Chapter 165 — We Go Way Back

Chapter 165: Chapter 165 — We Go Way Back

~ Raven ~

"Dreamwalkers?"

The amusement faded from Isolde’s face almost immediately. For a moment she simply looked at Raven as though waiting for the question to make sense in the context of anything they had just been discussing, then her brows pulled together.

"Why are you asking me about something that’s been extinct for generations?"

Raven had expected something close to that. "What do you know about them?"

Isolde continued studying her, clearly aware that Raven had avoided the question. "Not much more than anyone raised in a Great House would know."

She paused before continuing. "They were an old bloodline, supposedly capable of entering dreams and interfering with the mind. There are records about distorted dreams, planted suggestions, people behaving differently without understanding why."

She gave a small shrug. "Depending on which account you believe, they were either terrifying enough to destroy entire Houses from the inside or responsible for every inexplicable murder, betrayal and bout of madness for three centuries."

Raven frowned. "You don’t believe the records?"

"I believe Dreamwalkers existed once. I just don’t believe every nobleman who murdered his brother did it because some mysterious wolf climbed into his head and told him to."

Isolde’s mouth twisted slightly. "If I’m being honest, a good portion of those stories sound like bullshit written by people who needed something supernatural to blame."

That was disappointingly reasonable. Raven had spent enough time in the library reading old accounts that disagreed with each other to know exactly what she meant.

"But the part about entering people’s minds?"

"That appears often enough that I’d assume there’s some truth to it."

Raven nodded slowly, then asked, "And Stillheart?"

The question made Isolde pause.

Raven saw the change immediately and continued before she could turn the conversation around. "If a Dreamwalker tried to interfere with someone carrying Stillheart, what would happen?"

This time Isolde did not answer. Her gaze moved over Raven more carefully, and Raven knew exactly what had changed. One question about an extinct bloodline could have been curiosity. Asking how that same bloodline interacted with Isolde’s ability was considerably harder to dismiss.

"What exactly are you driving at?"

"I asked you a question."

"And I’m asking why." Isolde folded her arms. "You’ve spent the last three minutes accusing me of being Bellringer, somehow connected that to Stillheart, and now you want to know whether Stillheart could detect or resist a Dreamwalker’s interference. You’re either conducting the strangest academic research project Valerius has ever seen or there’s something you aren’t telling me."

"There are plenty of things I’m not telling you."

"That, I believe."

"Then answer the question."

Isolde watched her for another moment, apparently deciding how much longer she wanted to push, before scoffing and letting some of the earlier amusement return.

"Goddess. I see why Cass likes you."

Raven’s thoughts caught on the name immediately. "Cass?"

Isolde blinked. "What?"

"Who the hell is Cass?"

For the first time since Raven mentioned Dreamwalkers, Isolde looked properly entertained again. "Cassian."

Raven stared at her.

"You call him Cass?"

"I just did."

"Why?"

Isolde’s smile widened slightly. "Why not?"

Because it sounded far too familiar.

Raven kept that answer to herself.

Instead Isolde tilted her head, still watching her reaction. "You remind me of him."

Raven’s attention shifted immediately. "I do not."

"You absolutely do."

"How?"

"The questions, mostly. Neither of you seems capable of leaving anything alone once you’ve decided there’s an answer hiding somewhere."

Isolde considered her for a moment. "Although Cass generally manages to look considerably less offended while doing it."

Raven frowned, and Isolde’s smile deepened.

"I can see why he likes having you around."

That should not have bothered her. There was absolutely no reason for it to bother her, and yet the next question came out before Raven had properly decided whether she wanted to ask it.

"You two close?"

Isolde’s gaze lingered on her for a second too long.

Raven frowned. "What?"

"Nothing. I just didn’t realise you were curious."

"I’m not." Raven regretted the answer almost immediately. "You called him Cass. Nobody does that."

"I do."

That only made Raven more curious, though she tried not to show it. "So you’ve known him a while?"

A small smile touched Isolde’s mouth.

"We go way back."

Raven waited, but Isolde offered nothing else.

She simply stood there looking perfectly satisfied with the answer, which was considerably worse than if she had explained anything at all.

How far back?

That could mean childhood. Their families. Years of academy life. Something else entirely. It also raised the far more irritating question of why Cassian had never mentioned her.

Not that he had any reason to.

Raven knew that.

