Lexy sat awkwardly with the other children in the carriage as the soldiers continued to gather children. From what Lexy had gathered and from how things went with Callum here in Anawrath people apparently pay taxes to the military by giving up a child.

Just freaking dandy. Lexy noted how she was the shortest and skinniest in the whole group. It was a little strange to her. One of the other kids eyed her,

“Were your parents so desperate they gave you up early? Or because they hated looking at you.”

Lexy looked at them smiled and laughed,

“Your parents won't even miss you”

The boy’s eyes widened,

“The hell!”

Lexy raised a brow and shook her head. The boy was about to go into a fit of rage when a few more kids entered and the guardsman with an ear and a half entered. He looked to the children,

“Understand that you all are no longer children, you are cadets of the army. I expect you all to act like it. Here in the military, there is no tolerance for fighting, stealing, cheating, or worst of all betrayal. I want you all to take a look at these faces around you and get to know them. These will be your brothers and sisters in arms. You will face combat, death, and hell with them. So best not piss each other off. Is that clear?”

The other children lowered their her heads while Lexy stared directly into the man's eyes when the cart was filled with a chorus of,

“Yes sir”

Lexy felt the carriage begin to increase in speed and heard the clopping of hoofs mix with wing flaps. The wind began to howl and Lexy eyed the man with one and a half ears.

“How did you lose half your ear?”

The other kids stared at her like she just asked for death while the man only darkly chuckled, he looked at Lexy.

“I failed to stay a part of my squad during the rebellion siege.”

Many of the children gasped,

“You were a part of the rebellion siege?”

“Did you see Salvailris in action! Did you see him kill the dark fairy?”

The man smirked,

“Yes, I did see him. But no, I didn't see the battle between him and the dark fairy. What I did see was a son of a Cursed.”

Lexy watched when the children’s faces changed to absolute horror and raised a brow.

The man continued and his face went dark.

“It was skilled but I must confess it was strange when I had managed to get a cut into their shoulder. It healed on its own.”

Lexy felt the cart stop and the sound of hoofs and wing flaps died down to the sound of some snorts that came from the peryton. The man stood up,

“Your children may know me by my last name, Alibis. Now Fenice will make his choice of which platoon you will go in.”

Lexy followed the rest of the children out of the cart to see they were now in a military camp with large sandstone walls plated with iron. Albis had the children line up back straight. Then Albis lined up with other troops facing the children.

“All salute! General Fenice is on approach!”

Lexy watched as a man with light electric blue hair walked up to the group. The strange thing to Lexy was how his hair glowed and softly floated. His eyes were a storm blue exactly like Lexy’s. The man’s outfit consisted of one similar to the other soldiers only with more intricate red swirls along his sleeves. It also had a higher collar and his gas mask looked to be in far better shape than the other soldiers.

The general looked to the soldiers,

“at ease.”

General Fenice looked to the group of children and began walking down the line as if to inspect each of them. Most of the children didn't see his gaze. He stopped at Lexy and General Fenice’s two storm blue eyes met Lexy’s. Lexy’s gaze changed to a glare when she looked at him while his eyes widened.

“What is your name?”

Lexy crossed her arms,

“My name is Lexy Dustwalker, you nitwit.”

General Fenice narrowed his eyes at Lexy’s bow, arrows, and her father's knife.

“Well, then I shall inform you now that Cadets are not allowed weaponry until authorized. So I'm going to demand that you give up that strange bow, arrows, and whatever type of knife that is in your pocket.”

Lexy’s expression changed into a dark enraged snarl.

“Don't you dare.”

Fenice raised a brow,

“You have a lot of fight for being so little.”

Fenice looked to the soldiers,

“Take the others to the mess hall, give them food and water. Take this child's weaponry. No food, no water for tonight. We'll see how defiant they are to their superior officers after that.”

Fenice began to walk away while the other soldiers went in to take Lexy’s bow. The first man who went to take the bow Lexy quickly bit their hand. The man yelped in pain. He quickly tried to retract his hand only for Lexy to bite harder causing blood to begin to fall into the sand. This caused him to scream and pull his hand back again. This caused his skin from the bite down to be peeled back a bit from Lexy’s teeth. The soldier fell onto the ground clutching his bloody bit of hand and screeching in pain.

The other soldier's eyes widened and one quickly dragged the injured man away from Lexy. Lexy spits the blood and small chunks of flesh out of her mouth.

The four soldiers, far more cautious, stayed at least two feet away while trying to grab Lexy’s bow. Lexy quickly grabbed the first man’s arm once within her reach and kicked him in the blatter. The man screamed while the others gasped. Two men helped their injured comrade away. Lexy looked to the last man to see Alibis.

Alibis sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I'm not going to take your stuff, just let me take you to the dorm room.”

Lexy relaxed and gave a kind smile,

“Ok.”

Lexy said while she used a sugar-laced voice.

Lexy followed Alibis to a building that was very long and upon entering it she saw it was filled with rows and rows of three stacked bunk beds.

Albis looked to her,

“Pick a bunk, you and the other cadets will wake up three hours before sunrise.”

Lexy nodded,

“Ok.”

****

Fenice was overlooking some paperwork when he heard a knock at his office door. Fenice looked up,

“Come in.”

Albis entered,

“I came in to report sir.”

Fenice nodded,

“Alright what is the situation with the Dustwalker child.”

Albis straightened his back,

“Well, they went to quarters with no food, no water just as you said. However, no one was able to get the child's weaponry.”

Fenice raised a brow,

“Really now and why would this be? Surly capable soldiers should be able to easily put a child into place.”

