Dark Secrets

by Hall, Linsey

  “Wait.” Grey gripped my shoulder gently. “Ancient sorcerers used to start the year in June. They don’t anymore, but he may have done it that way.”

  I nodded, moving my hand toward June. One after the other, I pressed the stones, feeling them vibrate beneath my touch. The last one pulsed hardest, and the door began to glow.

  Grey reached for it, twisting the knob, but nothing happened. The vibration increased.

  “An alarm,” Grey said. “We’re missing part of the spell.”

  Shit.

  Heart racing, I studied the door, searching for the clue. The trembling became a loud hum that grew, climbing to a shriek.

  My gaze went to a spot on the floor. The stones looked unassuming, but one of them matched what I’d seen in my vision.

  I pressed my foot on it, hard.

  The stone depressed, and the alarm stopped.

  I sagged, relief chilling my skin.

  Grey tried the door again, and this time, it opened easily. We slipped inside, and he closed the door behind us. I leaned against the wood, panting.

  “Did you hear the alarm?” Grey spoke quietly into his comms charm.

  “No, you’re good,” Quinn responded. “I’ve just deployed the alarms on these doors. Your comms charm will ping when they are tripped.”

  “Good,” I said. “Get out of there.”

  “See you on the outside,” he replied. “Call for backup if you need it.”

  We cut the connection, and I stared at the office.

  It was filled to the brim with books and papers. Crowded shelves climbed to the ceiling fifteen feet above us.

  “There have to be thousands of them,” I said. “Have you been in here before?”

  “No,” said Grey. “He doesn’t let anyone in.”

  Three huge tables and a massive desk were covered in papers, as if a mad scientist were hard at work.

  At the edges of the room, a faint mist began to seep from beneath the walls. “What’s that?”

  Grey frowned. “I’ve never seen the like.”

  The mist moved quickly, filling the room. I breathed it in, unable to help myself.

  My mind fogged, and my thoughts and memory became fractured.

  Why were we here?

  Mac.

  “It’s a mind-numbing spell,” Grey said.

  My thoughts tumbled over themselves as I tried to figure out what was going on and how to fix it. But I was so slow. So tired.

  The weight of my potion bag pulled at my shoulder, and an idea pushed through the haze that clouded my mind.

  Hadn’t Eve given me something that could help with spells like this?

  Frantic, I scrambled in my bag for the tiny star-shaped bottle she’d shown me. My fingers closed around it. Opening the bottle with trembling hands, I took a small sip, then passed it off to Grey. “It should clear your mind.”

  It was already working on me, giving me a magical resistance to the mist that still hung heavy in the air. My thoughts cleared, and I remembered why we were there.

  Grey drank some of the potion, and his gaze sharpened. “That worked well.”

  “Let’s search the room.” I took a staggering step. Was I tired, or was another spell at work?

  Impossible to say.

  Grey and I quickly rifled through the papers. I scanned documents and books, trying to keep my power in check so my mind wouldn’t become polluted by too many unrelated visions.

  Ubhan had varied interests, most of which seemed to be focused on different parts of history. Many of the documents were related to the rules and regulations of the city and the Council. He was a rule follower through and through, as all sorcerers tended to be.

  “I think I may have found something,” Grey said.

  I hurried toward him, my eyes riveted to the ancient, yellowed papers in his hands. “What is it?”

  “They appear to be redacted minutes from a Council meeting a few hundred years ago. From the Council of 1642, specifically.”

  “After your time.”

  “Yes. I’d left by then.”

  “Why is he so interested in redacted minutes?”

  “Because the Council doesn’t redact minutes. At least, we didn’t when I was on it. To my knowledge, they still don’t.”

  “Ubhan wouldn’t like that. He’s a big fan of the rules.”

  “Sorcerers.” Grey shook his head and looked back at the paper. His brow creased. “He either wanted to get to the bottom of the redacted minutes or he had something to do with it.”

