Yaric had seen the entrance to Lekton Academy many times by now, and still found the massive gates with their marble pillars to be spectacular. The white marble lined with veins of gold had a copper luster in the light cast by the rising sun.

Sven and Lauren led Team Shadow through the gates, marching at the head of a column four wide by twelve deep, with the middle of the front two rows each holding onto the stand displaying all eight flags.

They entered the extensive square at the entrance for the last time as a team, expecting to see a scattered crowd of students and staff going about their morning, interspersed with civilians who had business at the academy. And there were people walking around all over, many slowing to stop and stare, none more so than the residents of the Academy.

Because right in the center of the square stood Council Head Sandy Ivers, along with many of the council members, arrayed in front of a large group of mages and wizards. Mages and wizards who had sponsored students at the Academy - students who at that moment were marching in front of the other seven teams, proudly displaying their trophy.

Yaric smiled at the sight, watching one person after another come to a confused halt, both across the square and in his own column. Just like Yaric, his teammates started noticing their sponsors amongst the group and realized what was going on, catching them by surprise. And all around the square, people slowed down to watch when they noticed the flags and the golden sphere swirling around the stand, realizing what that signified. Many of them had comical expressions on their faces when they also realized that it had been less than a month since the Summer Solstice Tournament.

“Welcome back to the Academy, and congratulations to Team Shadow for such a triumphant return. It’s been seven decades since we last had a team successfully secure all eight flags, making this a special occasion. It’s also only the fourth since I’ve been on the Council, so I hope you realize how rare this is.

“You’re all no doubt eager to get on with your assessments, if you would make your way to your dorms, you will be taken through immediately. I’ll be seeing some of you there,” Sandy said, smiling at Li Na.

Both classes rushed to put their things away, delayed only by students who had been held back looking for new rooms. Within 10 minutes all four 6^th year teams were being led to the same courtyard they had met in the previous year, again carrying all of the Academy issued equipment with them.

Hiawatha stood imposingly in front of the portico that ringed the courtyard.

“Good! We can begin immediately,” he declared, gesturing for them to take their places in front. Evidently each class kept the same location and instructors even after moving up a year.

“Now we will be going over a few things, team by team, while you are all still together. Just like last year the things we will cover are very general and very basic, for all to hear, as they will benefit everybody. Then you will each go into your own building, as teams, where will go into more detail. Unlike last year, however, we have additional prizes to announce, but don’t worry, it won’t take long. You spent so little time out there that there isn’t as much to talk about this year,” Hiawatha said, laughing at his own joke.

“First, The Behemoths. You had a very effective double wall that withstood assaults made by two teams working together, for an entire day. That was possible due to preparing all of the pieces and hiding them until everything was ready, sparing them from being destroyed while partially complete. Your biggest failing was the cover your preparations provided, which allowed an individual to sneak into your camp and claim your flag without a fight. I can’t say I can remember the last time that happened,” he added, so some scattered laughter. “Just know that it is not much of a reflection on yourselves, as I can’t remember anyone trying something so ridiculous before. No one has ever prepared for something like that.

“You also led a successful assault one of the 5^th year teams, taking the camp in a single morning. Then you played a pivotal role in the final attack on Team Shadow and the assault on the top of the cliff,” Hiawatha said, starting some grumbling amongst the other teams involved in the assault. They all knew why The Behemoths still had so many fighters left at that point.

Despite the positive assessment, Andrew looked furious.

“Next we have The Titans. You took one of the standout ideas from last year and expanded on it, integrating it into your own unprecedented plan. Placing smaller fort-like structures within your camp was a very good idea, but expanding it so that each was covered by two others was exceptional. If used as intended, any attacking force would have continued to take very heavy casualties even once inside. They also would have been forced to try and attack all four at once, otherwise they would be under fire from three sides.

Cormac and his team were grinning at the praise.

“But you took it another step further and made one of them the entrance to an escape tunnel. Instead of building it one layer at a time, you built the entire tunnel in stages, working only at night, so that even though you were watched from the first day, no one realized what you were doing.”

Surprised murmurs rippled through The Titans, with most turning to look accusingly at Team Shadow.

“You scouted and defined fallback positions, hid food and equipment, and practiced making your way through the tunnel. If I could make one suggestion, it would be that you shouldn’t have stopped where you did. You had plenty of time to dig twice as much tunnel, which would have allowed you to connect every fortified location to your escape tunnel.

