Chapter 8 | Ravinica

Chapter 8

Ravinica

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED ?” I snarled as I threw aside the drape leading into Sven’s recovery cave.

He tipped his head from his gurney, noticing the shadows of Arne, Magnus, and Grim behind me. “Oh . . . what the . . . Dagny! ” His voice boomed, body shaking as he coughed. “You bitch!”

“She’s a cat, not a dog,” I said with a frown.

“You . . . kitty-cat cun—”

“I’m gonna stop you right there, asshole,” I interjected, lightly slapping his arm, which was bandaged.

“Ow,” he murmured, lowering his voice. “I’m injured. Judas.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. Why didn’t you want anyone knowing about this?”

The wolf shifter looked much worse than when I’d left him this afternoon. Dagny had done a good job of patching him up, but his movie-star face was bruised and purple.

“Because his pride knows no bounds,” an exasperated voice said behind me. I turned to face Dagny, my best friend, who shook her head and sighed. “I’m not sure I can take more than one day of this guy here, Rav.”

I cringed and rubbed the back of my neck. “That bad, huh?”

“Insufferable.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Sven mumbled. He glared daggers at Dagny. “You would punt an injured dog to the streets?”

“Streets? More like upstairs in the blizzard.”

Sven scoffed. “Not very hospitable for a hospital worker.”

“My field of fucks has gone barren, Torfen,” Dagny announced with her hands going to her hips.

Arne and Grim chuckled as Sven let out an aggrieved sound. I quirked a smile, looking back slyly at the wolf shifter, remembering our hotter-than-sin tryst earlier today. I supposed we’d have to put the back-breaking sex on hold for a while.

“You seem in good spirits, at least,” I said. “Considering how you look.”

Another scoff, this one just as aggrieved and snooty as the ones before it. He was being sarcastic, but the line between sarcasm and seriousness was thin with Sven Torfen.

He didn’t give a shit about being pampered. He just liked to make a show of being disparaged, because he loved the attention, even if he’d never admit it.

A thread of silence fell over the small recovery room. Behind us, in the halls, other nurse-acolytes roamed from room to room under Eir Wing.

“Are you going to tell us what happened, or are you just going to sit there looking pouty all night?” I asked.

Sven’s pout firmed, lips turning into thin lines. He dashed his gaze away from me. “I’d rather not.”

“Don’t be a baby. I promise we won’t laugh.”

Arne raised a finger. “I make no such promise.”

“I second that motion,” Grim added.

Magnus remained quiet, studying everyone, likely wondering how we could be lighthearted at a time like this.

In truth, I was feeding off Sven. I had come in like a tornado, demanding answers, and he played his wounds off like it was just another Sunday. But I did care. Greatly. And I worried why he was being so hesitant to tell us the gritty details.

Shame, I thought. That must be it. His pride and dignity can’t handle us seeing him like this—not in control, not in a leadership position. He’s playing it off with fake anguish and indignity.

“Speak, shifter,” Magnus demanded.

Sven’s dark eyes narrowed on the scarred bloodrender.

He got to talking a moment later, after another exaggerated sigh. “My kinsfolk jumped me.”

My eyes bulged. “Your kinsfolk ?”

I could hardly believe it. I needed him to say it again.

He grew frustrated, arms wheeling, wincing from the movement. “Yes, little menace. My pack. My brothers and sister. They ambushed me. Well, they finished the job.”

“What job?” Grim asked.

“Members of the Lanfen pack ambushed me on my way to Hersir Osfen. They corralled me to my pack den, where I went looking for allies to help fight them. Instead, Edda, Olaf, and Ulf mobbed me. The fucking cowards.” He snarled the last bit.

I hadn’t heard him mention the Lanfen pack my entire first term. I was shocked. “ Why ?” I yelled, throwing my arms up. “You’ve always gotten along with your family!”

“It was . . . a demand from on high. From my father.”

My nostrils flared, anger rifling through me. “That bastard .”

