Druid Vices and a Vodka: The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Six

by Marie, Annette

  Pointless questions with no answers.

  Gathering my artifacts, I placed each one in its pocket or pouch in my combat belt. As I rose to my feet, I glanced at the front of the building, where afternoon sunlight shone through the windows—except for the one covered in a sheet of plywood.

  I dried my cheeks before descending the steps. As I walked into the pub, warmth and light washed over me. Over half the guild was here, eating and drinking and celebrating the hard-fought victory on Sunday night.

  My three favorite mages were noticeably absent from the gathering, but I tried not to think about that.

  “Tori!” Cooper called desperately from behind the bar. “Take over for five minutes so I can have a break—”

  “Nope.” I flashed him a sharp grin. “Elisabetta’s orders. I’m supposed to take it easy for a week.”

  “But—”

  Clara burst through the saloon doors, balancing plates of spicy chicken wings on her arms. “Cooper, stop pestering Tori! She’s still recovering!”

  “But I need a break,” he whined.

  “You’ve only been working for two hours!” she yelled. “And this bar is a mess! Did you spill every drink you poured? Where’s your towel? … What? How can you not find the bar towels?”

  Chuckling, I walked by as Clara berated Cooper, the apprentice sorcerer shrinking with each angry word. In the basement, I deposited my combat belt and non-magical artifacts in my locker, then returned to the pub.

  As I angled toward the stairs to the second floor, an ambush was sprung.

  Sin grabbed one of my arms. Sabrina clamped down on the other. And Kaveri stepped in front of me, eyes blazing.

  “Uh …” I looked between them. “Hi?”

  “You,” Sin declared, “have some explaining to do.”

  “I do?”

  Kaveri poked me in the sternum. “The ‘combat alchemist’ who came to the guild for your phone number. The one you kept inviting back. The one who poisoned our GM!”

  “Funny thing, he didn’t actually—”

  “You said you dated him!” Sabrina blurted, shaking my arm as though the truth might spill out of me. “You dated the Ghost? Did you know he was the Ghost? Did he—”

  “The Crystal Druid! Every witch in the province has heard of him!” Kaveri poked me again. “And his familiar is the Night Eagle! Do you even know the legends about her? She’s—”

  “He kidnapped you,” Sin cut in. “Last summer, you were gone for two weeks, then you showed up again and wouldn’t talk about what happened.” She leaned closer, her stare scarily intense. “Now you have to tell us. Everything.”

  My mouth opened, then closed. “Um. Well. I didn’t date him, for starters. I just made that up to explain how I knew him. And I couldn’t talk about last summer because … uh …”

  “Have you been in contact with him since then?” Kaveri demanded. “How well do you know him? Everyone is saying he double-crossed us. Do you—”

  I pulled my arms from Sin’s and Sabrina’s hold. “I need to go.”

  “Don’t worm out of explaining—”

  “I actually need to go,” I snapped. “I have an appointment.”

  “What appointment?”

  “With Darius.”

  Surprise washed over their faces, and Kaveri and Sabrina grudgingly backed away. I marched for the stairs.

  “Tori.”

  I reluctantly paused.

  Sin stepped onto the bottom stair with me, tucking a lock of silvery-purple hair behind her ear. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You don’t want to talk about the Ghost,” she guessed.

  “No.”

  She nodded. “I’ll tell the others. We won’t bother you about it again.” When I looked up uncertainly, she smiled. “But if you need to unload, let me know.”

  Eyes prickling with tears, I pulled her into a quick hug and mumbled, “Thanks.”

  As she rejoined the others, I continued up the stairs. Their questions weren’t the only ones I’d be getting about the Ghost—nor would they be the only mention of his betrayal. My gut twisted. Why did I feel responsible for his actions? Why did I feel guilty, as though I’d let everyone down? Including him in our strategy had been Shane’s call, not mine.

  Halfway up the steps to the third floor, I slowed. A voice, raised in anger, echoed down from the offices. Speaking of Shane …

  I hurried forward and the voice grew clearer.

  “… denied credit entirely.”

  Darius replied, too quiet for me to make out his words. I entered the large office where Girard’s, Tabitha’s, and Felix’s desks were arranged, buried under paperwork but currently unmanned. At the far end, the door to Darius’s smaller office hung open.

  “Do you have any idea how long I spent on Varvara’s case? Two years, Darius! I started two years ago!”

  “I admire your dedication.”

  I crept across the room. Eavesdropping was a nasty habit, but … whatever.

  “Though,” Darius added, “if you hadn’t crossed paths with the Ghost and realized he had encountered Varvara, the case may never have reached a satisfying conclusion.”

  “Satisfying?” Shane spat. “Am I satisfied that the MPD has denied me any credit for her bounty?”

