Ember pretended to study to distract herself. Professor Liuman, ferret-faced and with large incisors, pointed to a 3D map of the kingdom of Valestria as he gave her a private lesson in military strategy.

"The Ysnians have sent a fleet of about a dozen Vylians to fly across the ocean until they reach Bethus. Our defenses protect the Academy, so all they can do is destroy the rest of the city. Unfortunately, most of our resources have already been sent to Gertha to defend it from a squadron of iron monsters."

Ember watched without much attention. Her chin rested on her hand. Still tired and exhausted, she felt empty. A firework that had already exploded and was now nothing but dust.

The outline of the Vylians appeared on the map. Large iron balls flew over the buildings.

"How would you try to resolve the situation?"

A dilemma to which perhaps no one would ever find a meaningful answer. Without resources or soldiers, all that was left was a handful of untrained cadets and infantry weapons that were useless against the Vylians. Defending the city would have been nearly impossible.

Evacuating everyone was a possibility, but the casualties would have been too high and the damage too great. Bethus would not have stood a chance, and if the Ysnians had taken it, it would've been a blow to Valestria.

Ember ran a hand through her hair, a spark of energy flickering in her stomach. "I'd take down the Academy's defenses. That's the Ysnians' real goal; they'd find the idea of taking out a bunch of cadets and a good chunk of officers with one shot very juicy." She tapped the area of the map that represented the Academy. The view zoomed in; the Academy's high walls towered over the city. "The Vylians would surround it for a concentrated attack."

Professor Liuman scratched his chin. His face was sullen, and Ember's conviction wavered. He didn't look impressed, he looked confused.

You're talking bullshit, that's why.

Despite her indecision, Ember could no longer back down; she had to keep going. "Once they're inside, I'd bring the defenses back up to keep them trapped. I'd increase the strength of the electromagnetic field at least tenfold. Gravity should suffer enough to make the Vylians heavier and slower, perhaps even unable to fly high."

The more she spoke, the more her vision came to life. She imagined the Vylians unable to move as they wished, those huge iron spheres losing altitude. Their eyes flashing blue, shooting magic beams in slow motion. It would have been difficult even for Vylians to move, but not if the strength of the magnetic field had only been increased in the gardens, outside the Academy, and not inside.

"At that point, we could send teams of three cadets to each Vylian, each led by an officer or one of the top recruits. It'd be enough to jump out the windows to reach them. The weak point of the Vylians is the core, which is in a protective glass at the top. All you have to do is release the magnetic field, allow the soldiers to move freely and destroy the core before the Vylian can recover."

Ember leaned back against the seat, her face hot. Only then did she notice the deafening pounding of her own heart in her ears.

Professor Liuman gasped wordlessly. After a few, very long seconds, he placed his glasses better on his nose, and his sullen expression broke into a smile. The beaver teeth popped out again. "A very far-fetched plan. There are a lot of ifs, starting with the fact that we can't be sure that all the Vylians will surround the Academy. But it's certainly a very good start."

She hadn't screwed up.

Ember left Professor Liuman's office with a new flame burning in her chest. Small, flickering, it threatened to go out with every step she took. And yet, there it was again, a reminder that she might be useful in something after all. Maybe she should be a strategist.

You could never handle the weight of responsibility. Remember how many times you ran away?

Still, her father was always there to bring her back down to earth.

Ember spent part of the afternoon debating whether to refuse the Sergeant's offer of cooperation. Of course, the very prospect made her stomach turn. It meant running away, following the most cowardly part of herself; it meant enduring the disappointed look on the Sergeant's face, perhaps even a scowl of judgment.

How can you hope to be a good soldier like that?

The rest of the time, she used it to search the library for information on how to open a locked door without using a key and without leaving a trace behind. The procedure, she discovered, was easier than it seemed. All that was needed was to cut the connection between the door and the electromagnetic field, and then use the security procedure to open it. She reread these terms at least a dozen times, consulted a few theoretical holographic representations to make sure she had a clear mental picture as well.

Towards dusk, when she returned to her room, she felt she could do it. She waited for Ferun's call with trembling hands and churning bowels, but she was determined to try. If she failed, the Sergeant promised to take the blame, but Ember decided she wouldn't let that happen. Failing would be Ember's to blame, and she alone would pay.

As the bracelet sent a jolt down her wrist, Ember sat at her desk, sketching the door mechanism. A way to check her fears and banish them. She immediately pressed her finger to the wristband.

"Ember? Are you there?"

"Sarge, yes, I'm in my dorm. Did the mission go well?" A part of Ember had been worried all day. This sudden new mission could have been another trap, and although Phoenix's presence should have reassured her, it was not enough.

There was a pause on the other side. Ember shifted her weight in the chair. Her body creaked with every movement like an old Ysnian machine. She wouldn't have been surprised if she started puffing smoke and falling apart.

Typical of her. She didn't ask enough of herself until she asked too much at once.

"It was an easy mission. We went back to the ruins and salvaged a few pieces of ancient Ysnian technology that still worked."

Good news, at least.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The Sergeant continued before the other could answer, "I'll be waiting for you in front of my office in ten minutes. Don't be late."

Ember sighed, her whole body shaking. The moment had come. She left the room. She had put on simple pants and a baggy t-shirt instead of a uniform. After being punched by Mark's hologram about fifty times, the uniform was soaked with sweat, so a shower was in order once she was back in the room.

