Page 87 of The Serpent’s Shadow

Chapter 26

Ravinica

I WALKED INTO THE MESShall near Gharvold Hall, the western barracks close to the wide expanse of Tyr Meadow. Before scurrying in through the doors, my eyes caught a few Huscarls lazing about off to the side, chatting.

Seeing them and their black armor and cloaks brought a shudder rippling through me.What if they know what I’ve done?

The cognitive dissonance since arriving back at the academy was astounding. Outside these walls, my mates and I had extinguished no less than twenty of these “honorable” soldiers of the academy. Now I’d be dining with them in the northwestern cafeteria, inside the academy.

I blew past the soldiers, who didn’t give me so much as a second glance, and changed my focus to the loud prattling of conversations going on inside the wide eating-hall.

Two long benches stretched down the middle, one end to the other. A line of students stood in line along one of the walls, waiting their turn in the queue to get their slop from the cook at the front.

I scanned the building, took in all fifteen or so faces, and spotted the one I had hoped to be here.

Arne ate by himself at one end of a bench, huddled over his bowl, shoulders slumped. He looked glum and defeated.

With a sigh and a shake of my head, I wandered over.

He spotted me coming out the corner of his eye and sat up straighter, wincing when I approached with a scowl.

Recoiling, he said, “Are you going to hit me again?”

I crossed my arms, standing over him. “I have half a mind to.”You’d deserve it, asshole.

The bruises marring his pretty face were starting to fade, though I’d added a new one near his jaw. That one was black and blue, but his right eye was at least open now, just slightly puffy.

The weak part of me felt sorry for him—bad that he’d gotten beaten up. I squared my shoulders, not willing to back down to this weasel.

Arne quirked an eyebrow. “So you’re not here to hit me. Are you here to . . . kiss me?”

My jaw dropped as the twinkle in his mischievous eyes grew darker, a smirk playing close to his lips. “The fucking audacity. You wish, iceshaper.”

He winced, smirk faltering when I called him by his title, “iceshaper,” which he told me before made him feel shitty when I said it. Maybe, subconsciously, that’s why I said it.

Last time I’d seen Arne Gornhodr in a mess hall, I’d done precisely that: Kissed him, for showing me the Lepers Who Leapt and changing my life for the better.

He had done that for me.

It was a different time, and I couldn’t even remember that part of me anymore. Back then, I’d been walking on clouds after meeting Dieter, learning about the academy outcasts who were like me—without magic—and getting the inside scoop on how to break into Mimir Tomes.

A whole world had opened up to me thanks to Arne.

Was he deceiving me even then? Likely. From Mimir, I learned about my history, then he told me about Elayina, coaxing me to speak with her.

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