by Hall, Linsey
“This is insane,” said Carrow.
“It could still be true,” I said.
“But I wasn’t cursed,” she said. “And I’m currently the biggest misfit in town.”
Mac leaned forward. “But the way your eyes glow, you’re definitely connected to it. Just because you don’t feel the effects of the curse doesn’t mean you aren’t part of it.”
Carrow opened the tiny diary in her lap. “I’m going to get to the bottom of this. We’ve partially broken that curse. We need to finish the job. Then we’ll have time to figure it out.”
Seraphia flipped through the papers on her lap, handing some off to Mac. As they began to search the text, the sky darkened abruptly.
Carrow looked up, a frown creasing her brow. “That’s weird. It’s not even close to dusk.”
Energy surged on the air, and thunder rumbled.
“That’s even weirder,” Mac said.
Wind began to howl, and the air prickled ominously, pulling from the direction of the Shadow Guild tower.
“Something is wrong.” Eve walked to the window, and the others stood.
I joined her, looking out into the eerily dark sky. Dusk appeared to have fallen, and lightning exploded against the blackness.
“I’m going to check the tower,” Eve said.
She spread her sparkling wings and launched herself off the windowsill and into the sky, flying in the direction of the tower on the other side of town.
Eve wasn’t gone long. She flew back through the window, her eyes wide. “It’s coming from the tower. We need to get over there.”
Mac spoke into her comms charm. “Quinn? Meet us at the new tower. Bring any shifters you can get. We might need backup.”
“Time, I need time,” Carrow muttered. “There’s something in this book. I feel it.”
“Read and walk,” Seraphia said.
Carrow nodded, her gaze on the book. Eve strode into the kitchen with a bag over one shoulder and two vials, one in each hand. She gave them to Mac and Seraphia, who gulped them down.
“What you really need is rest,” Eve said.
“So do you.” Mac looked her over. “You’re pale.”
“We’re all pale, and we all feel like shit,” Seraphia said. “Now, come on. Let’s go win this fight.”
My brows rose. There was more to the little librarian than first met the eye.
Eve gave Seraphia the bag. “That’s full of potion bombs. Most are meant to kill, so be careful with them.”
“Thank you.” Seraphia looped it over her shoulder.
The four of us hurried down the stairs, Carrow bringing up the rear as she kept her nose buried in the book. I walked in front of her, close enough to catch her in case she tripped.
When we reached the street, Eve launched herself into the air once more and looked back at us. “I’m going to get a head start.”
“Be careful,” Mac said. “That lightning looks bad.”
Eve kept low, flying just below the rooftops.
We pushed our way through the streets, which were crowded with people staring up at the strangely dark sky. The wind whipped more strongly, coming from the direction of the Shadow Guild tower.
“Getting any clues there, Carrow?” Mac asked.
“Maybe.” Her eyes raced over the pages as she flipped through them. “There’s got to be something about this.”
We had nearly reached the narrow alley that led to the courtyard in front of the tower when Carrow yelped, “I found it!”
“What is it?” Seraphia asked.
“When the spell on the tower is threatened by the return of the guild members, Councilor Rasla will rise one last time to protect it.”
“Guild members?” Mac said. “That has to be us.”
Carrow nodded. “It says they will be led by one with strange and deadly magic. It is her arrival that instigates it all.”
“That’s you,” Mac said. “It has to be.”
Carrow frowned, her eyes still racing over the page. “The disturbed magic will reinvigorate him for a short time. He will be powerful, so powerful that he can ensure his agenda once again.”
“Killing all of us,” Mac said. “Because I’m pretty sure that’s his goal.”
“And hiding the Shadow Guild once more,” Seraphia said.
“We won’t let him.” Carrow snapped the book shut.
We reached the alley. I led the way, sprinting through the narrow space. It had become a wind tunnel. I forced my way through, pushing against the gale.
The courtyard in front of the Shadow Guild tower was chaos. Lightning struck overhead, thunder booming every few seconds. The ferocious wind roared and whipped the dead leaves in a cyclone.
