A Punishing Start

The morning sun barely peeked over the horizon as I dragged myself to the Academy gardens for day two of my punishment. My body ached as if I'd been hit by a wagon oh wait, that was the Reaper in the dungeon last night. At least no one here knew about my humiliating death.

As I rounded the corner, Enara was already there, perched delicately on a stone bench like a smug cat. Her smirk was infuriatingly radiant, and I could practically hear the mocking words forming in her head.

"Well, well," she said, twirling a strand of hair. "The great Liria Silverthorn, reduced to pulling weeds. Should I fetch you a watering can or maybe a hoe?"

"I can think of a hoe," I muttered darkly, shoving past her.

Her laugh echoed behind me, pure and grating. "Careful, Silverthorn. At this rate, you'll be better at gardening than protecting me."

"Don't you have classes to attend?" I shot back.