Chapter 29 | Ravinica

Chapter 29

Ravinica

I SPENT THE REST OF the night preparing for Saturday. It was do or die. Getting caught breaking into Mimir Tomes . . . well, Dieter had explained what might happen to me. Expulsion. Torture. Death?

When I waltzed into Nottdeen Quarter after leaving with Arne, Dagny propped her head up from the front desk, eyes widening. "Now that is what I'm fuckin' talking about!"

I smiled coyly at her, as other girls in the downstairs lobby glanced over at me. They seemed much less impressed than my black-and-white-haired friend.

Coming around the counter, Dagny ran up to me. She held me by the shoulders, inspecting every inch of me, top to bottom. "Hardened leather? Check." She playfully punched me in the chest. "Pants that won't rip up the crack of your ass when you sit? Nice. And a fur coat? Fancy." She clapped me on the shoulder, then noticed the bag I was holding and snatched it.

Rummaging around inside my pack of extra clothes, she muttered, "What do you have in here? Hmm. Okay, okay, I'm seeing a theme here. It's giving Vikings-on-vacation."

I raised my brow. "Really? Blame Arne. They were his picks."

"You let a man dress you?!" She was incredulous, taken aback. Then she shrugged. "I suppose if it's got to be one, that ostentatious pretty boy isn't a bad choice."

As she started walking back to her desk, she nonchalantly called over her shoulder, "Careful who you wear that fur coat around. The wolfies might not like seeing one of their own draped around your shoulders."

I gasped sharply. "Shit." I ran a gentle hand along the white-gray fur. "I didn't even think about that."

"Maybe Arne picked it out specifically for that reason." She winked at me, just how Arne liked to do when he was thinking something mischievous. "Knowing it will goad them; knowing how Sven Torfen and company have treated you."

I scowled. "Maybe so. It's not like the wolf shifters have been kind. Though I'm not sure how smart it is to borrow trouble." I sighed and shrugged myself out of the coat. "Maybe I'll only wear it for special occasions."

With that, I told Dag that I was beat and headed upstairs. I locked myself in my room and started scribbling plans on the yellow notepad Dagny had given me. It wasn't long before my eyes got droopy from my adventurous day, and I headed for bed.

I struggled to sleep and woke up cranky. At the showers, I popped into my new clothes—complete with the Vikingrune shield-and-dragon emblem across the lapel of one of my shirts—and went straight for the mess hall next to Nottdeen.

Randi was in there, eating and talking to someone with their back to me. They seemed to be hitting it off, and it wasn't until I stood in line to grab my food tray that I saw who it was.

Ulf Torfen.

I froze with the tray in my hands, alarm bells going off in my head. Randi didn't know my history with Ulf, who looked surprisingly chipper as the large initiate conversed with my pint-sized friend.

I hesitantly walked over to them, narrowing my eyes on Ulf as I approached.

Randi saw me coming. "Hey, babe!" She patted Ulf on the shoulder. "I was just talking with a new buddy—" She stopped short when she noticed the way we glared at each other. Like enemies caught in a stare-off.

Sighing, I shook my head. No time for petty squabbles. Got to stay focused. With a look of surprise crossing Ulf's flat features, I sat across from him and Randi. "Hello, Ulf."

He grunted and played with the food on his tray, trying not to glance at me. "Hi, bog-blood."

If anything, the man seemed embarrassed. His shoulders were drooped. I knew he wasn't the mastermind of the Torfens' wicked mean streak—that title belonged to Sven.

"Whoa." Randi's braids bobbed on her shoulders as she examined our faces. "I'm sensing a huge vibe shift here. Not in a good way. You two have history, huh?"

We both shrugged. It was ridiculous, because I felt like a child who was being told they couldn't play with the other children because of their temper.

"I dunno," I said. "I have nothing against him."

Ulf stared at me, not replying.

"Ulf."

The voice behind me made my blood run cold. It was raspy, accusatory. Goosebumps jumped along my arms.

Sven Torfen and his elder siblings, Edda and Olaf, approached our table from the side. Sven dropped his smoldering gaze directly to me, arms crossing over his chest. He was hard to look at for a few reasons—mostly because I despised him. Also because he was stupidly attractive.

"What in the nine realms are you doing fraternizing with the enemy?" Sven asked his younger brother.

Randi's eyes grew huge. Her head swiveled between all the people who had rudely interrupted her peaceful morning. I felt bad for the girl.

Ulf sighed heavily, like he was growing tired of being commanded by his older brother. "Sorry, brother," he said before starting to stand. He looked to Randi with a small smile. "Enjoy your breakfast, Randi."

Randi's hand darted out and grabbed his wrist. "You don't have to go, you know."

