Wicked Deal (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 2)

On the other side, people ran screaming out of their houses, horror on their faces.

“They’re trapped.” Carrow reached up and touched the dome with her fingertips. Sparks flared, and she yelped, drawing her hand back.

“There’s no way through,” I said. “Not as long as the magic works.”

“Those people can’t escape.” Eve’s voice trembled.

Carrow turned to me, eyes bright. “That’s what Mariketta meant! We can reach the Church by going under the dome.” She frowned. “But how? Do we dig?”

“The Dwarves’ Guild,” Mac said.

I nodded. “She’s right. They own most of the tunnels under the city. They’ll know how to get through.”

“Where are they?” Carrow asked. “Do they have a tower we can go to?”

“Not a normal tower,” said Eve. “But we can arrange a meeting.”

“We’ll go now,” I said.

“You can get us in this early?” Mac shook her head. “Of course you can. What am I thinking?”

“I’m going to check on the shifters trying to evacuate,” Quinn said. “I’ll meet you later. Don’t go without me.”

“We’ll call,” Mac assured him.

He nodded and turned, striding down the street in the direction of his guild tower.

Carrow looked at me. “Lead the way.”

Carrow

Grey strode ahead, guiding us down the winding streets toward a part of town that I’d never visited before. The streets became quieter, the buildings slightly larger.

“This is the posh side of the city,” Mac said. “Old money over here.”

There were no shops on the bottom floors of the buildings, just quiet doors and windows with pretty curtains and flowers in the window boxes. The stately houses were two or three stories tall and attractive. Many of the Tudor fronts had been replaced with newer exteriors of plaster and brick, though they were still at least three hundred years old, from the looks of them.

“They like it here because the Dwarves’ Guild tower is so quiet,” Mac said. “But they’re snobs.”

Everything did look quite stiff and perfect. Particularly the clearing that was common in front of every guild tower. This one was lovely, tended grass with pebble pathways and flower beds. Everything was symmetrical and precise.

“Too perfect for me,” I murmured.

“Designed by some famous landscape architect centuries ago,” Eve said. “Only residents of this neighborhood are allowed to use it.”

“Are they Dwarves like Snow White’s dwarves or Tolkien’s dwarves?”

“There are some similarities there,” Eve said. “They do prefer it underground, and mining is their primary source of wealth.”

“Wealth being the operative word,” Mac said. “They have a lot of it, and they know how to use it.”

We stopped in front of the short, squat tower. It was only two stories tall and built of massive stones. The windows looked empty, and the entire place vibrated with an eerie quiet.

“Is it abandoned?” I asked.

“No. But most of the activity happens underground,” Mac said.

Grey turned to us. “Ready?”