THE LAST KEEPER

Chapter 153: 153. END OF EXERCISE

After the revelation by Senraki that the poison was the time-eating poison, the situation had changed rapidly in the chamber. Sagiri had never heard of that name until Senraki uttered it, and the archive did not have any knowledge of it. Well, it must have been in the locked-away part. He had gone from being the centre of attention to not mattering at all in a matter of seconds. He wondered how Senraki had known of such a lethal poison. He did not even have time to wonder more right before everyone’s eyes, the bodies started to shrink as if all the flesh was drying up, and they looked like they had been dead for days instead of minutes.

Sagiri and all the junior warriors, together with his squad, were suddenly sent out of the chamber hurriedly, and the general instructed the warriors present not to speak a word of what they had seen. They didn’t even care to separate sagiri and his team, and they all camped in the inner octagon dining to wait for further instructions.

Silence prevailed as the team stared at Sagiri or at each other. It was as if there was an elephant in the room and tension, but no one dared to speak.

”Did you kill the man?” N’varu was the one who broke the silence.

”What do you think?” sagiri asked. He was tired from being interrogated, and all he wanted was to go somewhere and be quiet and think about how to free Myama.

”Where were you?” N’varu asked.

”To meet an old acquaintance,” Sagiri answered, and N’varu seethed. Kiuga was uncharacteristically silent, and Sagiri could tell he did not want to say what had happened either and risk Kaka breaking him in half while N’varu beat him to death.

”Who?” N’varu asked skeptically. The two of them had not been on good terms since they arrived and had the escape conversation, and they managed to argue all the time like a married couple.

”You should know, because he knows you,” Sagiri said, slightly mad at N’varu for hiding so much from him. N’varu gave him a long look but decided to let it go.

”Where is your blade?” Kiuga finally spoke.

”Somewhere safe,” Sagiri answered, thankful that he had discovered the archive pocket.

”So did you kill that man?” Kaka asked. ”If you did, then it was a shameful way to cut up a man like that and deny him the honour of a respectable death,” he continued, shaking his head.

”I did not. When I left him, he was alive,” sagiri answered Kaka honestly.

”Do you think you think the man behind our coming here wanted it to look like you did it?” kiuga asked, and Sagiri could see the wheels in his mind turning.

”That is too obvious. I think he is blotting something bigger,” sagiri said. He had been thinking a lot about it, and the lethal poison that was like some top secret appearing suddenly seemed quite overboard. His benefactor was playing a blogger game. The supreme mandra would no doubt get to know about its appearance. So what was his goal?

”Could he be trying to corner you?” Zazarie asked. The boy did not speak too much either, but he was a deep thinker.

”What do you mean?” N’varu asked.

”Well, whatever poison killed those three today seems to me like a top secret,” Kiuga said, and everyone fell into deep thought. The more sagiri thought about his benefactor’s goal, the more confused he became.

Soon after fuwuka showed up, and from his looks, it was clear he did not like being called away from the academy.

”Seems your field exercise ends here,” is all he said when he came to a stop at the head of the table the team was sitting at.

”Why? It’s only sagiri who is under suspicion,” Maita asked. Squad 25 might have grown closer, but Maita still hated being sacrificed for anyone.

”An attempted assassination on a cadet of the academy just happened. Use your brains,” Fuwuka snapped, and the whole table fell silent.

”What happens now?” kiuga asked.

”You have to ask the grand marshal. I am only here to ask you to put your things together. You are not sleeping in this fortress tonight,” Fuwuka said before he turned to leave. ”You all agreed to come with the recruit here. A warrior doesn’t whine.” Fuwuka added as he walked away.

True to what Fuwuka said three hours later, the squad was gathered. The grand marshal, Senraki, looked tired, as if whatever they had been discussing for the last three hours had drained him.

”Unfortunately, the council of ten schools believes the cadets here are in danger, and therefore, the exercise can not continue. So your learning here has to come to an end,” Senraki said. Salka and Fuwuka stood beside him butv they remained silent.

”So we just go back to the academy?” Kaka said in irritation.

”I did not say that. You will get to continue your exercise in the Galka war headquarters. This time salka will stay with you.” Senraki said, and everyone froze. Ulekai even whimpered loudly. Staying in any proximity to the chief zaka was the worst possible outcome.

”Will the grand zorath be there?” It was Lotaga who asked. He had somehow materialized behind Salka. He shared the sentiment of wanting to stay away from the man as much as possible. Kiuga looked uneasy too, and sagiri could only guess it’s because he did not want his friend to be ’trained’ by the chief zaka every morning.

”Why are you all looking at me as if I killed an asakana captain?” Senraki asked, reading everyone’s face.

”You wish,” Salka breathed. ”Why do you want to know the whereabouts of our esteemed northern general?” Kaka asked, looking at Lotaga.

”Chief Zaka was with us when we came south. He had been summoned by the supreme mandra. Did you all want to meet him?” Senraki asked, and Ulekai’s soul departed from his body. How in the hell had Senraki come up with such an assumption?

”We can meet him next time. What a pity,” Lotaga said in fake regret.

”He is still in Ko’alsi, I can ask him to meet if...” Senraki started.

”Please don’t trouble the great chief,” Lotaga said, and everyone nodded in unison.