We met in the courtyard, instead of the great hall, since many of the lesser Fae were camped there, more than we had expected, even though they had not made a decision to support us yet. I was dressed in the same lightweight armor that the Elite Guard wore, with weapons strapped to every place they’d fit comfortably. I knew the moment they caught sight of us, because a quiet hush fell over the crowd.
We didn’t talk, or even acknowledge them for now. I was so focused on the problem at hand that I barely even noticed the look of awe that spread through the crowd at the sight of me dressed for war. It wasn’t until I looked up and found the Winter Queen looking right at me that I considered what I looked like.
They’d probably never even seen a female geared to fight, let alone carrying weapons. I didn’t move, or say anything as she watched me; the only acknowledgment I gave her was a slight nod of my head.
Ryder came out with his full Horde King armor on, along with the entire Elite Guard. He looked like something out of an anime show. His armor was once again black and formfitting. He wore a black heavy cloak, and I almost smiled as it caught the light and absorbed it. The armor beneath it was the same as his men wore. Unlike the others, his cloak was held together by a jeweled clasp of black onyx, and a single dragon was embedded in the middle of the silver disc that that hung from his neck. Unlike last time, all of his men wore the disc, signifying their position as his guard.
The entire assembly watched them, as if waiting for them to make a move so they could sift out. I could see the panic beginning to rise and took control of it.
“Let’s go,” I said as I accepted the cloak Ryder held out for me, and then I accepted his hand. I turned in his arms and eyed the assembly, knowing they’d be at ease once the Elite Guard of the Horde King left the area. I did however, notice Silas standing with Elijah, watching Ryder and I.
I didn’t have time to over think it as Ryder swept open his arms and opened a giant portal big enough for an entire company of Elite Guard to go through. We could see the deserted Guild Compound not too far from the portal and the castle guard moved into position behind us to prevent anyone from following us through. It was like a well-orchestrated move, and they all knew it. We were, after all, the elusive Horde, a monstrous bunch who never did anything half-assed.
We materialized beside Vlad, and Adrian, who paused and then relaxed when they saw it was us. I looked up at the vacated stairs of the Guild and felt the stillness of it. I was sure Adrian had felt it as well.
The Guild was normally busy, and even when it wasn’t, there were guards posted at all times outside. We knew something was off. The Witches would never leave it unguarded, not under Alden’s careful watch.
“It’s too quiet,” I said, and turned to Adrian, who watched me.
“That’s what I said, the back looks a mess. I took a peek, and one of the buildings has a wall blown out. We don’t smell blood, and we couldn’t see anything dead from here,” Adrian said.
“Shit’s getting weird Ryder; my club and yours were both sites for some huge fights. I’m fighting with the liquor boards just to keep them both open. Cops are pulling doubles, and the fact that the Guild isn’t sending out help hasn’t gone unnoticed by the locals. People are staying inside, or home. It’s almost as if it’s open hunting season on the Human race,” Vlad confirmed.
“All of this happened in the last few days?” I asked.
“It started when we left to come to the presentation. It’s also why we left so hastily and without word. You guys had been through hell, and we were handling it. We handle our own, but this, this is something else. It’s like they’ve all gone mad. Could just be the rumors of the Mages and their plans, and some sick fucks are taking advantage of it, and getting a head start. Hell, it could be just about anything.”
“Or they caught wind that the Guild in Spokane is out of whack, and down. Is this happening near any of the other areas with standing portals?” I asked.
“No, only here; Adrian asked the same thing,” Vlad confirmed. His silver eyes watched me closely.
“It’s the Guild. They know there’s no one around here who can stop them. They figure why not? We’ve seen this before; when I was nineteen they announced that this Guild might be closing, and that we’d be stationed in Seattle. Hell broke loose, and it took the Elders coming out to stop it, but even then, they were careful to keep it out of the news.”
“I remember that,” Adrian said with a confirming nod.
“It took us almost a week to find the worst of the violators and contain them,” I said.
“Where were they taken to when you’d contained them?” Ryder asked, and even I heard his jaw pop.
“Don’t know. It was above my pay grade. We took them to the river where they were placed in iron containment cells. My guess would be that they were taken to other Guilds so that students could train or so the higher ups could…” I paused and winced. “Experiment on them.”
“I bet,” he growled.
“Let’s just get to the part where you call me an ass, and I admit that I was a good little solider back then, and then we go see what’s going on,” I said as I faced him.