“You’re not gonna like this,” Gathrok warned before explaining his plan.

  He was right. None of us liked the plan, but we couldn’t think of anything else to do. We discussed the details then agreed to put the plan into action.

  I started taking walks in the garden by myself at the same time every evening, making sure I was seen leaving each time. This was the part of the plan I didn’t mind since I actually liked getting some time alone in the gardens, and I had missed it since Torlan started bullying me.

  I continued this practice over the next week and a half, until one day, as I walked through the gardens, Torlan stepped out from where he was hiding.

  “I thought I taught you and those lessers you call friends enough of a lesson, but apparently you still haven’t figured it out. I should have expected it, to be honest—it’s unsurprising that an elf who cavorts with the lesser species would be slow to figure things out. How you haven’t failed out of the academy is a mystery to me. Maybe this time the lesson will stick.”

  As he approached, I heard footsteps behind me. I didn’t dare turn to look—I suspected that Torlan’s goons were mostly there to keep me from running while Torlan himself administered his “lesson.” Instead, I let my nerves show on my face as fear, which caused Torlan to smile a slimy grin.

  “I’m going to enjoy this,” he said as he swung an uppercut into my gut. I did my best to take the hit, but it had some power behind it, and it hurt. Like me, Torlan had ascended to Tier 2 by that point, and his punches had a decent amount of force to them.

  I gave a token resistance to his next few swings, deflecting them enough to prevent serious injury, but even had I tried fully, his size and reach would have given him a significant advantage. After all, he had the same training I had, so I was unlikely to be able to overcome his physical advantages by skill alone.

  He seemed to be getting frustrated with my resistance, as minor as it was, and soon he went in for a grapple. I tried to avoid it, but he got a hold on me, trapping me near his body as he rained blows down on my torso. He even hit my breast at one point, which caused me to let out a short whine of pain. That sound seemed to spur him on, and he threw me to the ground.

  From there he started kicking me. If it weren’t for my Tier 2 improvements, I was pretty sure that he would have caused some serious damage. As it was, by the time he finished, I was bruised all over and probably had some micro bone fractures.

  He snapped his fingers at one of his minions. “Greenwood, time to heal the bitch.”

  The elf approached and cast a few spells on me—clearly he was on the healing track like Kolo. By the end, I was feeling better. Though I was still a bit sore in places, it wasn’t any worse than after a sparring session.

  Torlan stared at me for a few moments as I lay there, catching my breath. “Either leave the academy or shape up. We don’t need squib lovers here.”

  I just stared at him, feeling dazed enough from the beating to hide my anger. How dare he call my friends squibs! The term was a play on squid, a derogatory term for the hexarians since they resembled the marine animal, and it implied that the targets were little better than the slaving bastards.

  After a few more seconds, he turned and walked off with his sycophants. I just lay there for a few minutes, not really wanting to get up and needing to wait anyway. Five or six minutes later, Gathrok stepped out of a bush, tablet in hand.

  “Damn, I didn’t realize it would be like that. I’m sorry for suggesting this.”

  I waved him off as I stood up. “No, I knew what I was getting into. Did you get it?”

  He nodded. “I’ll take care of things. You, get back to Kolo and get some more healing.”

  I agreed, and we separated so as not to draw attention to us. Besides, we were going to different places anyway.

  The next day, partway through our lessons, an ensign aide appeared at the classroom door. He saluted the instructor before informing us that my presence was required by the headmaster. The instructor excused me, and I followed the ensign to the administration building and up a flight of stairs. From there, I was led to the headmaster’s office suite. When we arrived, his assistant told me to head right in and dismissed the ensign.

  With a deep breath, I knocked on the door and entered. As soon as I was inside with the door shut, I saluted the commodore.

  “Approach.”

  His office was large. Off to one side was a table that sat six people, and to the other side was a small lounge area with a couch and two armchairs around a coffee table. He even had a bookshelf filled with leather-bound paper books, an uncommon sight these days. In the back was a huge wooden desk that he sat behind, and standing in front of it were Torlan and his two mooks.

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  I approached, leaving as much room between us as I could justify, and fell into parade rest.

  “I have learned of some disturbing information, cadets, and I am here to get to the bottom of it.” He paused, staring at each of us in turn. “Cadet Torlan, please explain your actions last night around 1930.”

  “Sir! I was with my two fellow cadets here studying at that time. We left the mess shortly before 1900 and proceeded to one of the study rooms in Ekshire Hall, where we remained until around 2100.”

  “Do you two corroborate this claim?”

  The two goons agreed.

  The headmaster nodded, revealing nothing of his thoughts or emotions. “And you, Cadet Juniper. Where were you around 1930 yesterday evening?”

  “Sir, I was taking a walk in the east gardens when I found Cadet Torlan, Cadet Greenwood, and Cadet Creason waiting for me. They surrounded me, and Cadet Torlan proceeded to administer a ‘lesson,’ as he called it, by beating me then having Cadet Greenwood heal me.”

