Wicked Deal (Shadow Guild: The Rebel 2)

One door was open, however, revealing an enormous cavern and a glowing blue waterfall. Gems seemed to glitter from the stone in every shade of the rainbow, and the pool of water looked inviting.

“Wow.” I leaned toward Mac and whispered. “Have you ever been here?”

“No. It’s hard to get past the restaurant.”

We passed another open room. I peered in, spotting a gorgeous library full of thousands of books. The shelves soared toward the ceiling, dotted with tall ladders here and there. Plush armchairs sat in front of a roaring fire, and magic seemed to sparkle in the air. It was utterly fantastic, and I itched to get inside.

“That looks amazing.” Eve’s eyes gleamed with interest, and I remembered her book collection from earlier.

For the first time ever, I didn’t see her raven at her side. Now that I thought of it, the bird had disappeared once we’d entered the Dwarves’ Guild. “Your raven isn’t here.”

She shot me an annoyed look. “I’ve told you and everyone else a million times, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Her tone was so exasperated that I believed her, though how she could miss the raven was beyond me. Did it appear to everyone but her?

Eventually, the lovely hall gave way to more rustic tunnels. The lights were spaced farther apart, and the carpet and doorways disappeared. From the sides, earthen tunnels diverged off the main passage, stretching far into the distance. It was too dark to see what they led to, but my imagination ran wild.

Mac leaned close. “There are rumors of gems down here. Gold, too.”

“In London?”

“Crazy, right?”

I nodded.

“It’s said they’ve always been here,” Eve whispered. “But the Dwarves kept them hidden from humans with magic. Now they mine it for themselves.”

Eventually, the main tunnel joined with a more modern one. A track ran down the middle of the cement floor, and the arched ceiling was inset with electric lights that flickered weakly.

“Is this part of the Underground?” I asked.

Ogden looked back. “It’s human. Some of these are abandoned from World War II. Destroyed in the Blitz. Others are still used but exist on a slightly different plane. They’re shadows.”

“Shadows?”

A rumbling noise cut off the thought, and Ogden darted to the wall and pressed himself against it.

“Come on.” Grey did the same, and the rest of us followed.

Bright lights blared from up ahead, speeding toward us.

“Holy crap, a train?” I squeezed myself hard against the wall.

“Not quite,” Ogden said. “Getting hit wouldn’t kill you, but it doesn’t feel nice.”

The train zoomed by, loud enough to make my head hurt. A rush of wind whipped my hair around, and the side of the train car passed two feet from my nose. It was oddly transparent, like a ghost.

Beside me, Mac slowly reached out a hand, letting the train rush through her fingertips. Heart pounding, I did the same. It stung but didn’t leave a mark.

Finally, the train passed.

I sagged against the wall, heart still pounding.

“That was wild,” Eve said.

“We need to keep moving.” Ogden pushed himself off the wall.

He led us through endless tunnels, several of which had been damaged by bomb blasts. Tumbled rubble and bricks were a haunting reminder of man’s inhumanity. But then again, supernaturals weren’t any better. This Ivan fellow was going to blow up an entire city, simply as part of a vendetta against Grey.