An arrow whistles past me—clipping Tala’s ear and lodging into the wall.
“No!” Val shouts.
Tala growls, deep and dangerous. The near miss only seems to anger her. I whip around to see Dorian already reloading his crossbow. Tala sets her sights on him, too, her teeth bared at her new target.
I turn to Isaac. “Stop her—”
Isaac starts screaming, his drink shattering on the floor. His clothes hang in tatters on his body, and his dress shoes are split open. Brown fur envelopes his body as he falls on his hands and knees. I stare in horror as bones crack and snap.
A sand-colored wolf rises where Isaac was moments ago.
Isaac lets out a furious howl, exposing long, lethal fangs.
He joins Tala as she races toward Dorian.
More glasses shatter.
The music cuts off abruptly, replaced by screams. I look around the gym, watching as more berserkir drop to the ground, their own transformations starting. Not just students. Faculty and staff. Alumni.Everyberserkr.
“What the hell is going on?” Val shouts over all the noise.
“I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
While the berserkir transform, everyone who isn’t one runs for the only exit. They throw themselves against the doors, pounding their fists and screaming, but the doors don’t open. Helga pushes through the crowd and chants an unlocking spell. Nothing happens. When that doesn’t work, she paints an unlocking stave with her blood, yet the doorsstillwon’t open.
We’re trapped.
Something must have sealed the doors shut from outside.
While Helga and my mother try more spells, I can feel the weight ofthe lupine canister in my pocket. This is the only one we have. I should save it until they get the doors open. Otherwise, we won’t be able to escape.
A group of hunters is already stationed in the bleachers on the opposite side of the gym. They draw their bows, arrows aimed at the berserkir. Bows every hunter brought with them becauseIwarned them the killer could attack the Unity Dance. When I told them to stash weapons in the gym just in case, I never imaginedthis.
“No!” I shout. “Hold your fire!”
Too late.
Arrows slice through the air.
One after another buries into the berserkir.
In a flash of fur, Tala and Isaac descend on the hunters. More wolves join them, leaping over the bleachers and knocking aside the bows before the hunters can reload.
Tala latches onto Dorian—and rips out his throat. Blood sprays the wall. Agonized screams pierce the party, quickly replaced by the sound of wet flesh being feasted on as Dorian is devoured by the pack of wolves.
“Damn it, Amund,” Val shouts. “We have to do something!”
“I know,” I say, taking in the chaos.
There’s at least fifty berserkir. Boars rampage through the crowd, tusks tearing into flesh and driving people toward the bleachers where the wolves are waiting. Other people scramble onto the tables, trying to avoid tusks and hooves and claws while they start chanting spells. The berserkir are so quick, there’s no time for staves, only spoken spells.
A gray bear bellows, drawing my attention as he barrels toward a group of screaming people. The bear is missing one eye, just like…Gunnar.
Then Helga is there. The massive bowl of punch levitates in the air a moment before flying toward Gunnar, red liquid washing over thefloor like blood as the bowl hits him in the head. Gunnar roars and turns on her, and Helga throws her hands out, chanting to lift the bowl back up.
While Helga fends off Gunnar, I spot another door behind her.
Not an exit, but it should lead to the locker room.