  “My bet is on the latter.” I ran my gaze over the writing, noting the parts that were heavily blacked out. “What decision was the Council trying to hide?”

  “I can’t tell. Someone’s marked through the text.”

  On the desk, there were more collections of minutes. Black lines crossed through some of the lines on them as well. I reached out to touch one, calling upon my gift.

  What do you hide?

  I’d hoped the blacked-out words would appear in my mind, but I was out of luck.

  Instead, an image appeared—an interior stone wall and wooden floor. Near the floor, one of the stones glowed, calling to me. I turned, feeling the pull from behind me. One of the stones in the wall caught my attention. There, near the floor.

  I walked toward it, my movements oddly sluggish, but I was too enraptured by the wall in front of me to care. I reached it, knelt, and pried at the stone. It budged slightly. I pulled harder, and the stone came out. A small cubbyhole appeared.

  “What’s in there?” Grey hunkered down beside me.

  I reached inside the dark space, anticipation streaking through me. My fingertips touched paper, and I pulled out a pile of pages that had been bound together.

  A Most Elucidating History of Guild City.

  The title of the book was scrawled across the top of the first page. I looked at Grey, grinning. “It’s the pages that were torn from the book.”

  I untied the bundle and began to read, shock racing through me.

  “Oh my God…” I murmured.

  “Another guild.” Surprise sounded in Grey’s voice. “That’s the memory that was taken from me.”

  “The Shadow Guild.” At the words, recognition flared within me. “A guild for all those who don’t fit into the others. For the misfits and the strange ones.”

  Like me.

  But it had been erased from history.

  The comms charm around my neck buzzed, a harsh alarm sounding.

  “The meeting is out.” Grey stood, his movements oddly slow. “We need to go.”

  I struggled to my feet. It was hard to walk. The air in the room was viscous and thick, trapping us. I glanced at Grey. His brow was creased in concentration.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked. “Why can’t we move?”

  “It’s a spell of some sort.” He frowned and tried to force his body toward the door. “We triggered it at some point. Perhaps when we touched the papers.”

  I pushed against the sludgy air but couldn’t get more than a few inches. The alarm continued to sound from around my neck, the seconds ticking down.

  Ubhan would be here any moment.

  16

  The Devil

  Ubhan’s spell held us tight, making it nearly impossible to move. Every step took a minute, like we were pushing our way through a solid substance.

  The door swung open, and Ubhan appeared.

  At the sight of us, rage lit his eyes. “What are you doing here?”

  I met his gaze and imbued my voice with all of my power. “Stop the spell that binds us. Immediately.”

  Deep lines bracketed his mouth as he fought my command, but, finally, he acquiesced. He waved his hand and muttered an unidentifiable word. The spell snapped, and suddenly, I was able to move.

  I drew in a steadying breath, reining in my temper, and spoke sharply. “Sit.”

  He moved woodenly to a chair. “I warn you, guards are coming.”

  It was what we’d wanted to av
oid—along with Ubhan’s knowledge of our theft—but it could be dealt with. “Wait there, and do not say a word.”

  My magic drifted toward him. It forced him to comply, but it couldn’t quell his rage. Even if we made it out of here with the information we sought, I’d made him an enemy.

  Carrow put the torn-out pages of the book in her bag and went to the office door. She flattened against the wall, hidden from whomever entered. I joined her, lining up on the other side.

  We made eye contact.

  “I’ll take the first,” I whispered.

  She nodded, reaching into her bag for a potion bomb.

  A guard rushed in. I tripped him, yanked him up, and punched him hard in the jaw. His head snapped back, and he collapsed, unconscious.

  I spun around, spotting Carrow as she hurled a potion bomb at the next guard. The brilliant red orb exploded against a female shifter’s chest, soaking her in gleaming liquid. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she went down like a sack of rocks, landing with a thud.