Albis’s fox ears flattened against his head,

“Well, the first man is in the Emergency room and his hand was bitten so severely by the cadet that the doctor had to use forty-six stitches to put his hand back together. Then the other man suffered damage to his bladder and also had to be taken to the doctor.”

Fenice pressed his lips into a fine line,

“You know what, let the child keep the weapons well and see how much they will want to carry it after magic assessment and training.”

****

Lexy had awakened to the sound of a war horn and Albis along with a few other soldiers barging in.

“All cadets up! It’s time for a magic assessment!”

Lexy heard the other cadets talk eagerly while some looked like they just wanted to find a corner to hide in. Lexy climbed off the top bunk and got in line with the many other cadets. The cadets filed out like they did yesterday.

Guardsmen were going down the lines asking what the children knew about their magic. From what Lexy heard there were four main groups that the guards were sorting the kids into, Mystic, Dragonblooded, beast-blooded, and wizard. Then there was every ten or more a child would be sorted in with a trainer because they were dual blood, tri blooded or mix blood.

It seemed to go fine until one of these inspectors reached Lexy. Lexy noted how this man was the same one she bit yesterday. The man looked at her with a scowl and his eyes glowed for a moment.

“You.”

He paused and his eyes glowed again.

“you're on the verge of being nothing. But you're hanging on to be something.”

The man looked to Fenice with a sigh,

“This one has barely any flowing. They have just enough to keep their attitude and body alive. But beyond that. They'll die the first-day sir.”

Fenice frowned at Lexy,

“That is a shame when they had such a fight. Alright, send Dustwalker to the dorms. Albis and I shall decide what happens to them.”

Albis watched Lexy be sent to the dorms and couldn't help but smirk. Albis watched as the rest of the cadets were sorted. Come to the end of the day Albis yet again was in Fenice's office,

“Sir, I think we should wait until the supplies get here then move camp. We have no idea how many rebels are out there. All we know is they are there and trained while we are filled with untrained recruits. It would be a slaughter.”

Fenice nodded,

“Very well what of the Dustwalker? What should we do with them? I received news that the family had vanished. So we can't exactly send the child back.”

Albis gave a cruel smile,

“When we move camp we could just leave the child to die. There is no better way than pain after all. If the child is willing to stay with us I'm sure with that much fire in their blood they will make it to the next point.”

Fenice looked to Albis,

“Have it be done.”

Albis nodded,

“Of course sir.”

****

Lexy woke up to the sound of a war horn again. The children again were sorted into lines. Lexy watched as the soldiers had the cadets be put into carts and how everyone was in a storm to leave. It was until everyone was ready to go that Albis walked up to Lexy,

“The rebels are said to be raiding this place. If you can manage to survive and get to the next camp we set up. Well, consider you worth training. Good luck little bird.”

Lexy watched the Anawrath forces leave till she was the only soul there. Ley huffed,

“Well, then that happened.”

Lexy eventually went to one of the outposts' walls to see people riding in on tiger horses. Quickly Lexy did the utmost logical thing one could do. Wait in the open center of the base for the incoming people.

Alcore slowed his tiger horse as they approached the base. Alcore raised his hand,

“It’s abandoned. Come on, let's see if they left anything behind.”

Lexy watched as Alcore rode in with a few others and his eyes met hers. Lexy waved,

“So Alcore how have you been?”

Alcore’s jaw dropped and he hopped off his steed. Alcore walked up to Lexy and blinked,

“Are you really the same Lexy? Show me the crest.”

Lexy smiled and pulled up her sleeve for Alcore to see the crest. Alcore stared in shock. While Jackson hopped off a Tiger horse and walked up to Alcore and Lexy. Jackson looked to Lexy,

“My only question is how?”

Lexy nodded,

“Fair enough, I'll tell you how I ended up back here. I was home and I went to practice my archery. When I met a boy who could vail hop on his own. He was there because he needed flowers to heal his mom. So I decided to help him. Plus I encountered the warden apparently it was after me for some reason. Come after a few days of helping him. It was tax day as you people call it and I don't think that family should lose another child when apparently they already lost one to the Anawrath soldiers.

So I gave myself up. Then I was brought here and they tried to take my stuff so I bit one of the soldiers. Then because I'm too stubborn and don't have enough magic to be of use to them. They left me here. Told me if I wanted to be trained by them I would prove myself by going out in the desert and finding them. Thus leading us to now. Any questions?”

Alcore and Jackson looked at each other and then at Lexy. Alcore was the first to speak,

“Wait if it was after you then that means you're not.”

Alcore paused for a bit and looked back to Lexy.

“How does joining rebellion sound to you now that all this has happened?”

Lexy hummed silently, running things through her head.

“One condition is that if I join I have to go to Thokath daily. He’s my caregiver and he’s probably worried sick right now. That is my only condition, in return for letting me do this I will help you go against the anawrath soldiers. Plus I'm going to love seeing the bastards' faces when they see me alive.”

Alcore smirked,

“I think you have yourself a deal there.”

Alcore looked to Jackson,

“Take her to the same place last time. Then retrieve her from there by noon.”

Jackson nodded,

“Yes, sir.”

****

Albis smiled as he stood in the desert and looked at the two cloaked figures in front of him. They had black outfits with orange embroidery however even with the cloaks Albis could see their glowing haunting orange eyes.

They glared at him,

“What do you have to tell us, Albis.”

Albis’s smile turned cruel and dark,

“Tell Orien that I found the bird and it is time to begin the hunt.”