“It’s—”
“Not fine.” I cut him off, knowing what he would say.
Michael shoved his huge body through the window and climbed inside. He took a potion from the cuff at his wrist and handed it to Grey, then disappeared again with some muttered words about seeing to the rest of the wounded.
Grey took the vial and drank it. The wounds knit themselves back together, and the color returned to his skin.
“How do you feel?” I asked.
“I’m all right. Don’t worry about me.”
How could I not, considering what I knew about us? About our fate?
I turned to Mac and Seraphia. “How do you feel?”
“One hundred percent.” Mac frowned. “That was so strange. Maybe I wasn’t really cursed at all, like the Curse Diviner said. Maybe I just needed to come here.”
“This place called to me,” Seraphia said. “It was trying to bring us here. We felt the effects of Rasla’s curse because this place was cursed. Not us.”
I spun in a circle, looking around at the dusty old room. It looked like a castle. A freaking dragon should appear any minute.
“So, what does this mean?” I asked.
“I think you have a guild.” Mac grinned widely. “And so do we.”
18
Carrow
The next day, I stood outside of Black Church with Mac, Seraphia, Quinn, Eve, and Grey. Cordelia sat at our feet, sunbathing on the stones. The morning was clear and bright. If I tried hard enough, I could pretend that yesterday had been a dream.
Only, it hadn’t been.
We really did have a guild. And fortunately, no one on our side had died in the battle.
Now, we were waiting for our meeting with the Council.
And this time, I’d been the one to call the meeting. I looked at Mac.
“Ready to go tell them who’s boss?” she said.
I nodded.
It’s you. Cordelia grinned up at me.
“Shhh. We can’t be so cocky about it,” I said. “I’m still the new girl in town.”
“Powerful new girl,” Eve said. “You’ve only been here a couple weeks, and you’re already a guild leader.”
After the battle yesterday, they’d all voted. The Shadow Guild tower had made it clear that the five of us were meant to be members. We still had no idea how the practicalities were going to work out, but the Council would require a representative.
My friends had chosen me.
I didn’t want the responsibility, but they wouldn’t take no for an answer. I’d driven the curse from the tower. In their eyes, that made me qualified.
I looked at Grey, and he gave me a nod. “It’ll be fine.”
The thing with the Shadow Guild—yes. I’d see to it.