Page 150 of The Serpent’s Shadow

“What is it, love?” Arne asked, hearing my chuckle of disbelief.

Before he could answer, two Huscarls opened the gate with a creak. “Stand,” said one. “Follow.”

We obliged, tailing them out the chamber, down a narrow hall. My heart twitched in my chest, eagerness and fear enveloping me in equal measures.

They dumped us in a room in front of Hersir Ingvus Jorthyr. The Warden of Vikingrune wore his gray-blond beard in plaits, five braids running down to his chest. He was wiry, tall, and looked pissed off.

“Arne Gornhodr, Ravinica Linmyrr. Two scoundrels I hoped to never see in my presence again. Because it means you did something foolish to get here.”

“Perhaps that’s who we are, Hersir,” Arne said with a wistful smile. “Jesters and fools.”

“Shut up, iceshaper.” Ingvus folded his large hands on his desk. “I’ve just gotten news I didn’t want to receive.”

Arne and I blinked, glancing at each other.

“Apparently, I’m not allowed to wrest answers from you, bog-blood, despite you working against the academy.”

Jorthyr’s eyes fell on my face, and the slur made me bristle. I hadn’t heard it in quite a while now. It reminded me my bloodline was never far from the surface of who I was and how other people saw me.

“She didn’t work against the academy,” Arne said. When he threw his arms up, the two Huscarls behind us stepped closer, ready to reprimand him. “She went to see a friend.”

“And bring that friend back to Vikingrune Academy. That friend . . . who is an elf.” Ingvus gave Arne a pithy look.

I had stayed quiet, because I didn’t have much to say. I didn’t want to incriminate myself—Arne was doing a spectacular job of that already, the buffoon.

Alas, I couldn’t stop myself, either. I didn’t know how many chances I was going to have to speak my truth. “The elves aren’t our enemies, Hersir Jorthyr,” I said in a low voice. “We both know that.”

He landed his bright gaze on me, frown etched deep in his old-man beard. “I assure you I don’t know what you’re talking about, initiate.”

I firmed my lips, biting my tongue. It made no difference to me what Hersir Jorthyr thought.Iknew the truth, so did he, and he could deny it all he wanted. I had to be content with simply stating the obvious, to see how he’d react.

He had reacted exactly as I suspected he would.

Jorthyr sighed and leaned back in his seat. “I was hoping the next time I’d see you, Ravinica Linmyrr, would be to call youcadetrather than initiate. To congratulate you for completing the term and earning your place here.”

“I’ve—”

“Done exactly that. Right.” He leaned forward to shuffle through some papers, most likely reading some reports on me. “You passed your classes. You beat the odds. Exile is off the table. For now.”

“Um . . . thank you?”

This was not going how I’d anticipated. I thought I’d surely be imprisoned for the rest of my days here after such a grievance—even after Magnus’ deal with this man. Bringing a known “enemy” to the academy? It sounded like something punishable by death, or an accusation of insurrection at least.

Little did the academy know how close I was to doing just that.

Arne was just as surprised as me, his wide eyes veering from my face to the Hersir’s, as if we were both in on a secret he didn’t know about. For a man like Arne, who loved secrets, it must have pained him greatly.

There was also the fact wewerehiding a secret from Arne, and that’s when I realized what was happening here.Jorthyr is playing this off for Arne’s sake, because no one can know about Magnus’ deal. Ingvus is acting like he’s baffled by this turn of events . . . when he is thecauseof them.

I thought back on Magnus—the one man I still needed to speak with about the assassination missions, so I’d feelconfident in having all five of my mates aligned with me. He’d been strangely absent the last few days. I hadn’t seen him after finals.

The sacrifice he made on my behalf is paying dividends even now.

“Can you believe it?” Jorthyr asked with faux incredulity, staring directly at me. There was a twinkle in his eye, saying he knew more than he was letting on. “Perhaps your fortunes are turning around after all, girl. Not only are you not being punished for your malfeasance . . . you’re to be rewarded for it.” He shook his head, shooing us with a flap of his hand.

“Congratulations,cadet. You’re both free to go.”

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