  “They are offering partial bounty payouts to you and the guilds involved,” Darius pointed out. “A rather generous one million each, which—”

  “I don’t care about the money!” A loud smack, like palms striking a tabletop. “You told agents it was the Ghost who made the kill. You tipped them off, I know it.”

  A long, heavy pause.

  “I delivered my report, in full, as required,” Darius murmured. “How the MPD chooses to assign credit has nothing to do with me.”

  “You did this to spite me.” Another slamming sound. “I will bring you down, Mage Assassin. I’ll bring all your crimes down on your head and you’ll—”

  A chair rolled across the hardwood floor. “You will find a new bounty to chase, Shane. Interfere in my guild again …”

  Gooseflesh prickled across my arms.

  “Are you threatening me?” Shane asked in a low, hard tone.

  “If that’s how you’d like to interpret our final farewell,” the GM replied pleasantly. “Have a nice day, Mr. Davila.”

  I stepped aside as footsteps stomped across the floor. Shane wheeled out of the office, his bald head pink with anger. Spotting me, he pressed his lips together and marched right past.

  When he was almost at the door, I called, “Shane.”

  He glanced back, a muscle twitching in his cheek.

  “Are you going after Zak now?”

  His upper lip curled. “The Ghost isn’t worth my time.”

  “Even though he betrayed you?”

  “I expected him to betray me, but I didn’t expect him to win.” He stepped across the threshold. “Darius’s report on her death did not mention the demonic magic all over the scene, but mine will.”

  He disappeared through the doorway, and his feet thumped on the steps, heading down.

  Chilled inside and out, I rubbed my hands over my arms. Why had Shane made a point of telling me he’d identified demonic magic in the building where Varvara had died? If the bounty hunter’s psychic abilities had revealed the source of that magic, he would already have arrested—or killed—Ezra.

  Gulping, I stuck my head into Darius’s office. The GM stood behind his desk and smiled at the sight of me.

  “Right on time, Tori.”

  I stepped inside. “Did you really report that Zak killed Varvara just to spite Shane?”

  “It wasn’t my sole motivation.” He lowered himself into his seat and gestured at the chair across from him. “Is Zak the reason you requested this meeting?”

  “No.” I closed the office door, then sat. “Zak is gone.”

  “Will he return?”

  I looked down at my hands, a phantom feeling worming into my head—his skin under my
fingers as I pressed the Carapace into his hand. “I don’t know.”

  Darius leaned back. “In that case, what can I help you with?”

  I squeezed my hands between my knees to banish the phantom sensation. “You know Ezra used his demon magic in that building.” I forced my gaze up. “He lost control.”

  “That has happened, to some degree, before.” A pause. “But this time was different?”

  “Very different.” I stopped, needing to breathe. “He’s going to ask you to kill him. Maybe not right away, but soon.”

  Darius’s expression smoothed, becoming unreadable. “I see. Do Aaron and Kai know this?”

  “They … they were talking about it.”

  “And they want to take this terrible burden on themselves, even though Ezra asked me years ago to do it instead.” He considered me. “Are you here to make sure I act first?”

  “No. I’m here to ask you not to kill Ezra when he asks you.”

  A flash of surprise. “Ending Ezra’s life while his mind is still intact is a mercy, Tori.”

  “I know that, but saving his life is better than mercy. You told me anything Ezra’s demon wants won’t be good for Ezra, but maybe … maybe that isn’t the case.”

  I took a slow, shuddering breath, then told the guild master what had happened at Christmas—how Eterran had learned to control Ezra while he slept, that he’d snuck into my room, the agreement we’d made. I told Darius about my research, about my meeting with the infernus maker. I described Ezra and Eterran’s breakdown at Varvara’s hands, and Eterran’s whispered words—I want freedom more than I want this body.

  The only thing I didn’t mention was Robin’s simultaneous search for the demon amulet; that was a complication I hadn’t thought through yet.

  When I finished, Darius sat silently. My nerves wound tighter and tighter as he studied me with somber gray eyes.

  “I’m afraid you’ve given me more reason to act quickly rather than any reason to wait.”

  I leaned forward, gripping my knees. “I told you everything so you’d understand why we should wait.”

  “And why is that?”

  My artifacts, my magic, were no more. Zak was gone. Kai was caught in his family’s control. Aaron was heartbroken, dreading what would come next. And Ezra’s steely strength had finally worn thin, his will to fight cracked and crumbling.

  But I wasn’t ready to despair. I wasn’t ready to give up.

  “Eterran and I have a plan, and I need you to trust me.”

  * * *

  Tori’s adventures continue in

  LOST TALISMANS AND A TEQUILA

  The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Seven

  - Pre-order now on Amazon -

  Coming July 10, 2020

  * * *

  And don’t miss …

  HUNTING FIENDS FOR THE ILL-EQUIPPED

  The Guild Codex: Demonized / Three

  - Pre-order now on Amazon -

  Coming April 3, 2020

  * * *

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  LOST TALISMANS AND A TEQUILA

  The Guild Codex: Spellbound / Seven

  You know that squirmy sensation in your gut when you have no idea what you’re doing and you’re about to screw everything up?

