Page 116 of The Serpent’s Shadow

He cleared his throat, and his eyes looked dewy. Slowly, he reached out between us, hand trembling.

And I let him. I allowed Arne to touch my cheek, to cup the warmth of my skin with his spindly fingers. He said, “Seeing the joy on your face right now, Ravinica, makes the whole thing worth it.”

I clenched my jaw. “Why?” I croaked out. “Why did you do it, Arne?”

He gave me another shy shrug. “Because I thought it would help you, little fox.”

“How did you know what to write?” I pressed. “How did you learn about the academy’s lies?”

I hadn’t told him what Elayina or Corym had shown me. Why would I, after he’d betrayed me already and I couldn’t trust him to keep a secret? I’d told Magnus, but he was a different animal entirely.

Now, I saw the pure admiration in Arne’s eyes for the first time. The truth of how hard he’d fallen for me, and that he really did regret the ambush he’d orchestrated.

Capturing me had saved his sister and the Lepers Who Leapt some precious time. I couldn’t fault him for that. But now, I could see his spirit was true and not cunning or opportunistic just for the sake of stirring the pot.

He actuallywantedto make a difference. Or else he wouldn’t have gone through this whole ordeal of writing a message to the students, painting the academy as liars and culprits.

“How?” he asked. “I just told you, lass. I stayed with the Lepers for days. I spoke with Corym at length. He told me everything I needed to know about your mission, because I convinced him I wanted to help.”

“And he trusted you?”

Arne smiled devilishly. “I can be quite persuasive. You know that.”

It was true. Still, Corym must have been incredibly desperate to part with insider knowledge to a man he trusted less thanmost men. A man he had seen me nearly kill with his own elven dagger.

I wished I could have been a fly on the wall duringthatconversation.

The pieces started to fit much more snugly now. I thought the note hadn’t seemed very detailed, and that was probably because Arne didn’t know the exact details. Corym had only told him enough so he could craft his letter.

Arne would have to fill in the blanks, or I’d have to tell him when I was ready.

Arne explained the situation. “I wrote the letters at the Leper camp. Over and over again, using their woodsy paper stock.”

That would explain why the note was on grainier, different colored parchment than the academy’s pamphlet paper.

“Then I snuck onto campus early last night and broke into Dorymir Hall. I found the store room where they kept the pamphlets, knowing where they’d be since I was an initiate last year and had gone through the same ceremony. From there, all I had to do was stuff the pamphlets with my note, somewherenoton the first page, so it wouldn’t be found immediately. And then I waited for the acolytes to hand them out. Easy-peasy.”

I gawked at Arne, at the complexity of his mission. A mission I hadn’t even sent him on.

He had done what I asked: He had found Corym E’tar for me. He had talked to him, and then he’d gone above and beyond and provided the fuel for our rebellion.

Without thinking, I threw my arms around Arne’s neck and hugged him fiercely.

His hands hesitantly landed on my back, then rubbed gently. He asked in my ear, “So, little fox . . . did I do good?”

Arne’s need for acceptance and validation only made me smile deeper, and appreciate him more.

“Yes,” I whispered softly into the shell of his ear. “You’ve been a very, very good boy, Arne Gornhodr.”

I could feel his body tremble with giddiness at my words as we embraced.

“And next,” I finished, “you’re going to lead me to Corym E’tar, so I can see him face to face. Yes?”

His throat bobbed. “Yes, ma’am.”

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