“As it was, having only one entrance meant everyone retreated to the same fort. The entire concept of overlapping fields of fire and multiple strong points was defeated by having everyone retreat to the same location, leaving the other three empty. On top of that, connecting each strong point would have meant that defending squads could retreat to one of the others should theirs fall.

“Your attack on Team Victorious was one of the most successful in the entire Tournament, taking their camp with minimal casualties through the clever use of strategy. We’ve already seen combat that was one sided routs, but they were all ambushes against teams out in the open. This is the only attack against a fortified camp that can claim the same.

“The Titans were also the team that ultimately located Team Shadow, and alerted the others to their imminent victory. You then handled much of the coordination between teams, managed the archers, and ultimately led the assault that took the ground floor portion of Team Shadows camp. Overall, you had a very successful competition, well done!”

Every team clapped to congratulate them. Cormac and his team were very obviously happy with their performance.

“I’ve never had to give an assessment that covers such a short period, but I also seldom have so much to say about so many teams,” Hiawatha mused quietly to himself, though loud enough for everyone to hear.

“Team Unyielding had a phenomenal competition as well. You made the only other one-sided assault on a camp, when you took advantage of the overextended line made by The Griffons, making good use of saw blades and excessive spaces to easily bring down their wall.

“Your own camp design displayed ingenuity as well. Most of the time I assess implementation of traditional elements, but you threw them all out of the window. You created holes in your wall that allowed you to attack through an otherwise solid wall, and you used a ditch on the inside that let you attack from below. Then you went along and hid those holes, adding an element of surprise.

“Part of your defenses also included a trap for anyone who tried to retreat, resulting in the decimation of your attackers. Overall, we were very happy with the design and implementation.

“I also want to point out the ambush where you lost your flag, because I want you to see it for the recognition it was. You made the wise decision to take a different route, expecting an ambush, and it was only through the acknowledgement of Team Unyielding’s competency that Team Shadow decided to cover every option. Even so, your early departure still caught them off guard and forced them to abandon their prepared ambush site, leaving them scrambling to come up with a last-minute alternative.”

That revelation also got a strong reaction, though not entirely the one that Hiawatha had expected.

“They wiped us out with a last-minute plan?”

“How can that be considered ‘scrambling’, we were annihilated!”

“I bet they didn’t plan multiple ambushes for other teams.”

Many were still happy with the implications and took Hiawatha’s words to heart.

“And of course, next we have Team Shadow. Winners and new record holders.”

Yaric was taken aback by the sudden clapping and cheering that followed, coming from the teams that they had beaten in order to get that record.

“Let me finish!” Hiawatha said loudly, smiling as he did. “Some of you will be surprised to know that on the first day, Team Shadow sent out almost half of their team, while the rest did absolutely nothing but hide their things and set up a watch. All of the other camps were found and put under surveillance before nightfall, while much of the area you were competing in was mapped out before the first morning.

“Team Shadow then relocated to the mesa they ended up staying on, and spent the second day recovering from all their hard work by napping in the shade.”

Many of the students in other teams started to quietly tease them over that.

“On the third day, you started your pillaging. Supply drops were ambushed and taken for yourselves, leaving the other teams without food or the equipment they needed to finish their camp defenses. You also let two through, which worked to increase the pressure more than taking everything would have.

“You built a basic fort for your flag on top of the mesa, with a clever but well-known design. For the rest of the competition, you spent most of your time planning and preparing for your ground level fort. No construction was started until every piece was prepared and waiting. In between this, you ambushed Team Spearhead for your first flag, then had Yaric sneak into The Behemoths camp to claim your third.”

Several heads shot up at the public confirmation of just who had snatched Andrew’s flag from under his nose.

“As has become typical for many in Team Shadow, you allowed The Behemoths to capture Team Earthshattering’s camp and flag, then ambushed what remained of the team just as they won. It’s already been mentioned, but you then sprung an ambush on Team Unyielding, taking your fifth and sixth flags.

“Then you spread the word that The Titans had most of the flags and watched as other teams joined together to storm their walls.”

Cormac turned to Sven in shock, having been unaware of what had prompted the large assault on his camp.

