Page 99 of Into the Isle

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.

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