Not that I mind. I’m already dreading our return.
Despite the protection offered by its iron gates, Skallagrim is as dangerous as the Wilds. At least out here, I don’t have to dread accidentally running into my brother or mother, and what will happen if I do. I don’t have to endure hateful growls whenever a berserkr student lays eyes on me, or hear their snarls ofMurderer.
As hunters, we do more than pick off wild berserkir to prevent overpopulation and avoid exposure. Skallagrim employs us to track them down all over the world and protect innocent people from their fury. We are a reminder toallberserkir of what awaits if they lose their tenuous control over their wild power. We hunters will always be close by, our weapons ready.
Skallagrim Academy appears on the horizon, shrouded by the early morning haze. Daylight turns the school’s worn stone buildings gray and grim. Its ancient towers stand like lonely sentinels, watching over the Wilds.
Our hunt is over. At least for now.
CHAPTER THREEEDITH
“Can’t remember the last time I’ve come out this far,” the taxi driver says. Fortunately, he’s fluent in English as well as Icelandic.
We drive through a sullen landscape, all brown and green. When Helga said Skallagrim was in Iceland, I didn’t realize she meant the middle of nowhere. Rocks kick up beneath the tires, making the whole cab shake. At least we’re on the ground again after the ten-hour flight, even if the cab reeks of cigarette smoke, body odor, and what I suspect is an egg salad sandwich.
“Oh really?” I ask politely, doing my best to ignore the stink. I’ve always been sensitive to smell, but this seemswayworse than normal. This must be what Helga meant when she warned me about having heightened senses.
Bea is glued to the car window, oohing and aahing.
Helga insisted she attend Skallagrim too.Bea likely inherited the same ability as her sister, she explained to our foster parents. Jim let out a too-loud laugh. When Helga didn’t, he said,Oh, you’re not pulling our leg?Jim and Patricia exchanged a long look. They didn’t want to believe it any more than I did. Helga looked them square in the eyesand simply said,If Edith had gone to Skallagrim sooner, she wouldn’t be facing prosecution or jail.
Like she said, Helga can be very persuasive, especially when she uses seiðr. I’m not sure Jim and Patricia fully understand everything she said about berserkir and magic and Skallagrim Academy—I don’t know if I do, either—but they trust our social worker wants the best for us. The alternative was a lot worse. As normal as my foster parents are, I guess they’d rather believe I’m a berserkr than a criminal.
So we said our goodbyes at the airport. Jim and Patricia couldn’t come with us because neither of them has many vacation days at work, but they promised they’d visit soon. Apparently Skallagrim is having some big celebration for friends and family next month, and Jim and Patricia said they’ll come. Which means I have a month to get my powers under control. Next time I see my foster parents, I need to prove I’m still a good girl before I lose them—and Bea.
“Hardly anyone ever comes out here,” the driver says, bringing me back to the present. “Unless you count the wolves, that is.”
I straighten in my seat. “Wolves?”
At the same time, Bea says, “Awesome.”
The driver nods. “Only part of Iceland that has them, but no one knows where they came from. Imported, I guess.” He laughs and glances back at me expectantly.
Rude or not, I can’t bring myself to laugh at his joke.
There aren’t anywolvesin Iceland.
They must be berserkir.
Like my father.
Like me.
I glance down to check that my nails haven’t turned into claws again. Ever since the incident three weeks ago, I haven’t been able to stop checking. Every time I do, I don’t know what I’ll find. I have no idea what I’m turning into.
“What do they look like?” I ask, picking at a hangnail.
“Never seen one,” the driver says, “but you can hear ’em howling.”
Wonderful.
I grip my phone tighter. “How much farther is Skallagrim?”
The driver ignores my question. “That’s the place for troubled youth, isn’t it?”
Principal Matthews believes the same thing. So do the police. As far as they know, Skallagrim Academy offers a wilderness program, intensive counseling, and equine therapy for troubled youth. It’s how Helga convinced them to drop my charges. And a lot of magic. She must have used magic on Jason, too, because all of a sudden he became the kind of person who can forgive and forget. And Iknowhe isn’t. Not to mention all of the witnesses with their phones and the hallway cameras.
The driver adjusts the rearview mirror until he meets my eyes in the reflection. “You two don’t look very troubled to me.”