“Team Shadow watched the attack from a good vantage point and noticed The Titans fleeing through their tunnel. They chased them down and took the rest of the flags, though also finally making a mistake with a brief but loud celebration. That alerted the remainder of The Titans and resulted in Team Shadow being followed and their camp location discovered, along with their possession of all eight flags.”

“I’m not going to go into the entire defense here, but suffice to say, a small squad was evacuated on the first night and sent to capture an existing camp while the others bought time. It very nearly fell apart.

“To me it appears that the most crucial action during that final defense is underappreciated, so I will mention it in detail. Team Shadow did not hold out long enough to secure a victory. The rest of you had plenty of time to work out what happened and wipe out the squad protecting the flags. But then, at the crucial moment, Prospect Silver decided to burn down her only protection, sacrificing herself but making it impossible for anyone to work out what had happened. She bought several hours for her team and made their final victory possible.”

Yaric joined everyone in clapping for her, nudging her shoulder as he did. Lauren had never enjoyed being the center of attention, but she still smiled as she stared at the floor in embarrassment.

“And then of course, the last members blocked everyone with a big fire and managed to keep their flags protected. By the skin of their teeth, I might add. And now we have both an outright winner and a new record!”

This time Hiawatha did nothing to interrupt the celebrations that followed. Almost everyone in the 6^th year saw the victory and record as a victory for their year, and cheered enthusiastically for their classmates.

Hiawatha called for everyone’s attention once the noise started dying down.

“We also had a few records broken, which I need to draw your attention to. First, Team Unyielding.”

A lot of heads snapped up to stare in surprise, not knowing what record Chris and his team could have broken.

“No other team has ever managed to successfully defend their base camp from every assault over an entire competition. Granted, no competition has ever been this short, but you did withstand multiple attacks and the record still stands.”

More cheering followed, and this time it was Team Shadow who was loudest, eager to return the favor.

“The Titans also broke a record, though this one is almost the opposite.”

There were more murmurs of surprise at Hiawatha’s announcement, and The Titans waited excitedly.

“The assault on Team Victorious, as I mentioned earlier, was a great success. You attacked a full team while they defended fortified positions. All of which has been done many times before. What has not happened before, however, is successfully taking such a camp with the loss of only four team members.”

This time it was The Titans who were on the receiving end of the applause.

“And then we have a few individual records, starting with the record for the most team captains eliminated by one person.”

Li Na’s eyes grew wide, and she leaned forward as she stared at Hiawatha, eager for him to continue.

“Not only did Prospect Gerrick Baker equal the record of eliminating two captains,” Hiawatha said, leaving Li Na crestfallen, ‘but he is receiving this special mention because he eliminated both with the same shot.” Li Na looked heartbroken when she realized that she would have broken the record if she’d stayed to manage the siege bows, knowing all about Gerrick’s wild shot at the group of leaders just before the wall fell.

“But that’s not all,” Hiawatha continued. “The record was also doubled. The captain of Team Spearhead was eliminated in an ambush, followed by the captain of The Behemoths the very next day.” Li Na looked up sharply, hope glimmering in her eyes. “Then, during a truly ridiculous defense of a palisade wall, not only was the captain of The Behemoths taken out once again, but so was the captain of The Griffons.”

Hiawatha held up an irregularly shaped bronze disc, which Yaric recognized as a broken crown.

“With four captains killed, and now with the title of Command Killer, Prospect Li Na Jakobson!”

Li Na hesitated for a moment, looking as if she didn’t believe it was true, before quickly jumping up to fetch her prize when Lauren started pushing her. It turned out that the crown was cracked and then twisted, forming a bangle that Li Na could wear.

“Don't just stand here, go back to your team,” Hiawatha said when Li Na turned to face her team, smiling despite his words. Li Na skipped back happily.

“We also have another award, given out every year if and when anyone qualifies.”

Hiawatha then held up a bronze figurine. Yaric couldn’t see it clearly, but it appeared to be a soldier courageously holding up his oversized shield.

“We have one student who has made it through both competitions without ever being knocked out, earning them the title of ‘survivor’. Despite once having walked through the heart of an opponent's camp.Prospect Yaric Miller!”

Yaric was pushed to get up and collect his prize, but he took his award with mixed feelings. He was very well aware that he’d only received the award due to the sacrifice of many others. He couldn’t help but smile when he got a good look at the award though.

