terrible things to the Shadow Guild, all but destroying it and wiping it from the city’s memory?
A bird’s shriek sounded from the tower, and I spotted the raven sitting on the roof.
“There’s your buddy.” Mac tilted her head. “Does it seem a little different?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
The raven launched itself into the air and swooped toward me. For the longest moment, I felt like I recognized the gleam in its eye.
Weird.
I shook my head and walked toward the door. Mac came with me, and we unlocked the heavy wooden thing. Pushing it open, I revealed the newly spotless room. After all our elbow grease, it looked gorgeous. The stone walls almost sparkled, and the large hearth looked inviting.
My gaze landed on the heavy wooden chair that sat next to the hearth. Cordelia had dragged it into the front room last week, and I’d avoided it ever since.
Mac caught me looking at it. “That’s the leader’s chair, you know. Every guild has one.”
She’d told me that before, about a week ago. Apparently, she felt the need to repeat it. Probably because I’d ignored her the first time, pretending to be distracted. I studied the beautifully carved wood. It was an impressive thing, far too good for me.
“You haven’t sat in it yet,” Mac said. “In fact, you’ve hardly mentioned being leader at all.”
I swallowed hard.
That’s because I don’t feel ready. Or worthy.
“All we’ve done is clean this place,” she continued, her gaze knowing.
“Spit it out, Mac.” She was beating around the bush. I knew her well enough by now to be able to spot it.
“We chose you as leader because it was the obvious choice. You saved this place. And I’m not saying you’re being negligent in your duties or anything, just that I’ve noticed you shying around that chair like it’s going to bite you.”
I drew in a deep breath and approached it slowly, running my fingertips over the smooth wood. “I don’t even know what I am. Or the extent of my magic. How can I possibly be qualified to lead?”
“We believe in you,” Mac said. “You need to believe in yourself, too.”
Easier said than done.
“Anyway,” she continued, “this whole magic thing is a journey. You don’t need to be perfect right now.”
Journeys had beginnings, and I felt like I didn’t know what mine had been. I had no idea where my magic had come from. Not my father. My mother?
She’d died shortly after my birth, so I had no memories of her.
Pain sliced through me, and I scowled. I’d long since stopped thinking of her. It brought more harm than good.
But now that I was faced with my future and so much responsibility that I didn’t feel ready for, I wished I could speak to her. Ask her about my past and who I was. What I was. Especially with my magic, which had been more stubborn lately. I could mostly control it, but not entirely. And new powers kept popping up.
The raven swooped inside, distracting me from my thoughts. This was the most I’d ever interacted with the bird, and so I followed it, cutting through the empty front room that gleamed from our recent deep clean. The bird flew up the stone spiral staircase, and I ran after it, taking the steps two at a time, with Mac pounding behind me.
My heart raced as I stepped out into a second-floor room that we hadn’t yet started on.
“Is it just me, or is this exciting?” Mac asked.
“It’s not just you.” Something was happening—I could feel it.
The bird flew to a dusty old box in the corner and landed on the wooden top. It turned to me, eyes glinting, then pecked at the wood.
“Well, if that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is,” Mac said.
“Yeah.” I approached the box, a strange tingle of awareness racing down my arms. As I neared, the bird hopped off.
Magic radiated from the box, buzzing and bright. A chill raced over my skin as I reached for it, the bird’s keen eyes on me.
What the heck was in here?
2
Carrow
Tension tightened the air around me as I rested my fingertips against the lid of the wooden box. It was fairly large—roughly a meter by a meter—and looked old. Really old. The layer of dust on the surface was thick, and there was no lock.
“Go on,” Mac said. “I’m dying over here.”
I nodded, my breath coming short. It felt like something momentous was going to happen.
Quickly, I lifted the lid. Dust billowed out, and I