When I woke up I was in a bed, which was a good sign. Nyx was curled up on my chest. It seemed that my body was still intact but everything hurt. And my back itched.

  I looked around. It seemed that I was still inside the academy. This was the infirmary.

  “Ah, you are awake! I will notify the headmaster.” A nurse said and left the room.

  I sat up.

  “Meow!” Nyx complained. I started petting her.

  “I am glad you are ok.” I said. She purred and curled up on my legs. I mentally checked my undead. It seemed that the only casualties were Iron Beaks.

  Soon the door opened and Erik entered.

  “Koyuki, I am glad that you survived. Can you tell me what happened?”

  “Yes, sir. I was in my room studying when Eva appeared. But it must have been a magical disguise, because she turned into a foxkin. Then she attacked me. I managed to flee and summoned the Iron Beaks…”

  “Yes, those explosions were very noticeable.” Erik interrupted. “Not that I blame you. The person coming after you was a grand mage.”

  “A grand mage?” I wondered how I had survived the encounter.

  “She was taken down by Irene. Your Iron Beaks weakened her greatly, but she survived. After that she tried to flee, but was too wounded to make it far. Sadly we failed to take her alive. We believe she was an elite infiltrator from Ilestria. It is hard to pierce their illusion magic.”

  “Why didn't she kill me then?” I wondered.

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “You were buried under some rubble. She might have assumed you were dead, or decided there was no time to make sure. If help had arrived a bit later you would have died. Your back was burned and a lot of your bones were broken. But we do have some good healers.” He said.

  “She called me an abomination…” I said. Then I described the whole encounter in more detail.

  Erik nodded. “I believe it has to do with you being a dark foxkin. They might see you as corrupted. Foxkin tend to have a light affinity, which makes them rather popular in Ilestria. Some see them as holy, even. I suspect she wanted to torture you, which saved your life. If she had simply aimed for a quick kill you would not have been able to escape.”

  “What about Eva?” I asked.

  “That the infiltrator looked like her is concerning. Eva Ardron is a real human. We have to find out if she is still alive. Was she replaced a while ago, or was this illusion only used to get close to you? I am hoping the foxkin simply borrowed her appearance for a while but it could be a lot worse…” Erik looked angry. “If something has happened to her, I have failed another student.”

  “How long have I been unconscious?” I asked.

  “Less than a day. But you will need a few more days until you have fully recovered.” Erik said.

  “What happens now? With Ilestria?” I asked.

  “There will have to be an answer. An open attack against someone who is backed by the royal family is bad enough. But that was not all. They infiltrated the Royal Military Academy, openly attacked a student, and the fight caused significant damage. Don’t worry, you won’t be charged for that.” He assured me.

  “Does this mean war?” I wondered.

  “Could be. It depends on Ilestria’s answer. And how much the dukes support the king.” Erik said. “But I do have some good news for you. It was decided to gift you the corpse of your attacker. It is a bit singed but mostly intact. And no one on our side died in the fight. Your Iron Beaks injured some staff, and a few curious students got minor scratches, but everyone will recover just fine.”

  That was a relief. I was so focused on survival I did not consider what all those bombs might do inside the building.

  “I will leave you to recover, for now. And your friends have been eagerly waiting to see you.” He left and my friends rushed in.

  “Koyuki!” Helena shouted and hugged me.

  “Ow.” I protested, but hugged her back.

  Skadi and Cassie joined the hug pile.

  Then I told them what had happened.

  “We need bigger explosions if that bitch survived!” Cassie said.

  “And Koyuki needs better defences. You should work on an ice armour, like Helena.” Skadi suggested.

  “Yes, you get hurt too often.” Helena agreed.

  “She was a grand mage!” I protested.

  “That just means you need to focus on protection even more, if they are sending someone so powerful after you.” Helena concluded.

  “I am working on something with Cassie which should help.” Skadi hinted. “But you do have to survive until it is ready.”

  “At least I am getting the corpse.” I said, trying to change the topic. “Maybe we can do something special with it.”

  “You want another draugr?” Helena asked.

  “I am not sure yet. I might use my time while recovering to read a bit more about undead.” I mused. Surely there was something even better I could create.