Far from a courageous soldier, the figurine was of a student cowering in fear. Beautifully crafted and exquisitely detailed, Yaric could almost see the figure shaking while he hid behind his shield, a look of terror etched on his face.

“I didn’t say you could go back,” Hiawatha said, reversing his earlier statement. Yaric was shocked to see that Hiawatha was looking at him and shaking his head, with Li Na smirking from her position beside Lauren.

“We also have a brand-new award. Never before have we had a student capture a flag by themselves, single handedly infiltrating a base camp and exiting with flag in hand. High Wizard Lloyd Chen petitioned for a new award to recognize this feat, and his petition was granted. Our first ever ‘Solo Raider’,” Hiawatha said, handing over a second bronze figurine.

This one was a regular student wearing combat robes, and Yaric felt that he even looked similar to himself. Well, except for the mask he wore over his face, with crudely cut eyeholes to see through. And the fact that the figurine was holding a flag behind its back, as if to hide the flag that stood half a meter over his head. Hiawatha’s smirk made it very clear just how much of a role Lloyd had played in the creation of the award.

“And now of course, we have another team award. We were going to arrange for this award to be presented here and now, instead of being delivered to your dorm rooms like the other team awards, but many of your sponsors pushed to be allowed to present them to you themselves, during your individual assessments. That was agreed upon, and all of the other team awards will now be presented in the same way.

“I know you are all eager to move on, so now I will present the largest and final award. Taking only twenty-three days, Team Shadow managed to capture every flag and then hold on to them. The previous record of ninety-seven days has been crushed. Perhaps even more shockingly, they did not win during a period of confusion, where other teams were unaware that they had all eight flags, which is by far the most common circumstance that leads to victory. Instead, they faced down all seven of the teams competing against them, and managed to outfight and outplay them. In the process, they also achieved records for the longest resistance while under constant siege, and the largest kill/loss ratio in the history of the competition.”

Hiawatha gestured toward Sven and his team, looking directly at the flags still surrounded by their golden orb of light.

“Team Shadow!”

More hands joined the clapping this time, as mages and wizards started opening doors to the buildings that surrounded the courtyard, applauding Team Shadow along with everyone else. Many team members hugged each other, and Yaric could have sworn that Anton hid a tear.

Li Na almost ruined it when she tried to imitate a trumpet again, probably intending to try and make some kind of victory song, but she had only just started when Sven pinned her arms to her side and picked her up, turning where he stood to place her next to Lauren.

Not that Li Na cared. She immediately joined the others in celebrating as if nothing had happened.

Team Shadow began moving around, with team members pushing past each other to shake hands or hug. That broke the discipline in the other teams as well, and they all joined in, even though they had essentially done the same thing two days before.

“Good!” Hiawatha said loudly, drawing their attention. “Unlike other competitions, Team Shadow will not return these flags. As the victors, they have won possession. One of your teachers will come around to your dorm to show you how to recharge the enchantment, and Prospect Sven McDavids will work with his team to decide how you will display it. But now it’s finally time for the next step. Your tests!”

Everyone groaned when Hiawatha began directing them as teams into large halls, where they sat down to find everything already waiting for them, including desks with question papers laid out.

The test took less than an hour, and Yaric was surprised to find that although it brought back unhappy memories of school in Clery, he didn’t find the test all that difficult. Lauren's preparation with her friends had really paid off. She had even gone so far as to try and anticipate what kind of questions they would ask, based on what they were told of the intentions behind the test. And she was largely correct. Yaric had no concerns at all, other than an irrational fear that he had made a mistake on one of the instant fail questions, even after checking his answers five times.

It was nerve wracking to watch his test be collected, knowing how much rode on getting a good result. There were no real grades, as you effectively either passed or failed. Not even watching the papers all lift into the air and float to a waiting box was enough to distract anyone. Then came the long wait, sitting in silence while they waited for their team assessment.

“Good! You’re all ready,” Hiawatha said when he finally entered. “Your interviewers are waiting, so we’re pressed for time. I’m going to focus on the most important things today, and we can review a few more minor details during your next combat lesson. We need to drop all formalities and talk freely if we’re going to finish before people start trying to pull their sponsored students out early.

