Last Line of Defense  

[Soarsie]

My snickers were drowned together with the others. Lancelot's comebacks were sharp as his words, and they cut deep.

A vein pulled the tightness of Rodrick's face. He raised his hand, and I was so sure that he would swing that force into Lancelot's face but managed to pull back at the last minute.

The fury on Rodrick's face was replaced by a daring twisted smile. "Count your luck. I'm in a good mood today. I can fail you," he gave each one of us a hard look, "all of you. But since I'm a fair man, I will give you a second chance to redeem yourself."

I snorted inside. He just wanted us to live to be meat shields for them when the time came.

I could just get out of here and retake the test next month. That was the safest option. But something inside me wanted to stay and observe the situation until the end, confident with the skill I had to flee when my life was in danger.