He glanced away at my anger, staring down at his feet poking out the end of his bed sheet. It didn’t dawn on me that he was glancing away because he was hiding something, but Magnus caught it.

The bloodrender said, “What else aren’t you saying, wolf? Your father gave the order, but that’s not all . . . is it? There’s a reason he wanted to depose you after years of having you act as the Torfen pack leader.”

Sven cursed under his breath, scowling. “Fuck you and your perceptive—”

“Spit it out,” I ordered.

“They jumped me because I spend all my time with you, Ravinica.” He indeed spit the words out, with vitriol. “There. Happy?”

My shoulders slumped. “. . . No. Sven, I’m . . .”

“If you say you’re sorry, I’m going to let Dagny wheel my ass upstairs and throw me into the nearest snow patch.”

I wasn’t in a mood to smile anymore, or laugh.

Sven read my face, the fear in my eyes, and answered my question before I could ask it. “If you think I’m going to leave your side because of those weak fuckfaces, you don’t know me as well as I thought, menace. A little scuffling isn’t going to change a damn thing about me. Bastards should have killed me if they really wanted change.”

“D-Don’t say that!”

“Oh, don’t worry, girl, I’ll get my revenge on my brethren. I don’t want you or the usual suspects here worrying about me. Got it? There’s someone else missing from this little entourage who needs your help much more than I do right now.”

I blinked at him, my brow slowly scrunching to a furrow.

When our eyes locked, Sven gave me a tiny nod—almost imperceptible—and turned his head away. To the wall on the other side of his gurney, where no one stood, he said, “I’ll be right as rain tomorrow or the next day. Dagny, for all her faults, has me well in hand.”

This was a man who actively avoided pity. It was a feeling I knew well, so I wouldn’t shower him with it. My entire life had been humiliation at the hands of my kinsfolk, up until coming here.

Sven was one of the men who helped change that. He did it without letting me wallow in self-pity. He went from being a source of humiliation—as my bully—to a champion against it. A booster of my confidence, allowing me to lead the five of us even though we both knew he had more leadership experience than I did.

I wasn’t about to insult him by crying about how shitty his family was, how sorry I was, or anything like that.

I needed to respect his wishes for us to fuck off.

So we did.

On the way across campus, from the eastern region of Eir Under to the western cavern of Gharvold Under, we walked mostly in silence. We stayed mum about Sven’s situation, because all four of us knew he wouldn’t want us bitching on his behalf.

Except Arne. At one point as we trudged through the narrow halls, the iceshaper raised a finger. “The way that man can be a frosty asshole even while helpless on a gurney is truly astounding. I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who is so skilled at narcissism.”

We chuckled—even Magnus, who rarely laughed about anything. Arne’s joke opened the floodgates.

“It’s why we love him,” I muttered with a crooked smile.

“Is it?” Grim said. “It’s why you love him, sneak. It’s why I can’t stand the furball.”

“Yet you work better with Sven, your rival, than anyone else in the group,” I pointed out.

Grim grumbled to himself, not wanting to admit the truth of it. He repeated a phrase from earlier, as if it answered everything. “Competition breeds innovation.”

I appreciated the callback.

Glancing at Magnus, I said, “Tell me.”

The bloodrender blinked at me, lengthening his stride to walk abreast with me. “Tell you what, silvermoon?”

“Don’t be coy. You said you’re going aboveground. Why? For how long?”

“A week. For field duty, assigned to me by . . . Gothi Sigmund.”

I raised a brow. Why did he hesitate to say the Gothi’s name? Clearly he’s not telling me the whole story. These damn boys, not wanting to rock the boat. Do they think I can’t handle life without them? I spent more than twenty years alone, and I was fine!

Mostly fine.

A moment later, I recognized the truth. No, it’s for their own sakes. They can’t handle life without me .

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Magnus said, “To the elven portal site.”

I screeched to a halt, putting my hands on his chest to stop him. “Wait, what?! That’s days away!”

