Page 79 of Blood of Ancients

Left alone to my thoughts, I picked at my nails nervously and bit my lip until it bled. I had class in an hour, Advanced Runeshaping & Wards with Hersir Gudleif Selken. I welcomed the distraction of class, to take my mind off things I ruminated over and could do nothing about.

As I prepared for it, I snuck down to a secluded part of the winding river—knowing Grim would chastise me if he learned I’d gone alone—and washed off the stink of self-pity swallowing me whole.

Feeling refreshed, I slipped into my clothes, scouted the banks to make sure no enemies were lying in wait, and grabbed my spear and backpack to head to a nearby cafeteria for a quick bite before class.

I didn’t make it to the cafeteria before I was stopped by a booming voice.

“Gods be good, there she is.”

My head whipped over to the annoyed tone, murmured loud enough that it echoed off the walls of the tunnels I walked through.

My brow furrowed as I laid eyes on Hersir Kelvar.

“You’re a hard one to pin down, Linmyrr. Don’t you have class on the opposite side of campus in less than an hour?”

“How do you know what classes I have, sir?”

“I’m the Whisperer, girl. It’s my job.” His words faded into the background as three forms rounded the corner behind him.

My mouth fell open. Grim, Sven, and Arne stationed themselves behind the shorter, older man.

“G-Guys?” I croaked. Inside, a knot of dread curled in my stomach as I stared out at their faces, seeing the dour looks on them all.

Especially Arne, whose face was blanched and nervous.

“What’s going on?” I eked out.

Kelvar crossed his arms. His cloak fell over his shoulders and blanketed the rest of his body, making him look like a brooding raven. He eyed two students passing behind me, headed toward the cafeteria. He said, “Let us talk somewhere more private, cadet.”

My nerves were frayed. I gulped and followed him and my quiet mates away from the hall, toward an empty classroom cavern nearby.

Once inside, Kelvar swept his arm out, bidding us to sit. “I have been commissioned for an expedition,” he told me. “And I have been tasked with raising a team to join me.”

“Join you where, sir?”

He waved his hand toward the ceiling. “Up there.”

“Outside?” I hissed. The snowfall hadn’t abatedthatmuch in recent days. I could still hear it piling on. The occasional groaning of the porous limestone and granite caves was proof of how bad the weather was up there.

Kelvar took my doubt in stride, nodding succinctly. He stayed quiet. My heart began to beat in my ears. A sick feeling washed over me as I put together what he was saying, without him needing to say more.There’s only one reason we’d be going aboveground at a time like this, in the middle of the term. An emergency.

“Magnus,” I breathed. My eyes burned.

“Astute, cadet,” Kelvar said indifferently.

How he could show such coldness was . . . well, it was like Magnus himself, really. But in a situation like this? I’d known Magnus was spending some more time with the Whisperer recently, staying mum mum about the goings-on with the Hersir.

“What’s happened to him?” I asked, chewing my lip some more. “Tell me Magnus is all right, Whisperer.”

“I can’t do that. Because I don’t know what’s happened to him.” Kelvar’s eyes flashed over my shoulders, behind me, and I took a mental note. “Hence why I’m building a team to go looking for him.”

I glanced back. He had darted a look at Arne, and now my iceshaper was being unreasonably evasive when I looked at him as well. “Arne,” I growled. “What isn’t the Hersir telling me?”

Kelvar might have had the sheer authority here of being a Hersir, but Arne had become my good boy and I knew he wouldn’t hide a secret from me. Not after everything we’d been through.

Sure enough, he resisted for all of eight seconds before letting out a ragged breath. His voice was choked with emotion. “Vini . . .”

“Tell me!” I screamed abruptly, shooting up to my feet and startling everyone in the room except the Whisperer.

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