Forging the Guild (The Protector Guild Book 2)

by Gray Holborn

  For now.

  “Yeah,” Izzy said, her lip quirking up on the left, “We’ll probably just be with the teams part time and then resume our regular scheduled programming for everything but missions. It doesn’t sound like it’s a permanent arrangement or anything, just a chance to test drive some teams and see how well we vibe.”

  I hoped she was right. And even more, I hoped that I was placed with at least one familiar face. Outside of Ten and Six, I hadn’t really met any of the other teams—they all seemed to constantly be filtering through the campus on various assignments. Almost none of them had any interaction with students, as far as I could tell.

  As they so often did, my eyes landed momentarily on Atlas. The exhaustion I’d noticed just a few moments earlier now seemed replaced by a stiff tension. He and Eli were locked in a stare and I half wondered if they’d found a magic way to talk to each other silently. Neither of them seemed particularly excited by the idea of a new member joining their team, even if it was just temporary.

  Would the other teams on campus be as serious and intimidating as Atlas and his group were? Or would they be more inviting, like Ten?

  “Rowan Bentley,” a curt, clipped voice said. I looked up and found Headmistress Alleva studying the three of us under her cool gaze. She was wearing heels, which seemed like an impractical choice for a protector, and looked kind of absurd amongst all of the sweat and equipment of the gym. But mostly, I was just impressed that her approach had been so silent in those shoes, as she wove her away around the various blue mats. For some reason, that, more than anything, seemed to speak to her stealth. Her silence in stilettos gave off some real assassin vibes.

  “Er, yes, that’s me,” Ro said. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down while she studied him for a long, tense moment.

  Seamus and Cyrus were positioned on either side of her, like silent sentinels, clearly letting her take the lead on this. I tried to see Ro through her eyes, fresh and new. Particularly since she seemed to know Cyrus, to have some sort of history with him, I wondered what she knew about us. Cyrus wasn’t the type to carry around wallet-sized photos of his kids, showing them off to unsuspecting strangers.

  “Right,” she said, her eyes tightening ever so slightly. It wasn’t like she found him lacking, more so that she didn’t quite know what to make him of yet, like an unexpected intruder of sorts. “We’re putting you and Isadora with Alpha Ten,” she said, jotting something down on a sheet of paper before handing a copy to each of them. “I heard you did well on your first mission with the team, and hopefully they will remain a good fit for you.” She cleared her throat for a moment. “Welcome to The Guild. I look forward to seeing what skills and strengths you will bring to our organization. I’m told you are a rather gifted fighter.”

  Ro grinned slightly at her, but it wasn’t filled with warmth and stopped far before it reached his eyes. It seemed that Ro was as hesitant about trusting Alleva as she was about trusting him.

  Still, as if in unison, both he and Izzy let out a pair of quiet exhales, no doubt pleased to get placed with our friends. I tried to push the jealousy threatening to bubble up back down. I wanted to join them, badly. And I had a feeling that since she hadn’t included me in her address, I wouldn’t be. At the very least, I was happy that they were together and with our favorite team.

  “What about Max, though,” Ro said, while Izzy elbowed him lightly in his side. “Er, mam. Sorry, it’s just we prefer to stay together. We’ve been training together our whole lives and I’m confident that we are more of an asset to this...organization...together than we are apart.”

  Izzy nodded meekly, and my cheeks warmed. When I looked back over to Alleva to see if she’d agree, I found her studying me with curiosity and narrowed eyes. Where there was a careful acceptance of Ro into the fold, she seemed less sure about me. I tried not to sink too much, knowing that she’d likely heard about the attacks outside of Vanish and maybe, to some extent, even about my not-quite-authorized trips to the research labs. Not exactly a great first impression for my future boss.

  I just hoped that at the very least, Reza hadn’t spent too much time complaining about me to her mother, otherwise I was screwed.

