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Leila has her free hand clapped over her mouth as she tries to hold back a giggle of excitement. Her being here is another show of trust, but also her presence means I can’t get distracted by the Bishops either.
My kryptonite is my men, in every way. Both a positive and a negative. I’ll protect them until death, but they distract the fuck out of me.
Slipping through the bushes, the entry point to the guild comes into view. We take our time, making sure the coast is clear before heading down the steps. I hold my breath, but no one appears as we reach the bottom and head into the main room.All that greets us is the golden table standing as prominent as ever in the center of the room.
“What do we do now?” Leila asks as we move closer.
“Honestly, I don’t know.”
Zane drops the magic and I release both his and Leila’s hands. I run my fingers over the table, unsure where to even begin, and the others do the same. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, it looks like any other table.
Doubt swirls in my gut as I drop to my knees and crawl underneath. Scanning the length of the gold from left to right and back again, I come up empty handed. It doesn’t help that I don’t know what we’re supposed to be looking for.
I sigh, ready to give up when the smallest glint in the far corner catches my eye. Inching closer, my nerves frazzle. The closer I get, the brighter it shines. Reaching out, everything slows around me. I should call out to the others, but my tongue is like lead in my mouth.
Grasping it, I gasp as my eyes slam closed and images infiltrate my mind. Murmurs mingle, consuming me as person after person appears on the back of my eyelids, revealing conversation after conversation that the table has stored.
Holy fuck.
It really is the artifact from the tome. But if I don’t gain control of what it’s showing me, I won’t walk away any wiser. Taking a deep breath, I think about what I want to focus on, hoping that will narrow down what plays for me.
I’m intrigued as hell by the other artifacts now, and I think that’s what makes everything else disappear but Burton.
He’s sitting at the table with his elbows braced on top and a grin on his face.
“The artifact is hidden,” someone explains, making Burton’s smile widen.
“Good.”
“Do you think anyone is on to us?”
I don’t know who is talking. I recognize the voice, but I can’t place it.
“On to us? Why would they be on to us? We’re aiding everyone, keeping them safe from the Basilica realm. If anything, they’ll be praising us,” Burton retorts. “Besides, it will be safe in the mountains of Ashdale. Especially with the desert surrounding it. No one is going to find it.”
The pair of them chuckle and my gut clenches.
“With the table and Poten’s Ruby, we’re going to have quite a collection,” the other person states, and Burton nods eagerly.
“You’re forgetting that I also have the location of the gateway to the Realm of Shadows,” Burton adds, causing my eyebrows to lift in surprise. I can’t decide if this man is helping the realm or helping himself, and I don’t like it.
“Three. You have access to three artifacts. You know what that means, don’t you? The more you gather, the more intense the artifacts become, they’re stronger, more indestructible.”
“I know. That’s the point,” Burton states, leaning back in his seat with a sigh which echoes with relief. “It’s perfect.”
“What else is on your list?”
My eyebrows bunch together as I try to place the other person’s voice, but I keep falling short even though it sits on the tip of my tongue.
“I want eyes on the golden warrior. My gut tells me he’s got something, possibly the onyx with the way nothing affects him,” Burton says, choking me with more facts. “And I want the crown, but the whereabouts of that have been hidden for the past ten years and no one has a clue where to begin. The last known sighting was in Amberglen, but some believe it to be with The Monarchy.”
I need to be making a note of all of this.
Holy shit.
The vision fades and I drop my hand, letting the real world come back into view.
“Raven?”
