The next morning, we loaded into the van without Aurelius and headed toward the guild, my stomach turning in knots. I fought hard not to throw up, images of what I might find in that place crowding my mind. I'd managed to repress the need to revisit the guild since the day we were told of its destruction. I knew I couldn't handle the horrific scene we might find.
I glanced at Braeden several times to find him staring out the window, his mind obviously wondering what awaited us. We'd heard the rumors, of course. Total destruction. Nothing but ash. He said the day we found out about the destruction, he went back to his dorm and cried well into the early morning hours. He said, and I felt the same way, that part of his soul died with the guild. He also swore to me, as did I to him, one day
