The Black Pawn • The first book of the Black Academy Series

28. Agrona

ONCE AZALEA SELENE had told Benjamin Bane about the contents of her fight with Elizabeth Maine and her alter-ego Omega, Azalea had once more felt a sinking pit in her stomach. She had only one moment of happiness after the fight. Even with Anna and Ben completely on her side, she couldn't stop the pit in her stomach from pulsating.

There was a small amount of talking, noise in the dining room. The circular table, the chairs, all of them had been put away. All the conversations stopped when the main doors opened, not the ones all of them had emerged from. A heel clicked as the person stepped inside, their face was covered with a mask. The lips of the mask were sown. The eyes were visible, the mask only covering half the face. From the person's figure, you could tell that it was a female. She wore a shirt, a black academy issue shirt. Her cargo pants rubbed together as she walked towards the students.

She had only seen the assassins that had passed the Selection wear clothes like that. Chains hung from the woman's hands. Rings held the chains to the woman's slender fingers, a ball attached to the chain. A weapon that had a long range. Azalea couldn't tell how long the chain was since its length could've been hidden in the woman's long sleeves.

Knives lined the woman's thighs. There was a belt around her, that was empty save for a gun. The woman stopped when she reached the first row of students.

"Assassins, on your feet." The woman announced in a loud booming voice that Azalea recognized. One glance at Anna and Ben and she knew that they heard it too. All the students were standing, even the ones that had sustained damage to their legs.

"It is my pleasure to tell all of you that you've passed the six stages of the most savage contest in all of the world." The woman said. Azalea was sure now, It was Avaria. She wasn't finished yet, "Only 50 of the best assassins make it here. And you are them."

Two other people entered the room. A woman who too had a half-face mask-like Avaria, and a man with a masquerade-style mask. The woman wore a blue leather jacket that wasn't dark in color. Her mask was a skull, Azalea knew that the mask was metal, to protect the woman from jabs to the face. Only one teacher in the Black Academy was interested in protecting her face that much. It was Mademoiselle Faith. The man was wearing a red vest that extended to his feet. His hands were wrapped up to his shoulders in leather. Even his fingers were. Azalea could tell that the leather-covered the man's fingers that had been burnt in a distinct way that only the wildfire flower could manage.

One person that specialized in working with such a dangerous flower, a person that was studying the flower for its medicinal and poisonous properties was Mr. Porter.

"I am Agrona," Avaria said from behind her mask. Her hands were folded behind her back, "The people that entered are also Black Academy Assassins."

The woman that Azalea had identified to be Mademoiselle Faith stepped forward, clearing her throat she said, "I'm Pandora."

The woman's voice had been altered through a voice modulator. Azalea's eyes traveled over the woman's figure, finally noting the necklace at her throat, where the voice modulator was hidden. The man stepped forward next, he stated shortly, "Gabriel."

"As Black Academy Assassins you will receive predetermined targets. You will in total have three tries at assassinating your targets." Agrona said, "If you fail to do so beware, you will be eliminated."