Eve joined us, her expression grave. “I had no idea this building was here.” She turned to look at Grey, who had stood. “Did you know about this?”
He stared at it, jaw tight and eyes shadowed. “No. But I must have. I played a role in determining the positioning of all guild towers, and yet…this one is gone from my memory.”
“Hidden by whoever cursed you.” I continued toward the building, desperate to touch it.
Mac and Seraphia stuck by my side, seemingly as compelled as I was. The stone walls and glittering glass called to me. The massive wooden door was a beacon that beckoned me.
“Stop!” Eve said. “Don’t go any closer. There’s still dark magic there. We didn’t get rid of all of it.”
I swallowed hard, trying without success to fight the pull. “There are answers in there. Why didn’t the spell work to break the curse?”
“It worked, partially,” Quinn said. He joined Mac and gripped her arm, forcing her to stop approaching the tower. She struggled but was too weak to fight him. “It cursed you, Mac. You shouldn’t go any closer.”
“He’s right.” I was nearly there now, my attention half captured by the stone and glass structure. “Same for Seraphia.”
Eve grabbed Seraphia, stopping her from going any closer. Grey approached me, but I shook my head. “It didn’t curse me before. I’ll be fine. And we need to know what this place is. Why didn't the spell work fully?”
I could still feel the dark magic radiating from it.
“Maybe there’s something inside that is powering the spell,” Eve said. “If we could get in and destroy it, we could stop it.”
That made sense. I pressed on, reaching the front door. My skin tingled with awareness as I stared at it.
So close.
I was so close to something, but I had no idea what. This tower appeared haunted, the magic that surrounded it steeped in history and evil.
And yet…
I was drawn to it.
Was I evil? Had Orion’s Stone turned me?
“Are you sure about this?” Grey stood close to my
side, his voice low.
“I am.” Trembling, I raised my hand. “I need to know.”
I reached for the door and tried to open it. It didn’t budge. A forcefield prickled against my fingers, burning.
“It’s shielded,” I said. “No way to get in. Probably not even through a window.”
Next to me, Grey bent down and picked up a large rock. He looked at me, a question in his eyes.
I nodded. “Try it.”
He stepped back and hurled the rock at one of the lower windows. When it reached the glass, the rock exploded into a thousand tiny fragments.
“We won’t try to break in by force, then.” I allowed my magic to flow toward the surface, calling upon my gift.
What are you? What is this curse that darkens your stone and stains your glass?
My fingertips pressed to the wooden door, and a shock of awareness raced up my arms. My questions went unanswered.
Why is this tower cursed?
Information blasted into my head. Images flashed—Black Church, an office, scattered papers, books, a man.