Zerkan was reviewing the information the Resistance had about the current state of the school. He had sent his best Sentinel in reconnaissance and had even managed to communicate with the fairies to obtain more information.

“They have divided the school into two very distinct areas, with the pro-humans parked in the magicians’ quarter since it is the one capable of accommodating the most students and the rest of the castle for the allies of Impervia,” explained the Commander of the Sentinels. “Solomon has decided to leave the fairies in the infirmary by blocking and watching the exits, he knows very well that they will not resist because they vowed neutrality, and then... they seem to have enough work as it is with the climate of violence that prevails there and that Solomon encourages.”

“The infirmary is supervised to what extent?” Ethan interrupted, suspecting this would be their main entry.

“Less than the other entries,” Zerkan confirmed. “They managed to negotiate minimal monitoring in exchange for their submission. Honestly, even if he didn’t hold them back, they would have stayed I think. Their job is to heal people, and there are a lot of injuries from what I understand since Solomon took over the school.”

“Why do the students not rebel?” Mia asked, trying to understand the situation as well as possible.

“The pro-humans are outnumbered,” Robert interjected. “And they greatly fear Solomon and his minions. The others are either afraid to choose our side or are washed in Impervia’s ideology. It would be a massacre.”

“And their family? Why don’t they try to infiltrate as we do?” chained the blonde.

“Not the necessary resources, not the courage to risk the lives of their children, not the organization or the sufficient number, not had time to build a plan, there can be many reasons,” enumerated the Colonel.
“Solomon has granted himself the Vilas district, and more precisely your room, Ethan,” Zerkan continued, scrutinizing his reaction. “He is clearly trying to taunt you.”

He shrugged as the only response, the provocation obviously not reaching him.

“If it’s only that...” Ethan paused to think before continuing. “There had been a huge explosion coming from the castle, I thought it had been destroyed.”

“It was more of a message than anything else. We weren’t going to blow up the whole school while there were still students in it. We contented ourselves with destroying the front door and the hall, but they were very well able to rebuild everything in a few hours by calling on sorcerer architects. My Sentinels didn’t report any damage to the structure so I guess they fixed everything.”

This meant that they had erased the traces of the statement as if nothing had happened and then took over the school behind it. The students had to believe they were in the middle of a dream.

“And the basement?” Mia questioned, thinking of where the wizard had held her captive.

Come to think of it, Andrei isn’t here. Weird, I expected him to take part in the operation.

“The most guarded entrance. They clearly expect someone to try to infiltrate it, since it is the easiest to access and, above all, it leads straight to the heart of the castle. And that’s exactly where my squad will enter the school.”

“What about us?” asked Ethan who had immediately understood that the couple was not included in his team.

“The infirmary,” Vassili said for the first time. “The fairies liked you, Mia. They will help you to cross the castle without denouncing you.”

I hope he’s right, she doubted suddenly.

A tornado of brown hair swirled around the office to reveal a breathless Andrei who greeted the couple quickly before returning his attention to Zerkan who was clearly in charge today.

“Tishuan gave the green light, we can take off one hour before dusk.”

“Very well, then the plan is validated,” Zerkan announced. “Vassili will explain to you what it consists of. I’m going to join my squad, we still have a few things to do with Igor before the start of the operation.”

The two men left the room in a hurry. There were only three hours left before the big departure, everyone was busy getting ready. Except for the couple, since they were the last to learn the ins and outs of the plan which relied on their quality as bait.

The vampire moved to sit across from Ethan, quickly joined by Andrei who was struggling to catch his breath, having run to warn them as soon as possible.

“You two and Andrei will go through the infirmary. He will help you infiltrate the tower of the Vilas district. Arry and Lily are held there in the room across from yours, Ethan.”

“You want to take us through the whole school? All the corridors must be supervised, even if the majority of the students are sleeping... How are we supposed to not be detected?” Ethan asked almost contemptuously, indicating he strongly doubted their plan. “Bait, okay, but that’s a bit obvious, isn’t it? You want us to get caught?”

“This is the only possible entry. Zerkan’s squad will take care of clearing the way to the basement, but they’ll have to fight for it. They won’t be able to infiltrate as quietly as you.”

“You’re counting on us to distract Solomon, are you?” continued the Vila before Vassili confirmed it with a nod of his head. “And what do you do with Solomon’s students? And his allies? Because I guess he didn’t come alone.”

“Most of his minions guard the exits, he doesn’t trust the students for this task. Many elements of the plan depend on Zerkan’s squad, but I don’t worry too much about them. The students will all be sleeping, and Andrei will make sure they can’t leave their quarters when the alarm goes off. The important thing for you is that you get to the Vilas tower without being spotted.”

“Then get Solomon’s attention, right?” exclaimed Ethan.

“Exactly. While Andrei imprisons the students and Zerkan’s squad clears the dungeons, you’ll need to keep Solomon’s attention on you.”

“What if someone alerts him to intruders before we even get to the tower? Everyone will be on their guard,” cut Mia. “It still assumes that three different groups do not get spotted.”

“You’ll be the one to give Zerkan the green light to move forward into the basements. Not until Solomon’s attention is entirely on you. Knowing him, he will want to watch you closely and taunt you, he will not pay attention to the rest of the castle.”

“That’s all well and good, but how are you supposed to get away with it after getting his attention? With Arry and Lily, moreover,” complained the young Vila who was always so skeptical.

“Zerkan and I will join you after clearing the underground passage. His squad will take care of evacuating the students while we come to get you. I have some personal scores to settle with Solomon...”

“So Andrei is going to take care of the students, the Sentinels of Solomon’s allies, and the evacuation of the pro-humans through the underground, and Mia and I have to keep Solomon busy until you and Zerkan come to our rescue?” he summed up sarcastically. “Is this your plan?”

“Do you have a better one? Solomon is capable of killing us all if he falls on us by surprise. His allies don’t worry us, and only one Vila is among his ranks. As long as the students can’t crush us with their numerical superiority, the only problem is him.”

“There are a lot of things that have the potential to go very wrong,” Ethan protested. “Who says Solomon wasn’t ordered to kill us on the spot? Who tells you that you will win the fight against him? That the infiltration will go off without a hitch?”

The vampire sighed, rubbing his temples, annoyed. There was no hostility in his reaction, but rather a weariness with his student who constantly tried to question his words. And it was even worse since the events of the tournament. Which was absolutely not surprising. Perhaps that was why Vassili quickly regained his composure and returned his gaze to the Vila.

“We have no choice, Ethan. It’s the best we’ve found, and the best chance of succeeding without ending in a bloodbath. There will always be risks when operating in enemy territory, and the possibility of unforeseen events will always exist. We count on everyone to manage as well as possible.”

Is Ethan too pessimistic or are they the ones who are too optimistic? she couldn’t help wondering.

For Mia, it didn’t change anything. She was terrified of facing such great danger and risking her life in the operation. For the first time in her life, and although she absolutely did not believe in God or any superior entity, the desire to pray that they had a lucky star and that everything went as planned imposed itself on her spirit.

How many times will I come close to death in this world? she despaired, grabbing Ethan’s hand and squeezing it to give herself courage, before a specific piece of information popped into her mind.

“What did you mean when you said we’ll fly?”

“You’ll see,” smiled Andrei who had understood that she was lost and nervous about this new concept of transport.

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