She blew a gentle breath. “I’ve observed you, Bryn. I’ve always been able to spot the troubled souls at the academy. When I look at you, all I see is light.”
I thought of the stolen red healing stone locked away in my dorm room drawer, and my throat tightened. “Really?”
Alana nodded. “Now, hurry and read before someone catches you. I don’t need us both under scrutiny.”
I scanned the report. It wasn’t pretty, not that I expected it to be. Based on his many injuries, it seemed that the berserker spirits had pummeled Calvin to death. He hadn’t stood a chance against them.
I closed the file and handed it to Alana.
“You got what you needed then?” she asked.
“Almost,” I replied. There was still a little more information to gather before I was certain. Luckily, I knew just the place to go.
Cato’s eyes were closed when I arrived in the library. There were two students hunched over a table, but they were far enough across the room that they wouldn’t be an issue. Besides, I wasn’t here to ask about my father. Not tonight.
“Cato,” I said.
His eyes flew open. “Bryn. Welcome back. I’m glad you’re still here.”
“You thought I might not be?”
He lowered his voice. “I’ve heard whisperings about you. Staff members forget I’m here much of the time.”
“You heard I’m a suspect?” I whispered.
“There are varying reports,” he said. I knew he was trying to be spare my feelings. “If it’s any consolation, I know you didn’t do anything. I only wish I had witnessed something helpful that night.”
“I must have some support,” I said, “or they wouldn’t let me wander freely around campus.”
“You can thank Chancellor Tilkin for that privilege,” Cato said.
I’d suspected as much, but, after overhearing her at the lakeside, I wasn’t sure. Maybe she was simply trying to placate Theo Armitage.
“I’d like to know more about berserkers,” I said.
Cato seemed taken aback. “Berserkers? They don’t have you training against them, do you? That’s far too advanced for a first year.”
“I’m not fighting them.” Yet. “I’d just like to know more about them. Like, what are their special skills?”
“Phew, you had me concerned.” Cato looked thoughtful. “Berserkers are part of the society of Viking warriors. Fierce and frenzied in battle. When they fight, they almost enter an altered state of blind rage, like they’re possessed by demonic forces. They become uncontrollable, sometimes accidentally killing warriors on their own side. They’re also said to be impervious to weapons, though I fought a few in my day that definitely suffered at the ends of my talons.”
I shuddered. Their ferocity was good for the paranormal they were protecting. Not so good from my perspective.
“Presumably, berserker spirits would be even harder to defeat,” I said.
Cato whistled. “Unstoppable killing machines, I would think.”
Not the news I wanted to hear. “You fought them and lived to tell the tale,” I said. “How did you manage?”
Cato chuckled. “The soul of a fighter and a lot of luck. Generally, my strategy involved not trying to outfight them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I went full Loki on them. You know who Loki is, right?”
“A Norse god,” I said.
“That’s him. Loki was known as a trickster. His wins were often about deception or outwitting his enemy.”
“Clever god,” I said.
“He was entertaining, that’s for sure.” Cato sighed wistfully. “Why do I get the feeling that you’re not asking about berserkers for theoretical reasons?” His bird eyes rounded. “Berserker spirits were bound to the sword that went missing the night of Calvin’s death.”
I glanced around the room to make sure no one was listening. “I think the sword was already missing at that point, only no one had noticed. Calvin stole it a couple of weeks ago.”
“To add to his weapons collection?”
I shook my head. “No, it was never about the sword.”
“Why would he steal it then?”
“He was in desperate need of money, and I suspect someone offered him a lot of it in exchange for performing certain tasks. Calvin stole items that were imbued with warrior spirits, like the sword and the Ring of Panas, and then had the spirits disconnected by a mage. The berserker spirits likely killed him.”
“But how, if they were detached from the sword?”
“I think Calvin was double-crossed by his employer,” I said. “Maybe he wanted Calvin to steal another item from museum storage and Calvin refused, or maybe the employer simply wanted to test the skills of the spirits.”
