Amund still must think I’m the killer, but I don’t want to be aloneright now. The real killer might be following me. Why else would a berserkr chase me through the seer school? I didn’t find Emilía, but at least now I know I didn’t kill her.
Even if her killer could be after me now.
Yawning, I walk down the hallway on Monday, heading for Heightened Senses class. After I barely slept all weekend, my senses are anything but heightened. I missed my alarm—and my first class of the day. Whenever I closed my eyes this weekend, I was back in the crumbling halls of the seer school, running from the wolf. Except in my nightmares, the wolf was my dad.
I grip my backpack tighter. Whoever the killer is, they’re a berserkr too. Which means they should be taking Heightened Senses as well. When I finally reach the classroom, I stare at the door handle. The person whoactuallychased me through the seer school is probably sitting inside.
And I won’t know which one it is.
I smooth my skirt out along with my resolve. I have to find out who the killer is. Emilía’s death could just be the beginning. Which means we’re all in danger.
Gathering my courage, I head inside.
Maeve stands at the board, drawing a diagram of an ear. Half the classroom is packed with berserkir, but the other half is all hunters. I take a deep breath, inhaling the scents in the room—wait.Thatscent. The one from Emilía’s bed is definitely here. But I can’t tell who it belongs to. There are too many students. I search the rows of berserkir faces. Emilía’s boyfriend is here somewhere. And possibly her killer.
I’m getting closer.
When I breathe in again, all I can smell is the hunters’ leathers. Leather… isn’t that made from animal skin? And there are so many hunters. On this isolated campus, where are they getting such a supply?It couldn’t be… berserkr, could it? I shudder at the thought. If thatisthe case, no wonder the berserkir hate them so much.
Tala waves me down. “Over here. I saved you a seat.”
As I pass Amund, I can’t help but remember being stuck with him on Saturday. I would still be trapped in the seer school if it weren’t for him. Valerie is sitting beside Amund, leaning back in her chair with her legs crossed. Dorian, the hunter who was bullying Nils, eyes me as I walk by.
I take the seat next to Tala in the back of the classroom.
The musky scent is even stronger than before. But there are countless berserkr boys. Her boyfriend could be any of them. I nibble on my nails.
If only I could isolate the scent—but I still have no idea how to do that. I’ve been at Skallagrim for almost a week and haven’t made any progress. I can’t control my transformation, let alone my heightened senses. Except for my hearing. The sound of the hunters’ laughter is too loud in my ears, grating on my nerves. I drum my fingers along the table. Jim and Patricia will be arriving in just under four weeks.
“We’ll be going over the auditory senses today,” Maeve says.
Dorian and some of the other hunters make a point of talking loudly, ignoring Maeve. “Yeah man, I totally kicked Amund’s ass in combat training today.”
I glance over at Amund, but he doesn’t seem injured.
“Keep telling yourself that, Dorian.” Valerie rolls her eyes. “Remember when I wiped the floor with you last week?” A smile slowly spreads across her face. “If you’ve already forgotten, I’m happy to remind you.”
Maeve clears her throat. “Quiet down, please.”
“Wait until Wednesday,” Dorian says, ignoring her. “I really won’t hold back. I’m going to humiliate both—”
Isaac gives a low growl. “Hey, Teach is trying to talk. Why don’t you shut up already?”
“Careful, Dorian,” Valerie says, grinning. “Wouldn’t want him to go wild on you.”
Tala slams her hand down on the table, startling me. Valerie clearly struck a nerve. I’ve never seen Tala get so worked up before. She shoots up from her chair, approaching where Valerie sits. “What did you just say?”
“That’s enough,” Maeve says, trying to regain control of the situation. She’s more annoyed than I’ve ever seen her.
Valerie rises, her chair scraping across the floor. She leans over the desk and brings her face closer to Tala’s. “IsaidI wouldn’t want one of you to go wild.” She repeats it slowly, her gaze never leaving Tala.
“Don’t youdarejoke about that,” Tala says through gritted teeth.
Valerie arches an eyebrow. “Why shouldn’t I?”
They face off in the middle of the classroom.
As Tala and Valerie glare at each other, I can’t tell if they’d rather kiss or kill each other.
