Three Mages and a Margarita (The Guild Codex: Spellbound, #1)

by Annette Marie

What was it with these people? I wasn’t a damn trespasser. They were more territorial than teenagers in a Wi-Fi hotspot.

“She’s hilarious.” Aaron beamed like he treasured the memory of my margarita-throwing meltdown. “We should keep her.”

“I won’t support her working here, even temporarily. The Crow and Hammer is an exclusive collection of carefully vetted mythics committed to our mandate and loyal to our success. She’s a human with no concept of guild loyalty.” Girard stroked his beard. “I always figured we were a ragtag band of misfits and rogues who don’t fit anywhere else.”

“So you picked a guild where you could earn your place?” “I could have done that at almost any guild. I picked C&H because it’s the opposite of my parents’ guild. They can’t stand C&H’s reputation.” He laced his hands behind his head as he walked. “The Crow and Hammer has been collecting misfits for decades—mythics who don’t fit in, people who have skills to offer but can’t get on at another guild, rogues who need a second chance. The only respectable thing about us is that when we take a job, we get it done. Always.”

“So, that’s a cantrip. A hex is a pre-prepared one that can be reused instead of drawing it each time. If it isn’t drawn perfectly, it won’t work, so it’s not something you want to do on the fly.” He pulled a small object from his pocket and held it out—an oversized coin with a symbol etched in the center. “This is guaranteed to work every time. Hexes are the fastest magic a sorcerer can produce, but they lack power.” That fire spell had seemed powerful to me, but maybe that was because my standard for magical power was “zilch.”