Magic pulsed, oily and evil. It came from the statue at the center of the courtyard.
The others joined me, and Eve landed at our side.
As if it had been waiting for us, the magic pulsed once more, so hard that it popped my ears like we’d changed elevation.
“What’s happening?” Mac shouted. “The magic is changing!”
The statue of Councilor Rasla exploded with a deafening boom. Shards of stone bombarded us, and we ducked against the wall to protect our faces. I wrapped myself around Carrow and Mac, who stood closest. The stone sliced through my back and arms, and Carrow hissed in pain.
As soon as it stopped, we whirled around.
The statue was gone. In its place stood a man formed of thick smoke instead of muscle and bone. Power radiated from him, chilling me to my core.
17
Carrow
Fear shivered through me when I saw the man. If black holes were human-shaped, they would look like him. When he moved, it was with a sinuous, snakelike motion.
Though he had no eyes, I could feel his gaze upon me. His voice was cold and smooth, evil incarnate. “So, you are the cause of all this trouble.”
I drew in a deep breath. “You’ll never succeed, Rasla.”
His laughter made the hair stand up on my arms.
He turned his attention to Grey. “Ah, Devil. You live yet, in your fashion. Did you like what I did with your memory?”
“It was a delight.” The ice in Grey’s voice rivaled that of Rasla's.
My mind raced as I watched the two of them. Rasla’s personal diary had crowed about his plans and accomplishments, but it had provided no clues about his weaknesses or how to beat him.
I touched my comms charm and whispered into it, hoping to reach Quinn.
“Yes?” His voice was quiet.
“Come around from the side, along the wall. Not through the alley. We’ll surround him.”
“Be there in one minute. I’ve got four shifters for backup. More on the way.”
We needed to buy time, but behind Rasla, the ramshackle tower began to pulse with dark magic. The walls seemed to expand and contract. The pressure in the air changed, making me lightheaded. The wind shrieked louder, and a sense of foreboding crashed over me.
The windows in the building shattered with a bang, exploding outward. I ducked and covered my head, hissing as glass rained down, cutting into my flesh.
When it stopped, I looked up. Midnight smoke seeped out of the gaping windows, reeking of decay and death. It twisted through the grass, moving as quickly and sinuously as snakes.
The coils of dark smoke wrapped around my ankles, then Eve’s. It went for Mac and Seraphia last.
Behind Rasla, Quinn and four shifters appeared, entering the courtyard from the other side. The black smoke raced toward them, wrapping around Quinn’s ankles as well.
I gasped as the oily slickness shot through me. The sensation quickly faded, but Eve and Quinn doubled over, retching. Mac and Seraphia stumbled but didn’t appear to be as hard hit as the others.
What the hell was going on?
“It has already started!” Rasla crowed. “My magic grows, and my curse knows how to find outcasts like you. The worst manner of villains. You’ll be gone soon, along with your precious Sha
dow Guild, once and for all.”
No.
This was my home. I could feel it. My gift could feel it. The very air I breathed in this abandoned part of town screamed that I needed to protect this place from him.
A shard of window glass gleamed at my feet. I reached for it, letting my magic flow through me.
How can I stop him? How can I protect you?
The answers came quickly, as if my gift knew there was no time to spare.
I was the one he’d written about in his journal. The one who would arrive and bring back the Shadow Guild.
Somehow, we were linked.
I had the power to stop him. It was why my eyes glowed neon green, why the curse didn’t debilitate me like it had Mac and Seraphia.
The knowledge—the power—pulsed inside me, drawing me to him. I had to touch him, to use my magic to destroy him. Then I could save the tower.
I dropped the shard of glass, the answers whirling inside my mind.
Grey stepped forward, drawing a sword from the ether. Rasla raised his hands above his head, and the smoke that hovered over the ground rose, forming creatures of swirling black glass held together by smoke. They were shaped like humans, but every part of their bodies was a weapon.