“I’m aware.”

“You’ll die!”

“I won’t, love. I won’t be alone.” He glanced past me and continued walking.

I hurried to keep up. “You don’t sound too happy about that.”

Magnus shrugged. “I don’t trust anyone, silvermoon, other than the three people around me right now, and I suppose the man bitching and moaning on a gurney.”

I palmed my forehead, running a hand through my hair. “Fuck.”

“It’ll be fine. I promise.” Magnus gave me his best effort at a smile, but it was a pained one.

Clearly, he didn’t want to leave the warmth of the caves—the warmth of me . Hel below, the man had just been inside me less than an hour ago. Who would want to leave that , if given the choice?

Sadly, I knew Magnus Feldraug’s life was not his choice. I had no idea how he put up with it—getting led around by Kelvar the Whisperer over the past few weeks, and Tomekeeper Dahlia, Gothi Sigmund. We were all pushed around to some extent at Vikingrune Academy, yet Magnus seemed to get the worst of it.

It’s his blood, I told myself. That special essence inside him that everyone wants a piece of.

He hadn’t even told me what he was doing talking with Hersir Kelvar so often. He’d tell me if I asked, because he wouldn’t keep secrets from me, but I didn’t feel comfortable asking until he was ready to tell me.

I found myself at an impasse, in a bit of a conundrum.

My complaints stopped when we arrived at our destination.

Two Huscarls stood in front of a closed door, nestled deep into the cave structure around us. The ceiling was higher here, carved under the weighty structure of Gharvold Hall, the barracks, with pillars keeping the hall from falling through the ground into the tunnels.

I crossed my arms over my chest as I stepped in front of the wary guards. They wore helmets, wielded spears, and were tall and burly. Likely former students who stayed with Vikingrune after graduating, which meant they weren’t anyone I wanted to fuck with.

Then again, I’ve killed enough of their ilk already.

The Huscarls were the military arm of Gothi Sigmund. I trusted them as I trusted the chieftain. They did his bidding, unquestioned, and were the rivals of the Lepers Who Leapt.

Which meant they were my rivals as well. They just didn’t know it.

“I thought he wasn’t a prisoner,” I said to the head guard, popping my hip out and striking a stance.

The Huscarl frowned at me, tightening his hand on his spear when he saw Grim, Magnus, and Arne round the corner of the hall behind me. “Prisoner was in air-quotes,” he answered.

“Asshole,” I spat.

“What do you want, cadet?”

I jerked my chin forward. “To see him.” My voice turned sickly sweet. “ Sir .”

The Huscarl rolled his eyes. He stepped aside from the door, making an exaggerated gesture with his hand to sweep me forward. “See? Not a prisoner.”

I hesitantly passed the two guards, opening the door.

When Grim, Arne, and Magnus tried to follow me, spears came down to block their path.

“Only one visitor at a time,” the guard growled.

“Why?” Arne spat.

“To make it harder to bust him out. No shit.”

“Not that anyone has tried doing that before,” one of the other guards said.

Arne frowned. “You’re making this whole situation seem more prisonery, lads.”

“I’ll be fine, boys,” I said, smiling at them over the shoulders of the Huscarls.

My three mates begrudgingly stood back.

“Yell if something happens,” Grim said.

There was thick tension between us four students and these two soldiers. On a macro level, it had been that way ever since the gates of the academy had closed and the elves had shown up—ever since a multitude of Huscarls on a siege mission mysteriously died.

Not that I’d know anything about that.

Everyone standing here knew it would only take one wrong move to get the other side to pop off. Students here didn’t feel safe or protected as they once did. If anything, they felt, well, imprisoned.

Which meant the first part of my rebellious scheme was going swimmingly, and I hadn’t even needed to do a damn thing to start it. Now I just need to figure out a way to twist the tension into bloodless acceptance. So we can all be allies.

The man inside the room I walked into was the key to unlocking that puzzle, in my mind.

