Author's note: I want to thank my guest reviewers, Sparkling Bloom and the anonymous one :) Your reviews brightened my day. Sadly though, you'll have to wait a bit before you get a "solution" for the cliffhanger from last chapter.

That's all, enjoy :)

Griselda had begun to feel worried. The whole staff —let alone the Winx, who were only teaching assistants— had gathered half an hour ago, and there still was no signs of the headmistress. It wasn't Faragonda's nature to be late. She'd been late earlier in the morning and didn't look too good. That had been like a triggering to Griselda: whenever Faragonda would be late, something bad had happened.

The door creaked and Griselda's head shot to its direction. Finally.

"Miss Faragonda," she began sternly, softening her tone ever so slightly when she noticed Faragonda's tired expression. "We've been waiting for you. For long time, if I may add."

"I had... Problems with my table," Faragonda explained absently, gripping whatever was in her hand tighter.

Griselda raised an eyebrow but decided to leave it there. "But we should get to the point, right? You wanted to discuss something."

"Indeed." Faragonda walked to the table everyone had gathered around and placed the thing from her hand on it. It was a golden badge with a purple stone and 'M'-shaped carving on it. "Does anyone recognize this?"

Murmurs were exchanged, but one after another, everyone shook their heads.

"It's from one of the attackers." The headmistress paused for a moment, letting the information sink in her colleagues' minds.

Wizgiz, who barely saw anything, climbed on the table, studying by turns the badge and a security camera picture from a magazine. "Yes, it seems to be the same. Where did you get it, may I ask?"

"The police," Faragonda quickly stated, tugging the fingertips of her gloves. "But that's not important. What is then, my friends, is the fact that I know the origin of this badge. Have you ever heard of Galigine?"

"Oh, I went there five years ago." Dufour smiled. "Such a lovely place. Though, rumours say that these days it's ruled by some madman named..."

"Mortuus Montgomery." Faragonda bit her teeth together and curled her lip. "Yes, the rumours are true. His groups carry this badge. And I'm afraid it won't stop on 'muggings'."

"What are we going to do?" Griselda asked.

"At the moment, we can't do much more than wait. Even the police couldn't go to Galigine because of its high-level protection spells." Faragonda sighed. "I suggest we put up the protective barrier and announce an assembly as the first thing tomorrow. Right now, our students need time to settle with being only inside Alfea's gates."

The rest of the staff nodded in agreement.

"No way I'm going there. Your turn." Amer tried to push a fellow soldier to the doors of the throne room.

"Amer, the moment you became the leader of this mission, it has been YOUR duty to tell the bad news," the soldier pointed out. "Besides, I don't even know what happened."

Amer sighed and blew hair off his face. "You owe me one." He pushed the large doors open, wincing when they closed with a loud crash.

"Well, well." Mortuus came from the shadows and sat down on the throne. "You said you have news for me. But speak directly, I've had enough of stuttering today."

Amer swallowed when he felt a lump raising in his throat. "The mission is still incomplete."

Mortuus inhaled sharply. His shoulders rose and his fingers drummed the armrest. At least he tried to hold in his anger. "You're playing with my temper, aren't you? Now, do tell me one of those poor excuses to cover your usual lack of abilities."

"She wasn't alone. Not for a moment, until I had to come back," Amer spoke hesitantly. "I can't stay long outside Galigine, as you know, sir."

Mortuus growled in frustration and threw a dagger in the younger man's direction, which he barely dodged. So much for staying calm... "You have one job! How hard it is to kill one pathetic girl?"

Well, that had much to argue with. Amer balled his fists. "I'm doing all I can, sir."

"It's not enough!" Mortuus shot up from the throne, boring into Amer's eyes with a furious stare.

The oppressive silence nearly physically hurt Amer and all he wanted to do was tear his gaze from the older man, curl up into a ball and forget rest of the world. But that would only mean death for him.

Mortuus growled silently and slumped back on the throne, rubbing his eyes. "I'm surrounded by idiots... I've had enough." He rose once again and walked down the stairs.

"Prepare your pathetic group and tell the other to do the same," Mortuus said coolly. "We'll attack tomorrow."