  Yeah, that feeling.

  I thought I was a good judge of character, but recent events proved me very wrong. Now, in a brilliant demonstration of my newfound caution, I’m putting all my faith in a demon—a demon who’s tried to kill me before. The squirmy feeling is making sense, right?

  Unfortunately, I don’t have any other options. Ezra’s time is running out, which means I need answers and I need them fast. So it’s time to toughen up, pack my gear, and find me one of the most illegal, reviled, and scarce mythics out there: a demon-mage summoner.

  And all I have to do is follow a demon’s instructions on where to look. How could that go wrong?

  - Pre-order now on Amazon -

  Coming July 10, 2020

  THE GUILD CODEX: DEMONIZED

  Sister series to The Guild Codex: Spellbound

  Introducing the Crow and Hammer’s newest recruit …

  Meet Robin Page: outcast sorceress, mythic history buff, unapologetic bookworm, and the last person you’d expect to command the rarest demon in the long history of summoning. Though she holds his leash, this demon can’t be controlled.

  But can he be tamed?

  - See The Guild Codex: Demonized on Amazon -

  HUNTING FIENDS FOR THE ILL-EQUIPPED

  The Guild Codex: Demonized / Three

  I thought I understood power.

  My parents taught me that magic attracts equal danger, and everything I’ve seen since becoming a demon contractor confirms it. I’ve witnessed how power twists and corrupts—and I’ve tasted power no human should wield.

  I thought I knew greed.

  Ambition and avarice drove my family into hiding. My parents died for someone else’s greed. I’ve never hunted anything in my life, but now I’m hunting their killer—with my demon’s help.

  I thought I’d seen evil.

  But with each step closer to my parents’ murderer, I’m uncovering a different sort of evil, piece by hidden piece. I’ve stumbled into an insidious web that silently, secretly ensnares everything it touches. My demon and I came as the hunters …

  … but I think we might be the prey.

  - Pre-order now on Amazon -

  Coming April 3, 2020

  THE STEEL & STONE SERIES

  YA urban fantasy by Annette Marie

  When everyone wants you dead, good help is really hard to find …

  Piper knows the first rule for an apprentice Consul is don’t trust daemons. But when she’s framed for the theft of the deadly Sahar Stone, she ends up with two troublesome daemons as her only allies: Lyre, a hotter-than-hell incubus who isn’t as harmless as he seems, and Ash, a draconian mercenary with a seriously bad reputation. Trusting them might be her biggest mistake yet.

  - See the Steel & Stone Series on Amazon -

  The Spell Weaver Trilogy

  Urban fantasy by Annette Marie

  The only thing more dangerous than the denizens of the Underworld ... is stealing from them.

  Living in exile among humans, Clio has picked up all sorts of interesting skills. But pilfering magic from the Underworld’s deadliest spell weavers? Not so much.

  Unfortunately, that’s exactly what she has to do to earn a ticket back home.

  Conning her way into the Underworld may have gone pretty well, but now she’s got a new problem. His name is Lyre, and he’s a sinfully alluring incubus and gifted spell weaver—and her biggest obstacle to getting her hands on some forbidden magic.

  - See the Spell Weaver Trilogy on Amazon -

  THE RED WINTER TRILOGY

  YA romantic fantasy by Annette Marie

  A destiny written by the gods.

  A fate forged by lies.

  If Emi is sure of anything, it’s that kami—the gods—are good, and yokai—the earth spirits—are evil. But when she saves the life of a fox shapeshifter, the truths of her world start to crumble. And the treachery of the gods runs deep.

  This stunning trilogy features 30 full-page illustrations.

  - See the Red Winter Trilogy on Amazon -

  Acknowledgments

  Special thanks to
Erich Merkel for sharing your exceptional expertise in Latin and Ancient Greek, to Umayal for helping bring Izzah to life, and to Perry for your Japanese translations. Any errors are mine.

  About the Author

  Annette Marie is the author of Amazon best-selling YA urban fantasy series Steel & Stone, its prequel trilogy Spell Weaver, romantic fantasy trilogy Red Winter, and sassy UF series The Guild Codex. Her first love is fantasy, but fast-paced action, bold heroines, and tantalizing forbidden romances are her guilty pleasures. She proudly admits she has a thing for dragons, and her editor has politely inquired as to whether she intends to include them in every book.

  Annette lives in the frozen wasteland of Alberta, Canada (okay, it’s not quite that bad) and shares her life with her husband and their furry minion of darkness—sorry, cat—Caesar. When not writing, she can be found elbow-deep in one art project or another while blissfully ignoring all adult responsibilities.