Page 43 of House of Ydril

The sound of screaming leads us and a couple of other students straight into the forest. The trees there grow so close that light barely ever touches the ground.

And the screaming has died down. At first, I only see a delicate fae-blooded girl standing in the middle of a narrow path leading through the trees. Frozen.

My eyes follow the direction of her gaze. When I see it, I almost let out a scream myself.

Two bodies hung off two neighboring trees, naked and upside down. Their throats have been slit and the blood is still slowly dripping down their heads. And straight onto two candles dug into the ground below.

We all just watch in silence, just like the fae girl. No one wants to go near, but even from this distance, I can see that the candles are giving off blood-red light. One of them has a symbol of the sun carved into it, while the other a symbol of the moon.

After a couple of seconds of only hearing my heart throbbing in my ears, the fae girl whose screams led us here turns on her heel and starts walking straight back to the castle. “I’m going to go get someone,” I hear her mutter.

“Quinn.” I feel Nuala tug on my sleeve and I turn to her. What I see sends shivers down my spine. My friend’s entire body is trembling and she has this absent look in her rounded eyes.

“Wait,” I whisper.

She nods. I can tell she’s in shock, but I want us to stay just a little bit longer because I need Moswen to see this. And the others urge us to go with them, but eventually they follow the fae girl out of the woods and back to the castle.

As soon as they’re gone, I dig out the diary and I crack it open. Just like last time, a part of me hopes that Moswen’s reaction won’t be as extreme as ours. But I can tell she’s fighting to keep herself under control.

“Some students have already gone to get someone,” I mutter.

“Good,” she says, her voice unusually shaky as she keeps staring at the sight before us. “That’s good. And I think you should leave as soon as possible as well.”

I don’t wait for her to tell me a second time. I close the diary, I take Nuala by her sweaty hand and I practically sprint out of the forest, only one thing on my mind. To get us back to the safety of the castle.

But as soon as we’re out of the woods, something strange happens. I see someone approach us, but my mind can’t make sense of the person’s face. I see eyes, a nose, a mouth, but it’s like looking at an abstract painting. It all makes me stop in my tracks and let go of Nuala’s hand.

Without saying a word, the person takes a step closer, making me take one back. Nuala follows suit, breathing heavily. My heart pounding wildly, I squint in a vain attempt to make my eyes obey.

They refuse.

Still silent, the person just raises a hand at me and the next thing I know, I lose control of my own body.

Slowly and without wanting to, I take the bag with the diary that’s hanging off my shoulder and I hold it out for them.

“Nuala,” I yell out, but my friend does nothing. She just lets out a long, pained wail.

I panic, trying to think of a way to use my runes without being able to control my hands.

Too late, the thought rings in my head as the person grabs the bag and starts pulling.

The very next second, the grip loosens and the person disappears. The sudden release makes me fall on my back and crash against the cold, hard ground, but at least I have the diary safely in my hands.

What the fuck just happened, I think to myself.

It’s then that I hear it. “What’s going on here?” the Pied Piper demands. I’d recognize her voice anywhere.

Chapter nineteen

“Arewedone?”Iask the assistant, trying not to sound too hostile. The fear that’s still shaking me up and the urge to check on Nuala are making me a bit less considerate than usual.

“I’d think you’d be happy we’re taking this seriously,” she says as she lifts the pen off the notebook she’s been writing my answers in.

“I am,” I reply with a sigh, trying to remind myself that this scrawny vampire girl has only been nice to me. But I expected to be questioned by the Pied Piper herself and her assistant using her powers on me has been draining. “I’m just worried about my friend,” I choose to say.

“I understand,” the girl says with a smile. “But this will be the last question I have for you.”

I nod.

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