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- Dowling and Silva! Your turn.
Instantly obeying the mentor's commanding tone, the fairy and the specialist were immediately on the training ground.
- Today is the day to hone your fighting skills,- Rosalind announced loudly. - Therefore, fairies must keep their magic under complete control. Let's begin!
In the arena, Farah and Silva became real rivals, demonstrating flawless tactics and the art of wielding various fighting techniques. When they lost, they learned from each other's mistakes and their own. This helped them more than once in their fight against the Burned Ones. They knew each other's strengths as well as their weaknesses, and so they worked together according to a well-established pattern. And even in unforeseen situations, they knew exactly what to do and who took what position.
The last few days they were chased like madmen, leaving them alone only at night. Rosalind did give them night training, though, to boost what she said was their morale. She believed her students should be ready for battle at any time of the day or night. Besides, the situation was heating up and the Burned Ones were practically clawing at the heels of all the Alfeans. The units formed by the mentor were nearly invincible. There had only been a few infected in recent days, rescued the same day they caught the infection. Rosalind acted clearly and did not tolerate objections, much less doubts about her methods.
Silva and Dowling, who had long since transferred to the Special Unit to fight the Burned, caused Rosalind exceptional pride, which, of course, she clearly did not show. And the older fairy's praise was sometimes very peculiar. Regardless, her mentor held them up as an example to the students, but, in her moments of solitude, she made the team surpass their previous results over and over again.
Farah successfully blocked one attack after another, out of the corner of her eye catching Rosalind's satisfied gaze.
- Good job, Farah.
The fairy smiled faintly, and the second she lost her balance, she collapsed to the floor, almost smacking the back of her head against the hard surface. Saul stopped, raising his hands in a chuckle at Farah's sullen stare.
- I praised you a little too early.
Rosalind left the couple behind, heading for the other teams. Saul held out his hand to Farah, helping her up.
- Sneaky move,- the fairy remarked, adopting a fighting stance.
- Don't be offended.
- No offense taken.
- I had to distract Rosalind somehow.
Farah raised an eyebrow in interest, but her face changed and she jerked sharply toward her friend.
- How about a little relaxation tonight? - Saul deftly dodged his rival's leg that flew right into his forehead.
- You mean get in trouble? - Farah retorted sarcastically.
- I mean to relax.
Farah repulsed Saul's attack, blocking his access with a wooden stick that lay beside him. The specialist was not confused, and picked up his own and prepared for another attack. The fairy swung at the moment Saul began the fight first. The sticks touched, making a thud. Farah applied all her strength, leaning fully on the stick in an attempt to force her opponent to retreat. But Saul stood still, legs slightly bent at the knees, intent on repeating the trick he'd done earlier. He quickly threw a glance at the fairy's unprotected legs, for which he received a cautionary response.
- Don't even think about it.
Farah managed to bounce back without being attacked by a determined Saul.
- In two hours all will gather in the right place,- continued the specialist as if nothing had happened.
- And this place...?
- Let it be a surprise to you.
- I'm not intrigued.
- Dowling and Silva!
Rosalind's harsh, commanding tone intruded into their conversation.
- Shut your mouths and keep practicing!
As soon as the tutor turned away again, Farah looked reproachfully at Saul.
- Yes, ma'am,- the specialist spoke softly, wincing at Rosalind. The fairy could not contain a chuckle, but fortunately, the mentor heard nothing.
- So what's your answer? - Evasively, Silva asked.
- Let's talk about it later.
Farah never gave up trying to put her opponent on his back, and when she finally got the opportunity, she didn't hesitate to take it. Saul groaned softly in pain and felt the hardness of the floor with his head, and then looked at the fairy.
- It felt like it had been your goal all along.
- It was.
She held out her hand to him. The fight continued. There wasn't much time left in the training session, and they both decided to give it their best shot. At one point, Saul let his guard down, certain that there was plenty of room behind him to retreat to. But the specialist miscalculated, finding himself on the edge of the arena, beyond which was the pond.
- Oh, shit! Saul!
Saul failed to keep his balance and almost fell into the water, but the timely arrival of Farah, prevented him from falling. Or rather, prevented him from falling on his own. Physics proved stronger than both of them, and together they tumbled from the arena straight into the pond. They were about to swear, but the cool water cheered them up and even gave them strength. Tiredness was a thing of the past. They looked at each other and grinned loudly.
