“There you are,” Tala says, cutting through the crowd. “Come on, Edith. We should offer our sympathy to Maeve.” Tala loops her arm through mine and leads me away.
“Good idea,” Nils says. “I should go check on my mom, too.”
While we walk, I lean over and whisper to Tala, “Where is Isaac?”
She frowns. “He didn’t feel up to coming.”
Nils tags along as we make our way toward Maeve and his mom. Eva pulls Nils aside, talking to him quietly, while Tala gives Maeve a hug.
“I’m so sorry for your loss,” Tala says.
Maeve’s voice shakes. “Losing him isn’t just my loss—it’s all of ours.”
Her pain opens old wounds for me. I don’t know what to say. I wish I could do something to help, but I don’t know that there’s anythinganyonecan do for her. I glance over at Amund at the edge of the gathering. Foreitherof them.
“Maeve, I’m sorry,” I say weakly.
“Thank you, Edith.”
I should be focused on Maeve, but all I can see is Amund standing like a sentry, all alone. There’s a sudden, sharp pang in my chest. Our eyes find each other for a moment, but then I look away quickly.
“Do you regret it?” I blurt out.
Maeve rubs her red-rimmed eyes. “Regret what?”
“Loving Idris,” I say, fighting the urge to look at Amund again.
A fierce glint lights her gaze. “Not for one second.”
“Really? Even though…” I trail off, unable to finish.
Maeve smiles through her tears. “Loving someone opens you up to hurt, but it also opens you up to a greater happiness and sense of connection to another person. Humansneedthose connections to live fulfilling lives. Even knowing how this would end, I still wouldn’t trade the time I had with Idris for anything.”
“I see,” I say, suddenly uncomfortable as I search her face. “Thank you, Maeve.”
Wind whistles through the courtyard like a wolf’s howl.
“I appreciate you both being here.” Maeve barely glances at my lip. “Hopefully I’ll see you in class again soon.”
“I’m planning on going back tomorrow,” I tell her.
“Tuesday,” Tala cuts in. “Classes were canceled tomorrow.”
“Right, Tuesday. I’ll definitely be back in class.”
Emilía and Idris are both gone, but Isaac is still out there.
I have to stop him before anyone else dies.
When I reach my Transformation class on Tuesday, the berserkir are already gathered, waiting for Gunnar like usual. My gaze immediately lands on Isaac. Looks like he decided to return today too.
I keep my distance from him. In a group like this, Isaac wouldn’t try anything, would he? I take a deep breath, focusing on the reassuring weight of the dagger at my side. If he does, this time I’ll be ready for him. Even if I can’t go berserk, I can still fight back.
Everyone is wearing their tunics. As I look the other berserkir over, no one seems obviously injured at first glance. I need to see if Isaac’s injuries match what Amund inflicted. We have to confirm that Isaac is the one who attacked me and killed Emilía. And Idris.
But to do that, I’ll have to get close to him first, no matter how much my brain is screaming at me to stay as far away as possible.
So I force myself to approach the group, joining the rest of them.