On the way, she met Alpes, with his warm smile and the buttons of his uniform undone. Underneath was a glimpse of his dark shirt, neatly pressed against his chest. "Hey, where are you going at this hour?" He stopped just outside the entrance to the west wing, where the officers' offices were. Maybe he was leaving his own.

Ember chewed her lip. "Um, Sergeant Ferun asked me to meet her." Which was no lie, even if the time seemed odd.

Beyond the windows, the sky had gone dark. The glass reflected the inside of the Academy onto the darkness of the gardens outside.

"Oh, did you upset her?" Alpes chuckled. "Good luck then." He winked at her and walked away, fastening his buttons.

Who knew why he looked so messy.

Ember preferred not to imagine possible scenarios - her mind tended to go to places that were anything but appropriate. She passed the archway leading to the west wing and made her way through the sealed office doors. A stony silence prevailed, made even gloomier by the constant buzzing in the air.

Ferun waited outside her office. Unlike Alpes, who looked as if he had just returned from a secret meeting with his lover, Ferun was the picture of composure: perfect uniform, tidy hair, straight back. She didn't even look tired, even though she had just returned from a mission. Her professionality was one of the reasons Ember admired her, as well as one of the qualities that sometimes made her weak on the knees.

The Sergeant noticed her immediately and greeted her with a nod. "You're two minutes late."

Ember pinched the skin of her arm. "Yeah, um, I met Lieutenant Alpes outside."

The other huffed, her hand on her hip. "Always him. That man is everywhere."

Ember had noticed that trait, too. Alpes liked to stick his beak everywhere, and it was impossible to walk around the Academy without running into him at least once. A smile crossed her face. "Maybe he has clones he sends around to gather gossip."

It was only a moment, but Ferun lifted the corner of her lips in a half-smile. "That'd explain a few things."

The Sergeant motioned for her to follow, and escorted her down the hall to the colonel's room. Ember trailed without a fuss. Not a single light came from behind the hardened glass of the doors. Everyone had left, she thought, and only the two of them remained.

"Alpes looked messy," she said suddenly. She ignored the heat in her cheeks. She didn't know if it was a hint or if she was just poking her nose into the Lieutenant's personal business.

Ferun didn't turn to look at her. "Isn't he always?"

"Well, compared to you, who isn't?" It came out of her mouth, but she quickly curled her tongue.

Idiot.

Ember lowered her gaze, the other's look a weight on her shoulders. "I mean, he was messier than usual. Hair tousled, jacket unbuttoned.... He didn't even pepper me with questions like he usually does."

Ferun didn't answer her right away. After a moment of silence, her boots clicking on the floor with each step, she decided to break the silence. "Was he alone?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Nothing, never mind."

What did that mean?

It isn't true that they are related. Think about it, there were only the two of them here. What can you think of, huh?

Ember grabbed the pendant around her neck. It was just stupid paranoia, she told herself. Allowing herself to get carried away with these unfounded assumptions would only drive her crazy. As a distraction, she recalled the depictions of techniques for opening the door. But an invisible weight continued to press on her chest.

Ferun stopped in front of the last room with her arms crossed. The inscription 'Colonel Oblam' was barely visible in the darkness, an opaque plaque on the wall. As expected, the door remained locked, no matter how many times the Sergeant waved her hand under the motion sensors.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance. "It's locked."

Ember blinked, surprised. "It was a little obvious," she admitted.

The other kicked the door. The clang echoed in the hallway.

"Hey, wait!" Ember held up her hands as if to calm the other. She was beginning to recognize a pattern in the Sergeant's instincts: when something didn't work, she kicked it. Maybe, all things considered, Ember could actually be useful to her.

"What?" Ferun blurted out. Who knew if the mission had stressed her more than necessary. She seemed even more impatient than usual.

"I've done some research. There is a way to get in without leaving a trace."

The Sergeant took a few steps away to make room for her. She said nothing, but that was fine. Ember went to work: as she had read and observed at least a dozen times that afternoon, she opened the dark glass door next to the door. Colored wires intertwined. One of them, red, barely vibrating, twisted around the others like a snake trying to block its prey.

Ember grabbed it. It was a barely perceptible sensation, the energy pinching her fingertips. She released it from her grip. There was an effect on the door, but it was certainly not visible.

She wiped her forehead with her wrist. Then she closed the flap again and moved to the shimmering panel on the door. She pressed the emergency key combination.

The door opened with a slight snort.

Ember realized she had held her breath until that moment. She gasped to catch her breath.

Ferun raised an eyebrow. "Good job." She walked inside and Ember followed, her heart pounding.

The Colonel's office smelled of leaves and tea. A cage of canaries hung in front of the closed window; they flapped their wings as soon as they heard the intrusion. Ember winced - she had never liked birds, too unpredictable, and their spastic flapping made her sick. Ferun didn't even pay attention; she went to the desk without hesitation. She rummaged through the drawers, a frown on her face.

Ember walked as far away from the canary cage as she could. She patted some scratches on the desk, wondering how Colonel Oblam had made them. Or if they had been there when he had inherited the office.

"What are we looking for?"

"Anything that looks suspicious."

Not a very helpful answer, but Ember said nothing. She helped the Sergeant go through the files and papers scattered around. Until Ferun dropped a file on the desk. She read the papers silently.

"Did you find anything?" Ember approached her, stopping behind her back.

"I don't know. They're written in code."

"Maybe we should take them with us? Analyze them quietly?"

Ferun nodded. She tucked the file under her arm. "You're right, let's go."

But she couldn't even finish the words.

A sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the hall.