Chapter Twenty-One Edith #2
How to isolate individual smells (takes time + practice)
· Close your eyes.
· Breathe in deeply.
· Notice different scents.
· Categorize each scent individually.
· Identify one + focus on the next.
I close my eyes, hoping Maeve doesn’t notice.
I already missed her first class today. When I suck in a deep breath, a variety of scents fills my nose, overwhelming me.
I try to focus on just one. The easiest one to identify is the hunters’ leathers.
A scent I associate with Amund. A predator’s scent.
If I ignore that, there’s lots of musky, animal-like odors remaining.
There are three unique ones—bear, boar, and wolf.
The berserkr that chased me was a wolf, so I start there.
Sniffing a few more times, I realize that Tala smells different from the rest. Her scent is earthy rather than musky.
Now that I know each one is unique, I can smell subtle differences between them.
She smells different from Isaac, who smells different from—
Wait.
There’s something unique about Isaac’s scent. His seems stronger than Tala’s, even though I’m closer to her. Because I’ve scented him before? I sniff a few more times to make sure. His is rich and somewhat sweet, with a little bit of spicy amber.
It’s the same smell from Emilía’s room.
Isaac was hooking up with Emilía? I grip my pen tighter as I stare at him in disbelief. But he’s with Tala, isn’t he? So he is a player. She must have no idea that Isaac is cheating on her. Or that he could be a killer. Which means Tala could be in danger too.
I have to warn her.
Even if I whisper, Isaac will still be able to hear me. I press my pen to my paper, digging in hard. If I try to pass her a note now, Isaac will see it too. He’s sitting right next to her. But I can’t let anything happen to Tala either.
Class continues, but I can’t focus on anything Maeve is saying.
Chewing my pen, I watch Isaac out of the corner of my eye.
He’s not paying attention to class either.
Instead, he doodles in his notebook. Unlike Tala’s meticulous notes, his pages are filled with drawings of wolves and bears and boars.
They’re actually… really good. The more I watch Isaac, the more I wonder how he could be capable of killing.
Unlike my dad, he seems easygoing and nonconfrontational.
“Edith,” Maeve calls, making me jump. “What about the skraekr?”
“Huh?”
Next to the diagram of the ear, Maeve writes out skraekr on the board. “It means scream in Old Norse, but like I was saying, it’s a rare magical ability some women possess. What happens when a berserkr hears this scream?”
“Umm… well…” My mouth goes dry. “Sorry, I must have missed that.”
Maeve sighs. “I’m sure you’re taking in a lot.”
Underneath skraekr, Maeve writes out Angrboea.
“Since you haven’t taken Intro to Norse Myth yet, this might help.
Angrboea was Loki’s mate, and the mother of monsters.
Together, they birthed the great wolf Fenrir, who was a shape-shifter like his father and giant like his mother.
But then Fenrir grew so massive not even she could scold him properly.
When Angrboea grew too angry, she used this scream to turn her wayward wolf-son human.
“The skraekr has a similar effect on berserkir,” Maeve continues.
“The theory is our heightened hearing is particularly attuned to the frequency of this scream, and hearing it triggers us to become human again, perhaps in some subconscious attempt to protect ourselves from that painful pitch. Some women share Angrboea’s ability—usually the mothers, wives, and sisters of berserkir—and the scream became a useful fail-safe if berserkir lost themselves in battle, so they could be brought back afterward. ”
The bell chimes.
Isaac stretches his hands over his head and yawns. “Freaking finally.”
Maeve casts him a warning glare.
Ignoring her, Isaac slings his backpack over his shoulder.
My mind is still spinning with the implications of Isaac potentially being Emilía’s killer—and what that means for Tala.
“Next class, we’ll take a look at the hunters’ heightened hearing,” Maeve calls as students pour out of the classroom. “And how that originated from the tonics they took.”
I turn to Tala as she finishes packing her notes away. “Can we talk?”
“Sure, what’s up?” she asks.
I follow her as she heads out.
Damn it. Isaac is waiting in the hallway, and there are too many students around still. There has to be some way I can get Tala alone. I look around and spot a restroom nearby—perfect. “Actually, can you come to the restroom with me?”
Tala frowns. “Um, sure?”
Isaac looks between us and holds up his hands. “I’m out. See you later, babe.”
Tala follows me into the restroom, the door slamming shut behind us. The walls are sleek tile, with three porcelain sinks and a line of white stalls along the other wall. I catch a flash of Tala’s confused expression in the large mirror.
“So what, do you need a tampon or something?”
“No,” I say, checking each stall to make sure we’re alone. “I need to talk to you about Isaac.”
“What about him?” Tala asks, sounding concerned.
“I don’t know how else to say it, but he’s cheating on you.”
“Oh.” Tala lets out a laugh. “Believe me, I know.”
Well, that wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. “You do?”
“Our relationship is… complicated.” Tala turns the faucet on and rinses her hands quickly. “Thanks for looking out for me, but it doesn’t bother me. Promise.”
“It’s not just that, though.” I chew my lip, not knowing how much more I should say as I join her at the sinks. “I’m worried Isaac might be dangerous.”
“Isaac? Dangerous?” Tala stares at me, stunned.
She erupts into loud laughter like I just said the funniest joke she’s ever heard. Her whole body is shaking, and she has to wipe away tears before she can speak. “Oh, you’re serious? Are you sure we’re talking about the same Isaac?”
I do my best to ignore her. “I think he might have hurt someone.”
Tala shakes her head, checking her makeup in the mirror. “I’ve known Isaac for years. He would never hurt anyone, trust me.”
Mom used to say something similar about my dad. I know him. He wouldn’t really hurt me. That’s how she ended up dead. I chew on one of my nails, unsure how I can convince Tala. Even if she already knew Isaac was cheating on her, I doubt she knows how it ended.
“Emilía is dead,” I blurt out before I can think better of it.
Tala raises an eyebrow. “Emilía?”
“The girl Isaac was hooking up with. Someone killed her… and I think it was him.”
Tala stares at me, blinking a few times. Then her eyes narrow. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says, the words practically a growl. “You don’t know anything about Isaac. Don’t you dare accuse him of that. You’re way out of line here, Edith.”
She storms off, slamming the door behind her.
Damn it. I grip the smooth porcelain sink, leaning against it as I swear under my breath.
That didn’t go how I thought it would at all.