Captured (Shadow Guild Hades & Persephone #3) - Linsey Hall Page 0,13

off to?” Mac asked.

“We need to go to Kamarina to speak to my grandmother.”

“The Oracle?” Eve asked.

I nodded. “It’ll be dangerous because Poseidon guards the temple now. But I need to ask her about my bound magic.”

“I can help with that,” Eve said. “Follow me.”

She turned to go, but I grabbed her arm. “What do you mean?”

She looked back at me and winked. “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, and helping you contact an Oracle is one of them. Now, come on.”

I shared a quick glance with Hades, and he nodded. Anything that helped us avoid Poseidon would be welcome.

Eve led us through the alley and out into the crowd, cutting across the busy main street and into more back roads that provided quieter passage. She deftly avoided the areas that had iced over, but every time we passed one, I shivered.

After a few minutes, we reached a little ancient building tucked into one of the darkest, narrowest alleys in Guild City. The cobblestone street was little more than a ditch, and water snaked down the middle of it. The Tudor structure was tall and narrow, the brick front pressed between two of the white plaster buildings that were more common in town.

“Come on up.” Eve pressed a hand to the blue door, and magic sparked around her palm. The door opened inward, and she led the way up some narrow stairs to a red door. It opened same as the blue, leading into an attic flat.

Hades had to duck his head to fit under the low sloped ceiling, and Mac’s blonde hair nearly brushed it. Eve, who shared my short stature, had no problem hurrying into the cluttered space.

I turned and took it all in. Light filtered through small, diamond-paned windows at the front of the room, illuminating the cluttered tables full of books and potion-making equipment.

Hades moved to the center of the room, where the ceiling was high enough that he could stand, and took up position, watching Eve as she worked.

“What is this place?” I asked. “I thought your workshop is at Guild City tower.”

“And before that, you had the shop near my place,” Mac said.

“Which is now covered in ice.” Eve shrugged. “So it’s good I have a backup. Supplies like mine are valuable and rare. I needed a place to hide them.”

“From us?” Mac asked, sounding hurt.

“Oh, don’t be a ninny,” Eve said. “Of course not. But you know I’m on the outs with my court. They’d love to get their hands on some of my kit.”

Mac nodded, understanding gleaming in her eyes. I didn’t know much about Eve’s past, but I did know that she was a fae without a court, which was why she was in our misfit guild. Like shifters, Fae were pack creatures. Without the companionship of their kind, they often went insane. Eve wasn’t, as far as I knew, but it also wasn’t easy to be an outsider. Why she did so, I had no idea. But now wasn’t the time to ask.

Still, it made me feel like a shite friend for never getting to know her better.

“Anyway,” Eve said. “This place comes in handy in emergencies.”

“Of course,” Mac said. “Like the ever-so-common emergency of half the town freezing over.”

“Half the world,” I corrected. “Let’s not downplay how much I’ve screwed this up.”

“Well, we’re going to fix it.” Eve darted around the room collecting various potions and lighting a small blue fire under a silver cauldron. “This won’t take me long. Once you drink it, you’ll go into a trance and, with any luck, you’ll be able to visit your grandmother.”

“Was this possible before?” I asked. “Could I have spoken to her?”

“Not when I thought she was human, no.” Eve huffed a laugh. “I’m no medium, that’s for sure.”

“Thank fates for that,” Mac said. “Last thing we need is a bunch of dead people trying to break up movie night.”

I waited impatiently as Eve worked, breathing deeply of the floral scent of the concoction she was making. A moment later, she cursed. “Damn it, I don’t have enough.”

Worry twisted within me. “What is it?”

She held up a tiny green sprig. “This Harrowvane is too small.”

“Let me try.” I walked toward her, taking the tiny green plant. Silky soft leaves sprouted off a narrow stem, and little red buds tipped it.

My magic was still weak from using it to revive Cordelia, but this was a small job. I fed my power into the little plant, feeling its life force