//------------------------------//
// The Failure 
// Story: In Want for a Wand 
// by Leila Drake 
//------------------------------//

"Up to now, your service in the Guard has been exemplary. So what. Is this?"

Sarithra brought her fist down on the long wooden table. The sound reverberated through the hall. Her face was barely lit by the low fire that burned in the hearth. It had a striking resemblance to the room in which she had gotten her orders to catch and experiment on the ponies. Today, Sarithra had to make do with this chamber instead. The Elder would not permit her to enter his tower since she had failed her mission so spectacularly.

"You informed the prisoners of our arrival, you disobeyed direct orders by aiding in their escape. You, Gladius, have kept the second half of the guards from joining the fight and you, Endiron, were caught throwing knives at the guards of the gates. Two of them died, the others suffered heavy injuries. You have provided no valid reason for your behavior and have become a liability to the force. Your actions cost us resources so valuable that nobody can compensate for them, namely the means to find a cure for the Curse of Undeath."

She eyed the two soldiers who stood in front of her. Both were at attention, blankly staring at an imaginary horizon. Gladius could pull that off better than Endiron. The Rogue's left eye twitched for a second, betraying his nervousness, while Gladius's icy blue gaze could have drilled a hole into the stone wall.

"I have ordered the Guard to reclaim the ponies and the healed human. If you have any information regarding their whereabouts, now would be the time."

When none of them answered, her frown deepened.

"You are hereby expelled from the City Guard. If you leave Silvermoon during the next month or are reported for illegal actions regarding our research you will be taken into custody and judged accordingly. Dismissed."

Her face heated up as shame and anger made her heartbeat go faster. Sarithra turned away from them, facing the fire.

Gladius and Endiron left the chamber, not daring to exchange a look.

Sarithra sat down on a chair. When she was certain that she was alone, she buried her face in her hands and cried.