Page 153 of Into the Isle

“Are you sure?”

I gave Arne a firm nod.

“The acolytes won’t like it. We might need to sneak out of the academy rather than pass through the gates.”

“You mean the underground tunnels?”

He flashed a customary Arne smirk. “What else?”

I grunted and lifted my head and body. Everything still hurt. My vision swam for a moment.

I was determined to make it.

“Sounds like we have a long trek ahead of us,” I said. Then I put out an arm. “Help me up. Anything to get me out of this damned bed.”

Chapter 43

Magnus

I LICKED MY LIPS, TASTING the essence of Ravinica on them.

When I had leaned down to kiss her forehead before leaving Eir Wing, I had picked a specific spot to kiss. A bit of subterfuge, I suppose. I had kissed her where there had been a scabbing gash on her forehead, with a bit of dried blood caking the wound.

Having access to Ravinica’s blood was all I needed to suit my purposes.

Now, when I tasted the hint of her life-blood on my tongue and lips, I used my bloodrending to recall memories of where she’d been. I closed my eyes, focusing, and fragments of pictures sprouted in my mind.

There were lesser-known bloodrender traits I hadn’t told Ravinica about. Skills bloodrenders could tap into, though rarely used. The ability to scent blood and form skeletal memories from that blood was incredibly powerful. If the academy supers knew I could do it, they’d have my head on a pike by sunup.

Even as an initiate, I had to keep a low profile at this damned school. It was just as dangerous for me as it was for Ravinica—maybe more so, because I knew they wanted to test me and steal my power.

I wouldn’t fucking give it to them. Not willingly.

I walked away from Eir Wing in a hurry, once the vague memories had populated in my head and I had a better understanding of where she’d been before getting attacked.

Vala Chamber. Near it. In the longhouse village, creeping through the alleys. A shadow jumped out at her. Then another. She spoke with Astrid Dahlmyrr.

From there, the memories grew hazy as the blood dissipated on my tongue. They became even murkier once I caught the free-for-all melee involving Ravinica and Astrid’s thugs. When Ravinica was knocked unconscious, the memories faded completely.

I didn’t have the whole understanding. Just enough to work with.

From Eir Wing, I made the short trek to Vala Chamber and the nearby longhouses. The attack had been on Saturday night. It was late Monday, which meant there had been classes today.

I frowned when I came to the longhouses and noticed the many footprints. There were too many treads to count—too many to properly track. I would need Grim to do that bit, with his heightened senses.

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