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Marin?” the gatekeeper asked in
shock. “Who would want to do such a thing? She don’t cause no harm
anywhere.”
    “Favian we need to go,” I urged him.
    “You two run on. I’ll let the others know.
We’ll see if we can dig something up,” the gatekeeper said. “And
Favian, keep a close eye on her.”
    “He always does,” I whispered bitterly as we
finally trotted through town towards the other side where a few
miles beyond the border of the town lie Macon Academy.
    The town was busy with trading and people
milled about with their goods or with their carts to purchase
items. I could smell the delightful scent of cooking meat. I knew
we didn’t have time to stop, but I desperately wanted a bite. I
vowed to come get some on our first break.
    Once through the town we were let out the
back gate where the guards had already heard of our news. We
galloped the last four miles to school and finally came to stand in
front of the massive gates of the Academy. We both knew that if we
weren’t supposed to be approaching the gates we would have been
stopped by one of the six guards placed sporadically throughout the
trees on the side of the road on our approach. We also knew that of
the six guards, two were sleeping, one was eating and two had waved
at us. The last guard had been very stealthy and I hadn’t been able
to spot him. Or he was away from his post.
    “Ye be late,” the guard said as we stood
before the gates.
    “Yes Master Gatekeeper, we are late, but with
good reason,” I said as we waited for him to open the doors.
    “There’s ne’er a good reason to be late,” he
responded, but opened the gate and allowed us entrance. “Straight
to Macon’s chambers,” he said, “Don’t dawdle.”
    Favian and I trotted our horses inside and I
exhaled in relief. I felt the worry ease off of my shoulders and
the fears evaporate now that we were safe within the school’s
grounds.
    The Academy had over one hundred acres of
land, most of which was used for training scenarios in various
conditions such as cliffs, mountain passes and forests. There were
eight large buildings, Macon’s office, the healer’s quarters, the
dorm, the armory, the blacksmith, the stable, the food hall and the
covered fighting ring. There was also one very small building next
to the dorm where I lived. They had not wanted me to share sleeping
quarters with the males so I was forced to build my own dorm to
live in. It had taken me three months and in those three months I’d
slept outside on the ground until it was done. Favian had snuck out
during the night to help me build, but couldn’t assist me in the
day when he might have gotten caught.
    We stopped at Macon’s office and tied our
horses to the hitching post even though Fire and Ice would stand if
we simply dropped their reins on the ground. We dismounted and
knocked twice on the door before Macon said, “Enter.”
    We stepped inside and I raised my right arm
in time to block the blunt knife being stabbed towards my throat.
It was standard procedure to be tested when walking inside a
building where your eyesight temporarily disappeared due to the
change from bright lighting to dark lighting. I knew this. I’d been
tested this way hundreds of times and yet I freaked out at this
attack. I elbowed my attacker and punched him in the thigh, making
him drop to his knees. Favian was fighting beside me against an
opponent on his left and faring better than me. I heard movement
behind me, but was too slow to move to protect myself.
    I braced for a hit, but Favian spun around
and used the blunt knife he’d been attacked with, and had somehow
gotten possession of, to smack the person attempting to attack me
in their face.
    “Favian!” Macon yelled angrily. “What the
hell are you doing?”
    Favian dropped the knife and turned to face
Macon who was sitting in his chair, behind his desk twenty feet in
front of us watching the whole ordeal. Favian looked at me and I
could tell he wanted to