- You would have died, both of you,- Rosalind announced loudly. - You could have held him with magic, not followed him.
Farah pressed her lips together, lowering her head.
- Get out of the water and tidy yourself up. You're lucky you had good training today, or you'd be practicing all night. Hurry up!
Climbing out of the pond and feeling the wet clothes sticking unpleasantly to her body, Farah took off her jacket, leaving her in just a T-shirt. Saul followed her example, making a grimace of disgust. Together they headed toward Alfea, and Silva didn't miss the opportunity to annoy her friend again.
- No, absolutely not! Never.
- Come on, Farah! - Saul had leveled with the fairy, almost touching her shoulder.
- None of us are freshmen anymore to agree, much less have this kind of fun, Saul Silva! - Farah said, seemingly unapologetically.
- But everyone agrees, and I've already arranged everything,- the specialist persisted.
Not getting an answer distinguishable from a skeptical look, he sighed, rolling his eyes.
- Farah Dowling, we've taken it to the next level. Rosalind herself is now constantly saying that we must strengthen our team spirit.
- She says we must understand each other better, Saul Silva,- the fairy wagged her index finger in the air instructively,- and to do that, we must interact more.
Saul grinned at her words.
- That's what I'm talking about. - He stood beside the fairy in the doorway, whispering a plan of action in her ear. - Look, not too much company, a place with a hundred percent secrecy, alcohol, some weed, music, fun - isn't that a great way to interact, hmm?
Farah only shrugged, physically feeling the fervor of the guy standing next to her. As much as the fairy wanted to relax, and as tempting as her friend's plan was, she couldn't overstep her only understandable principles. It could have led to the worst possible outcome, and then everyone would be screwed. She turned her head sideways toward Saul, noticing the childlike joy that shone on his face.
- I'll think about it, okay?
With an affirmative nod in response, she grabbed her things from the common training locker room and hurried out into the corridor leading to the fairies' living quarters.
- Farah, open up!
The girl must have been alarmed by the unannounced visit, or - she preferred simply not to pay attention to the persistent intrusion into personal space so late in the evening. That was partly the case, for as soon as Farah returned to her apartment, the accumulated fatigue immediately made itself felt, and the warm shower and soft bed beckoned to her. The girl did not resist this desire and for a few hours she seemed to fall out of reality, completely forgetting about the words of her friend. Now, feeling slightly disoriented, she could only wonder what had brought her partner at such a late hour.
- Ben? Had something happened? - The girl wrapped herself more tightly in her warm robe, leaning her shoulder against the jamb of the barely ajar door of her private quarters, the luxury afforded to the members of Alfea's special squad.
Ben himself was beginning to doubt the adequacy of his actions from the tone of his ally, but there was no turning back now.
- Yeah,- the boy said, pushing back his glasses and combing back his noticeably thinning hair. I didn't mean to interrupt, and I can see that you're in the mood for a rest, but...
- But?
- But we have to go now! - Harvey summed it up confidently enough to make her frown.
- Okay," the fairy ran her hand over her face. - Stop. Where do we have to go?
- Rosalind is assembling our team. Right now. Said it couldn't wait.
- Rosalind? - All drowsiness evaporated instantly, and a quiet curse almost escaped the fairy's lips. - Why didn't you say so in the first place? Give me a minute!
Hastily pulling on her pre-cleaned and dried after the "swim" uniform and, deftly gathering her hair into the usual high ponytail, in less than ten minutes, Farah followed her friend toward the back of the school.
- You still haven't told me where we're going? - she frowned, shivering from the chill of the night that pinched her exposed shoulders. Pulling on the captured jacket, the girl looked at her comrade again.
- To the graveyard.
- Is this the new location of the night training? - the fairy grinned incredulously, looking at her friend. - I smell a catch.
- Farah, I wouldn't lie to you," Ben assured the fairy too hastily, and showed her the heavy satchel in which he always carried important mixtures. The fairy merely shook her head. She was to be expected to do just about anything.
Already on the approach to her destination, Farah slowed her step and her eyes shone with a soft light. She wanted to scan the area beforehand, since Rosalind's last assignment, during which some creature had jumped right out at them, taking them by surprise, was fresh in her mind. But her concentration was cut off by a boisterous voice that sounded too close:
- Seventeen minutes, twenty-seven, eight, nine seconds! Not a bad score, Ben. But the next one, you have to get Farah to the right place in seventeen minutes exactly!
