As Edmund waited for Sasha to secure the rare drug that would dampen his vampiric senses, he focused his energy on rigorous training.
Each day at the Vampire Academy, he paid close attention to every class, soaking up all the knowledge he could about blood manipulation, essence cultivation, and the vampiric senses.
Master Davos continued to challenge them with exercises designed to sharpen their abilities, and Edmund was determined not to fall behind.
For several days, the words on the small crafted item Master Davos had given them continued to elude Edmund.
No matter how hard he focused, the symbols seemed to shift and blur under his gaze.
He tried Selene's hint again—focusing on the space between the runes rather than the runes themselves—but still, it felt like trying to catch smoke with his bare hands.
One afternoon, as he sat in the academy library, hunched over his desk with the talisman in hand, a moment of clarity struck him.
