Guild Of Zeroes

Chapter 15

After the funeral I found myself caught in a shouting match between Hawk and Stargazer. I had one Guildmaster on either side of me, helping me hobble back to my bed, and there was nothing I could do to get away from the anger and noise bouncing me around like a rowboat in stormy seas.

"Poison," said Stargazer. He spat the word out like it was the foulest thing he'd ever tasted. "Honestly? Poison. That rat eating little shit. I can't believe it." Stargazer kicked a stone lying in our path and it burst into flames. "Filthy, ogre fucking son of a whore."

"Calm down," said Hawk through gritted teeth. "Swearing about it isn't helping."

Stargazer snapped his fingers and a tree across the yard exploded into a cloud of splinters.

"And neither is breaking things," said Hawk.

"It's certainly making me feel a hell of a lot better. Excuse me for being upset that our friend is dead and half the apprentices are dying." Sabre lifted a hand and clenched his fist like he was strangling the life out of someone. A boulder burst from the earth and started to spin slowly, rotting and flaking apart with each rotation.

Hawk let go of me, leaving me tottering on my one good leg. "Don't you dare think for one second that I'm not upset!"

"The least you could do is show it. It's like you don't care at all."

"I do care," she snapped. "I know it's hard seeing Wraith again, I know it's hard beyond belief to lose Sabre, and it's tearing me up inside to see so many young Guildsmen hurt. But it's not helping anything if we both fall to pieces right now. We need to focus on the problem. We can pick ourselves up later, like we always do."

"If I could see him," Stargazer growled. "I'd burn him to ash. It's not seeing him that's the problem."

"What do you mean 'see Wraith again'?" I asked. "Sounds like you know him."

"Know him?" Stargazer snapped. "He was our gods damned Guildmaster."

The ground seemed to drop out from under me. "He what?"

"He taught me everything I know," said Stargazer. "And he betrayed all of us."

Hawk took the weight off my busted leg again and we resumed our trek towards the medica.

"And this didn't seem important to tell me earlier?" I asked.

Stargazer shrugged. "People are dying, Parsnip. Studying his legions and trying to track Wraith down seemed more important than the history lesson."

Hawk shoved the medica hall doors open and guided me towards my bed. Mouse was sitting on the edge of Quin's bed, holding the Warriors hand.

"I don't believe this," I snapped. "The worst threat in Tower Four's history and you don't think it's important to tell us you're best friends with the bastard at the center of it?"

"Please," said Hawk, rolling her eyes. "We were never best friends with Wraith."

"Because that's the important piece here," I said. "You still should have told us."

"Would it make a difference?" asked Stargazer.

Mouse picked up the thread of the conversation. "It might," he said, running the hem of his sleeve between his fingers. He swallowed hard and locked eyes with Stargazer, looking at the older wizard like he was staring down a Highland Drake. "Even the smallest details could be important. You taught me that."

"I was talking about your visions when I said that. It's different."

"Of course," said Mouse. His tone slipped into what I like to call his actually voice. It was the one he used when he was about to beat you over the head with a sack full of facts and loose information. "I have no idea what we're up against. You do. You know what he's like, maybe what his habits are, places he'd hide. Any information is better than what we have now."