Farah paused, giving the instigator of all the fun a rather ironic look, while Ben had already taken a seat on one of the slabs, next to Andreas.
- Why didn't I think of that? Did you hear me say "yes"? I thought I said I'd think about it.
- The main thing is that you didn't say "no", - the specialist spread his arms innocently, stepping toward the fairy.
- Will you two stop talking and let's get out of here? We're already late because of Dowling," Andreas said ironically, looking at the contents of Ben's valise. He took out a few pinches of the herbs he'd been interested in and hastily twisted them into a small piece of parchment.
- No, not until you tell me where you have decided to conduct this obscurantism? - the fairy folded her arms across her chest, glancing intently at everyone.
The Heir of Eraklyon leveled with Silva, taking a deep drag.
- And I thought it wouldn't be a problem for a mind fairy to figure out such a small detail,- Andreas grinned, exhaling a puff of a smoking joint right into his partner's face.
Farah snatched the joint from the specialist's hands and, under his admiring gaze, made it dissolve into thin air.
- We can continue to figure out what is not a problem for me on this very spot. Or you can just give me the answer to the question posed.
- How formidable! I was almost afraid.
- Oh, you won't like it," Ben finally finished the last preparations for the "mission," and handed his friends several neatly twisted tubes, one of which Andreas immediately put behind his ear, taking his time to light it. Without further ado, the specialist turned around, intending to leave the clearing, with or without his company.
Silva shook his head negatively, refusing the temptation to taste a bit of the forbidden substance, deliberately ignoring her friend's raised eyebrow.
- Aren't you afraid that for this kind of "cleaning" of the greenhouse, you'll be weeding it daily?
- You clearly underestimate me. This weed is specific enough to put in, but too easy to use for pain relief. So, it's growing fine in my room, disguised as a kalanchoe," he winked at his friend and followed his partner.
- In the stone circle,- Saul summed up, interrupting the fairy who wanted to retort.
- Silva, did I put too much pressure on the back of your head today? What stone circle?
- The one in which Rosalind will be the last to look for us.
The fairy remained silent and was about to return to campus, cutting off all temptation to participate in the planned action, but her friend's voice stopped her.
- I can't believe that just the thought of...consequences that won't happen, you can't even look at the work I've done!
Silva clearly meant to put it differently, but it was enough to hook the fairy.
- You know very well that's not true, Saul! I don't even want to watch a nasty attempt to secure such a place to hang out from prying eyes and ears!
- I take it this place is the only thing that embarrasses you, Farah? - Silva already had his arm around the fairy's forearms, unobtrusively inviting her to follow him.
Farah hesitated for a few seconds, glancing at the backs of her friends as they separated into the woods, and then at the walls of the fairy school, from which they might have been spotted if they had stayed in one place any longer. Stepping toward her friend, and thus causing a sneer on his face, the fairy answered unexpectedly:
- You know, actually, yes.
Even as they approached the stone circle, the mind fairy still hesitated, watching as other Alfea students began to follow them into the clearing, among the boulders. Junior battalion members and common students: everyone reeked of a noticeable buzz of excitement about what was happening, and the sensation of their emotions quickly put all of Farah's preconceptions to sleep. As one of the fairies of light threw a shimmering barrier over the clearing from within that was supposed to provide invisibility for their company, Farah, with a slightly wary glint in her eyes toward her friends, limited the spread of the sounds of their mirth beyond the barrier.
- Impressive, Miss Dowling,- Ben leaned his back against the same cobblestone as Farah, folding his arms across his chest in the same way.
- If I have to be here, I wanted to make sure we couldn't be heard in person," the fairy nodded, eyeing the place of power fast turning into a mass drinking spot. - You want it done well, do it yourself.
- Come on, Farah,- Ben smiled sweetly, nodding at their mutual acquaintance as he passed by before turning back to his companion. - Saul said the same thing when he had this brilliant idea, but you both go from extreme to extreme about it,- he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, chuckling. - I'd even say you're overthinking it.
- That's what you, a pedant to the core, are telling me?
