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"I can’t say" He shrugged, looking uncos strikes "

"Can’t say, or won’t?" I was too frustrated to give him a chance to answer and waved it away "Whatever with your nature of things"

"The keep is the reale, theirs only"

Carden could’ve found out There’d been a day when Carden would’ve found out for httendrils up er afford it

I scowled, plucking at the grass aroundI uys are such knuckleheads" I couldn’t i entrusted with all the Ancient Secrets of Vampire The Robbies of the world would never flourish into Alcántaras, no matter how much blood they consumed

If his response to my Sonja translation surprised, the one thing that is known outside the castle, do you proive up this quest of yours?"

My heart skipped a beat "I proed closer, lowering oes on in there?"

He angled his head to meet my eyes, and crap, I’d scooted a little too close But he didn’t seem to notice He simply continued quietly "I don’t know ers speak of a ritual" He hesitated, and for once I didn’t press hi I had to keep quiet and let hih, trustworthy enough, to share things with He seeain, and when he did, it was as though so shifted between us Maybe it was because of Carden’s departure, or my ascension to Initiate, oroffme more like a peer than a student "There’s a holiday In the old religion, it marked midwinter, a celebration of the end of the yule season On the Anglo-Saxon calendar, it was called Antons to tell me the vampires still celebrate it?"

"Those who hail from these parts would’ve celebrated it as men Whether as Antonsmas, or the more modern festival we call Up Helly Aa"

I’d heard of such things before, how Pagan holidays became modernized into Christian ones, but I’d never heard of this one "What the heck is heely-yah?"

"Up Helly Aa," he corrected "The folk of the Northern Isles see it as an ode to their Viking ancestors Traditionally, it’s a night of fire and boisterousness"

"You s," I clarified

He gave me one of those Ronan smiles, one of the rare ones where the corners of his eyes crinkled in a way that said he’d thought he ain yet here he was, surprised by one "So "And you think the vampires like to party, too?"

"I think they like to party, too, yes"

I dusted offvery chipper "Well, I can’t ic broke the moment I said it "You most certainly can ive up this silliness if I told you"

So ru Annelise "I promised to consider it" Before he could dive into the rant I read on his face, I quickly added, "There must be some way to spy on them Think about it You said you’d heard about this in the village, but how do they know about it? I’ll tell you how The vampires can’t hold a whole celebration by themselves They need cooks and cleaners and launderers and…I don’t know… What else do you need for a party? Whatever it is, they need the their own cars--you can’t tell one ice cold "You will not be finding out who is tapping their kegs," he said, enunciating each word

I watched his face for a y I couldn’t do this alone--or at least I didn’t want to But how to get Ronan on h to prove to ht not be willing to help me--yet--but I sensed somewhere deep down, he probably wanted to take the vampires down as much as I did

"Listen," I said "I think there’s a way"

"There’s no way"

"Would you please listen?" I leaned over, shoving hiainst his ed away the tiniest bit in an effort to focus "I’ve gotten one step closer to the inner circle," I said, using my best serious professional voice

"Inner circle? What are you talking about?" His expression went slack "You best not be tellinginvolved with the Directorate"

I waved that thought away "Oh God, nothing like that Ime on as his TA"