  Two more men rushed in. One of them reached for the comms charm at his neck. I lunged at him and snatched the charm off. He swung at me, landing a blow to my cheek. I saw stars, and my head spun, but I shook off my dizziness and kicked him in the midsection. He crashed into a bookcase. The wooden shelves rattled, and dozens of books tumbled off. Behind me, Ubhan made a pained noise.

  Carrow took out the other guard with a potion bomb while I reached for the man buried beneath the pile of books. I dragged him upright and delivered a punch that knocked him out.

  Carrow peered around the edge of the door. “No more are coming.”

  “They’ll come when these four don’t report back,” Ubhan said. “Then you’ll regret this.”

  “Then we’d better be quick,” I said.

  Together, Carrow and I bound the fallen guards with their shoelaces and belts.

  I turned to Ubhan. “We’d hoped to not have to do it this way.”

  “I’ll have your head for this,” Ubhan spat. “Hers, too.”

  I didn’t know how deep this cover-up went—whether it would be a battle with Ubhan or the entire council—but we’d figure it out. “You’re hardly in a position to make threats.”

  Carrow pulled the book’s pages out of her bag. “Why were you hiding these in the wall?”

  Confusion flickered in his eyes. “The wall?”

  She pointed to the section of wall that was still missing a stone. “I found the missing pages of A Most Elucidating History of Guild City in there. And on your desk, we found the redacted meeting notes from when the Council made the decision to hide the Shadow Guild.”

  “What the bloody hell are you talking about?” His gaze moved to his desk. “What is the Shadow Guild?”

  “You can’t tell me you’re unfamiliar with all of this.” I spoke smoothly, imbuing my voice with my power. “What do you know, Ubhan? What have you done?”

  His lips twisted. “I’ve read the redacted meeting notes—what I can see of them, at least. I discovered them while researching the history of the Council and found it to be highly suspect that they would redact their notes. We do not engage in such behavior, as you know.”

  I nodded. “Continue.”

  “I knew the Council of 1642 was trying to hide something, which is also highly unusual and suspect.” Irritation flickered in his eyes. Ubhan hated breaking the rules. “It was long ago, but I wanted to get to the bottom of it. So I’ve been researching.”

  “And part of that research involved stealing the pages from A Most Elucidating History of Guild City?” Carrow asked.

  “I don’t know what the bloody hell that is.”

  “I found them in your wall.” She held up the papers.

  “For your information, I am not the only person who has ever occupied this office.” His eyes flashed. “You slight my honor when you suggest I would deface a history book and hide the pages here.”

  I studied his features, looking for the truth. For the lie.

  I hated to think he might be innocent, but it seemed more and more likely. Ubhan was a pain in the arse and a miserable bastard, but he was a true stickler for the rules. And my power was compelling him to tell the truth.

  Carrow flicked through the pages in her hand. “So you knew nothing of the Shadow Guild or the fact that the Council of 1642 voted to disband it and hide it from history, making all magical misfits in Guild City outlaws?”

  “No, I knew nothing of the sort. Just that they were hiding something by redacting the meeting notes.”

  “Who had this office in 1642?” I asked.

  Ubhan frowned, thinking back. “That would have been Councilor Rasla.”

  “Of course.” Carrow shook her head. “That bastard made it a rule that everyone has to join a guild and control their signatures. He couldn't stand those who were different, those who joined the Shadow Guild, so he hid it with his curse and struck it from the history books and your memories.”

  “That’s quite the tale,” Ubhan said.

  “It’s true,” Carrow said. “And we don’t know the whole of it yet, but we will.”

  I studied him, debating what to do. Our time was limited here, after all. “Have you told us everything you know?”

  “Yes.”

  I frowned. His eyes looked weaselly. I might not like him, but Ubhan was smart. “What other relevant documents do you have?”

  His scowled deepened.

  Yes, I’d hit the nail on the head. “Hand them over, and we’ll call it good between us.”

  “After this invasion, it will never be good between us.”

  “We’ve uncovered the corruption you sought to reveal yourself, so we’ll consider it even.”