“So, are the spirits running loose?” Cato queried.
“No. The mage that Calvin visited said that detachment magic was the first part of her job.” I hadn’t thought to ask about the second part. Now, I didn’t need to.
Cato grew concerned. “The spirits are now attached to something else.”
“Yes, they are,” I said.
And I knew exactly what that something was.
“Move to the right,” Gray said. “You’re too far over.”
“I know how to ride a broomstick, thank you,” Robin said, from his position in the front.
“No backseat drivers,” I called from behind Mia. My first experience on a broomstick and I was headed to the top of a mountain. Go big or go home, right?
It’s probably best not to taunt the vampire, Icarus said, flying alongside us.
“I’d prefer not to crash into the side of a mountain, if it’s all the same to you,” Gray said.
“Hey, I didn’t complain on your motorcycle,” I said, the wind whipping my hair into my mouth. I tugged it away.
“I have decades of experience operating a motorcycle,” he shot back. “Library guy has had five minutes on a broomstick in comparison.”
“I’m perfectly adept, I assure you,” Robin said in a huff. “It’s a moot point now, anyway. We’re almost there.”
“Are you sure no one will be able to see us?” Gray asked.
“My cloaking spell will hold for the allotted time,” Robin said. First years weren’t supposed to work with any kind of invisibility spell, so we decided to get around that rule by allowing the prefect to perform one. Robin surprised us all by swiftly agreeing to the plan. It seemed that the prefect was not as self-involved as Gray believed.
Target is in view, Icarus announced.
Flattop Mountain was, as the name suggested, fairly flat at the top. The council meeting appeared to be in full swing, with thirteen dwarfs seated at a round stone table. Banners with their sigils flew behind their respective chairs. It was easy to spot the head of the council. His banner was bigger and his seat higher than the other twelve.
“Everyone knows what to do, right?” Dani asked, her strawberry blond ponytail streaming behind her.
“I’ve got the rune rocks,” Cerys said, and patted her cloak pocket. Thanks to our plan, we were about to put her talent with runes to good use. I’d been so relieved when I told my roommates about my theory, and they jumped at the chance to help. There was no way I could handle this alone.
“Hold on tight,” Cerys called. “Landing might be tricky.”
Cerys brought her broom down first and Dani gracefully slid off, poised for action. She was born to be an agent. I didn’t doubt her potential for one second.
“Cerys and I will stay here and create the circle,” Robin said. His cloak billowed in the wind and I saw his bow tie peeking out from beneath the material.
“Let’s go,” Gray said. “Before our cloaking spell wears off.”
Robin and Cerys set to work on the circle.
“Try to stay behind me,” Gray said. “If you’re too far out in front, I won’t be able to protect you.”
“Who says you need to protect me?” I asked archly.
“Don�
��t get cocky,” he said. “You’ve had a bit of luck here and there…”
I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow. “You told me I was talented. Now it’s luck?”
Gray couldn’t resist a grin. “You have a talent with your elbow, that’s for sure.”
The dwarfs began banging their fists on the table. Something was happening.
“Your grandfather didn’t deserve this seat,” Mogus yelled, thumping his balled fists. “You’re lucky he wasn’t brought in front of the tribunal for his treachery.”
“My grandfather was a credit to the council,” Kilond spat. “You were nothing more than a fool.”
“I preside over this meeting as the chief,” Mogus said. “Who’s the fool now?”
Kilond’s lip curled in a cruel smile. “Still you. Thanks to careful planning, I have my own Fianna now.”
“A Fianna?” another dwarf queried. “What are you talking about, Kilond?”
The conniving dwarf pumped his fists in the air, his confidence inflating with every breath. “An elite military guard with me at all times. To defend me and, when necessary, to attack.”
Alarm passed over Mogus’s rounded features. “What do you mean by attack?”
Kilond leapt to his feet and said, “Accerso.”
