At leastHenryreturned alive.
I set the letters down and scan the desk for anything that might be useful. My attention snags on a framed photo of the three sisters. The Helgas are much younger, their faces barely touched by wrinkles. But that isn’t what arrests me. With a shaking hand, I reach out for the picture to examine it more closely.
Mother stands between the Helgas, smiling alongside her two sisters. Her dark hair is in a braided crown with loose tendrils framing her heart-shaped face. Her green eyes sparkle with mischief. She looks happier than I’ve ever seen her.
This must have been before she met Father. Before she gave birth to me and then Nils. Before all those unfortunate events unfolded. As I study her face, I can’t remember the last time I saw Mother smile. Not since the separation. Seeing her laughing takes me back to a time before then. When we were still a family.
Sadness pierces my chest like a spear. I set the photo down quickly and turn from the desk. I’m not here to reminisce about something that’s gone forever.
When I check the lignite in my palm, it’s already crumbling.
Not much time.
I have to get Edith’s file quickly and get out of here.
I scan the shelves behind the desk and then… the filing cabinet. I work the drawer open slowly so the metal hinges don’t squeal and grab a handful of folders.
A loud squawk startles me. I grip the folders tighter.
“Helly,” a voice says.
I turn quickly, surveying the room and all its curiosities.
The door is still closed. No one else is here, except…
A raven sits on a wooden perch in the corner of the room. It flaps its wings, cocking its head to the side as it stares at me with oily eyes.Well, shit. In the lack of light, I didn’t notice her bird there. Helga keeps two ravens—Huginn and Muninn—but I can’t tell which this one is. She must’ve left it here to guard her office in her absence.
Can the raven see me?
It surefeelslike it can. Father didn’t say if I’d be invisible to animals, too.
I return to the student folders, flipping through them until I spot a familiar face: my brother’s. Nils Agnarsson. Classification: seiðmaðr.Witch.Seeing it stated so plainly is jarring. It’s the thing that tore our family apart.
I remember when Father found Nils had stolen Mother’s book of staves. How Nils ran to me, crying. How I held him tightly as he sobbed until snot ran down his nose. How I told him everything would be okay.Hewould be okay.
But I lied.
Father could never accept that he would rather practice magic than hunt. I knew that, but I didn’t know how far he would go. How he took all his anger, his frustration, his disappointment out on Nils, trying to make my brother more like him. As bad as Father is with me, it’s nothing compared to how he abused my brother.
And I had no idea.
Not until it was too late. As soon as Mom found out, she took Nils and left. I could have gone with them.Shouldhave. But when I thought of what it would do to Father to losebothhis sons, I couldn’t leave.
I still can’t.
Burying that memory, I flip through more of the student files. Emilía Jónsdóttir, the witch who was murdered. I skim through her file. Born and raised in Iceland. She was the same age as Nils and wason the student council. Emilía lived in Freyja Hall with her roommate, Irina Orlova. Nothing else here is particularly useful. At least now I know these are the right files. I skip ahead to the berserkir. Isaac Allen. Kristín Briem. Beatrice Holden.
Edith Holden.
Her face isn’t one I would ever forget, and her short white hair is unmistakable. In this photo, she wears a bright smile. She looks friendly and open, just like when we first met. Staring at her photo, I have the strangest, most unwelcome thought that she’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.
Sometimes the most beautiful creatures are the deadliest. I keep reading, devouring every detail I can find. For some reason, I want to learn more about her. Even if she could be a killer. Even if I might have to hunt her. No, especially because of that. I need to understand my prey.
Edith Holden
Classification: ulfheðinn (unconfirmed)
They don’t even know if she’s a wolf or not? She must not have gone fully berserk yet. So shewastelling the truth about that at least. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t the killer. Something bad must have happened if she transferred here mid-semester. She clearly has no control of her ability.