Cassian Blade was not required to hand her a list of every woman he had known before she arrived at Valerius.

Still.

Cass.

Apparently something in her face betrayed her because Isolde’s smile slowly widened.

"Are you jealous?"

"No."

The answer came quickly enough to make Isolde’s eyebrow rise.

"That was fast."

"Because the answer was obvious."

"Of course."

Isolde nodded once, then her expression shifted as though she had just remembered something.

"Oh."

Raven immediately narrowed her eyes. "What?"

"Right. You’re mates."

The mock realization was obvious, and Raven’s irritation sharpened immediately.

"Are you always this fucking annoying?"

Isolde only smiled.

Raven was beginning to understand how Bellringer had survived for so long without anyone identifying her. If Valerius had known who was underneath that mask, somebody would have attempted murder years ago.

Isolde let the moment pass before abruptly asking, "How much proper combat training have you actually had?"

Raven blinked at the change of subject. "What?"

"Proper combat training."

"Enough."

Isolde looked at her for several seconds in a way that made it perfectly clear she understood enough to mean considerably less than Raven intended.

"That answered absolutely nothing."

"Then stop asking questions you don’t need answered."

Unfortunately, the slight curve of Isolde’s mouth suggested Raven had answered perfectly well.

"You haven’t had much, I see," Isolde said.

"I said enough."

"And yet you keep getting results."

Raven shrugged. "Maybe everyone else is overrated."

That earned a quiet laugh. "That’s exactly why I want to fight you."

Raven frowned. "You what?"

"Spar with me."

There was no joke in Isolde’s voice now. The amusement remained somewhere around her eyes, but beneath it was genuine interest.

"Why?"

"Because you, Raven are a wild card."

Raven waited, and Isolde sighed as though she had hoped the answer would be enough.

"You don’t fight like someone who spent years learning one House style. Half the time you do something sensible, the other half you do something nobody trained properly would think to attempt, and somehow enough of it works that you keep climbing."

Isolde looked her over once. "I want to see what happens when somebody stronger than you doesn’t give you time to think."

"That sounded suspiciously like an insult."

Isolde ignored that. "Interested?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Very confident for someone asking me to fight her."

"I’m First Seat."

She said it without arrogance, which somehow made it considerably more irking.

Raven studied her for a moment before reminding her, "I’m still restricted."

"I know."

Oh.

"One week," Isolde said.

Raven frowned. "One week?"

"You should be cleared by then, and it gives you time to prepare."

"For you?"

"If that makes you feel better."

It did not, although something inside Raven had already caught on the challenge.

One week was enough time.

Probably.

"And if I don’t feel like entertaining you?"

"Then I suppose I’ll find some other way to occupy myself."

Coming from Bellringer, that sounded considerably more threatening than it should have.

Raven narrowed her eyes, but Isolde only smiled.

"We can make it interesting. If I win, you answer one question honestly."

Raven nearly agreed before the wording properly registered.

One question.

From Bellringer.

That sounded like the beginning of several disasters.

"What question?"

"You’ll find out when I ask."

Raven muttered. "That seems incredibly safe."

"If you win, I answer one of yours."

That changed things.

Raven already had several questions she would quite happily force Isolde to answer without giving her the option of smiling, changing the subject or pretending she had somewhere else to be.

Stillheart.

Bellringer.

Cassian.

Possibly all three if Raven could phrase the question creatively enough.

Isolde watched the calculation happen across her face.

"Well?"

Raven held out her hand. "Fine."

Isolde looked down at it briefly before taking it.

"One week."

"One week."

Raven released her hand and found, somewhat concerningly, that she was already looking forward to it. Valerius was apparently doing permanent damage to her judgement.

Something from earlier returned to her before Isolde could move away.

"Wait."

Isolde raised an eyebrow.

"The broadcast this morning."

"What about it?"

Raven thought back to Bellringer gleefully dismantling the First Circle’s version of events in front of half the academy. What should have become another week of whispers about Raven threatening Petra had somehow turned into people arguing about whether Raven could actually reach Second Seat.

She looked at Isolde more carefully.

"You did that deliberately."

Isolde’s expression turned innocent enough to be insulting.

"What exactly are you accusing me of now?"

"Helping me."

Isolde laughed. "That may be more offensive than Bellringer."

"You spent half the broadcast making them look ridiculous."