“That’s our cue,” Gray said, and sprinted forward. He tried to reach Kilond, but it was too late. Spirits exploded from the pig amulet around his neck—twelve berserkers dressed in pelts and wielding clubs and spears. One additional warrior emerged clutching a katana—the spirit from the Ring of Panas.
Uh oh.
The spirits attacked the dwarfs at the table, taking the council completely off guard. Kilond observed the melee with gleeful malice.
Gray ran straight into the thick of it, and Kilond’s eyes widened.
We were officially visible.
Thankfully, there was enough mist at the top of the mountain to draw strength. I called the water to me, feeling the energy churn inside me as my magic awakened. I willed a barrier around me, much like the one I formed around the Gila monster, to protect me from the spirits’ weapons. They came fast and furiously, and I pushed through them, keeping my focus on Kilond. We had to get that amulet. It was our best chance at stopping him.
The dwarfs were fighting back, too, using their spears and axes to no avail. The spirits seemed able to inflict pain with their weapons, but opposing weapons sliced through nothing more than air.
Dani tried to contain the spirits with a wall of fire, but they passed right through the flames. Mia summoned a gust of wind to blow them back toward Kilond, but it only seemed to slow their movements.
“Nothing’s working,” Mia yelled.
“Every little bit helps,” I called back.
Even Icarus tried to join the fray. Each time he swooped low, however, he had to dodge a weapon.
Stay high, I warned him. I didn’t want to worry about his safety, too. This was stressful enough.
Gray was inching closer to Kilond. He had the best odds of reaching the diabolical dwarf. Kilond seemed to agree because he grabbed a sword—Skofnung, no doubt—and held it in front of him.
“Teamwork makes the dream work,” I yelled, channeling Dr. Jonas.
Another club bounced off my bubble and I whirled around to face the berserker spirit. Although he and his club were translucent, that didn’t seem to stop his weapon from working.
“Cerys said it’s time,” Dani yelled, running back to the circle.
Gray was surrounded by berserkers, doing his best to draw the warrior spirits away from the dwarfs, yet still reach Kilond. It seemed an impossible task.
Another blast of wind knocked some of the spirits away from Gray, and I silently thanked Mia. I bolted forward and plowed through the berserkers with my mist bubble, scattering them like bowling pins. The vampire seized the opportunity to make a break for Kilond, but the Panas spirit appeared between them, wielding his katana.
It’s time, Bryn. Icarus’s voice thundered in my head.
I glanced over my shoulder to see my friends holding hands inside the circle. The painted rocks were scattered in a pattern and everyone appeared to be chanting.
I can’t go yet, I objected. Gray needs my help. He’s almost there.
The vampire can handle it, Icarus said. You must join them now, or you will all be in peril.
Gray evaded the spirit’s blows, and I gasped as a cluster of berserkers headed toward him.
Go now or it will be too late! Icarus yelled.
I ran back to the circle, the energy pulsing around me. My protective bubble burst as I jumped inside. The moment my hands joined theirs, the magic swelled. The air thickened and I felt an intense pressure in my skull.
Gray made it to Kilond and I winced as the vampire took a slice to the shoulder. Blood dripped down his arm and chest. Pain didn’t deter the vampire, though. He wrenched the sword free from Kilond and flung it aside. The dwarf screamed for his warrior spirits, but it was too late.
Gray ripped the pig amulet from around the dwarf’s neck and threw it high in the air.
Icarus, now!
The owl flew down to snatch the amulet and made a beeline for the circle, staying high enough to avoid the spirits’ angry weapons.
“Hurry!” Gray yelled, and I saw the warriors closing in on him once more.
We couldn’t let him down.
I focused inward, letting the magic speak through me. The wind swirled around us, so strong that I worried about Icarus blowing back toward Kilond.
The pig amulet landed in the middle of the stone circle.
Bullseye, Icarus said.
