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.