A dozen figures formed a protective circle around Rasla. He laughed, the sound eerie against the crack of thunder.
“Obsidia demons,” Mac said. “Deadly bastards.”
“I need to get to him.” I reached into the bag Eve had given me, drawing out a potion bomb. “I can stop him.”
Grey started forward, so fast he was a blur. He clashed with one of the Obsidia, his blade slicing through an arm. The limb dropped off, but the creature swiped out with his other, delivering four deep gashes to Grey’s chest.
Across the square, the shifters roared. Instead of transforming into their animal forms, they drew swords from the ether and charged.
It was wise. Shifters fought with teeth and claws, but the Obsidia could tear them apart if they made contact.
Eve launched herself into the air, her wings carrying her high as she raised her hands and shot a blast of lightning at one of the Obsidia. The creature exploded in a burst of glittery, pulverized glass.
At my side, Mac raised her blade and staggered forward. Seraphia did the same, pulling a wicked looking dagger from the ether. She reached into the bag that Eve had given her and withdrew a potion bomb. She passed it to Mac before taking one for herself.
“Stay back here,” I said. “You’re too weak.”
“We’ll be dead if we lose,” Mac said.
“Just keep your distance,” I implored.
She nodded. “Be careful.”
I sprinted toward the horde of Obsidia that stood between me and my target, hurling my potion bomb at one of them. It collided with the creature’s chest, and the beast shattered into a thousand pieces.
The battle raged, glass and smoke flying. The monsters were deadly but brittle. They weren’t particularly hard to kill, but one of their blows was devastating. As soon as our forces took out one of theirs, another would appear.
A pair of Obsidia sprinted for me, their eyeless faces turned toward mine. I yanked a potion bomb out of the bag and hurled it at the closest one. The beast exploded, but the second was already on me.
The Obsidia lashed out. Glass sliced into my arm and shoulder, and pain flared. I stumbled back, grabbing another potion bomb. I threw it at the creature, my aim true. The beast blasted apart.
Blood poured from my shoulder and bicep. I spun around, searching for the next threat. One of them lunged for me, and I ducked, narrowly avoiding a hit as pain burned in my arm. I dug out another potion bomb and chucked it in the face of my attacker. The creature shattered.
In the distance, Grey fought like a whirlwind, so fast that he was nearly a blur. His sword cut through the Obsidia with ease. Beheading them worked well, but there were so many. The shifters and my friends kept up the attack, but we were outnumbered three to one. My friends were covered in wounds, and blood stained the dirt around us.
I sprinted for Rasla. It was up to me to take him out. But another group of Obsidia cut me off, three of them advancing. Black glass glittered ominously within the smoke that held them together. I hurled my potion bomb at one, but the pain and blood loss had killed my aim. The bomb detonated at the creature’s feet, and it leapt over, sprinting for me.
From the sky, Eve hit it with a blast of lightning, taking it down. There were still two more, though, and they were nearly on me. I plunged my hand into my bag, arm singing with pain. I drew out another bomb and managed to hit the second monster. It erupted in a burst of sparkling glass, but the third was on me in seconds, taking me to the ground.
As I fell, I caught sight of Mac going down, then a shifter.
There were just too many.
I thrashed and struggled, pain nearly blinding me as the beast wrapped its entire body around mine. It felt like falling into a pit of glass shards, thousands of cuts that gouged deep.
My blood poured onto the dirt, leeching out of me. Too fast. Too many cuts. Too deep.
Dying.
A roar sounded in the distance, and a second later, the monster on top of me was gone.
The pain remained, so strong and blinding that I could barely see.
Grey leaned over me. “Carrow,” he said, terror in his voice, “can you hear me?”
I nodded, my head already foggy from wounds. I could barely think, but I knew one thing—the blow had been too much.
I was dying. We were losing. It was over. “We’re…outnumbered.”
“We’re not,” he said. “More shifters have come. Open your eyes.”