"He does," Sven growled. "We have a meeting." His eyes fell back on me. "With Eirik Halldan."

The alarm bells in my head rang louder than ever. Wait, what? Sven Torfen is meeting with my fucking brother ?

Betrayal hit me right between the tits. A sick, nauseous feeling coiled in the pit of my stomach, and I suddenly wasn't very hungry.

Sven noticed the color drain from my cheeks and gave me a sinful smile. "We'll be seeing you soon, little menace."

His words sounded like a threat and a promise. I watched him and his kinsmen leave the mess hall together.

"Damn. That guy is cold." Randi blew a raspberry. "And ridiculously hot. Like, are you kidding me? Jaw lines that sharp and eyes that fiery should be illegal. Have you ever seen biceps that looked so muscly yet so smooth at the same—hey, where are you going, babe?"

My feet had launched me up from the table without my brain having any say in the matter. I blinked at Randi, feeling pale and sickly. "I . . . sorry, Ran. I need some time."

Her face sank. It made me even sadder. It was a shame, because any other time I would have been smiling and laughing with her. Randi reminded me of my promiscuous friend Anna from Selby Village.

But the bombshell Sven just dropped—if it was true—was impossible to ignore. I was ashamed it affected me as much as it did.

On the way out of the mess hall, I thought, Is that what you meant about your precious reputation being so important, brother? That you've made alliances with the same family who bullied me since before I even got here?

Learning that, it felt harder than ever to trust anyone around this damn place.

I kept to myself for the rest of the day, eventually stuffing down the emotions of Eirik and Sven's supposed alliance, or meeting, or whatever the hell they were doing. I'll confront Eirik about that eventually. For now, I can't be bothered—too much else is on the line.

Ever since coming here, I'd been biding my time. I'd kept the true reason for coming to Vikingrune bottled up. The longer I stayed, the more I was finding myself wanting to stay for pure reasons; to actually learn, train, and become a better defender.

To learn to Shape. The same reason every other initiate came to Vikingrune Academy.

I'm not like every other student though, which people have made painfully clear.

My visit to Isleton last night with Arne flipped everything. It brought my initial motives to the fore, and I couldn't get them out of my head.

I wondered if there was a way to have my cake and eat it too—if I could learn who destroyed my family name in the records room, punish the people responsible, and come out of it unscathed so I could continue my studies. The best of all worlds.

I thought those things when I descended the western mountain path toward Isleton that evening, after the sun went down. I gave the Huscarl at the gate, Grant, a bullshit excuse for why I was going down there, just like Arne had last night.

This time, I was alone. I hadn't been able to find Arne, Magnus, or Grim, which was fine. I wanted the peace and quiet so I could get lost in my own thoughts.

I kept my head moving like a turret as I made my way through the thin Helgas Wood toward Isleton. I clutched my spear in my hands, opting to have it ready rather than slanted across my back.

As I'd promised myself, I wasn't going to get caught slipping again.

Luckily, I passed a few other students on their way down the mountain toward the town. I caught a couple making out in the woods. It was Saturday, and as Arne had told me, Isleton was where students went to unwind. So I didn't feel too nervous, watched, or cautious when I arrived at Liv's Libations.

There were a dozen people inside. No one paid me much attention. I stood near the door, off to the side, watching the booths.

There was a slight blonde woman sitting in the same seat Dieter had last night. Her hair was luscious, bright, with a couple rows of braids bound on top of her head. She had a pointy chin, a cherubic face, and sharp, sky-blue eyes.

She sat alone. When a man came to sit across from her, she put her hand out and stopped him. "I'm waiting for someone," she said in a voice that brooked no argument. The angelic expression on her face shifted to one of intensity in the blink of an eye.

She's waiting for someone? Maybe that's who I'm looking for. Dieter didn't give me a contact name.

I wandered over after the man said something mean to her and left her alone. When I got close, the girl looked up. She appeared young, and also strangely familiar.

My brow furrowed. "Is this seat taken?"

"Not if your name is Ravinica."

"It is."

"Then it's not taken."

She had a sassy way about her.

I started to sit, but she stood. "No point in sitting. Let's go."

I followed her quickly out of the tavern, shocked at how swiftly she moved around people, like a damned snake slithering around tree roots.

Once we were outside in the cool breeze, I sidled up alongside her. She stared ahead, leading us down an offshoot of the main road, toward some longhouses and the eastern side of town; back toward the mountainside leading up to Vikingrune Academy.

"I'm Frida Gorndeen," she said stiffly.

"Ravinica Linmyrr. Pleased to meet you, Frida."

She nodded. Her bright blue eyes glimmered in the moonlight, watching everyone who passed us. "Not safe here for Lepers," she explained. "We don't like to stay in any one place for too long."