  “She’s lying!” exclaimed Torlan.

  “Cadet! I will have you retain decorum in my presence, or I will consider it insubordination. Now, Cadet Juniper, do you have any evidence for your claim?”

  “No, sir, but I suspect you do.”

  Torlan seemed like he was about to say something but a look from the commodore shut him up instantly.

  “Indeed.” He typed something on his computer and the screen behind him, one of a few in the office, lit up, showing a paused video. With another tap, the video started.

  It captured everything from Torlan’s monologue to the beating to Greenwood healing me after. When it ended, he turned to us.

  “Well, Cadet Torlan, would you like to change your testimony?”

  “Of course not, sir. The video is obviously a fabrication. I am an upstanding cadet and member of the nobility. I would never engage in such base actions, and the fact that Cadet Juniper here is accusing me of such a heinous act is evidence that she is unfit to be an officer of the Imperial Navy.”

  The headmaster gave a nod, and I was starting to get worried that Torlan’s position might get him out of this despite the evidence we managed to procure. Then he pressed a button, and a few seconds later there was a knock on the door, followed by his assistant stepping into the office.

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Send in the healer.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  A few moments later, a felid man stepped into the room. His uniform had a red stripe on the right sleeve, indicating he was a healer.

  “Sir, how may I help?” asked the man.

  “I need you to scan the young lady here and identify any recent healing she’s undergone.”

  “Aye, sir,” the healer said before approaching me. “Do I have your permission to scan you?” he asked. I agreed, and he began casting a series of spells.

  While he was working, the headmaster spoke. “Many non-healers do not realize that it is possible to detect the effects of recent healing magic. It takes a skilled healer to cast the spell and interpret the results, but it is possible. I do not understand the details myself, but it has something to do with the body’s response to the magic.”

  About that time, the healer finished. “Cadet, do I have your permission to discuss your recent medical treatments in front of the headmaster and these cadets?” I agreed, and the healer turned to the headmaster. “She has recently undergone healing by a novice healer. I detect signs of healing magic used to heal severe bruising and minor fractures in her ribs and arms.” He paused before adding one more bit. “If I may, these injuries are not consistent with what I would expect from normal physical training or sparring, as done in the academy.”

  “Thank you, commander. You are dismissed.”

  The healer saluted the commodore before leaving.

  “Well, cadets. Would you like to change your testimony now?”

  Torlan hesitated for a moment before answering. “Sir, you know who my family is. I am certain we can work something out. Clearly this evidence is pointing to a fabrication and attempt to discredit me, is it not?”

  The commodore scowled, one of the first shows of emotion he made this entire time. He pushed another button and said, “What about the other two of you?”

  The two minions looked at each other, then between the headmaster and Torlan. After a few seconds, Greenwood broke.

  “Sir, I healed Cadet Juniper after she sustained moderate injuries.”

  The headmaster stared at him, waiting to see if he would say anything else. Neither said anything more, and while the headmaster was staring at them, there was a knock on the door, and two marine entered.

  “Sir,” they said, saluting.

  “Privates, arrest these three cadets. All are being charged with conduct unbecoming an officer and insubordination, two are also being charged with assisted battery, and the last is being charged with assault and battery.”

  “What?” Torlan exclaimed. “You can’t do this! I’m a Torlan—a dragon!” In his anger, he shifted into a somewhat bulky black dragon and roared. Without hesitation, the marines whipped out their pistols and fired multiple stunning rounds into Torlan. As he lay there, twitching from the shocks, they pulled out their comm devices and called in backup.

  The other two perpetrators had dropped to their knees with their hands up as soon as the marines pulled out their weapons, so they were easily handcuffed and led off to the side to wait. After a few minutes, four more marines entered the office. They shot Torlan twice more, then two of the reinforcements grabbed the dragon and awkwardly carried him away. In front of them was another pair of marines, directly behind them walked Torlan’s co-conspirators, and bringing up the rear were the last two marines.

  Once everyone else had left, the headmaster turned back to me.

  “My apologies, cadet, for the suffering you have endured.”

  “Thank you, sir, though it is not your fault.”

  “It is my responsibility to ensure the safety of all our cadets. Even if there was nothing I could have done, I will still take responsibility for not cultivating an environment that prevents these sorts of incidents. Rest assured, Ganthar Torlan will not be returning to this academy as a cadet.”

  “As you say, commodore.”

  “Do not discuss the events that occurred here with anyone, including your friends. You will likely be expected to testify in front of a judicial panel about the events of last night, so be prepared. I will also point out that his family is powerful, and you are just a cadet. Be on your guard now and in the future.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  “You are dismissed.”

  I gave him a salute, then left the premises. It was nearly lunchtime, so I headed to the mess hall to await my friends and celebrate.