- That's what even I'm telling you-a pedant to the core and to the bone and to the blood corpuscles. You don't have to take the party as seriously as you know how! Just, relax.
Finally, seeing the barely noticeable smile on his friend's face, he pulled her toward the makeshift table. With a twinkle in his eyes that made the vegetation beneath his feet start to grow, picking up a couple of filled glasses from the huddled clump, Ben presented one to the fairy.
- Let's try, like two true skeptics, to get into the holiday spirit, shall we? Otherwise, we'll have to leave the court in disgrace, besmirching the honor of our team by having two nerds in it. And that's a stigma for life, Farah.
The girl grinned, taking a sip of the sizzling drink. A shiver passed over her body.
- That's disgusting,- Farah grinned, taking another sip, to which Ben nodded vigorously.
- I agree with you wholeheartedly,- he followed the fairy's example and emptied his glass. He reached for the next one, but almost dropped it, sprinkling beer on the ground, when a suddenly loud clap was almost above his ear.
Saul clapped his hands a few more times, calling for everyone's attention.
- My friends, thank you all for coming, despite the danger of being captured and mercilessly squeezed into a series of workouts," he grinned at the pathos of his speech, pulling out the familiar camping flask, which the boy always took with him on missions. - So, without further ado, I suggest we begin!
In response, there was an approving murmur and a splash of mild and not-so-alcoholic beverages poured over the glasses. After satiating the thirsty body with the first portion of alcohol, someone turned on a few loudspeakers, filling the space provided by barriers with music. The first lines of the song sounded like a call to action, and some of the company immediately reached for the center of the circle, moving in a simple dance.
Silva walked around the edge of the barrier and approached the fairy, holding out his flask.
- Decided to get me drunk right away?
Farah gently took the proffered vessel. Sipping a few scalding sips to the rhythm of the song, she looked again at the specialist.
- No, ma'am," the boy assured her, grinning slyly. - I'm just curious if you can move as gracefully after drinking so much alcohol.
The fairy burst out laughing.
- Like who?
- Like Ben,- the boy nodded in the direction of his friend, who was fuming with an empty, and probably not his first glass in his hand, "or at least, like me.
Without giving the fairy a chance to respond, he took her by the arm, drawing her to the center of the court. Saul, driven by intoxication and ardor, twisted on his axis and staggered, immediately assuming a stable position, honed in training. He laughed, noticing the expression on the fairy's face, and moved his body, leaning slightly toward the girl.
- Come on, Farah!
The girl just smiled, stepping back a little and confidently adjusting her movements to the melody pouring from the speakers. And, even though the space in her hazy gaze was slightly floating from the light-music, Saul couldn't help but notice that the fairy moved much more gracefully.
When the party had turned into a mass hysteria and everyone was pretty drunk, but still strong enough to dance, Saul suggested to play with a bir-pong game. Farah noted that in spite of the amount of alcohol poured in, her friend was practically sober, which was not the case with Ben, who was sitting on the sidelines, barely lifting a shot in his hand. Fairy was no longer thinking about tomorrow, which could bring them a bunch of totally unnecessary problems and bruises. She was beginning to think it was all worth it. An alcoholic shroud covered her mind slightly, plunging her into a relaxed revelatory state. So when she heard Saul's suggestion, she raised her hand with a full shot glass upwards, attracting the attention of absolutely everyone.
- The rules are more complicated than that,- Silva said with a sly smile. - Sure you want to play?
- No more complicated than putting you on your shoulder blades in practice today,- Farah parried.
- Oh,- Saul gripped his chest, declaring in a comically tragic tone, "you hit me right in the heart.
Fairy grinned, noticing the white round cards under the glasses. She wanted to play even more. A fire inside her flared up, threatening to burst into flames and blast the hell out of the place.
- You ready?
The cockiness in Saul's voice and eyes spurred Farah on more and more. If he was so relaxed, and yet so sure that there was nothing to worry about if they were discovered, it gave the fairy the same idea. So she nodded without hesitation, surrendering completely to the moment.
- Would the mind fairy turn up the music? - Andreas shouted defiantly, glaring at his two partners.
With a skeptical eyebrow raised, Farah glanced over at the subwoofers, cranking them up as loud as the eardrums of everyone present could bear. At the same time the fairy changed her song, smiling contentedly at Andreas's sarcastic chuckle.
- Good choice of song! - Saul approved in admiration.