"Makes sense. Eyes and ears everywhere, right?"

"Right." She took me in for the first time, glancing up and down. "I see why Dieter wanted to help you. You look strong."

"Um . . . thank you."

"You'll need to be stealthy, too."

With a smile, I said, "A friend of mine calls me his ‘little sneak.' Does that count?"

She chuckled, and looked beautiful when her lips cracked a smile for a split second. I felt like I'd broken through her icy exterior.

"I suppose we'll see," Frida said. "That little moniker only counts if the man is worth listening to. Is he?"

I frowned. Grim? "I think he is," I muttered, mostly to myself.

"Can you rely on him? Count on him for support?"

I bit my lip. It was an abrasive and abrupt series of questions. "Yes. I think so."

"Then hold onto him. Men like that are rare around here." Her eyes darkened in a way that told me she had experience with this kind of thing. "There are better men with the Lepers, I say."

We were back in the countryside, moseying through thin birch trees, undergrowth, and a sloping hillside.

Where the hell is she leading me? I scanned my surroundings constantly.

At one point, Frida noticed. "Don't worry," she said, "no one comes out here."

"Where is here , exactly? Where are we going?"

Her dainty hand fluttered in front of her, motioning vaguely toward the mountainside. We were coming at it from a different angle than the trail that led up to the western gate—slightly north of it, passing by some rocky ground on the way.

The sloping hillside became a bit treacherous and uneven. I had to focus where I walked, hopping from a stone to another; shuffling bowlegged over a deep ditch; balancing my arms out to cross a narrow landbridge.

When we reached the top of the hill, I looked back and saw we'd gained quite a bit of height. I was looking level with some tall trees out in Delaveer Forest.

We were pressed flush against the mountainside. Little pockets of crevices created small holes nearby, littering the mountainside with cave entrances up here.

Frida took one entrance, seemingly at random, and entered the cave. Inside was pitch black, and my heartbeat thrummed in my ears. A sense of mystery and panic set in, combined with claustrophobia because I didn't know where I was, or who this girl was.

Her low voice bounced off the walls, telling me we were in a narrow walkway. "Vikingrune Academy has an entire labyrinth of tunnels and corridors underneath it. Originally built for the harsh winters here, to keep people underground."

A sound of stone and flint crashing together startled me. A torch sputtered to life a few feet away. Frida's gaunt face was illuminated in the firelight.

"That's fascinating," I said. "I'm guessing Vikingrune is hesitant to tell its students about the underground passageways?"

"Yes. Many of the tunnels lead to storerooms and facilities inside buildings they'd rather students not visit in the middle of the night. Such as the eastern janitor's closet in Mimir Tomes."

I was flabbergasted at this new intel.

Frida reached into her shirt and pulled out a folded piece of paper, shoving it toward me. "A map I drew for you. It'll make more sense once you get moving."

I unfolded it. It was mostly a mess of lines, with some Xs and Os. It made my heart soar. A map like this was exactly what I'd wanted. "Thank you, Frida," I said.

She nodded. We were a few feet from the mouth of the cave. It cut into the mountain, sloping upward.

"It'll take you twice as long to get up the mountain as it did to get down it," she explained, tapping the map I held. "Follow that. You shouldn't get lost. Get lost, and you might never come out. So . . . don't do that."

I chewed the inside of my cheek.

She handed the torch to me. "Here. Don't say the Lepers Who Leapt never did nothing for you."

I gave her a small bow, feeling like it was appropriate. "I'm in your debt, Frida Gorndeen."

Her eyes flashed in the torchlight—bright and mischievous, hitting me with another sense of familiarity. "Oh, we know. We might come calling for that favor at some point. Don't make yourself scarce, understand?"

I nodded diligently. "I do. I'll be ready."

"Good." She turned away toward the mouth of the cave, then stopped at the opening. She looked hesitant for the first time, like she wanted to say something but wasn't sure if she should.

I asked, "You okay, Frida?"

She unclenched her jaw. "Will you tell Arne next time you see him that I appreciate what he's doing, but that he doesn't need to watch over me? I can take care of myself. Thanks."

She turned around and stomped out of the cave before I could reply. Her words reignited that sense of familiarity I'd been feeling, and it hit me all at once.

She said her last name is Gorndeen. Arne's is Gornhodr—named "hodr" because of his specialty with ice Shaping.

But it would originally be Gorndan.

I shook my head, scoffing in disbelief. All hells.

Frida is Arne's sister.

I had a new nagging sense of discovery—why Arne was truly helping the Lepers Who Leapt . . .

And it had nothing to do with any of the reasons I'd initially thought.