  “Yes, Maxine Bentley,” she let out a low exhale, her eyes scanning me from head-to-toe. “Let’s put you with Alpha Eight. From what I’ve heard, it sounds like you’ve had some exposure recently, so it would probably be best to get you with a decent protective detail, one with discipline.” Something about the way she said that ate at me, as if I’d asked to be attacked, or been somehow at fault. “Alpha Eight is quite advanced. I’m sure it’ll be a good fit. They are one of our best and I’m sure you could learn a lot from them.”

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cyrus elbow Seamus roughly in the stomach, causing him to grunt. He coughed quickly, in an attempt to cover up his surprise.

  Seamus stepped forward. “Actually, Alleva, I think it would be a better fit to stick Max with Alpha Six. They’ve been working with her pretty extensively already and it seems to be going well.”

  My stomach lurched, both excited to be with people I’d at least met, but nervous knowing how temperamental Atlas and his crew were. Their constant mood swings were giving me emotional whiplash. I wasn’t exactly sure what Seamus meant by it ‘going well,’ since I’d only really trained with Atlas for a few days and only had one tutoring session with Wade. If he was going by experience, I had the most with Ten, since they’d taken over the majority of my training.

  Alleva whipped her head towards Cyrus before landing her stern expression on Seamus. There was a sharpness to the look, like she was surprised Seamus had challenged her, despite her encouraging him to do so during her entrance speech. “That won’t work, I have Reza slotted with them. And while they are processing what happened to cause Wade’s traumas, I think it best to keep their apprentice load to one.”

  I caught sight of Reza out of the corner of my eye, just a few feet away. As usual, her expression was smug and I could tell that she was pleased to be placed with Six. It was no secret that she had her sights on Atlas, both in terms of professional and personal advancement. I studied her rigid posture and then looked back at Headmistress Alleva. I could see the resemblance in their confidence and poise. At first glance, I hadn’t noticed all of the similarities between the two women, but now the resemblance was impossible to ignore. Reza looked like Alleva’s younger twin.

  Seamus straightened, matching Alleva’s harsh stare. “Yes, well, as I said, Max has already worked quite a bit with Alpha Six since her arrival, and I think they would be a good fit for her. I’ve already put them in charge of catching her up with her studies, so it’s the natural choice.”

  My skin prickled slightly, and I turned to see Atlas standing rigid halfway across the room. He was looking through some paperwork, but the absolute stillness of his posture, and the way he’d slightly angled his head had me convinced he was acutely aware of every word in this conversation. I glanced around the rest of the auditorium, finding everyone silent but looking everywhere except in the direction of our little group. Looked like everyone was trying to discreetly eavesdrop. I had a feeling that Headmistress Alleva was challenged, well, never.

  I wasn’t sure how the power hierarchies really worked at The Guild, but it was clear that Seamus and Alleva were both top dogs, used to getting their own ways.

  “Yes, but Reza will likely be joining their team permanently as soon as she graduates,” Alleva responded, tone clipped. She glanced briefly at me, and I had the distinct feeling she didn’t think I’d be graduating and joining a team permanently...ever. Did she think that Ro and I were temporary transplants here?

  Did I?

  In the rush of moving to The Guild, I hadn’t really thought about what my goals were long term anymore. But one thing was certain, for as long as Ro and Cyrus were here, I would be as well.

  Still, at the thought of Reza so naturally fitting in with the members of Six, my stomach dropped, though
I wasn’t sure why. I knew that Atlas and Reza were a thing, and Reza was a great fighter. Plus she was the Headmistress’s daughter. Bloodlines seemed important to protector culture, no matter how irrelevant they were to me. So in a lot of ways, it made sense she’d join them.

  And I wanted to join Ten with Izzy and Ro. Over the last two weeks, I had enjoyed getting to know them all, even Jer, when he toned down the flirtiness. But something about the thought of Reza with Atlas’s team had my blood boiling. Maybe after eighteen years of living in isolation, I was secretly drawn in by the drama of Six’s hot and cold demeanor. Atlas could be an asshole, but he was never boring.

  “Perhaps Reza will join them, eventually” Seamus said, squaring his shoulders and shaking me out of my whirlwind of thoughts. “But those decisions won’t officially be made until the end of this year. Shadowing another team might in fact reveal that Reza fits better elsewhere. And, if not, that’s also good information for us to know. Every student needs to think of this as a learning experience.”

