Unconscious.
I turned toward Carrow, who stood nearby, a dagger and a potion bomb clutched in each hand.
“You never gave me an opening,” she said.
The corner of my mouth quirked up in a small smile, but pain from my broken jaw made starbursts explode behind my eyes. “Come. He’ll regain consciousness soon.”
She nodded, and we hurried from the castle, racing down the steps and onto the gravel path. We sprinted downward through the gauntlet, the freezing cold piercing my bones.
We were nearly to the end when I heard a shout from above. The rage that echoed in the sound competed with the blasts of thunder that tore through the sky.
Silviu.
I looked back, spotting the tiny, pale figure of my maker standing at the door to his castle.
He’d always been a bastard.
I turned back and raced alongside Carrow. A dozen meters later, and I felt the protective charm that surrounded the castle break.
I grabbed her hand and pulled her to a stop. “We can transport from here.”
“Thank fates.” She spun toward me, face pale and lips shaking with cold.
I plunged my hand into my pocket and withdrew a transport charm. Quickly, I slammed it to the ground. A silvery gray cloud exploded upward, and I gripped Carrow’s hand tightly, imagining the courtyard outside of my tower.
Together, we stepped into the mist. The ether sucked us in and pulled us through space, spinning us wildly until my feet landed on the cobblestones of Guild City.
Night had fallen, the sky dark and the city streets nearly empty. Streetlamps flickered with a golden glow, giving Carrow’s pale face some color.
She heaved a sigh and tipped her head back. “That was close. No wonder you got the hell out of there as soon as you could.”
I nodded. “It was an unpleasant decade.”
My shirt stuck to my back, torn and bloody. Though those wounds had healed, I was a mess an
d needed another healing potion for my jaw. My natural healing was gone now. “I haven’t had a hit like that in a while.”
“He was powerful.” Worry twisted her mouth. “Are you all right?”
“Fine.”
“Will he come for us?”
“Possible, but doubtful. He hasn’t left that castle in centuries. I’m not sure he knows how anymore.”
“Good.”
“I need a change of clothes,” I said, feeling the wind on my back through my torn shirt. My jaw ached, a reminder of the mortality biting at my heels. I needed to seek another healing potion immediately. “I assume you want to return to the library?”
“I do.” She shifted, pulling at her ruined shirt. “But do you mind if I get cleaned up at your place first?”
“Not at all.”
7
Carrow
It didn’t take long to get cleaned up and borrow a shirt from Grey. It was far too big, but I tied it at my waist and rolled up the sleeves.