Chapter 2: Something is Brewing

I leave my friends and whatever that jarring interaction just was, behind, to head towards the Shelter.

In the cold, I catch sight of four rows of Enforcers marching in from the western edge, rotating shifts. The first line halts, pivots right in perfect sync, and grants The Order’s salute to those on guard. I grip my hands tightly at my sides and stare at this composed dance longer than I should. The outbound Enforcers return the gesture before stepping into formation, preparing to disperse toward the flatlands in unison. The preciseness is hypnotizing. I search for an ounce of emotion in their eyes, but their blank expressions hold.

The Shelter sign sways in the wind ahead, creaking with every gust. The building has been falling apart since I took it over from my mother, but I don’t have the resources to fix it the way she would’ve wanted. Maybe one day.

As I walk in through the front doors, something immediately feels off. I glance around, but Tina rushes over before I can take another step. The hair on my arm stands up straight.

“Jo thank goodness!” Her tone is so high-pitched I flinch.“There’s someone here for you,” She swallows.

“Who?” I ask, but as I glance ahead, a towering figure looms in my office.

“Someone from The Order,” she whispers.

The figure comes into focus. The Deathlord from the bakery.

Tina's eyes grow wide, her breath stills.

“Do you want me to call Leo?”

The sprightly locksmith next door — big and threatening, but still just human.

“No, it’s okay,” I reply, my eyes steady on him.

“Why don’t you head home for the day, I’ve got this.”

“I don’t want to leave you alone…” she whispers, panic rising.

“It’s fine. Please go,” I beg.

If he’s here to kill me, I’d rather no one else get caught in the crossfire.

A shiver runs down my spine as the door clicks shut behind her. I take a deep breath and approach my office, where I find him studying a photo of my mother and me in front of the Shelter. Curiosity lingers in his eyes as he straightens and waits. The room is small, but his presence fills every corner.

I inch in slowly.

“Can I help you?”

He turns his chin and raises his eyebrows, pleasantly.

“Hello,” he replies, quietly.

His jaw flexes, revealing muscles I didn’t even know existed. I study him, wondering what he might’ve gleaned from the photos.

“I don’t mean to be intrusive,” he says

“A little late for that,” I say flatly.

“I guess you’re right.” He smiles and nods.

Our eyes meet. I expect him to say something, but the silence stretches. I glance at his hair, subtly searching for the red strands, but it’s tied back in a low bun.

“I’m here for monthly collections,” he says.

“Oh,” I pause. “I usually leave the envelope in the bin. It’s always gone by morning.”

“New orders from the King.” His smile is so casual, I almost hand it over without thinking.

“I’ve always paid on time. I haven’t done anything to warrant more oversight from The Order,” I say, my brows tightening.

His gaze is expressionless.

“With all due respect, of course..” I add. I’m not trying to piss him off.

A charged silence lingers between us, like he wants to say more but can’t. Suddenly, the window beside us bursts open with a sharp gust of wind, sending a chill through the room. We both look towards it.

“I can fix that for you,” he offers, eyes fixed on the rattling frame.

“The window, or the desolation beyond it?”

His jaw twitches. A laugh maybe, or a flicker of anger. It’s hard to tell. The air between us feels strangely calm, despite everything. We hold each other’s smiles a moment longer, letting them settle in a little deeper this time.

I take him in, he’s a statue carved from stone, The Order made flesh. He’s unarmed, the closest thing to harmless an Enforcer can be. But his presence is lethal, like he could kill me with a glance.

He stares, and I forget he’s waiting for me to fetch the payment. I huff and rummage around my desk drawer, pulling it out.

“Here you go.” I hand the envelope to him, slowly. I don’t dare let my hand meet his.

“I’ll be stopping by periodically to monitor things,” he replies with ease.

My stomach drops.

“Monitor what, exactly?

“I’ll stay out of your way,” He responds lightly.

“Do I have a choice?”

His eyes shift from black to green, a fleeting moment, so quick it may not be real. What was that? The silence lingers, telling me all I need to know.

No. I don’t have a choice.

Words pour out of me like a waterfall, fast and unyielding.

“Your whole violent Deathlord thing is not very comforting for my residents,” I say, expecting punishment.

But he doesn’t react harshly, not at all. In fact, the corners of his mouth slowly rise. He smiles, and it stops my heart swiftly.

“I can dress down. I don’t want to disrupt your work.”

My chest settles at the ease of his response. I nod. It won’t help, but I’ll take what I can get.

“Does this have something to do with the raids this morning? I haven’t committed any crimes…”

He pauses, choosing his words wisely. “You’re not guilty of a crime, miss.”

I nod, trying to make sense of the changes.

“Not unless you include the state of that playground,” He quips, glancing out the window.