  “So where exactly do you suggest slotting my daughter then,” She arched one perfectly-manicured eyebrow, her voice icey and filled with challenge.

  “Alpha Eight should do,” Cyrus said, speaking up for the first time. He wasn’t looking at Alleva, staring instead at the space between me and Ro. Surprisingly, his expression was rather blank, disinterested almost. It made me think he was deliberately disguising his thoughts and reactions. “I’ve heard they are quite advanced, one of the best,” he added, echoing her earlier words.

  Alleva didn’t react, beyond her nostrils flaring just slightly. Interestingly, she wasn’t looking at Cyrus either. It was like they were deliberately trying to pretend the other wasn’t there and I wondered if Alleva was part of the reason Ro and I hadn’t been invited to The Guild earlier. Did Alleva want Cyrus here? Or even know that Seamus had called for him?

  “Very well,” Alleva said, “Maxine Bentley will be working with Alpha Six.” She handed me a stack of papers, studying me as her eyes filled with a hard resolve. And then, without another word to me, she turned towards the next group, spine stiff as she walked away.

  “What?” Reza yelled, her voice filled with indignation and undisguised fury. She stepped forward, long hair whipping behind her as she cut Alleva off before she reached her next destination. “Mother, you can’t be serious. Why does—”

  “Enough,” Alleva said. The word was uttered so quietly I almost didn’t hear it, but Reza snapped her mouth closed as if she’d been slapped.

  “Yes, mother. I apologize.” Reza slumped slightly, her pale cheeks coloring softly. She looked so defeated that I actually felt bad for her. Alleva’s clipped exchange with her daughter made Cyrus seem downright affectionate in comparison.

  With a nod, Alleva carried on, Seamus and Cyrus following close behind as they made their way through the rest of the students. Reza levelled a dark glare in my direction, a silent promise in her ice-blue eyes, before she turned back to her friends.

  “Great,” I muttered, thumbing through the packet of information about my new team. While I was thankful that I wasn’t going to be placed with total strangers, I had a nagging feeling that I’d just made two enemies where I’d previously only had one. And that said nothing about the chilly way Atlas was staring at me now. It was pretty damn clear that he was as excited as Reza was about the new arrangement.

  This was going to be fun.

  Chapter Six

  Max

  When Ro and I arrived back at our suite that night, Cyrus was waiting for us. I was torn between wanting a truce and wanting to yell at him some more about Ralph’s treatment in the dungeon. I’d grown up with only two people in my life, so it felt wrong to be harvesting so much frustration and anger towards one of them now. I was terrible at holding a grudge.

  “You’ll be moving this evening,” he said. There was a wall built up in his expression, making his thoughts inaccessible to us. Cyrus wasn’t really ever an easy person to read, but he was keeping something from us. And until he decided to let us in on the surprise, it was looking more and more like that invisible little division that he had erected between us would be carved deeper and deeper.

  I let out a loud sigh, as my mouth pulled into a frown. What was going on with him? And why was he so dedicated to keeping us out of the loop all of a sudden? In the short time we’d been here, he’d drawn more and more into himself.

  I turned to him, making eye contact for the first time since we walked in. There was weariness there, and I clocked the bags taking shape beneath his eyes. Was he sleeping? What wasn’t he telling us? My chest warmed at the thought of what he must be going through and I vowed to myself that I’d go easier on him. If he was keeping secrets, it was probably for a good reason; if he wanted some space from us, he’d certainly earned it after years locked up with two teenagers.

  “Moving?” Ro asked, tossing his gym bag onto the couch. I studied our living area through Cyrus’s eyes. We hadn’t really focused much on tidying up recently and I blushed at the pile of dishes in the sink and the random socks tossed around the room. Ro wasn’t exactly known for being organized.

  “As part of your apprenticeship with the teams, you’ll be moving into their cabins. That way you can get a feel for how protectors live their day-to-day lives. It will be a valuable experience for you both.” He cleared his throat, glancing briefly at me before returning his attention to Ro. “Seamus and I think that it’s the best way to integrate you and throw you into the work headfirst.”

