Dark Secrets - Linsey Hall Page 0,51

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 avoid—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