Page 75 of Into the Isle

Chapter 23

Ravinica

MAGNUS FELDRAUG HAD a mysterious aura. I was itching to know more about him. I’d seen the way he destroyed Ulf Torfen—my original bully—in a few seconds. That alone was reason enough to bring him into our training trio.

I had never been as interested in men as I was at Vikingrune Academy. Now, I had four who struck my fancy in different ways: Arne Gornhodr and his sly cleverness, Grim Kollbjorn and his stoic protectiveness, Magnus Feldraug and his dark mystery, and even Sven Torfen. At the very least, I wanted to know what made Sven tick and why he wanted to bring me down so badly. At this point, I was fairly certain embarrassing Ulf had nothing to do with it, or even my half-elven bloodline.

If I’m going to have a nemesis at this academy, I’ll gladly take the challenge. I just hope I’m strong enough to take on Sven, because I know our animosity will come to a head eventually. I can’t hide from him forever—not when I’ll see him every day.

Perhaps these men intrigued me because they were so different than the ones I’d known in Selby Village. They were unique, and seemed to live by different creeds.

Arne was an opportunist and a friend-maker. He was the first one I met on the Gray Wraith, helping me without my asking. I trusted him for that alone, and wanted to get to know him a bit better. We had both been busy since stepping off that longship.

Grim was the opposite. A loner. Someone people didn’t trust him because of his past history here. He had done nothing but save me from a beating so far. I wanted to trust him, yet I had to find out the truth about him first. Being my Combat & Strategy trainer would help in that respect.

Magnus Feldraug, well, I didn’t know a damn thing about him.

As I walked away from Hersir Axel with Magnus and Randi, I asked, “What’s the deal with the trench coat?”

He looked down at it. “Fashionable, isn’t it?”

I frowned. “Yes. I’m sure that’s it.” Rolling my eyes, I added, “I’m sure it’s not to cover up the army of tattoos I see poking out from your cuffs and swirling along your neck.”

Magnus stiffened. He furrowed his thin brow at me, gaunt cheeks hollowing even more than usual.

Okay. Sore subject. Got it.

I bit my lip. “Sorry. Adrenaline is still running high. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

He said nothing as we made our way off the meadow to stand in front of Gharvold Hall.

“Why did you fight Ulf Torfen?” I asked.

“Because he challenged me.”

“That’s all?”

“You ask a lot of questions, silvermoon.”

“I know. Here’s another one: Why do you call me that?”

“Because ‘little fox’ and ‘little sneak’ and ‘little menace’ should offend you. You’re not little and weak. I saw you fight.”

My face warmed at his compliment. He was right—the nicknames could be a bit derogatory if I thought about them too hard. They were also cutesy, which didn’t describe me very well.

“I don’t think littleness and size denotes weakness,” Randi chirped from my other side. We both glanced at her, and she shrugged. “Case in point.” She gestured at herself, sweeping her hands down her body.

I chuckled. “Good argument, Randi. I agree.”

“Randi Ranttir,” someone said from behind us. “I challenge you to spar.”

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