They must be in the building by now. Her heart hammers in her chest with nerves. Deep breaths, deep breaths, she reminds herself. It is a few minutes later when she hears something. The soft sound of shoes on stone a few corridors away. She presses her hand into Lady Indira's side, trying to let her know that she can hear something. Lady Indira nods and makes the sign to stay quiet. The group she is with then press their bodies tightly to the wall. So Serenity follows their lead. They wait like that for a few minutes until their attackers come around the corner. Serenity only manages to remind herself last second not to gasp or let out a soft cry of fear. They are just as she remembers. Their armour of black leather and black metal with the terrifying silver skeletal masks. They carry long swords coated in Black Root. She can sense the horrid stuff as soon as they round the corner. Also in their hands are their wands which let out small balls of light. They are going to see us! Panic sweeps through Serenity as she comes to this realisation. She gets ready to attack. Lady Indira presses Serenity's arm, warning her not to move. Closer and closer they get and Serenity gets more nervous. Everyone holds their nervous breaths as they walk past. What? Serenity questions. The lights should have exposed their hiding in the Shadows. Yet they continue to walk past. Slow and calculated as if they were still undetected.

Once they have moved past, Lady Indira nods her head. Suddenly, their small group rushes after them, sticking to the walls and shadows. One of the teachers runs alongside them and stands in front of a doorway that veers off to the side whilst another teacher blocks another doorway. Serenity frowns in confusion. She takes a breath as they stop and look directly at one of the teachers.

"I'm sure there was another passage here a second ago," one says.

"No there wasn't, it is just this place tricking you," another replies. They continue. What is going on? How did the teacher stop them from seeing the passage? They continue to follow the group as the teachers take it in turns standing around various different corridor entrances. When the warriors walk past them, they couldn't see the corridors or the black cloaked teacher in front of it. Serenity is surprised also at how agile the teachers move, sneaking around the group of NightShades with ease.

"Something isn't right," one of the NightShades whispers. "We were given clear directions to get to the Dragon scums room. We should be there by now."

"Quiet," another replies. "We have gone the right way."

"I wish that we were told where the brat children are hiding, then we could end their precious next generation," one mutters.

"Enough, we have our orders. Find the Dragon scum, make sure the Black Root has done its job on the two bigs ones, take the two little ones in all the distraction and don't harm the children. You know the punishment if we harm any of the kids. We leave them alone and get on with the task." Serenity's eyes widen. They wanted to take herself and Tanya? What for?

"Now stay silent and let's find their room." The teachers continue to block certain corridors, but not all. It then occurs to Serenity that the teachers were herding them. Making them go down corridors that only they wanted them to go down. But how? Something to do with the black cloaks blocking the vision of the NightShades.

"I'm telling you, something isn't right," the same guy argues as a teacher darts around him and stands in front of another door. The way the teachers move is like a dance. So quiet, agile and graceful. They are like Shadows.

"I feel it too," another NightShade whispers. They open the doors in front of them and walk inside. Strait into the main hall.

"We have definitely gone wrong somewhere," hisses another as they walk into the main hall. Inside the hall it is pitch black, all but their small lights coming from their wands. All windows and archways have been covered to not let in any light from outside.

"What are you doing here?" one asks as they spot another group of NightShades. "You were supposed to be searching the healing rooms."

"And you were meant to be searching the bedroom," a member of the other group says back.

Serenity watches as the teachers who rounded up the other group in the hall stands in front of some of the entrances. 

Another group of NightShade warriors walk in a different entrance.

"What?" One asks. The teachers herding that group close the doors behind them silently, just like Serenity's group had done. They stand in front of the doors also.

"Shit!" one NighShade shouts. "We've been rounded up!" He yells out a word and all the candles in the room are lit. Serenity curses as she is suddenly blinded as her night vision explodes in white. There is a sound of a commotion, but she can do nothing to help until her vision returns. Blinking a few times, her sight starts to come back. The NightShades hold their Black Root covered weapons to teachers throats and spells wrap around other Shifter teachers.

"Don't fucking move," a NightShade says to Serenity as his long sword touches the tip of her neck. One slice and the black go on the end of it will be in her body and she will suffer like Isla. Serenity gulps in fear as she looks at the silver skeletal masked attacker and around the room at the shifters in the same position.

"We didn't want any casualties, but you leave us with no choice. Kill them."