Page 117 of Remnants
Enough?! How many has he had?
Silas chokes on his drink. Evie slaps his back until he swats her away. “That doesn’t actually help choking victims, Eves.”
She shrugs. “Well then, consider it my consoling back pat for you realizing you’re only winning your bets because he’s been high.”
“You should give him his money back, Si,” Fabian adds mildly, dropping a few peanuts into his mouth.
“What? That’shis choice. He didn’t have to take the bets!”
Gabriel and Zedd aren’t listening, still focused on each other.
“Do you have any more?” Zedd presses, and Gabe smiles, a dreamy look on his face.
“Do you see how he takes care of me, Reggie?”
“Uh, yeah. I don’t mean to pry, but…are you okay?”
Gabe pats my arm. “You’re a sweetie, too. I promise I’m okay. The drugs just”—he twists his hands in the air by his head— “keep the memories at bay.”
I frown. “Even when you’re not using your gift?”
He chuckles. “Oh, there’s no forgetting what I’ve remembered. And I’ve remembered…soso many horrid things. But these…and Zedd…I’d be lost without them.”
Zedd huffs,striding away to sit at the next table over.
He may not talk to us much, but at least he cares about Gabriel.
“So, are we still playing or…” Silas trails off, his dark eyes flipping between me and Gabe, who sits forward in his seat.
“Still playing! I’ve got Raegan with me now, so I’m getting my money back!”
“Wait,” I intervene. “We’re playing with money?”
Gabriel wafts his hand. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve got us covered.”
Kellan leans back in his chair, arms crossed. “Oh, good. There’s—”
Something hits Evie’s back and then slaps to the ground. She whips around, glaring behind her. “Who threw that?”
Silas sighs, tossing his cards defeatedly to the middle of the table, and the others follow suit. Kellan grabs my arm and tugs me from my seat. “We need to get out of range—”
“Sorry, Evie! Jared dodged and—”
The girl doesn’t have time to finish her explanation before Evie chucks it right back, nailing her in the face. The guy with her sends something at Evie’s chair leg, then yanks it and sends her tumbling to the floor.
The room breaks out into chaos. Kellan drags me behind the bar as chairs, tables, shoes, and gifts fly around the room. Silas catches a table aimed at Evie with his vines, then tosses it to the side, where it cracks and splits. Evie throws baseball-sized peanuts at someone, who deflects them with a shield.
The broken table reminds me of the first time I’d seen the Guild.When Aiden and Cibrina had watched a fight from the sidelines while casually discussing compensation. I’d almost forgotten the chaotic introduction.
Cassandra crawls behind the bar with us, peeking her head above the counter to watch. “Mind if I join you?” She ducks when something flies toward us, but Kellan bats it to the side.
“Get Cibrina so she can catalog who breaks what,” he orders. She nods and races out of the hall.
“Why’d you pull me out? I can handle myself.”
The floor shakes, and then the wood shifts to reveal a layer of metal. Nothing happens under us but under the tables and members? Metal bands creep from the floor and snatch members off their feet.
“That’s enough.” Aiden stands in the center of the room, his expression thunderous. “All of you to the training gym.Now.”