“First of all, what were the two things this team did that no other even tried? Things that made your victory possible?”

Everyone looked around, hoping someone else would try to answer.

“We moved camps?”

“Ambushes?”

“We didn’t attack any fortified positions?”

“Adequate attempts,” Hiawatha said, “but no, those are all wrong. Perhaps the decision to move camps could be associated with one of your key actions, but no one has given me the answer I’m looking for. First,” Hiawatha continued, dramatically raising a finger, “you set up your intelligence network. While everyone fumbles around and makes guesses, this team was always aware of the position and status of every other team. Your plans were all made based on facts and detailed knowledge regarding the other teams.

“Second, you didn’t attack the other teams, you attacked their supplies. More than that, you used those attacks to pressure them physically and psychologically. Teams found themselves hungry and unable to build proper fortifications. That led to pressure to attack others, in order to get hold of supplies, and of course, to being attacked themselves, while unprepared. You pushed every other team into desperate fights that none of them were ready for.

“That left Team Shadow sitting on top of their mesa, exceptionally well equipped and well supplied, looking down at a complete picture of all their competitors as they scrambled over each other just to eat. Then you moved down whenever you found the opportunity, and plucked a flag.

“Every other feature of your strategy relied upon this. Nothing else could have been accomplished without your information gathering, and all of your opportunities were created through the pressure you applied by cutting off supplies.

“Your first three flags came as a result of that pressure. None of those teams were properly prepared to attack or defend, but they were forced to if they wanted to eat. Those fighting conditions led to significant casualties on every side and put them in vulnerable positions, which your information gathering activities ensured you could take advantage of. Even your infiltration of The Behemoths was facilitated by the earlier fighting, and the fatigue caused by the lack of food until just before then coupled with your destruction of their camp.

“That allowed for the consolidation of the remaining four flags into just two locations. Your constant raids on the supply lines forced both of those teams to leave their fortifications to meet their supplies, and to split their forces, which you well knew. That facilitated your ambush on The Unyielding, and your fifth and sixth flags.

“Your capture of the last two flags had nothing to do with your supply line interdiction, but, the opportunity was created by a similar psychological operation. Without fighting or making deals with anyone, you were able to manipulate two teams into doing exactly what you wanted. It almost backfired, but you still managed to pull it off.

“Then you had your little slip up, and Chelsea heard you. There wasn’t much you could do to detect her following you, not without already knowing she was there, so your little celebration over taking the last flags was your big mistake. That and assuming that none of the remaining defenders managed to escape, which led to the feeling of safety in the first place.

“I want to talk about your fortifications more in depth during our next combat class. We won’t have time today. I’ll just point out that over the entire duration of the siege, Team Shadow eliminated two hundred and twelve attackers, for the loss of forty-five. Acceptable. And only because Lauren then had the presence of mind to burn down your fort. True, that ratio was only possible due to the numbers you faced, but it was Team Shadow that pushed those numbers to gather in the first place.

“The last-ditch defense of your flags was truly desperate, and you’re lucky to have pulled it off. You were reduced to literally lighting a fire, in the last ditch. But the numbers speak for themselves. Marlon eliminated eight attackers, Kaylin got twelve, and Kaeden, firing at both flanks from his position at the rear, got fifteen. Think about that for a second. You normally face a team of fifty, and between those three, Team Shadow knocked out thirty-five by themselves. Then there was still Li Na, with seventeen, and Yaric with twenty-two. Seventy-four. Just under one and a half teams!

“Now don’t start overestimating yourselves, context is important, and there were certainly mitigating circumstances. Your opponents were forced to simply rush the walls in a spread-out line. That left them isolated and exposed, in extremely disadvantageous circumstances. They also had to focus on taking the building instead of trying to remove any of the defenders, leaving those defenders free to knock them out as fast as they could.

“But still, no one can say that Team Shadow didn’t deserve to win. You all rose to the occasion. Some of you stepped into new roles or responsibilities, and you all improved dramatically. Well done everyone!

“Now enough of my monologuing, you all have interviews to attend and impatient Council members to see. We will talk further at your next lesson. Go get your rewards. Off you go!”

Team Shadow started standing up from their desks, just a few at first, but soon followed by everyone. Older students were waiting at the door just like the previous year, checking lists and directing 6^th years to the right rooms. Yaric didn’t have to wait long.