  “But,” I said, my words slow as I processed what he’d just said, what that would mean for me, “we literally just moved in here a couple of weeks ago. Do we really have to stay with them?”

  The idea of living with Atlas and his team members had my stomach doing all sorts of flip flops. Rather than question what that meant, I decided to focus more on the fact that I wouldn’t be living with Ro anymore—a sentiment that had me equally as uncomfortable, if for other reasons.

  “Max isn’t on my team though,” Ro added, stepping closer to me in a protective gesture. “I don’t get why you and Seamus didn’t put her with Ten. We both know that we’re better together, and no one is going to fight to protect her more than I would.”

  An odd look passed between Ro and Cyrus, and I had the distinct feeling that I was missing out on some silent conversation they were having.

  “I don’t need to be babysat, Ro,” I said, rolling my eyes, “though I appreciate the sentiment.” A beat of awkward silence passed between the three of us as I moved about the room, picking up some of the random things we’d thrown around throughout the week. “And while I don’t need to be babysat, I do think I should be with Ten, Cy. I should be with Ro.”

  Cyrus’s lip twitched into a brief frown, and he met my eyes like he wanted to say something but then he tightened his jaw and didn’t speak for several tense, long seconds. “You’ll both be where you were assigned, it’s final.” He took a few steps to our door. “And clean this place up. It looks like animals have been living here. I’ll see you downstairs to be taken to your cabins in two hours.”

  The swiftness with which he reached the decision felt oddly reminiscent of his decision to move us in the middle of the night to The Guild in the first place. Cyrus clearly wasn’t one for planning or subtlety. Maybe eventually, I’d grow used to the idea of being shuffled around like a child.

  Ro and I sat in silence for an hour and a half, tuning in and out of an old episode of Supernatural. There was something oddly comforting about a show about demon hunters, and Ro and I used to joke that we would one day be a less toxic version of Sam and Dean—hunting monsters together. I think the fact that for the foreseeable future we wouldn’t be was settling on us like a heavy fog. Ten minutes before we were supposed to meet Cyrus, we threw our belongings into some bags and did a quick clean of the apartment. I was convinced that procrastination had a way of lighting a fire under my ass, and so I liked to rely on those superpowers as often
as I could get away with it. Ten minutes for a pack and house clean? That was some record setting shit right there.

  Then again, it also helped that compared to most people our ages, we didn’t have a ton of stuff to our names. I’d practically doubled my wardrobe in one shopping session with Izzy.

  Briefly, my thoughts wandered back to the cabin, and the giant bookshelf that had been my prized possession. We couldn’t bring more than a handful of books with us, but I’d sworn to myself that I’d go back for them all eventually. Until then, I liked the idea of some of our things still remaining at the cabin; it made it easier to leave, knowing that we’d eventually have to come back.

  Cyrus led us outside our dorms in silence, and it felt oddly like we were embarking on a completely new, different chapter. My eyes narrowed as I studied him, his limp more pronounced than I’d seen it in a long time. Had he been fighting? I wasn’t entirely clear on what his role here was, other than that he was helping Seamus with the teams—was he also going out on missions? He’d been out for days at a time, not checking in with either of us. A fierce wave of protectiveness washed over me and I vowed to spend more time spying on him. For his own safety, of course.

  I’d learned quickly that this world was absurdly dangerous, and if the hell realm thought that it was going to take either Cyrus or Ro from me, it had another thing coming.

  “Rowan, this is you.” Cyrus stopped outside of a large house. It didn’t look much like a cabin, but more like a mini mansion. This place was easily three times the size of our place back home, with sprawling green vines climbing up the side and over the roof. There was something so quaint and almost fairytale-like about it.

  “This is just for Team Ten?” I studied the area, impressed. The paneling was made of a dark wood, and there was what looked like a trail and fighting ring out back. And while we were a half mile or so away from the main Guild buildings, the area felt private and—homey. My stomach squeezed at the thought that Ro and Izzy would get to play house here. Hopefully they would be up for having me as a visitor during all of my free time.