  We’d had the same agenda, but he would still hate us. I’d have to ensure Carrow’s safety before the curse took me to hell. He didn’t have the power to bother me, but I couldn’t leave her unprotected.

  Ubhan’s lips twisted, and his gaze moved to the table on his left. “There is a small leather book on that table. Given what you’ve said about Councilor Rasla, I think it will be of use to you. It is his personal diary.”

  My brows rose. “How did you find that?”

  “Secured beneath the desk by a special adhesive.”

  “He was all about hiding things around this office, wasn’t he?” Carrow asked.

  “He died quite suddenly in 1643,” Ubhan said. “It seems that he didn’t have time to clean the office.”

  “All the better for us.” She went to the table and retrieved the book, then turned back to him. “Is there anything else?”

  “Not that I know of.”

  A disembodied voice came from a comms charm around a fallen guard’s neck.

  “It’s time to leave.” I looked at Ubhan. “Stay seated there for ten minutes. Afterward, I suggest you not give us any trouble over this, or it will look like you support Rasla’s actions.”

  Ubhan glared. “I’d never support such a thing.”

  “Good. Then we are on the same side.” Carrow grinned and strode toward the door.

  I followed her, and we made our way quickly through the halls. Near the stairs, we passed a reedy-looking man I recognized. He was an assistant to one of the council members, but he didn't do more than glance at us.

  “Are you sure he’ll stay put?” Carrow asked as we began to descend the stairs.

  “Ubhan? Yes, for the ten minutes, at least. After that, my hold won’t work on him.”

  She nodded. “We’ll be across town by then. Let’s go to my place to check on Mac and Seraphia. We can read the diary there.”

  “Excellent plan.”

  Together, we hurried across Guild City. Carrow clutched the bag containing the books and papers, a deep frown on her face. “I really hope there’s a cure for Mac and Seraphia in here.”

  “We’ll find it. I promise.”

  She looked up at me, eyes wide. “We haven’t even figured out how to fix us, much less them.”

  She
had a point.

  We reached her place a few minutes later, and she took the stairs two at a time. The door to Mac’s flat was slightly ajar, and she ducked inside.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  I joined her in the flat. Mac and Seraphia were on the couch, looking pale and wan. Eve appeared in the kitchen doorway. Her face was streaked with something purple.

  “Fine,” Mac said.

  “I’m working on a strength potion to give them,” Eve said. “But we need a cure. Soon.”

  “This will sound strange,” Seraphia said. “But I feel like the building is pulling at me. Like I want to return to it.”

  “Same,” Mac said.

  “Yes,” Carrow frowned. “It’s odd, but I feel it too.” She looked at me. “Do you?”

  “I feel nothing.”

  “Well, we’ve got more clues.” Carrow held up the book and pulled the pages out of her bag. She handed off the pages to Seraphia.

  The librarian took them, interest gleaming in her eyes. “Where were they?”

  Carrow sat in the chair near the window and relayed our adventures.

  “There was another guild in town?” Shock shone in Mac’s eyes. “The Shadow Guild, and none of us even knew about it?”

  “It seems so,” Carrow said. “And I don’t think the building is evil. It’s the curse that Councilor Rasla put on the place to hide it.”

  “And to kill the members,” I said.

  Carrow’s gaze flashed to me, shock in their depths. “What?”

  “It’s the only way it could have stayed a secret,” I said. “If we read his diary, I imagine we will find record of that. Otherwise, what would have happened to them once their tower was gone? Perhaps he erased some of their memories and evicted them from town, but it’s just as likely the curse on the building killed them.”

  As it might kill Mac and Seraphia. I didn’t say the words, but Carrow and the others were too clever not to intuit what was left unsaid.

  “Does that mean I’m meant to belong to the Shadow Guild?” Mac asked.

  “But you have a guild,” Carrow said.

  “I never fit in well.” Mac shrugged. “One of the reasons I live here instead of there.”

  “I don’t fit particularly well in mine, either,” Seraphia added.