- Suitable for my victory,- she said, draining her drink in one gulp. - I'll begin.
The round white ball was about to slip out of the fairy's hand, but she had no intention of holding it back. She took quick aim and hit the target with the accuracy of a marksman. The crowd around the table erupted in shouts of joy, overlapping the shrieking song.
- Nice shot,- Silva praised, taking the ball out of the liquor glass.
Saul picked up the glass, pulled out a card, silently ran his eyes over what was written, and then voiced it loudly.
- A drink on a bruiser with a rival.
Farah raised her eyebrows, glancing over Saul's face with an appraising glance, noting that he was determined.
- Come here,- he smiled, grabbing the glass in an inviting gesture. - There are glass with no wish cards.
Finding one at her side, Farah took it without further hesitation and walked over to her friend. Crossing their arms in the best tradition of brudeshift, they gazed into each other's eyes, careful not to burst into laughter or spill the contents of their glasses. As the soulful glances overlapped the upturned glasses, everyone around them began to chant something and Farah didn't immediately understand what it was. But when an extremely inappropriate word for her and Saul reached her ears, she laughed out loud.
- A kiss?
- You won't get it!
The crowd gasped in disappointment, but continued to watch the game with interest. The next move was Saul's. Squinting for the right target, Silva looked at the totally relaxed friend opposite. The fairy rested her palms on the table, rocking back and forth slightly. Preparing to take the attack, Farah grinned at Saul's efforts to hit the chosen glass. There was a barely audible splash of the ball. The fairy quickly retrieved the guest of honor from her alcoholic captivity, glanced down the line and proceeded to read out a wish.
- Swap any item of clothing with the player.
The crowd visibly perked up. The fairy and the specialist exchanged glances and without a second's hesitation took off their outer garments. After exchanging the cloaks their partners were ready to proceed.
- I would have exchanged shirts with her if I were you," Andreas said caustically.
- That's why you're not me," Saul replied, ignoring the hooting of others.
The game was gaining momentum and with each task standing on their feet was becoming more and more difficult. Alcoholic vapors were wafting around the perimeter of the security barrier, and even those who hadn't been drinking much were getting tipsy by the second. Exhausted by the game and the amount of alcohol consumed, the partners decided to stop and return to dancing. Silva admiringly noted Farah's marksmanship and she, in turn, praised him for his persistence. They returned their jackets to each other and walked to the place where there were the most people.
- Listen, Farah, why don't you play with me?
The unexpected suggestion left Farah barely perceptible in surprise. She turned around, almost bumping into Andreas.
- I've had enough of that.
- Afraid you'll blow it? Only the hottest desires are left in there,- the boy grinned, arching an eyebrow.
Slowly lowering the glass with the less invigorating alcohol from her ajar lips, the fairy glanced at Andreas with a defiant look. Saul, who was standing opposite, turned fully towards his partner, slightly blocking Farah's view.
- She's already given you an answer, Andreas.
- She's not a freshman virgin anymore, Saul. Let her make up her own mind. Fuck off!
The smacking sound was heard by the others standing nearby, and was picked up by the others in the chain. There was silence all around. Spitting blood, Andreas straightened up, getting ready to punch his attacker right in the jaw. At the same second he clutched at his head, sinking to the grass with a loud groan. Farah, standing close to him, stared intently at the back of his head. Her eyes flashed brightly, preventing Andreas from getting up from his knees. One cautionary gesture was enough to keep Saul from grabbing his partner by the chest and smacking him again.
Andreas raised his hand, making it clear that he was giving up and had no intention of retaliating. The specialist rose from his knees, glanced at Saul with a sly grin, then slowly shifted his gaze to Farah.
- I'll play you, Andreas.
- Glorious.
The man had already made his way to the table, waiting for his rival.
- It's fine, Saul,- Farah assured him.
The fairy followed Andreas, but halfway through stopped abruptly when she realized to her right the outline of a dreadfully familiar figure.
- Perhaps you'd be more willing to play with me? - the music in the fairy's ears faded in an instant, displaced by her authoritative voice.
The woman nonchalantly approached the circle stone that replaced the intruders' table. She took one of the positions, glanced at Andreas who had already taken his place, and then the ball she had lost during the first game was in her hands. Throwing it accurately and effortlessly straight into the centre of the filled glass, Rosalind looked intently first at the task card and then at the specialist himself. Andreas cautiously drew out the cardboard, splattered with spilled drops, and immediately turned it to his side.
