The Guild Conspiracy by Brooke Johnson

vote in her favor.
    Then the colonel cleared his throat, and three other council members reluctantly raised their hands.
    She had the majority.
    She had won.
    It was a probationary position, but still . . . Her cheeks started to ache from grinning, and it took all her effort not to jump up and down with excitement right there in the council chambers.
    Julian inhaled a deep breath. “Very well,” he said, his voice betraying only the slightest hint of a grudge. He turned toward Lyndon. “Vice-­Chancellor? If you would like to conclude our business here . . .” He sat down in his chair, a sour look on his face.
    â€œMy pleasure.” Vice-­Chancellor Lyndon cleared his throat and stood up from his chair. “Miss Wade, should you agree to the conditions laid out in this meeting, you will be hereby instated as a probationary member of the Guild. Once you have completed the quadruped project, we will take another vote to determine if you have fulfilled the terms of your agreement and then decide if you should become a permanent member of the Guild. Do you agree?”
    â€œYes, sir,” she said eagerly.
    Lyndon turned toward the clerk. “If you would, Mr. Connolly, have a contract drafted for Miss Wade to sign, listing the conditions of her new position. I will want to oversee the terms of the agreement before the contract is finalized and signed.”
    â€œAs will I,” said Julian, raising his hand.
    â€œOf course, sir,” said the clerk.
    â€œThen this meeting is adjourned,” said Lyndon, giving the other council members permission to leave. “Miss Wade, I will contact you when the contract is ready for your approval and signature.”
    â€œThank you, sir.”
    Petra turned on her heel to leave but then paused, catching Officer Cartwright’s eye. She nodded appreciatively, silently thanking him for his intervention, and he returned the gesture with soldierly precision, a flicker of a smile at the edge of his mouth. It didn’t matter why he had stepped forward, only that it had swayed the council in her favor.
    She left the council chambers feeling triumphant, unable to keep from smiling. She had done it. She had earned her place within the Guild.
    Yet it was a bittersweet victory.
    She was one step closer to joining the Guild, but Julian was now one step closer to having his war.
    â€œMiss Wade.”
    Petra stopped dead in the center of the hall, the hair on the back of her neck bristling. She forced her face into a neutral expression and turned around, spying Julian Goss striding toward her without a hint of his usual pleasantries. She steeled herself against his anger, bolstering her resolve with her recent triumph over the council. “Sir?”
    Julian gathered to his full height, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “Just because you delivered a war machine does not mean that you are no longer bound by our agreement.” He leaned closer. “If you do anything to slow the construction of the prototype or sabotage production in any way, I will not hesitate to have you removed from the Guild and sent to the Royal Forces in chains. Do you understand me?”
    â€œQuite,” she said, not daring to let herself falter now.
    She was done being bullied, done being scared.
    It was time for her to fight back again.
    Julian lowered his voice. “Make no mistake. This war machine will go into production, and I will have my war. Nothing you do will change that.”
    Petra held her tongue, glaring back at him with as much loathing as she could muster.
    â€œTread carefully, Miss Wade,” he said. “Your defiance will cost you.”
    With that, he turned and left, leaving Petra alone in the middle of the hall, pulse racing.
    Tread carefully, indeed.

 
    CHAPTER 5
    A nother week passed, packed with tedious class assignments and studying for meaningless exams, Petra’s late afternoons devoted to working on the mech with