Page 88 of Bone Year

“But the headmaster survived.”

“The headmaster is smart and connected. He made himself too valuable to kill.” Cael’s lips twist. “Also too dangerous. Anyone who tried to hunt him ended up dead. Eventually people stopped trying. With time, most have forgotten.”

I imagine the headmaster, young and terrifying, walking through battlefields, sealing fissures with his blood, letting people die because they weren’t useful to him.

“The cycle is overdue, you know. Should have come again by now. It’s been over a hundred years. The fissures are becoming more frequent. More of them have been opening and closing all the time. The creatures coming through are stronger than they used to be. I’ve heard about the new crawlers too.”

“You think it’s really coming?”

“I think it’s already starting.” His dark eyes hold mine. “And I think a lot of people are going to die when it does, people who don’t have someone willing to bleed for them.”

Poppy shifts in her sleep.

“What about you, girl?” Cael asks. “Your parents must be proud. Daughter at Ashwell, training to be a Veilguard.”

The question catches me off guard. I look down at my hands.

“I don’t know how my mother feels because I haven’t spoken to her. And my father...” I swallow. “He died about a year ago.”

“Ah.” The sound is heavy with understanding. “I’m sorry.”

“He was a healer though, the best I’ve ever known.” My throat tightens, but I push through it. “He’d probably be disappointed in me right now.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because I can’t…” I stop and try again. “Since he died, I can’t... I freeze up when I have to cut. When someone’s bleeding out and I need to act, I...”

I shake my head, unable to finish.

“Your father,” he says slowly, “how did he die?”

My chest constricts. I can’t go there. I can’t see it. I can’t⁠—

“He. No, I⁠—”

My bracelet flares to life, distracting me.

I look down, and it’s not a soft glow. It’s a strong vibration.

There’s an emergency, and it’s Nella.

Chapter Twenty

“A surgeon who hesitates is not a surgeon. They’re a witness to death.”

—Headmaster Ashmoor, Ashwell Academy Handbook

I run as fast as I can, and my bracelet won’t stop buzzing against my wrist. I have to get to the fifth floor.

The lift will take too long. I shove through the stairwell door and take the steps two at a time. My medical belt bounces against my hip. I almost trip twice.

Fifth floor.

I burst through the door, and the corridor is empty.

No one. Not a single mender or healer or anyone.

Oh my gods.