Without hesitating, I sprint after Emilía.
CHAPTER SIXAMUND
It’s already time to start our nightly patrol. As part of Safety and Surveillance Protocols, upper-level students take turns patrolling campus. Father is the head hunter, and responsible for Skallagrim’s security, so he oversees our patrols, too.
Most of the time, they’re uneventful. Sometimes we have to deal with medical emergencies, fights, or petty crimes. Rarely, a berserkr loses control and maims someone. But it’s been years since that happened. Five to be exact.
I was only thirteen, but I haven’t forgotten.
Two berserkir boys got into a brawl.
By the time we reached them, one had already gone berserk. A boar. It was my first time seeing one fully transformed. The boar charged his classmate. Tusks tore through flesh. Blood everywhere. The victim was as good as dead—until Father sent an arrow straight through the boar’s skull.
Now I sheathe my dagger and sling my quiver around my back. I have to be prepared, even though I hope tonight will be uneventful.After pulling on my leather gloves, I flex my fingers slowly. The smell of the metal and leather is comforting, as familiar to me as home.
Home. The home I think of isn’t the way ours is now, but how it used to be when Mother and Nils still lived with us. A home that always smelled of arctic thyme and simmering stews and melting candles. A home that actually felt like one.
My phone buzzes.
A new message from Val pops up.Ready?
I find her waiting for me outside.
She frowns as soon as she sees me. “You look rough.”
“Do I?”
Val nods. “Your dad shouldn’t be so hard on you.”
“I can take it.” Her concern makes me uncomfortable. I thought I could hide how bad I feel. “We should go. We’re going to be late.”
“Wouldn’t want that,” Val says. She doesn’t sound convinced.
By the time we reach Father’s office, Dorian and Michael are already there.
As Father spreads the map of Skallagrim across his desk, I can tell something is wrong. His body is drawn as tight as a bowstring.
“Egill’s pelt was stolen last night,” Father says, tapping a finger on the main hall. “I want you to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious. That pelt is an important part of Skallagrim’s legacy, and it was stolen right under our noses. Report anything unusual to me at once.”
“On it,” Val says.
Dorian casts her a scathing look.
“Who’s covering what tonight?” Father asks.
This is another one of his tests.
The berserkir section is the largest, and also houses the rowdiest bunch of students. Or the ones most likely to give us a hard time. The witches’ and hunters’ sections are on opposite sides. Our own turf is the safest. Only a fool would try anything there. Then in the back isSkallagrim’s original campus and what was once the seer school. Even though it’s abandoned, no one ever really wants to patrol there, mainly because it’s creepy as hell.
“I’ll take berserkir,” Dorian says without missing a beat. He’s always salivating for a school-sanctioned reason to get into it with the berserkir students.
“Hunter for me,” Michael says not long after. Of course he takes the easiest one. He hates anything that requires actual effort. I hear he’s undefeated atCounter-Strikethough.
Val looks up from the map and meets my gaze. She knows which one I want, but I can’t say so outright. Not without angering Father. She gives me a quick wink before saying, “IguessI’ll take seer.”
“I’ll cover witch, then,” I say, grateful to Val.
Even so, I glance at Father, nervous to see how he’ll react. The only time I’ve ever seen him smile is after a successful hunt, when he’s brought down a berserkr. But I still hope for some sign he’s pleased with me. Or at least not angry.
