But it was.

And I needed to get my head together and not lose it.

Mac grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the gate. “The Haunted Hound is one of the multiple entrance points to Guild City. Once you go through the pub, you arrive at one of two gates that lead into the city itself.”

She pulled me to the left, moving away from the huge gate toward a smaller door that was more suited to a human than a lorry.

“There are guards in the tower,” she said, “but they don’t check everyone who enters. Your magic alone should be enough to gain you entrance, though the guards will know when it happens.”

“They keep track?” My head was spinning.

“Yeah. And if the city is ever attacked, they’ll defend. Along with the guilds.”

“Attacked? Guilds?”

“Guild City is based on the medieval walled cities in Romania.” Her green eyes met mine, excitement flashing within. “Some say that the Devil of Darkvale is Vlad the Impaler himself. That he moved here hundreds of years ago when he could no longer stay in Romania, and he designed a city like the one he left behind.”

“So he’s…immortal?”

Mac shrugged. “That’s what they say. Now touch the door.”

Warily, I raised my hand. Part of me screamed to run. But a way bigger part of me wanted to shove that door open and race inside. My life on the outside was…nothing.

This, though? This had potential.

I pressed my hand to the door, gasping when the magic sparkled against my palm.

“It’s working.” Mac clapped her hands.

The door opened, and I grinned back at her.

“Go in.” A huge smile stretched across her face.

I pushed open the door to reveal a long, dark corridor. The top was arched, and on the other side, cool gray light shone on old buildings. Wary but excited, I stepped into the tunnel, Mac close behind.

Again, the briefest bit of wariness prickled my skin. I’d spent too much of my life afraid and at the bottom of the heap—first with my “family,” and then at police training and in the real world—to not be afraid.

But damn it, I wasn’t going to be scared.

Not when there was magic at the other end of this tunnel.

And I trusted Mac. I could feel her goodness. I’d had the vision of us as friends.

I strode down the tunnel, excitement thrumming through me as I stepped out into a small city square. It was surrounded on three sides by Tudor-style buildings, most of them white plaster and dark wood. A few were painted colorful shades that added some cheer through the fog, and brilliant flowers tumbled out of window boxes. Gas streetlamps flickered, giving it an old-fashioned feeling.

“What do you think?” Mac asked.

“It’s lovely.” Most of the buildings had shops on the bottom, and all sorts of goods cluttered the windows. Here and there, I spotted clear signs of modernity, like motorbikes in the narrow roads and electric lights within the buildings.

In the distance, tall towers loomed at the edges of the city. Each one looked different from the next—some were intimidating stone monstrosities, while others were whimsical wooden structures that seemed to spark with magic.

Mac pointed to them. “Those are the guild towers, the backbone of Guild City. They form the government and provide protection, though that’s needed less in modern day.”

“Who’s in the guilds?”

“Different magical species. There’s a Witches’ Guild, a Sorcerers’ Guild, the Shifters’ Guild, and so on. Each of the guilds has a motto and specializes in something. The witches sell potions, seers sell visions. That kind of thing. The most powerful members live in the towers, and the rest of us live in the city.”

My brows rose. “Wow.”

Tags: Linsey Hall Shadow Guild: The Rebel Paranormal
Source: readsnovelonline.net