“Prospect Yaric Miller… here it is. Follow me please.”

Yaric was led out into the courtyard and across to one of the doors that had been behind him during the class assessment. The door was already open, and there was an argument going on inside.

A wizard that Yaric recognized from both his previous assessment and the competition stood off to the side, awkwardly watching the argument going on behind the table. Someone in very fancy looking clothes was seated there and arguing with Mage Fletcher, Yaric’s archery instructor. Lloyd sat beside the fancy looking wizard, but he appeared to be backing Ivan Fletcher.

“I’ve already received one request for Battle Mage Trokym to join, which is ridiculous enough as it is. I only agreed because he was present for the assessment last year. Now you want to join as well, as a fifth. Ridiculous!”

“I’m the boy's archery instructor, you know this. His archery has played a…” Mage Fletcher replied, looking upset but hesitant.

“That means nothing! This assessment is for the Council to decide if the boy meets our criteria for acceptance as a full-fledged student. It is not a social gathering for any and all teachers this boy has had. Tell me, have you ever requested to sit in another student’s assessment before? This boy is no one special!”

“That misrepresents the situation,” Lloyd interjected, his voice calm. “We all know that Ivan doesn’t usually give private lessons, and that Yaric’s achievements this year are far greater than what we would usually see. His archery played a large part in that. If Ivan has never asked to sit in another assessment before, it’s simply because he’s never had a student like this before.”

“Of course you would imply that he is some beacon of potential, you sponsored him.”

“No Jonathan, I would imply that he is one of the leaders of a team that pulled off an outright victory in the capture the flag competition. A team that faced all seven others and still won. Ivan played a part in that and will very possibly play a role in special training over the years to come. He has a vested interest in Yaric. Who, by the way, has already arrived,” Lloyd added, gesturing to where Yaric stood by the door.

Jonathan looked up sharply, with a very annoyed expression on his face. Yaric felt that he almost looked hostile.

“Very well, Mage Fletcher may sit in, on condition that he does not speak nor interfere until the Council’s part in the interview is done.”

Ivan didn’t hesitate to agree, and moments later he was standing silently behind the other three - an observer from the competition, Lloyd, and Jonathon, who sat in the center and was clearly the representative of the Council. Yaric was ushered in and instructed to take his seat in front of the table.

“Prospect Yaric Miller, I am High Wizard Howland, Council Member and your Acceptance Overseer. The primary purpose of this assessment is to determine your suitability for acceptance as a full member of the Academy. I will conduct your review while we await your test results, failure in either will prevent you from moving forward. You should remember Mage Padmore beside me, and you obviously know High Wizard Lloyd Chen. You are to ignore the additional presences in this room,” he instructed, looking over his shoulder to where Hiawatha had just joined Ivan.

“It would appear that you had a poor start,” Jonathan said, looking down at the papers before him. “You started very late, resulting in atrophied affinities. Your latest results reveal that they have still not recovered, and possibly never will.”

Yaric was starting to feel confused, and he looked at Jonathan in confusion. ‘But they have started to improve. And it wasn’t my fault.’

“Your first year required dedicated resources to allow you to catch up, arranged through the influence of your sponsor. There was much debate about admitting you in the first place, after living most of your life with a dangerous serial killer. You also joined so late that no one knew where to put you, as your skills were too poor for you to join those in your age group, but too old to join those with similar skill levels.”

Yaric felt like he was being accused of something, or at least being treated unfairly, and glanced across to Lloyd for help. Lloyd just smiled and started drumming his fingers on the table, completely unconcerned.

“Joining a class did not help much,” Jonathon continued, frowning down at the papers in front of him. “You still performed poorly in Solstice events, despite an entire year of private instruction. And I see here that you had frequent altercations with Prospect Christopher Reynolds, one of your year's more outstanding students. I’m making a note here that this Christopher Reynolds just received special recognition for outstanding leadership as captain of one of the teams.”

“Don’t forget to note that your good friend Eli sponsored him,” Lloyd mumbled, smiling pleasantly.

Realization dawned, and Yaric felt his stomach drop. With nothing he could do, Yaric quickly decided to leave everything in Lloyd's hands.

“That has no bearing on this assessment,” Jonathon replied in a measured voice. Turning back to Yaric, he continued going through the papers before him.

