Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 134898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 674(@200wpm)___ 540(@250wpm)___ 450(@300wpm)
I bite back my frown. “Need?”
“Yes.” She blinks rapidly, then tucks her cheek against my filthy shirt. “Do you know how much treasure the dead just showed me? It’s going to take years to dig it all up.”
“Huh.” I rub my hand up and down her back. I’m still worried. Mancers are illegal, and far too many people know about her powers for my comfort. The urge to protect her is fierce, and I hold her close. If Rooster tries anything, I need a plan. I’m not letting them hurt my mate.
* * *
No one is sure how safe the guild is now.
“Spies could be everywhere,” Rooster frets, pacing and wringing his hands as the rest of us relax by the riverbank. “What if they’re not just the lift operators? Not just the repeaters? What if this is an absolute coup?”
“It won’t be a coup,” Stork insists. “No one likes a thief.”
But Rooster isn’t so sure. He’s also worried about the rest of Gwenna’s friends who’d arrived at the lift with her—Archivist Sparrow, along with Kipp and Arrod. Upon hearing those names, Jay becomes agitated, too. “What if they’ve been hurt?”
“They’re smart. They’ll figure out how to stay safe,” I reassure him. Well…Kipp’s smart, at least. “And Master Hawk isn’t going to let anything happen to Sparrow.”
Rooster points at Gwenna, who’s been sleeping in my arms for the last several hours. “Wake her and ask her to speak with the dead. See if she can feel them.”
“She’s tired and drained,” I growl at him. “She needs to rest.”
“Yes, but this is an emergency.”
I lower my voice and lean in. “For someone who didn’t want to use mancer powers, you’re sure quick to pounce on them now.”
That silences him. He goes back to pacing.
In the end, one of the enforcers, named Hopkins, goes into the city. He’s got family in the lower side of Vastwarren, and he’s going to visit them and gather forces to go to the city guard. From there, they’ll head for the guild quarters and see just how bad the damage is.
The rest of us wait by the riverside.
In truth, I thought the night would be endless, but I’m exhausted from fighting, and it’s nice to just sit and hold my mate close. Gwenna sleeps on through the night, lightly snoring in my arms in a way that I find utterly adorable, and which causes Stork to frown in our direction. Like I care what he thinks. Jay seems thoughtful as he sits with us, washing his wounds and offering to tend to mine.
I snarl at him, as any good Taurian would. If anyone’s going to fuss over me, it’s going to be Gwenna.
It’s dawn before we hear horses approaching. I gently set Gwenna down on the ground as she sleepily tries to focus. I kiss the top of her head, and a surge of love for this small, determined female fills my heart. “I won’t let anyone touch you,” I tell her, pulling her close to my chest. “I’ll fight every last one of them if I must. Don’t worry.”
She leans against me, fatigued. Through the haze of exhaustion on her face, fear flickers. “But what—”
“No buts,” I tell her gently. “You’ve been mine since the first day we met, and nothing today is going to change that. You think I would let you be in danger? That anyone here could keep me from my mate now that she’s safe in my arms? I’ll handle this, little bantam. You don’t need to worry at all.”
I mean it, too. My protective instincts are surging—a stronger sensation than my mucking knot, that’s for certain—as I make sure she’s settled and comfortable. Then I move to the front of our group, and my hands curl into fists. If I must fight to shield my mate and my companions until my last dying breath, I will. If I have to fight all of Vastwarren to protect Gwenna, I’ll gladly do so.
If I have to fight the gods themselves to keep her safe…bring it on.
But when the horses arrive, it’s Master Tiercel, Hopkins, and two other guild masters. “It’s all over,” Tiercel says, riding forward. “You’re safe. I’ve got a wagon full of medics heading up here. I heard there were wounded?”
Rooster pushes forward. “The insurrection—”
Tiercel holds up a hand. “Fizzled into nothing. Master Hawk has arrested all of the lift operators and is holding them for questioning.”
The guild leader blusters. “That…that’s very good. But why isn’t Hawk here to report on this to me?”
“Have you ever seen a Taurian on a horse?” is all Tiercel says, and I laugh despite myself. Count on Hawk to swoop in and save the day. Someone probably threatened a hair on Sparrow’s head, and he cleaned house.
Which is good, because it means we can finally rest.