The holographic image of Forge flickered for a moment, then vanished, leaving the four of them standing in a sudden, heavy silence.
The air, which had been light with their small, strange victory over the haunted corner, was now thick with a new, unwelcome tension.
"So," Jax said, his voice a little too loud, a little too cheerful. "A party."
"The Guild Council wants to throw us a party."
He rubbed his hands together, his manic energy returning in a rush.
"Do I need to wear my nice jumpsuit? The one with fewer scorch marks?"
Jinx just stared at the spot where Forge's face had been, her expression a mask of pure, unadulterated suspicion.
"It's not a party, you idiot," she growled, her voice a low, cynical rasp. "It's an interrogation."
She turned, her electric-blue eyes blazing with a lifetime of hard-earned paranoia.