Corym E’tar sat in his cave on the edge of a bed, head bowed like he was deep in thought. Or depressed.

His room looked exactly like mine. It wasn’t a prison cell, per se, and he had the same amenities as a student. The difference was Corym stayed under constant, vigilant watch while he “housed” with Vikingrune Academy.

I suspected the room would be bugged with some kind of magic listening device, so I simply smiled when I saw him.

“Corym,” I breathed, my voice full of adoration.

His face lifted, brightening when his golden eyes landed on me. “ Lunis’ai .”

As he stood, I pushed myself into him in a fierce embrace. His arms encircled me, and for a moment everything felt right with his body pressed against mine.

The tall elf looked exactly the same as he did last time I saw him a week ago. I tilted his sharp face a few times left and right just to make sure, like a worried mother.

He chuckled and rubbed my chin with the pad of his thumb. “I’m fine, my love. The soldiers have not deigned to beat me yet.”

“They better not,” I warned. “Or they’ll be getting my spear in their asses.”

“Oh, I’ve no doubt.”

He sat on the bed, taking my hand in his lap. Despite the cold of the room, his touch was warm. It sent tingles of anticipation down my arms.

I stayed standing in front of him, between his legs. Leaning forward, I kissed him gently, closing my eyes and letting our breaths mingle and meld together.

Peace fell over me for the first time in days.

When my eyes opened, we were both smiling.

My smile faltered shortly after. “You’re okay then?”

Corym nodded and sat back. “The academy has not broken my spirit, despite their best attempts at doing so.”

“Good. I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to get you out of here, Corym.”

“Sorry? There’s nothing to be done. I know my standing with the Vikingruners. My position is in the cellar. Truth be told, they would get the same treatment if they were housed in my home, so I cannot fault them too badly for it.”

“It’s still inhumane,” I snarled.

“I am allowed to leave the room a few times a day. With sentinels watching me like gargoyles, of course.” He motioned to the corner of his room. “I’m even given a pot to piss in. Opulent, I know.”

I wrinkled my nose, making a face.

He laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s empty.”

“Thank the gods.” There wasn’t anything to ruin a romantic, forlorn moment like a steaming bucket of shit.

I rubbed his shoulder, smiling sadly. The silence felt strained, our gazes drifting away. “I miss you, love.”

“I know, lunis’ai. I await the day I am freed from here, from the Lepers, from the rules of the Isle, so I may have you again.”

“You’ll always have me.” My voice was low.

He cleared his throat and nodded, opening his mouth but then closing it without saying a thing.

Though we loved each other—which was a novelty for an elf and a human—things hadn’t been the same since I . . . did what I did. Opening the portal to Alfheim.

I didn’t regret it . . . completely. Part of me did, because it destroyed Corym so badly when he realized what I’d done. When he realized I’d put his people in jeopardy by giving humans access to his realm.

It was selfishness that drove me to do it. Needing so badly to keep Corym alive, I had jeopardized the lives of untold thousands back in his homeland.

The worst part was, the Ljosalfar elves were likely unaware of it. Otherwise, why haven’t they come back? If they knew the portal was reopened, would they not return to investigate?

It had also put undue stress on everyone. Magnus was heading there tomorrow, on a dangerous mission. Gothi Sigmund tried to keep a constant watch on the portal, even during the worst parts of winter.

The Isle was on a razor’s edge, and it was all my fault.

With the heavy weight of silence lingering for what seemed like eons, my yellow eyes locked with the elf’s golden orbs. “I’d do it again, Corym,” I whispered.

He nodded solemnly, a small smile. “I know . It’s two of the things I love most about you. Your belief and resolve.”

He knew exactly what I was talking about, because it was the one thing standing between us. I’d open the portal all over again if it meant seeing your face for even another day.

Unfortunately, this thing between us—this barrier—would remain an impassable fissure until something gave way.

I just worried what that something might be.

And I was terrified it would be catastrophic.