Page 52 of Drawn in Blood
“I thinksongis an odd choice of words,” Fen mumbled, as he rubbed his temple. “Whoever was in charge of naming that should be fired.”
Ember furrowed her brow but kept her eyes forward on Professor Bjorn, who seemed to be trying not to look at her now.
“Can anyone tell me what the Banshee’s Song means?” Professor Bjorn asked, as he paced up and down the rows of students.
Odette’s hand shot up in the air. “She is said to be a harbinger of death,” she said softly. “The Banshee only sings at night, and her song is said to be an omen.”
The class went still.
“Very good, Miss Quinn,” Professor Bjorn nodded. “As you all heard, her song is more of a wail, and she can only be heard at night. She is said to roam the Dark Forest, and her song brings the death of a loved one or a warrior in battle.”
All eyes were on the professor as he walked through the class, so still you could hear a pin drop.
“Some view her as a guide to Valhalla,” he continued, “and others just a dark omen. The more likely truth, though, is that she is Fae but was banished from their lands.”
Ember furrowed her brow—she had met the king and queen, and they didn’t seem like the type to banish one of their own. Perhaps that was part of the legend that had been muddled—a part that had turned more fiction than fact.
“Can anyone tell me what she is said to look like?” Professor Bjorn asked, as he leaned against his desk. Killian’s hand shot up in the air, and the professor gave him a small nod.
“That’s a trick question,” he said with a wry smile. “She looks different to different people.”
“Very good.” Professor Bjorn nodded. “Care to elaborate?”
Killian cleared his throat and plucked an invisible piece of lint off his pristine white sleeve.
“To some, she looks like a young girl, some say she’s the most beautiful Irish noblewoman they’ve ever seen, and some say she just looks like an old hag.” Giggles erupted in the air and Professor Bjorn shot Killian a warning look.
“For the most part, yes,” the professor nodded with a chuckle. “Most can’t agree on what she looks like, but there are a few things they can agree on. She has long, silver hair that flows past her shoulders and piercing lavender eyes.”
Ember closed her eyes and sucked in a breath. She was transported back to the dream she had just a few nights prior, of the cottage in the woods with a woman washing blood-stained clothes in the stream. Has she had a dream about the Banshee? Or was it just a coincidence? She shivered as she wrapped her arms around her chest. Maybe she had read something that made her dream of it. Maybe just a memory of the night in Arcelia.
Whatever the reason, she hoped she never saw the woman again.
Before she realized it, class was over, and Ember was throwing her books in her bag.
“To those it may affect,” Professor Bjorn announced, as the class packed their things, “please remember that Rukr tryouts have been moved to this evening. The pitch is heavily warded, and there will be Wardens on watch for your protection.”
He cleared his throat as they all settled and looked back at him.
“You have nothing to fear,” he continued, “as long as you stay within the grounds and do as the Wardens tell you. They are here to protect you. You’re dismissed.”
Ember made her way out the door and into the hall when a small memory flitted through her mind. Nothing huge or jarring, but she suddenly remembered a Warden at the Kitts’ the day they were broken into. Her heartbeat quickened—he had actedstrange, almost standoffish. Wardens were never known to be warm and fuzzy, but he acted different—like he was hiding something. Higher ranking Wardens had access to everyone on the island, the keys to all the wards. It would be simple for someone to slip in and out without raising any alarm. They had the ability to travel at will, without an Echopoint, to anywhere on the island.
Was something bigger happening here than they realized?
Killian and Fen caught up with her as she walked down the corridor, laughing about some joke one of the boys had made. She quickly shook away the impending downward spiral and slowed her gate.
“What did you think about the Banshee song?” Killian asked, as he caught up to Ember.
“It was feckin awful,” Fen said, as he scrunched his nose, readjusting the strap on his shoulder.
“It wasn’t so bad,” Ember replied, as she shrugged. “I thought it was kind of pretty.”
Both boys looked at Ember like she had completely lost her mind.
“You have terrible taste in music,” Fen mumbled, as he shook his head. “If you can even call it that.”
“Have you heard the story about the Banshee in the forest?” Killian asked, as he cocked his brow.