I struggled to open my eyes, barely able to see the shifters behind him. There were over a dozen of them with shields and long swords. Screams and shouts sounded, and explosions of glass flew into the air as the shifters took out the Obsidia.
Eve’s lightning lit the sky, and I caught sight of Mac and Seraphia out of the corner of my eye. They hurled potion bombs at any Obsidia who came close. Rasla was nowhere to be seen, but I could still feel his presence.
The battle continued to rage, but I was too weak to sit up.
“Take my blood.” My voice was so faint that I wasn’t sure he could hear me. “I won’t make it, but you could. End the curse.”
“Absolutely not.” Fear echoed in his voice. Fear for me.
Cordelia appeared at my side, wringing her hands, her eyes worried.
Poor Cordelia. Who would buy her kebabs?
Cordelia tugged at Grey’s sleeve. Heal her.
“I can’t.” Grey’s voice broke slightly. “The curse has taken my healing ability.”
“I’m dying, Grey. I can feel it.”
I could see the truth in his eyes. It would take an enormously powerful healing charm to get me out of this, and with the battle raging…
If Eve had had one, she’d have put it in my pack.
It took all my strength to grip his arm. “Take my blood and save yourself.”
“You’re out of your mind with pain,” he said.
He was right about that. I’d never been in such agony. It tore through me like fire. I could never come back from something like this.
“I’m not doing it,” he said. “I don’t want immortality. Not if it steals your life from you.”
Stubborn man. “My life is already gone.”
A figure appeared at our side, falling to his knees by my head.
I blinked up, confused. “Michael?”
The big man of unknown species stared down at me. The last time I’d seen him, we’d been waving at him from Xavier’s canal boat.
I brought him, Cordelia said.
I blinked.
“You need to take this.” Michael pulled a tiny vial out of a wrist cuff. “You don’t have long.”
“What is it?” Grey demanded.
“Powerful healing draft. Strongest one I’ve ever made.” He uncorked it and held it over my
lips. “Drink. Now.”
I did as he said, gulping down the bitter liquid. Strength surged through my muscles, and I gasped. My vision cleared, and after a few moments, I was able to sit.
Shocked joy surged through me, and I looked between Cordelia and Michael.
“She was paying my chickens a visit when she sensed you were in danger,” Michael said. “She dragged me along.”
“Thank you.” I stumbled upright with Grey’s help, taking in our surroundings.
The battle was slowing, but Mac was still on the ground. Two shifters as well. I spun back to Michael. “Will you help them? Please?”
He nodded and ran toward Mac.
The sounds of battle raged as I searched the darkness for Rasla. He’d retreated when we’d started to gain the advantage.
“He’s by the tower.” Grey pointed.
“I’m going for him.” Magic surged inside me. The connection between us burned, strange and unholy. I needed to get rid of some of this power, shove it into him until he exploded. I was an atomic bomb ready to detonate.
I sprinted toward Rasla, and Grey joined me. “Let me. You were just wounded.”
“It has to be me.” My power pulsed inside me, drawing me toward him. Rage boiled in my veins.
Grey took out two Obsidia as we neared the sorcerer.
Dark magic pulsed around Rasla, and the tower that loomed at his back seethed with the same darkness. I was determined to drive it from Guild City. From the Shadow Guild tower. From my friends.
I could grab a potion bomb from my bag, but it would do no good. I was sure of it. The power was within me, the magic of Orion’s Heart, and it needed to go somewhere. The atomic bomb feeling intensified.
Rasla saw me and charged with a roar. I hurled myself at him, grabbing tight to him as my magic erupted. His grip sliced at me, sending electric pain through my limbs, but I was stronger. My power blasted into Rasla. He shrieked, flailing backward.
Before my eyes, he turned to ash and blew away on the wind.
But the Shadow Guild tower still vibrated with dark magic. The curse was alive and well.
“Why didn’t it work?” I cried.
The sounds of battle around us faded. The Obsidia had disappeared along with Rasla, but some of the dark magic remained, polluting the tower in front of us.