Beneath our feet, the mountain quaked. Cerys’s voice rose above the din, speaking an unfamiliar language. Later, Robin would tell me it was Etruscan.
The spirits fought against the current as they were pulled toward the amulet in the circle. As each spirit entered the circle, it dissipated. Their screams echoed in my head, a sound that would haunt my dreams for years to come.
Thirteen accounted for, Icarus said.
Thank you, I said. Being attached to an object for the rest of their unnatural lives seemed a terrible fate. No one deserved eternal servitude.
So we set them free.
The amulet shattered into fragments, accompanied by a sonic boom that nearly knocked us to our feet. The ground shook. We held firm, and waited for the moment to pass.
When the wind finally calmed, I craned my neck to locate Gray. He had Kilond in a chokehold at the end of the table, where they were surrounded by the other members of the council and their weapons.
Relief washed over me as I crumpled to the ground.
“Bryn!” I heard Gray call my name, but I was too weak to answer.
Rest, Bryn, Icarus said softly. You’ve earned it.
Chapter Eighteen
“How much trouble do you think we’re in?” I asked. The four of us sat outside Chancellor Tilkin’s office, waiting our turn. She’d asked to see Robin first, and we worried exactly how much of our extracurricular activities he’d revealed.
“Doesn’t matter,” Dani said. “We’d do it again in a heartbeat, wouldn’t we?”
My roommates’ heads bobbed in unison.
I felt an unexpected pang of gratitude. “Thank you for helping me. You didn’t have to stick your necks out, but I’m glad you did.” They barely knew me, yet they’d jumped at the chance to help when I needed it.
“You don’t need to thank us,” Mia said. “We’re your roommates. We look out for each other.”
“We’re more than roommates,” Cerys added. “We’re friends.”
I’d never had friends before, not for lack of wanting them. I just hadn’t been able to stay in one place long enough to put down roots. Maybe that would finally change—unless Chancellor Tilkin decided I was too much of a liability.
On cue, the office door opened and Robin emerged, his expression neutral. He gave us a curt nod before continuing down the corridor without a word.
/> “The chancellor will see you now,” Hazel said, startling me.
My stomach knotted as we entered the office. Chancellor Tilkin sat behind the desk, her white-blond hair twisted into a French knot.
“Sit down, please,” she said.
“Cup of tea, girls?” Hazel offered. “I have all the flavors.”
All the flavors? I was sorely tempted.
Three heads shook in silence, so I kept my mouth shut.
“Very well, then,” Hazel said, and left the office.
“Mogus tells me he was very impressed by your display,” the chancellor said. “Tell me, how did you arrive on the mountain without being seen? It seems to me that the element of surprise tipped the scales in your favor.”
We sat there, tight-lipped. No one wanted to throw Robin under the bus for the cloaking spell. We had no idea what he’d told the chancellor.
“I’m sorry, Chancellor,” Dani said. “It was an old family cloaking spell that my grandmother taught me. I know we’re not supposed to use invisibility spells, but it was the only way to protect the council without alerting Kilond to our plan.”
Chancellor Tilkin observed us coolly, and I suspected she was fully aware of Dani’s lie. “Perhaps you should have considered contacting the appropriate authorities. Might that not have been ‘another way,’ as you put it?”
I squirmed in my seat. “I asked for their help. I didn’t think anyone else would believe me. If we waited to convince someone, it would’ve been too late.”
“We viewed it as an opportunity to gain experience in the field,” Dani said, with an air of confidence I envied. “Instructor Armitage is always telling us how important that is.”
Chancellor Tilkin leveled a gaze at her. “Except it wasn’t a sanctioned training exercise, Miss Degraff. It was a risky venture that happened to pay off. The four of you were very fortunate that things turned out the way they did.”
I slumped in my seat. She wasn’t wrong.
“I’m sorry, Chancellor,” I said. “I accept full responsibility for everything that happened. I’ll understand if you want me to leave the academy. I’ve only been here a short time, and I’ve already managed to cause problems.”
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