Chapter Eighteen Amund
As Nils and Edith leave the dorm room, I duck around the corner and flatten against the wall.
Finally, I have something on Edith that can get her expelled.
There’s just one problem—if I report this, my brother will be punished too.
Damn it, Nils. Why couldn’t he have stayed away from her like I told him to?
I can overhear their conversation, just like I heard everything that happened in that room. When the screaming started, it took all my willpower not to break down the door and charge inside. A good hunter knows to stay out of sight, to watch without being seen.
No matter how badly I want to intervene.
You’re hurt, Edith had said.
I know she must have meant my brother. She’d better not be responsible for it. Though it’s hard for me to reconcile the fact that her voice held genuine concern for Nils. Maybe my brother isn’t the only one developing feelings.
But neither of them broached the most concerning revelation. When Edith asked Emilía who killed her, her reply was clear as day: You. Edith is guilty. Emilía said so herself. Why aren’t they talking about that?
I grit my teeth as I listen to their receding footsteps. Something must have gone awry though. That’s why the use of seer techniques is forbidden. I should report them immediately. Father would. But I can’t do anything that would harm Nils.
Once they head down the stairwell, I glance around the corner. The hallway is empty, so I head silently after them—
A door flings open as I walk past.
“Oh my gods!” a girl screams, her hands flying to her chest. She has brown hair pulled into a bun and large, round glasses. She’s the witch who was with Edith and Nils earlier. No, not just a witch. A seer.
I hold a finger to my lips. “Irina, right?”
“S-s-sorry, you startled me,” Irina says. “What is a hunter doing here?”
My jaw works. “I was looking for Nils.”
Not the truth, but not a lie, either.
“Oh… H-he just left.”
“I know,” I say, glancing down the hall. I can’t let them get too far ahead of me or they’ll be harder to track down. I’m not supposed to let Edith out of my sight. But I can’t ignore Irina breaking the rules either. “You should stop messing with things you don’t understand.”
Her eyebrows fly up. “I-I have no idea what you mean.”
I give her a long look. “I overheard everything. If I were you, I’d stay far away from Edith.”
“I didn’t know that would happen, I swear. I’ve never even done a séance before.” Irina fidgets with a loose strand of hair. “Do you really think she did it?”
“You heard Emilía.”
She frowns. “Y-yeah, I did. But—”
“Which is why you need to tell Helga about this,” I say gruffly.
“I can’t.” Irina frowns. “Anything close to it is forbidden on campus. If I come clean, I’ll be expelled. My parents would freak out. I can’t turn myself in.”
I glance down the hall, impatient. Edith and Nils are long gone by now. There’s no time for this.
“You should have thought of that before meddling with this,” I say. “Either you tell Helga or I will.”
Irina presses her lips together and assesses me with a narrowed gaze. “If I turn myself in, then I’m telling her about Nils, too.” Her eyes meet mine, defiant.
Damn it. I grind my teeth. I can’t allow that to happen, and Irina must know it too.
“Fine, just… don’t do it again. The last thing Skallagrim needs is another Tragedy,” I say before hurrying down the hall.
Edith and my brother have already been alone too long.
I take the stairs down, moving as quickly as I can to make up for lost time.
Throwing open the door, I look around the witch campus, head swiveling.
Classes are over with for the week, so most students are either at their dorms or eating dinner.
There.
Nils and Edith are heading toward the dining hall.
I stay out of sight. I don’t know how attuned Edith is with her senses yet, but if I’m not careful, she could scent my leathers on the breeze. She’d realize that I’m hunting her. As I move closer, I catch some of their conversation.
“Hey, if you’re worried, don’t be,” Nils says, stopping before the stairs.
Edith scoffs. “How can I not be? She—”
Nils lowers his voice. “We don’t even know for sure that was Emilía. It could have been another spirit messing with us. You heard Irina. She’s never done that before.”
Edith drags her hands down her face. “I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Which is why we’re going to find out who Emilía’s boyfriend is,” Nils says, his voice softening. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out. We’ll prove you didn’t do it.”
Edith bites her lip. “Okay.”
She doesn’t sound convinced.
“You should eat something,” Nils urges her. “You’ll feel better once you do.”
“You’re not coming?” Edith asks, sounding disappointed.
Nils shakes his head, curls swaying. “I have to meet my mom for dinner.”
My chest grows tight. It’s been years since I had one of my mother’s home-cooked meals, but I still remember their savory taste full of warmth and comfort. As a bitter breeze blows through the courtyard, I miss her more than ever.
“Right,” Edith says. “Of course.”
“I’d better get going, actually.” Nils hesitates a moment. “Be careful, okay? Whoever Emilía was seeing, he could be dangerous.”
“I know. I will be, don’t worry.” Edith starts up the steps, but then she pauses and turns back to Nils. “Thank you for helping me today. I appreciate it.”
Nils rubs the back of his neck. “It’s no trouble, really.”
Her lips curl into a smile. “It means a lot to me. Being at this school, dealing with these new powers, well… you believing in me, it means a lot.” Nils looks away, a slight blush coloring his cheeks.
Edith shakes her head and blows out a breath.
“Anyway, I’ll see you next week. I’ll let you know what I find out in class on Monday. ”
“Good luck,” Nils says, tucking his hands into his pockets. He watches her head inside the dining hall, then walks toward the witch campus.
Toward me.
I duck behind the building, heart pounding. Hopefully he didn’t catch sight of me.
He never looks back.
I remain outside the dining hall until Edith is heading down the steps. I trail her as she returns to the berserkr campus and goes directly to her dorm, then wait outside until I’m satisfied she’s in for the night.
I finally have proof that Edith is the killer—straight from the mouth of her victim.
Father sits at his desk, poring over some documents.
I approach him, eying the large taxidermy wolf displayed proudly in his office.
The first berserkr he ever killed. I’ve never asked him how many more he’s killed since.
A deep crease forms in his forehead when he looks up.
“Amund, I wasn’t expecting you.” He sets the papers down slowly. “What is it?”
“Edith is the killer,” I say with no preamble. “I have a witness.”
“Who?”
I try to catch my breath. Once I was sure Edith wasn’t going anywhere, I sprinted across campus, needing to get here as fast as possible. In my haste, I didn’t think through this part fully. I’ll have to tell Father Irina was using her seer ability.
“Emilía.”
Father narrows his eyes. “Is this your idea of a joke?”
“Of course not,” I say quickly. “One of the witches is a seer. She contacted Emilía’s spirit in a séance and asked her who killed her.”
Father’s frown deepens. “And you were part of this?”
“Edith was,” I say, deliberately leaving Nils out. “I followed her to Freyja Hall and overheard the whole thing. When Edith asked Emilía who her killer was, Emilía clearly said you.”
He considers that for a long moment, steepling his fingers. “Who else was there?”
I swallow hard. “What do you mean?”
“I know someone else was there,” Father says. “At least three people are required to perform a séance. So I’ll ask again. Who else was there?”
My gaze flicks to the portrait of my uncle. Father must know because his brother was a seer. I’d failed to account for that. “I don’t know,” I hedge. “I didn’t see them.”
“Hmm.” Father looks me over, considering. I suspect he knows exactly who I’m protecting. To my surprise, he lets it go, continuing on instead. “Even if she did say this, it’s still not evidence. Spirits cannot be trusted.”
“But—”
“Bring me something solid next time,” Father says as he stands.
“Where are you going?” I ask as he brushes by me.
“There’s something I have to take care of.” Father stops in the doorway and slowly turns his head toward me. “One last thing,” he says, his expression hardening. “Stay far away from seers.”