Supernaturals still roamed the streets, but their clothing was so stiff and staid compared to what I was used to. Horses filled the streets, pulling narrow carriages. According to Mac, they’d fallen out of favor when motorbikes had become popular, and probably because they smelled. In fact, the whole town bore a stench.
“It stinks here,” I whispered.
“Hardly.” A wry smile tugged at the corner of Grey’s mouth. “We used magic to manage the waste and odor. It was not quite as good as the plumbing that replaced it, but far better than what the humans dealt with.”
I nodded. “If you say so.”
“Come, we will check the Shadow Guild tower.”
I nodded and followed him down the street. It was the first part of our plan, because it was the best way to know where we were, temporally speaking. Had Rasla hidden the tower yet? Did people here know of the Shadow Guild, or had he already erased it from their memories?
We moved swiftly through the small crowd, darting into a back alley as soon as we reached one. I could still navigate easily enough, but the differences in the city made it a slightly odd experience.
Within minutes, we reached the part of town where the tower stood. I stepped out of the alley and into the empty square, staring at the flat section of wall.
“He’s already done it.” I shook my head. “The tower is gone.”
“It’s truly incredible how he managed it.” Disgust echoed in Grey’s voice.
I looked at the quiet square. There were no weeds yet, just carefully placed gravel made of pale brown stones. The statue of Rasla stood in the middle, unencumbered by weeds. All around, the shops stared silently out at the empty space. Only half of them were closed, unlike in the present day, when they were all abandoned. A small boy swept the street outside of one, and Grey strode to him.
He crouched down, and the boy stepped back warily. Grey reached into his pocket and withdrew a small coin, holding it out to show the boy. It was money from this period, obtained from Grey’s private collection.
“This is yours if you can tell me what you know about this place.” Grey gestured to the empty square and the section of empty wall.
The boy looked from the coin to the square, confusion in his eyes. “Tell you what about it?”
“Anything at all. Does it seem strange to you? Like it has recently changed?”
The boy shrugged. “It’s just an empty square. Bad luck there’s no guild tower here or business would be better, me mam says.”
“Bad luck?”
He nodded, but confusion flickered in his eyes. “Just never been a tower here. Strange, that. But it’s the way it’s always been.”
“What about that statue?” Grey pointed to the stone Rasla. “When did that appear?”
The boy’s eyes brightened. “Just the other day. Big ceremony, and we sold rivers of beer.”
“Thank you, lad.” Grey handed him the coin and stood, then returned to me. “That’s that, then. It was recent.”
I nodded. “Shall we go to your place?”
“Yes. I’m not sure how much longer this potion will hold.” He rubbed his jaw.
Together, we slipped down the alley and back onto the main streets. We moved quickly through the crowd, avoiding people as best we could. The streets had filled more, the evening arriving with a biting chill to the air. As the sun set behind the clouds, the night grew dark. More streetlamps flared to life, magic filling their globes and casting a glow on the people crowding the lanes.
We were nearly to Grey’s side of town when a man stepped out of a shop, bumping into me. I stumbled, and he grabbed my arm, trying to keep me from falling.
A shock of discomfort flashed through me at his touch, his magic sick and dark. I looked up, startled.
Right into the face of Councilor Rasla.
11
Carrow
He looked just like the statue, with a heavy brow and long nose. But it was his magic I recognized. Evil. Reeking of decay and death.
My heart thundered as Councilor Rasla studied me with shocked eyes. His voice was cold as he demanded, “Who are you?”
“No one of interest to you.” I wanted to yank my arm away, but this was too good an opportunity to miss. I used my power, calling it up from within me. It resisted at first, then finally flared to life.
What is going on with you? How do we find out?
An image came to mind—a woman, her face broad and wind-chapped. She