Page 92 of The Serpent’s Shadow

It was a lecture I could sleep through. I’d promised Dagny I wouldn’tmissany class . . . but had said nothing about staying awake for them.

Souring thoughts filled my head.What’s with me? I used to be so interested in history and learning. I read through every book in Selby Village, cover to cover, multiple times.

Where did that zest for scholarly pursuits go?

I figured it had less to do with the men I was fawning over these days, and more to do with the fact I had started tolivehistory, which was much more exciting.

Not many people—or any people, really—could say they had lived with the elves for a month. Hells below, prior to a few weeks ago, they hadn’t been sighted in centuries!

I made it through History & Tomes with only slightly drooping eyes, and Hersir Kardeen pulled me aside afterward and gave me a packet to study for finals, to accelerate my catch-up.

“Glad to have your butt in the seat, Ravinica,” she told me before I departed. With a slight smile, she poked her glasses up the bridge of her nose—much like Dagny liked to do. In fact, I saw a lot of Dagny in Thorvi Kardeen, and wondered if my friend couldn’t one day become just like her.

“I’ll be wanting to hear more about your exploits with the Ljosalfar when there’s time,” she said, a coy expression on her face. “Perhaps when we go underground after finals. Won’t be a lot to do then but swap stories.”

I chuckled and smiled at the professor. “Yes ma’am. Sure thing.”

“It must have been fascinating. Lucky girl.” The glimmer in her eyes was bright with enthusiasm. I was envious of that childlike wonder she had at her age for academia.

“Yeah . . .” I said, scratching the back of my head. “Fascinating and lucky. That’s one way to describe it, Hersir.”

As I headed out of class, feeling awkward because I didn’t want to tell Thorvi thatfrustratingandscary-as-hellwere better descriptors, I lifted the packet she’d given me. “Thanks forthis, ma’am. I’ll be sure to ace the test, even with missing the last few weeks.”

“I’m sure you will, Ravinica.” She smiled warmly at me. “I see a bright future for you at this academy.”

Yeah,I thought as I climbed the stairs.If I don’t burn it down first.

My spear clashed with the haft of Grim’s axe in a wooden thud that jarred the bones in my forearms.

Clenching my teeth, I stabbed—

And he stepped back, pulled down with the curve of his axe blade, and yanked my spear right out of my hands.

My palms opened, a rash gliding along them, as I watched my spear tumble to the ground. “Shit.”

Behind me, Sven Torfen growled, “The hell was that, little menace? Gone soft on us?”

I scowled over my shoulder. “Fuck you, Sven. Don’t you have your own apprentices to yell at?”

With one leg perched on a tree trunk behind us, hiding him from the afternoon breeze, he crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re more fun. My other two are sparring as we speak. My third is strangely missing.”

Bastard had a strand of slick hair draped over his forehead like it had been planned, it was so perfectly drooping. I wanted to walk up and run my hands through his hair just to mess it up.

He fixed me with an expectant glare on his studly face, leaning his head forward.

Shit. That’s right. Astrid was one of his charges.

“Erm, sorry,” I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck.

He laughed petulantly, leaning back. “It’s no bother. Don’t have to worry about her pining after me anymore.”

My blood boiled when he said that. He was so snide, even now—even when he was speaking to me rather than bullying and tormenting me.

It was a different kind of torment. I had heard offhandedly from Astrid about her plans to have Sven “bend her over,” shortly before her untimely demise.

Now I felt like shit thinking about her, like it was all my fault she was dead. And Sven was rubbing salt on the wound.

Hersir Axel Osfen walked up to us with a frown. The stout, red-bearded, bald teacher looked stern. “What’s all this chitchat? Torfen, don’t you have students to be training?”

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