Page 108 of Remnants
A large, round table in the middle of the massive room is particularly rowdy and filled with familiar faces. Kellan grins, spotting them and then directing us to them. “If you’re ever alone with the Guild and in doubt, stick with Evie. Or Fabian.”
“Why not the others?”
He snickers as we come up to them, not even trying to lower his voice. “They bring up the least amount of bullshit.”
“What’s that,Dragon?” Silas mocks, his eyes still glued to his hand of cards. He picks one and tosses it to the center of the table, then flicks his brown eyes to Kellan with a smirk. “You saying something about this table of upstanding, best-you-ever-had Guild members?”
Kell chuckles, dragging one of the open chairs back and offeringit to me. “He’sthe bullshit you should avoid.”
Silas snorts, whispering not-so-quietly to Evie beside him. “He’s just salty he lost a hundred bucks in our last bet.”
“Oh, you think I don’t know how you won that bet?” Kellan smacks his hand on the table. The cards and drinks on it quiver, and Cassandra grabs her glass.
“Hey! Don’t get me in trouble with Yaya or Cibrina over more broken glassware!” She turns sad eyes on Fabian. “I wasn’t even the one to break them. How’d I get stuck with the bill?”
“Probably because you’re the reason they broke it in the first place,” Silas teases.
Evie smacks his arm. “Knock it off, or I’ll shrink your dessert.” She adds her selected card to the pile and smiles at me. “Do you want in on the next game?”
Kellan squeezes my shoulder. “I’m going to see what food’s out and bring something back.”
Giving him a short nod, I answer Evie, “I’ll just watch if that’s okay.” I can’t remember the last time I played a board or card game, if I ever did.
“Heyyy, Rae!” Gabe scoots his chair closer to mine. “You can be on my team!”
“There are no teams,” Silas says, but Gabe makes a pfft noise and waves him off.
“They just taught me, but I’m no good at these.”
“Uh, okay.” He flashes me his cards, but it means nothing to me.
“Careful,” Fabian warns, his mouth full of whatever snack he’s binging this time. He’s so big and broad he’s almost on the openseat next to him. “Don’t show the rest of us your cards.”
“Oh!” Gabe slaps his cards to his chest, then points his finger at the others. “No peeking! Raegan rights only.”
“Where’s Zedd?” I ask, realizing his shadow isn’t standing right behind him.
Gabriel smiles dreamily and indicates one of the long tables where Zedd’s bent over a piece of paper and scribbling something on it. “He’s working on a new song that hit him this early morning. Inspiration struck, andbam!”—he slaps his hands together—“he has to get it out before he loses it.” He moans and drags one hand down his throat to his chest. “Uuungh, listening to that man sing is an eighth fucking wonder.” Gabe chuckles and ruffles his brown hair. “I suppose it’s a bit unfair for everyone else, though, when his gift is involved.”
Did I know he had a gift? “What is it?”
“His singing voice can influence emotions. He can start anything from a mob to an orgy. Or help purge sadness from people who’ve locked it away.” Gabriel pats his chest, his gaze distant. “It’s beautiful.”
“It’s your turn,” Evie reminds him.
“Oh!” Gabe holds his cards to me. “Pick one.”
Silas laughs, shaking his head. “You’re never gonna win like that.”
He shrugs, still waiting for me to make my choice. “It’s not about winning for me. I just like having fun with you guys.”
I tug on a card and he takes it, adding it to the center pile.
Cassandra makes an ‘aww’ sound. “That’s so sweet.”
“That’s a pretty cool gift,” I comment. As I look around the table, Ithink I have the gist of everyone else’s gifts. Cassandra, healing. Evie can make things bigger or smaller. Fabian…eats things? “What exactly is your gift again?” I direct to him, but it’s Silas who answers.
“He can eat anything.Anything. As long as it fits in his mouth, at least.” Silas plays his card and then jerks a thumb at Fabian. “He ate an explosive once. Don’t ask how or why we were dealing with one of those, but he swallowed that sucker down like it was cake.”
