10. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Bronwyn

My father taught me how to kill my man. I have several techniques up my sleeves. Ways of killing them quickly, drawing it out, or doing it in a way that it appears to have been an accident.

This specific skill set is not one that I have ever felt the need to use. Indeed, I have often prayed against it ever coming to such drastic measures.

Until now.

Wilder's eyes dart down the empty hall before he exhales. "Not here. We should talk somewhere private."

While most students have to sleep in common rooms for their genders, the academy does offer the luxury of private rooms to those with the money to afford it. Naturally, I have one, I'm sure that Wilder does too. But I'd be hanged if I brought Wilder to my room, and I'd be twice hanged before I went to his room.

"I know of a place," I finally reply reluctantly. It's a place I've gone for isolation, at least in the first-year building. I assume the second building will have one as well.

It's the roof of the towers of the building. They are usually left alone. Not many want to put up with that many stairs and with multiple towers even if one is in use—usually by overly affectionate couples—then I can always go to a different tower.

I turn on my heel, striding down the hall. I check over my shoulder twice to make certain that Wilder is still following me, but he doesn't make a run for it. Which either proves that he is braver than I had originally thought him to be, or he has no idea the Skyhold I'm going to give him.

He kissed me.

How dare he?

Honestly, he is lucky my father is nowhere nearby or else that would have been the last thing he ever did. I have half the mind to make it the last thing he ever does.

But I've always been the most rational of the Eels, and the most reluctant to resort to bloodshed. I'll hear Wilder out and decide whether to push him over the edge afterwards.

Wilder, for his part, is quiet as I lead him up the winding staircase to the top of the tower. I find the platform beyond empty, although I'm not sure who else would be mad enough to be out this late at night.

I step through, inhaling the cool night air deeply. The platform is only a few paces across on either side, but from up here, I have a view of the whole valley around us. In the distance, the mountains' shadows rise up like dark bruises on the horizon. Above, the stars twinkle down, never allowing the night to be too dark.

I turn, bracing my hands on the stone wall behind me as I take in Wilder.

"This should work," Wilder says, peering down the stairs before he shuts the door. He leans up against it, exhaling slightly. "There are eyes and ears everywhere inside the academy."

I wonder just who he is worried will hear us. Is this about his reputation, I mean Skyhold above forbid he be caught kissing an ambitionless merchant's daughter, or is there something else going on?

"You owe me answers," I say curtly.

"You owed me answers first," he replies smoothly, crossing his arms. He arches his brow. "Or did you forget that you had broken into a professor's room. I caught you. The only reason you even got away with it is because I…" he pauses sneering. "I covered for you. You owe me, Eel."

"The only thing I owe you is a bloodying of that pretty straight nose of yours."

He reaches up, touching his nose with a frown. "You're such an ungrateful, miserable thing. I suppose I can't blame you though, it's just the result of your poor breeding."

"My breeding is just fine," I say straightening. "At least I have enough tact not to kiss people who despise me. What sort of a pathetic attempt was that, Wilder?"

He snorts. "The only thing I was attempting was to save your life. To insinuate anything else would just show the depths of your ignorance, and how delusional you could be. As if I'd ever willingly choose to kiss the likes of you."

"And what was I in danger of? Dying of the boredom of your company?" While I certainly could have gotten in trouble for rummaging through the professor's office, it isn't as if he could have done anything about it. He is a professor; there are strict rules against harming students here at this academy. Vampire or no.

Although, there are always certain men who ignore such rules. My father being foremost on the list.

Still, even my father would not choose to kill if it would bring repercussions unless he had no other recourse. Unless he felt threatened.

Perhaps by someone learning something that he would have rather remained a secret…

Maybe this professor has a larger end goal than just tutoring us on the mechanics of water magic. And Widler is right in the middle of it.

Of course, it's so simple I don't know why I didn't place it before, but I will place much of the blame on Wilder's kiss which seems to have done a number to scramble my brains.

I pull back, tilting my head. "Does this have anything to do with you now being a vampire?"

Wilder's throat bobs, telling me that I'm at least partially correct. But all he says is, "I am not saying anything unless you tell me what you were doing in Morozov's office."

"Fine," I say reaching up to rest my finger on my chin, my other hand grips my elbow, hard. My attempt to keep my cool composure. I hope that it works and that on the outside I look entirely unbothered even though my mind is racing with questions and theories. "Let's make a deal. We both want answers for the other, so I will answer your questions if you answer mine."

He raises a brow, the white hair glowing in the starlight. "A question for a question?"

"A question for a question, and don't even think about lying to me, Wilder. I'm very good at figuring out people's tells."

"Likewise, Eel."

I swallow hard when I realize that he is actually agreeing to this. A part of me wants to walk away. None of this is actually important to my grander purpose here. The vampires, Wilder, even the paper with my name on it—none of these things actually matter in the long run. I am here for a spellbook and nothing else.

If anything, this game of sharing secrets will reveal too much and threaten what I'm actually supposed to be doing.

And yet… my curiosity will not allow me to continue onward. Not without knowing, not without figuring out what is happening.

There is something foul afoot here at this academy, and it involves the undead.

And Wilder might just be my best bet at figuring out what it is. Which is how, despite my better judgement, I find myself arching my brow and smirking slightly. "So, who should go first?"