We both gaze out to the vacant playground, croaking in the wind. A decayed chained fence with splintered wood encompassing it. I have very fond memories playing there growing up, but it’s a shell of that now.

“My mother always wanted to restore that playground,” I say hesitantly, but his eyes make me want to say more.

“She wanted it to be a safe place for the kids in town. Especially the ones who come here for refuge.”

He lifts his gaze, quietly listening.

“She never got the chance,” I say.

He pauses and looks out, hands in his pocket. His subtly rocking back and forth, as if recalling times of his own childhood. I don’t speak – I just watch. Quickly, he resumes business, straightening his stance. He clears this throat and faces me.

“Thank you for your payment to The Order,” He says formally. But there’s something in his eyes, a flicker of something more.

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As he’s walking away, he turns to face me.

“I’m sorry for our encounter earlier.”

His words halt my breathing.

Which part? I think to myself.

“I don’t recall it was you who told my friend to watch her tongue.” He looks down from the air space only he occupies. “My men, my responsibility.”

The apology stops me cold. He’s... sorry? I don’t have words. I just nod.

“I’ll be back in a few days. Feel free to stop by my office if you have questions.” He shifts to his feet, his gaze unreadable, and walks past. The bell chimes, noting his departure, and before I have a chance to blink.

He’s gone.

~

Back in my office I pace the floor, trying to make sense of what just happened. His warning, his apology, the look in his eyes. None of it adds up. I didn’t see him stop by any other businesses to collect debts. Why me?

I’ve heard stories of people having their business licenses revoked by The Order — especially the woman owned businesses. Is that the next step in Kai’s plan? To rob of us every ounce of humanity we have left?

My bones burn at the thought, I can’t allow them to take away the one thing that I have left of my Mother — the place Mei calls home. With everything else we face now, I can’t allow it.

I replay the interaction again and again, drawing new conclusions, dissecting every angle. I pace, I yell, I come close to breaking something…

But I don’t, because something else takes over. Despite the growing threat of The Order, one thought refuses to leave me.

That damn strand of auburn.

~

I don’t have a plan, just a name, a knot in my stomach, and a hundred questions I can’t shake. My boots drag across the frozen ground as I force one step, then another, toward the steps of the Dominion. Every part of me screams to turn back, but I keep moving, pulled forward by something I can’t explain.

Onlookers watch as I ascend the steps and approach the grandeur structure that sits as the focal point of town. Their eyes shoot me like daggers with “stop right there” glances.

I pause at the glass doors of The Dominion that are carved into the stone above. Despite its dominating presence — these doors lead to a very secretive area of The Order. They can order you in for a meeting with a scheduled time and armed surveillance, of course, but I’ve never heard of anyone just walking in.

I look up at the glass doors that tower as high as I can see. I reach for the handle but only graze it at first, making sure it won’t shock me dead. The gold rests in my hands gently as I grip the handle unscathed, so I step back, and pull. The weight of the door pulls against me, rudely reminding me of my weakness here. I take its hint and turn around— what am I doing? — but something shoves me through those doors. The slow drift warns me of what lies ahead — giving me one more chance to turn around.

This is a bad idea.

My jaw drops. Sheets of marble race beneath my boots with hints of blue woven into the fissures like a piece of art. A glassy canvas vastly different from the uneven cobblestones that meet my boots regularly. An ominous statue of the Dark King Kai encompasses the entry hall, his darkness circulating the center of the fortress like an evil plume. The Enforcers' boots are pacing stealthily, the chilling echoes ringing against the decadent marble, warning me again. Their makers, however, do not. They don’t notice I’m here — at least not yet. My eyes widen as I gawk at the beauty, but the heat in my veins burns with disgust. I take hold of my rage, gaze out to the world I know — the world that isn’t here.

Suddenly, an animal spots his prey from afar.

“State your business at once.” He barks, a blue sash draped across his chest. A Captain. I grip my hands together and clench them into fists, readying.

“My apologies, sir. I didn’t mean…I’ll be going now.” I turn but his voice jolts me back. “You didn’t answer my question — so I’ll ask you again, one last time.” He inches closer. “State—your—business.” My tunnel vision closes in until I’m nearly blind. I will myself to speak but nothing comes.

“You are in direct violation of The Order law walking in here. I have every right to approach you with force should you not answer my question, immediately.”

He reaches for his sword and marches toward me. Is this truly it? Amid the relentless decay my people endure, is this where my fate is sealed?

A recognizable voice halts him.

“Captain. A moment, please,” The Deathlord orders. My stomach flips upside down as he approaches. They exchange whispers and he excuses the Captain, while I scatter away like a helpless mouse.

“Ma’am” he hums as I reach for the door, his voice tethering me towards him.

“Jo.” He shouts.

My stomach drops to the marble beneath.

His dark yet graceful stature is more striking than before as a beam of sun rips off his battle gear.

“Can I help you?”

