Red Mountain Chronicles: The Illusionist

Chapter 22

        After the meeting, I was told to stay in order to choose the guild I wanted to be in. I was allowed to choose between the guild's that were willing to take me in. Which narrowed down my choices to two guilds: Thunderbird, and Coyote Azul.
        Both guilds brought their own representatives to explain what their guild was like, answer questions, and try to win me over. So far, I had no idea. As far as I was concerned, both seemed to have their quirks.
        When I asked about safety, the Coyote Azul rep seemed to cringe at the question, and immediately played it off as a smile. And when I asked about my independence and how I would be treated, the Thunder Bird rep seemed to repeat what her co-representative said to me last night without going into specifics.
       So, I had to ask the deep questions. Ones that would be a deal breaker.
       "I am curious, will you have anymore spots left open for other members besides me? Am I truly top priority?"
       The Thunder Bird rep spoke first. "Actually, we technically have no space for anyone after you, besides who we leave room for after the Opening Tournament. But we make sure to save one spot for a special recipient each year."
      I nodded. It's such a cookie-cutter answer.
      The other rep spoke up. "We have plenty of space for new spots. But, in contrary to popular belief, we choose our new members wisely. We chose you because we think you have potential. But, if you want a friend to join us, we can accommodate that.
      That was the answer I was looking for. I did not feel comfortable with joining a guild alone. I needed someone who I knew I could trust. So far, that person was Mary.
      The Thunder Bird rep seemed to notice my reaction, and began nodding. "Yeah. We can do that for you too, actually."
       I knew that was a lie. «Unfortunately it's against our policy to automatically accept new members into a guild»
        I knew I was technically breaking that rule, but there was also the fact that there was no space left for anyone else to join besides people from the tournament. So, Mary joining me was not a guarantee.
I asked another question. "How confident do you feel in your terms of security and monitoring? Would you consider more mages to help you?"
Again, Thunder Bird spoke first. "We are extremely confident. We don't feel like there is any need for more additional help. You, as well as the other guild members, will be monitored to ensure nothing happens, and you feel safe and welcome. In fact, we see additional help as a derogatory term in our guild when it comes to security." She smiled at her answer.
Again, cheesy. And also cocky.
The other rep spoke. "We are also confident. But we are willing to accept more help from more members if need be. And if you feel like you want a certain member with you for peace of mind, we can do that too."
I nodded, then looked around to see if there were any other people in the room. Because I was about to ask an extremely controversial question.
"How do you feel about werewolves?"
Knowing what I heard from Mary, all creatures here were equal in this country as well as a few others. But, Mages still have the right to refuse service to others. And many people still think werewolves are a bit dangerous.
This time, the Coyote Azul rep spoke first. "We are a guild who believes everyone is equal. We accept all mages and make sure each one succeeds. If you have a problem with werewolves, we can talk about it. They're actually not as bad as they seem."
I nodded once again.
"We are a very accepting guild, with many different types of mages in it. And we all believe there is a special place for each member based on their natural talents," the Thunder Bird rep stated. "But, if you don't feel comfortable, we will make special accommodations."
I knew what game they were playing. They stole the other team's line. But I needed to dig deeper into what she meant by "natural talents" and "special accommodations". But I was pretty sure I knew what it meant.
I nodded, smiling at the Thunder Bird representative. "Yeah. I sure hope so."
She caught on, smiling and giggling. "I know right? I mean werewolves are great, but sometimes they're kinda freaky."
"So true," I said.
And that was all I needed.
At that very moment, Mrs. Clearwater walked back in. "So, have you decided?"
"Yes," I responded, looking at the girl from Thunder Bird. "I think I'm going to join Coyote Azul."
And with that, her smile faltered as her eyes grew big and her eyebrows knit together in confusion, completely distraught by what just happened.
I almost felt bad for her. Almost.
I looked over at the girl representing Coyote Azul. She was biting her lips together trying to contain her smile. She looked like she was about to burst out laughing.
"Alright," Mrs. Clearwater said. "Do you have anymore questions or requests for Ariah?" She asked, gesturing toward the girl still trying to hold in her laughter.
      "Yes," I responded. She faced me, and I could see she was starting to recover.
      "Concerning the questions I asked both of you, would it be okay if my friend Mary could join as well? She seems to know me pretty well, and could possibly help me stay in control. It just would give me peace of mind if she's around. And yes," I glanced at the other girl again. "She's a werewolf."
      Her jaw dropped to the floor, as her eyes got wider.
      I looked back at Ariah. She turned her head away from us, silently chuckling to herself. She then turned to us, trying to keep a straight face. "Alright then, I will tell them. There will be two new members joining us."
      "Actually, I still don't know if she's coming."

"You did what?" Mary cried as she started pacing her room.
"Mary, it's not what you think. I had no choice."
I did not get up from my position from the couch.
"What do you mean you had no choice? Of course you did! There was definitely a choice. And a rather simple one!"
        "It was either join a guild or get kicked out of the school, and let whoever is in charge here do whatever they want with me."
        She stopped for a second, and I could see her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. "It's even worse than I thought."
"What do you mean—"
"It means I'm scared for you!"
I had no idea what she meant by that. And what I meant was how she said it. Something about her tone seemed... personal.
So I had to ask.
"Mary, why are you so against guilds?"
She exchanged her knit eyebrows and bulging eyes with a look of grief. That's when I knew it was not a personal distaste, but rather a vendetta.
"My brother— well, one of my older brothers— decided to join a guild when he attended school. One day he was out for a competition way up north  in the mountains. The mission required one person to scale down this cliff, and his guild mates didn't think twice to send him without food or water. Even when they saw the blizzard coming from the east."
"Things got dangerous really fast. But they proceeded. By the time rescue came, no one was fit to use magic to bring him up, and a few were quick to leave without helping. So there weren't enough people to pull him. So, along with the belief that the storm was not affective on lower ground, they decided to cut the rope." At this point, she began to choke up.
"They couldn't tell how far down he was because the rope was only so long. But when they cut it they could barely hear his screams. After the storm, no one came back to get his body."
"Oh, Mary," I started. "I—"
"No!" She yelled. She then started again in a softer voice. "No. You need to hear this."
I closed my mouth, letting her talk. But I didn't know if I could take anymore.
"When people asked why that did what they did, they said they thought everything would be fine because of his ' killer instincts'. They couldn't be more wrong about him. He had never hunted in his life. He hated it. And they assumed he would be fine because that's what they thought all werewolves were like. That's why I hate guilds. They are dangerous. They're careless and put their reputation first. And they will use anyone to their advantage. That's why I'm scared for you."
I was at a loss for words. What happened to her brother was... unfathomable. I could only imagine what that must have been like for her and her family.
And now I had no choice but to join one.
"I may not have a choice here, but you do. And I know it is awful for me to ask this of you, but you do have the choice to join me. But I see now that would be unlikely for you to do that."
She was silent. But a minute later she responded. "It is," she said. "I'm sorry, but I just can't do that."
I knew too well why she would say that. And yet I still hoped she would say she would join me. But I got up and walked out the door.
But I found myself standing in the doorway, because I knew I needed to say one last thing.
"If you change your mind, I will be in front of the Commons Saturday morning at eight." And with that being said, I closed the door behind me.