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was being
said. It was some minutes before Ash exited the room, indicating
with a tilt of his head that I should go in.
    The
office was a large room with deep green walls, lined with neatly
stacked bookshelves and filing cabinets. At the far end, the
General sat behind his ordered desk, his hands clasped. I closed
the door, and then stood to attention in front of the
desk.
    "At
ease," he said. I relaxed my stance. "I want you to tell me exactly
what happened."
    I did
just that, starting with Ash's suspicions during the presentations,
to our meeting in the lobby, and finally the confrontation that
resulted in Baldie's knee being shot out. He nodded every now and
then as I talked. When I finished explaining, he brought Ash back
in, who stood at my side.
    "Your
friend informs me that this man was looking specifically for you,"
he said, his eyes focused on Ash. "Any idea why that might
be?"
    "No, Sir.
Never seen him before."
    "I'll be
questioning this man myself. I hope for your sake you're telling
the truth."
    There was
a knock at the door and the General answered, "Come in." It was one
of the graduates, who reported on the information gathered from the
witnesses downstairs.
    "Okay, it
appears your stories check out." I let out a breath I hadn't
realised I was holding. "I want to see written reports on my desk
by tomorrow morning. You are dismissed. Go enjoy the rest of your
graduation." We saluted and turned on our heels.
    "Have you
really never seen him before?" I asked as we retraced our steps
back downstairs.
    "If I
have, I don't remember him."
    I wanted
to believe him, but the attack wasn't random. Baldie had set out
looking for Ash. I supposed it was possible he could have been
hired, or maybe a relative of someone who held a grudge against
Ash, however, the whole ordeal seemed very personal.
    "Thanks
for the help," I said. If it hadn't been for Ash making him drop
the weapon, things could have ended very differently. I had let
myself get distracted by my surroundings – a mistake that could
have cost me my life. Alone, it would have been a different story;
I wouldn't have had to worry about his reaction to my ability. I
chuckled to myself at the mental image of Baldie trembling in fear
at the sight of someone half his size.
    "Don't
mention it. Besides, I should be thanking you. Who knows what would
have happened if you hadn't spotted the knife?"
    He gave
me a quick pat on the back and smiled as we traversed the lobby.
The library was packed with people, though it was clear the crowd
had thinned somewhat since we last saw it. There was a short
silence as the doors opened, and people turned to observe us. A few
wandered up to us, asking if we were all right. One nearby elderly
woman scoffed at us, saying we deserved to be put down. I glared at
her until she huffed and turned her back on us.
    We looked
around the room and managed to spot Lucas and Graeme, who were
getting acquainted in our absence. They asked about what happened,
and we found ourselves retelling the events once more.
    Lucas
asked Graeme if he had thought about following in his brother's
footsteps and joining the army. He shrugged. Graeme was studying
mechanics at the Engineer's Guild. They were working on designing
and implementing a form of public transport that would run on rails
above the rooftops of Rachat. It would certainly make getting
around the city easier. As it was, transport vehicles were limited
to military operations outside of the city, on account of the city
streets being too narrow.
    Ash
yawned, and for the first time that day I noticed how tired he
looked, his shoulders drooping a little, and his eyes not quite
fully open.
    "You look
beat, Bro. Rough night?"
    Ash shook
his head. "I've been trying to shield myself all day, which is
exhausting enough on its own. Then I had to freeze that knife,
which might not have looked like much, but it takes a lot more
energy to do it that quickly. The hangover this morning didn't
exactly help either." He