I distract myself by looking around, and then shift back to him. “How do you know my name?

“It’s my job to know your name, though I didn’t want to scare you off on the first meeting.”

“Too late.” I reply, and I mean it.

He turns his chin and glances at the cadets watching, his jawline as sharp as a Bloodsword, slicing through my core. His cadets receive his gaze and disperse, burying their faces into various papers. The wheels of The Order turn just before my eyes — yet all I see is him.

“What’s your—…

“Lord Colin – a word, please.” An Enforcer calls. The name slices through me like a blade I didn’t see coming. Colin. The Deathlord’s name is Colin.

Panic rises in the Enforcers' voice with every word. Worried. Colin stews, pressing a hand to the bridge of his nose… Something is happening. Before I have a second to think, echoes of footsteps charge through the fortress as Enforcers’ suit up in battle gear. Panic rises in my chest as the halls fill. There’s hundreds of them — more than I’ve ever seen.

A glass case holds a life-size figure of an Enforcer dressed in battle gear. Fitting. I lunge behind it and hide while my head spins at the echoing noises. I peer out from behind the casing, and hear the Enforcer yell four words that rise above all of the echoes.

“The citizens are revolting.”

Colin remains stoic — his eyes wide, jaw clenched. Chaos ensues, men are scurrying everywhere, readying for battle, but he remains still. His eyes wander, observing every corner. Searching.

Suddenly, our eyes catch, reality sets in — we were both searching for the same thing. It’s just him and I, sharing a moment of understanding. Of knowing whatever happens next, we’ll never get this moment again.

Colin pushes against the current, swatting everyone away. Trying to get to me.

“Jo!”

Enforcers swarm in troves, inching closer to me, pushing him towards battle. I hide behind the chest and wait. I hear the Enforcers’ holster their swords into their sheaths with vigor, but I remain hidden. There’s nowhere to turn. Nowhere to run.

Maybe they’re safe. Maybe I can just hide here..

Until I remember.

Eve’s obvious defiance. Her desire to fight. She will want to be front and center.

Fuck. Fuck Fuck.

I peer out, they’re distracted, suiting up for battle. Now is my chance. I count the number of steps I need to reach the door. Five, I think – or six. Maybe this is what dying feels like–suspended between what was and what comes next. Your body is no longer your own, but in the grasp of something far more merciless. I’m fleeing from danger, just to be met with more danger. But I need to face it – I need to find them.

I take a breath and stand, slowly – remaining hidden. My legs shake but I grip my thighs to still them.

I run.

The steps feel like a lifetime, a bridge to something else entirely. The first two steps are impossible, but the next are swift, easy…

Three…two…

One.

I barrel through the glass doors and am overtaken by the crisp air. I scan every corner of town but I comprehend nothing. I race down the steps as Enforcers charge toward the chaos. Hoards of people are gathered in front of the apothecary, their voices carry through town, their words perfectly clear.

“Down with The Order!” Echoes on repeat ahead. A revolt is forming right in front of Mei and Eve.

And I’m here.

I sprint towards the screams. “Eve!” I try to yell, but my lungs are empty. I breathe in and unload once more.“Mei! Eve!” My scream comes from the depths of me this time, unleashing, but there’s no response.

My strides grow in speed and power. As if each one feeds the last. A flesh-forged barricade forms along the path. The Enforcer's face the barricade with their shields deployed. They’re in a stale-mate, but it won’t last long…

The crowd multiplies. Familiar faces are everywhere but their gazes are full of rage. Neighbors I wave hello to growl like animals, defending their territory. Ready to charge no matter what the cost may be. They hold makeshift weapons made of clay, stone, glass… but they don’t stand a chance against the Enforcers weaponry. There is no winning.

A hum emits off of their shields like an electrical current, engulfed in a Dark Magic the King invokes. Detrimental if we get too close.

“Step back, step back!” They bark.

I push and pull to reach the front of the crowd – to the very crest of this revolt – and that’s when I see her.

Eve.

I lunge and reach for her wrist but I miss “Eve!” I cry. No response. Heat pulses through my veins. I surge forward again and catch her wrist and then— finally. I’ve got her.

I grab her arm and thrust her back. We lock eyes. “Jo? I can’t find Mei” She panics. “I can’t find her….”

A jolt from behind pushes us closer to the Enforcers shields. I shove Eve with force as she tumbles to the side, and out of danger. I try to follow but the crowd closes me in, pressing me deeper into mayhem. A current of darkness is inches away from me. I’m trapped.

I hold my arms up and dig my heels into the ground, fighting the pushes, turning my cheek away from the violent power that reaches for me.

“Jo, no!” Eve cries.“Run, now. “ I beg. “Go find Mei.”

One final surge. My heels slip. My chest pitches forward.

I fall…

Straight into the Enforcers’ shields.