Anna stood there, waving at him in excitement. She looked healthy, not missing any limbs or limping around like so many of the Warriors around them. That being said, she did have a few new scars on her forearm, and her excited features were marred by an exhaustion that seemed to permeate her very being. She wore the same armor everyone else did, the plate no longer as reflective of the morning light as it had once been. Scratches marred the otherwise smooth surface, and the padded clothing underneath seemed torn in places. But she was otherwise unharmed.

“Florian!” Anna called, jogging over with two wooden spears. “It’s been such a long time! I’ve heard that Jones and his wizard forced you off duty.”

Florian nodded, still unable to summon any words. He had thought her dead for the past week. How could he have been so stupid? He hadn’t checked with anyone, nor had he even come to investigate at the barracks or the training field. His frustration with himself faded quickly, though, replaced by a sense of relief that washed over him.

“Did you hear about last night, yet?” she asked, her brown eyes filled joy.

“Not yet,” Florian said, a wide smile on his lips.

“Not a single boss showed. Not a single fucking one. It was the tamest night we’ve had in months,” Anna beamed. Florian raised an eyebrow, surprised. That went against the recent trend of infinitely escalating danger and the growth of the horde that assailed them every time the sun went down.

“Do you know why?”

Anna shook her head, looking to Hornbeck. He also shook his head saying, “Not particularly, but we’re grateful for any break we can get. We’ve got roughly half the Warriors still convalescing from injuries, and the rest of us are tired.”

Well, whatever the reason, Florian was happy to hear good news; it was the first of its kind in who knew how many days or weeks. He turned on Anna, fixing her with an interrogatory stare. “And where were you when you all came back from the forest?”

Anna smirked. “I was the one driving the truck.” There was a silence after that, a silence that felt almost palpable. It was broken by Florian failing to stifle his laughter. Of all the possibilities, he’d never considered that one.

And just like that, he’d found a solution to two problems at the same time. Anna was probably the most efficient Warrior among all of them, hunting more Hellwolves than the next few best combined. If she donated her meat to the cause, Hornbeck wouldn’t need to explain away exactly why he was taking some from his Warriors.

Oh, he was sure the Warriors would give life and limb for the commander. Hornbeck had been an immovable object atop the wall, serving as a beacon of hope for the men and women that had been conscripted to fight by his side. But this way, Hornbeck wouldn’t keep giving him that doubtful gaze every now and again.

“Anna, what do you say to learning magic?”

He felt awful for not having considered this earlier, but he supposed he had been shuttled from life-threatening situation to life-threatening situation without a breather. There was no reason to think he couldn’t teach Anna magic. It would make sure that she wouldn’t be in danger atop the wall, or at least to a lesser degree than before. And it would pay back a debt he owed to her for saving his life.

She looked at him, exhaustion washing off her as if she’d just drank the most potent energy drink ever produced by modern civilization. “You can teach me?”

“I’m pretty sure I can,” Florian hedged. While he was reasonably certain, Theo had still done something to help him comprehend the forces of the universe around him, to understand exactly how to interact with it. He figured replicating it meant casting some sort of spell, and over the past few months, he’d gotten plenty of practice.

Anna ran up to him, dropping the spears she held in her hands and wrapping him in an unexpectedly strong bearhug. “Yes!” she yelled, pumping one fist in the air while still holding onto him.

“But I’ve got a condition.”

Anna’s mood wasn’t dampened in the slightest. “What is it?” she asked, though from her tone, Florian could assume that she’d agree to practically anything in that moment.

“I need five pounds of Hellwolf meat a day.”

“In our units, please,” Anna asked.

“Like two and a half kilograms,” Florian ballparked, finding it easier than when he had first been stuck in Britain following Worldbreak.

“Deal.”

And just like that, Florian had not only secured a constant source of mana-rich meat, he had acquired yet another student that he could teach using his own methods. He didn’t harbor any doubts that Anna was altogether all that loyal to Jones that his secrets might leak back to Theo. Hornbeck was much the same; from what Florian could tell, the older man operated off a code of honor, protecting those that needed protecting within the confines of the castle.

Hornbeck smiled at him kindly, in the way a grandfather might look at their grandson after they graduated school. “Then we’ll both meet you here tomorrow morning?”

“That’s the only time I really have for this,” Florian said, looking to see if Anna agreed. He was relieved when she flashed a pair of thumbs-up. “Then tomorrow it is. Anna, please bring the meat – preferably already prepared – so that we can get started immediately.”

Anna didn’t ask any questions, but she nodded all the same. With his goals accomplished, Florian turned to leave. He didn’t make it very far before he felt someone tap his shoulder. It was Anna again, but this time she had picked up the spears she had dropped. With a smile no less wide than the one she wore just moments ago – but one that was significantly more dangerous – she handed him one of the spears.

From the moment he took the spear, it was as if he had accepted her request to spar. But for Anna, as he had learned from his first match against her, played for keeps. This time, not willing to use magic, Florian prepared himself to defend against her attacks, parrying a flurry of blows without missing a beat.

And then she pressed forward, forcing Florian onto his backfoot. It was at that moment that he knew he had made a critical error. A stone had conveniently placed itself under his foot, and he managed to throw himself off balance by nearly tripping on the thing. Anna took that opportunity to press her attack, with the last thing Florian noticing being a wood point heading straight towards his gut.

“Oh fuck.”