"They made themselves look ridiculous. I simply provided good sound quality."

"Isolde."

"Fine." She sighed, although the amusement remained. "I like you better than those snakes."

Raven blinked, not because the answer offended her but because it was considerably more direct than she expected.

Isolde continued before she could respond. "The so-called First Circle has spent too long believing the Court belongs to everyone already sitting near the top. Watching you walk into Valerius and make them panic has been entertaining."

"You’re also interesting." Isolde gave her another measuring look. "If you actually reach Second or Third before the Concord, I’d rather have someone unpredictable on our side than another woman who has spent her entire life fighting exactly how everyone expects."

There it was again.

The Concord.

Raven folded her arms. "Why do you care that much?"

"Because those damn vampires are insufferable."

Raven stared at her.

"Snobbish bastards, most of them."

"Snobbish?"

Isolde looked almost surprised by the question. "You’ve never met one, have you?"

"No."

"That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Why you sound surprised." Isolde adjusted the cuff of one sleeve. "They’ve had the upper hand often enough in recent Concords that some of them arrive already expecting wolves to disappoint them. Winning gracefully apparently became unfashionable somewhere along the way."

Raven considered that. "And you want me because I’m unpredictable."

"I want you because nobody knows what you’re going to do."

Raven agreed with a sigh. "Neither do I half the time."

"Exactly."

Raven wasn’t entirely certain that was reassuring.

Isolde pushed away from the table. "Cass is usually good at shutting them up."

There it was again.

Cass.

Raven felt the irritation return and resented herself slightly for noticing.

"How?"

Isolde paused. "What?"

"How does Cassian shut them up?"

For several seconds Isolde simply stared at her, then genuine disbelief slowly entered her expression.

"Do you know anything about that man?"

Raven frowned. "I know things."

"What things?"

"That isn’t relevant."

"You’re mates, you disappear together constantly, and somehow you still know almost nothing about him?"

Raven opened her mouth.

Nothing particularly useful appeared.

Isolde’s mouth twitched.

"Thought so."

"Oh, shut up."

The smile returned, and Raven was beginning to regret discovering Bellringer’s identity. At least when Isolde had been pretending to be composed all the time, Raven had assumed the woman possessed some restraint.

Now it seems it had all been reserved for public use.

Isolde began gathering the few things she had brought into the room, then glanced over at Raven.

"Speaking of questionable decisions, are you accepting Dante’s invitation?"

Raven knew immediately which invitation she meant.

"The Ball?"

"No, Raven, the secret second invitation he issued while I wasn’t looking."

Raven gave her a flat look, which only made Isolde smile.

"I don’t know," Raven murmured.

Cassian’s face entered her mind before the words had properly left her mouth.

Raven’s jaw tightened.

Isolde had gone quiet.

When Raven looked up, she found her watching.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Raven narrowed her eyes.

Isolde looked away, adopting an expression of exaggerated thoughtfulness. "Perhaps I should ask Cass."

Raven’s head snapped toward her before she could stop it.

Too quickly.

Far too fucking quickly.

Isolde turned back slowly, and the smile spreading across her face made Raven want to walk directly into a wall.

She had seen it.

Raven folded her arms, suddenly irritated enough to retaliate without thinking. "Fine. Maybe I’ll go with Dante."

Isolde’s smile did not crack.

Not even slightly.

Raven watched her more carefully, searching for something. A tightening around the mouth. A flicker in her eyes. Anything.

There was nothing.

Isolde simply looked amused.

That bothered Raven far more than it had any right to.

"Maybe you should," Isolde said.

Raven stared at her.

Somehow she had lost that exchange completely, and worse, Isolde knew it.

Raven refused to give her anything else.

"Are we done?"

"For now."

Isolde laughed softly and headed for the door while Raven remained where she was, considerably more irritated than she had been several minutes earlier.

She had entered this room wanting answers about Stillheart and Dreamwalkers.

Instead, she had discovered that Bellringer was Isolde Marchmont, agreed to fight the First Seat in a week, learned absolutely nothing useful about Isolde’s history with Cassian beyond we go way back, and somehow let the woman get a reaction out of her over the possibility of attending the Ball with him.

Raven clenched her fists, frustration tightening through her.

Isolde reached the door and put one hand on the handle before pausing.

"Oh, Raven."

Raven looked over.

Isolde glanced back at her.

"Have you seen Cass today?"