“Your expedition had several incidences as well. I see that your class was tasked with clearing out some kobolds. Hmmm… where you really out of camp at night? And you were seriously wounded by a kobold raiding party as a consequence?”

“Yes, but I was…”

“I was looking for a simple yes or no. I have several concerns over that incident alone.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Lloyd mumbled, still smiling.

“Yes, I can see why you would feel that way, with your position as his sponsor. Prospect Miller is, after all, a reflection on yourself.”

“Oh, I am quite happy with the reflection, thank you. I’ve sponsored two students over the years, and both have risen well above their peers. I was merely observing that your conclusions unfortunate, considering how they will be seen when Sandy goes through them.”

“That’s Council Head Ivers,” Jonathon snapped. “This is a formal review. And the Council Head would never get involved in the affairs of a 6^th year, not that it would matter. Your student will most likely pass, as his team’s victory makes that an almost foregone conclusion, but he will do so with many dark marks on his record. It is most disappointing.”

“Perhaps your so called ‘friend’, Eli,” Lloyd said, drawing Eli’s name out over several seconds, “forgot to mention. Sandy sponsored Li Na Jakobson, one of Yaric’s closest friends. So close, in fact, that I think it likely they are more than just friends. I have no doubt at all that Sandy will be reviewing the assessment of someone romantically involved with her student.”

Yaric felt his face burn. ‘What in the abyss? How could he think that?’ He had no idea if Li Na would hurt him or mock him, but he did know that he would not enjoy the result if this false rumor left the room.

Jonathon’s face was impassive. “I don’t see how that’s relevant to the matter at hand.”

Lloyd simply shrugged in reply and went back to drumming his fingers on the table.

“Your first competition was successful, resulting in your team acquiring the most flags. There is a special note about a tunnel you orchestrated as well. You also led many of the operations that resulted in acquiring flags.”

Yaric noted that Jonathon was surreptitiously dragging his finger over the notes he had taken, his fingertip glowing with a soft blue light. Someone knocked on the door, interrupting the proceedings, and brought a folder over to Jonathan.

“Ah… I see you passed your exam. Nothing so far has been enough of a concern to bar you from officially joining the Academy. There is no reason to delay this any further. You will technically need to wait until the Summer Solstice Tournament, but as you’ve passed your exam, you are technically eligible for any Novice privileges as of right now. If you will excuse me, I need to file your results.”

“Hold on,” Lloyd quickly said. “I wasn’t joking about Sandy wanting to see his file. We’re meeting her after I conduct his proper assessment and counseling, so you need to leave a copy with me.”

Jonathon looked slightly alarmed, likely not having fully believed Lloyd until then, but he transferred the report onto a blank page with a wave of his hand, said goodbye, and left.

Yaric was feeling very put out. Not only did he not truly know what had just happened, but he felt robbed of the opportunity to receive a proper assessment. Lloyd somehow seemed to divine his thoughts.

“Don’t worry, I was always supposed to do your assessment. The Council Member only ever gives a very dry overview of things relevant to your full admission. Those negative things he said weren’t just wrong, they were unnecessary. You’ve been caught up in my issues once again.”

‘At least I know there’s no possible way Lloyd could be reading my mind,’ Yaric thought to himself, nevertheless relieved by what Lloyd had just told him. There was one vital issue that needed to be addressed, however.

“And I am not in any kind of relationship with Lina!”

“OK,” Lloyd replied, raising his palms in surrender, chuckling to himself. “It was just a guess, and a convenient one,” he added, hoping to appease Yaric.

“If the two flies hovering behind me could take a seat, we can get on with your proper assessment. As Jonathon said, you’re already eligible for certain information, and I believe I can already replace your meal ribbons with a full, permanent set.”

Yaric sat up straighter at that, not knowing what Lloyd meant. Ivan and Hiawatha took a seat behind the table as well, looking expectantly in Lloyd’s direction.

“We need to review your time so far, the improvements you’ve made since last year, and your options and opportunities for the years to come. You have talents and affinities to take into account, and some rewards that open new doors too. As I told you last year, this is likely the most important discussion we will ever have. Sandy has requested that we have a group discussion as well, with your friends and their Sponsors, so let’s get to it, shall we?

“To begin with…”