Her tutor grinned as if she knew what was written on it. Without further ado, the Prince of Eraklyon downed the glass in a gulp.
- Shall we play next?
- I'll defer to the lady.
Rosalind immediately fixed her gaze on Farah, who was standing unmoving behind her. Pushing off the stone slab, the headmistress took a polished step around her, stopping at the spot Andreas had vacated in the same second.
- Drop it, Farah.
- Maybe we should...
- Drop it. Don't be embarrassed,- the woman grinned, taking her previous position.
On stiff legs, the fairy stood by the block of stone - in front of her mentor. She grabbed the ball with her trembling hand and threw it at random, wishing she had missed, but it came back into her palm, obeying Rosalind's magic.
- Play by the rules, Dowling. Don't make me question not only your discretion, but your marksmanship as well.
The girl tensed. There was no hint of threat in her mentor's words, but they had a sobering effect. The fairy aimed the ball straight at the glass beside Rosalind's right hand. Though the older fairy's face was expressionless, a glance into her eyes showed a touch of interest. Clutching the folded cardboard in half between her fingers, the woman examined it from both sides, delaying the moment of truth. Unfolding it, Rosalind ran her eyes over the crookedly written lines and, without demonstration, folded it again, slipping it into her jacket pocket.
Already bringing the glass to her lips, she squinted at Andreas with a chuckle.
- You're a lucky man,- she said as she drained the drink in a few gulps and clenched the pliable material into a fist, shoving it away from her. - You could be.
After the words she spoke, the music died down already for everyone. Apparatus, food and booze evaporated in an instant.
- So. Without further ado, who initiated your dance? The punishment for this information will not be mitigated for anyone,- Rosalind held her gaze on Silva a little longer, as if she knew the answer beforehand,- but your conscience will be clear.
The headmistress folded her arms across her chest expectantly, glancing around the crowd. There was no response, distinguishable from the lowered stares, only the specialist stepped forward, arching his back slightly but looking into his mentor's face.
- Saul, can you give your gaze a little less doom,- the older fairy grinned, turning her back to Silva and bumping into Farah who had stepped forward, - and what's that supposed to mean, Dowling?
Farah was silent, and Rosalind did not repeat the question, merely nodded her head, indicating the seat next to Saul. Farah immediately took it. She caught the specialist's surprised look on his face, but she just shrugged and smiled softly.
- Anyone else?
Rosalind paced the stone circle and looked at Ben, who was about to rise, but then, noticing his extreme unsteadiness, gestured for him to remain where he was.
- Anyone else?
After a few seconds of ringing silence, Andreas, who dared not drop his royal dignity, stepped forward as well.
- Fine. In the morning, everyone will get their work done. Now - return to the campus immediately! And you three, get your friend and come to my office now! You have four minutes.
Keeping their distance, the foursome, practically sobered up, followed their mentor. On the way to the office, Harvey whispered to Silva:
- Saul, relax, she's not going to do anything. At least not to all of us, because we...
- Oh, shut up already! - Andreas hissed, walking on Ben's right hand.
Closing the door tighter behind her, Farah stood behind Andreas and Ben. She was immediately joined by Saul. The conditions of the study did not allow them to line up as Rosalind would have wished. The mentor was standing with her back to her former students and after a short silence, she turned and looked at each of them in turn.
- I want to know,- Rosalind began her tirade in a calm tone. - What did you hit so hard in training that you got the idea to hold events like this in your head?
- Our heads were hit hard,- Saul whispered.
The tone and volume of the mentor's voice picked up.
- You are the future of this school! You're supposed to be my confidants, not a bunch of drunken crap.
- Yes, ma'am.
Farah nudged Saul to the side, glaring to beg him to stop making inappropriate remarks. Silva held up one hand and grinned, indicating that he had calmed down.
- You're still here,- Rosalind continued,- only because I want you to be. You are Alfea's strongest team, and all the responsibility for keeping the school and its students safe rests with you. And the responsibility for you and your behaviour rests entirely with me. You're supposed to think about the consequences first, and you only thought about the process.
- Just like in sex,- Saul commented without holding back.
Farah couldn't contain her laughter and laughed out loud, instantly catching Rosalind's surprised look on her face.
- What part of what I said struck you as funny?
Farah's face immediately changed, shaking her head negatively, but Rosalind's eyes showed that she wasn't going to let it go.
- You should be in constant readiness to fight, not to get drunk! If you can't repel a trivial mental attack,- the fairy's eyes flashed and a ringing sounded in the heads of all four, comparable only in its nastiness to the volume, which, with each movement, intensified. When Ben, followed by Saul, collapsed to their knees, the execution ceased as quickly as it had begun, - what kind of festivities could we even be talking about?! I expect you all tomorrow, or rather today, in exactly three and a half hours at Maravet Falls. And at the next training session you, Farah, will be paired with Andreas.
He turned, giving his would-be rival a smug grin. As soon as Andreas turned away, the fairy rolled her eyes.
- But me and Farah have been together a long time, we've been practicing, - Saul protested.
- That's not your call,- the mentor intervened, making it clear in her voice that he should shut up. - I suggest you choose better allies from now on, Farah. Andreas certainly wouldn't put his friends at risk like that.
- Rosalind, it wasn't Saul's fault," the fairy intervened. - He just wanted to give us a chance to rest for a while.
- You're in no position to contradict me, Farah. And thanks to Saul's good intentions, you'll be working even harder now. Dismissed!
Mentor turned, retreating to the window. As Farah was about to pull the door handle, the headmistress stopped her:
- Dowling, hold on a minute.
Saul also didn't budge.
- Silva, was there something else you wanted? I think I've made it clear who can go and who has to stay. Three and a half hours. Maravet Falls. If I tell you again, you'll spend the same amount of time, after training, circling around it, be sure to repeat the name.
Without further ado, the specialist left the office. Alone with her mentor, Farah felt a chill pierce through her bones, though perhaps it was the absence of the cloak, which had been lost on the way to the main building, that played a part. Panic was building with every second she spent in that office. The fairy didn't even want to think about what Rosalind wanted to say or do to her.
Unable to endure the oppressive silence, Farah could barely part her dry lips.
- Rosalind, I...
Receiving only a cautionary gesture in response and an unequivocal nod to the side, the girl obediently sank down on the sofa. Rosalind crouched beside her a moment later. Close enough to feel a shiver run down Farah's body with her hand. She grinned, noticing how stubbornly the girl ignored the strand tickling her brow, not daring to move. Tucking a curl behind her ear, thus relieving the fairy of her discomfort, Rosalind looked into her eyes, reading the mixed emotions.
- Rosalind...
The unspoken phrase was cut short by a convulsive sigh at the moment when the headmistress made a sharp movement across the distance between them and Farah, touching her lips to hers. In surprise, the fairy moved backward, but immediately a palm swept up to her face, stopping her. Fingers digging painfully into her temple and the soft skin behind her ear, the woman ran her thumb gently but weightily over the girl's cheek, stretching and thereby opening her lips. The girl wrapped her arm around her mentor's hand as the crushing pain began to move beyond tolerable. Rosalind left her grip, her tongue tracing the outline of the fairy's lower lip. As Farah leaned forward, almost touching the woman's tongue with her own, the older fairy pulled away, rising from her seat, causing the girl to nearly fall onto the couch, leaning on her outstretched hand.
The headmistress gave the embarrassed fairy a look and couldn't contain her chuckle, retrieving a folded cardboard in half from her pocket.
- I guess you wouldn't want me to do this in front of your whole party," the woman remarked mundanely, handing Farah a wish card.
- To kiss your rival,- the even more bewildered girl mouthed, not daring to look up at her mentor. Only one word rang in Farah's mind - control. The emotions that were now stirring her blood were trying to get out, in the form of a slight twitching of her fingers or a convulsive exhalation. But she kept it under control, and the force with which the fairy was doing it was beginning to give her a crushing headache.
Rosalind leaned over the fairy herself, devaluing all the fairy's efforts just by turning her head towards her, wrapping her fingers around her chin. Exhaling into the very lips of the fairy, which she had once again unwittingly opened, the headmistress whispered:
- Three hours from now at Maravet Falls. That goes for you as well. I'll even allow you to come early.
Stepping back from the girl, she backed up to the table, leaning on it with her palms.
- Dismissed, Farah.