Aprilia took a step back, heel grinding into pine needles.

  Then, one of the men lunged at her and grabbed her wrist with a vice grip.

  Dread crept up inside of her as she recognized the man, eyes glinting with lust.

  Judran. Elder Weber’s grandson.

  The arrogant lecher she had refused to marry months ago.

  His other hand shot forward towards her waist.

  A sharp crack split the air as the man next to him cuffed him across the back of the head.

  “Not here, you idiot.”

  Another pair of hands grabbed her other arm.

  “Let go of me!” she shouted. Her voice came out thinner than she had intended.

  No one responded.

  The forest around them stood still, tall pines swaying with the wind.

  She narrowed her eyes at Hyde, voice shaking but resolute.

  “You won’t get away with this, Elder.”

  “Get away with what? Saving our people?” he scoffed. “Yes, I will.”

  “Are you that scared of a few dozen craftsmen, sailors and their families?”

  His eyes narrowed. “It’s a few dozen now. Who knows how many more will that man bring here? No. He cannot be allowed to do as he please.”

  “Then talk to him when he’s back! Jack is not a tyrant.”

  He shook his head. “No. No more talking. Far too many of our people are already under his thrall. We will not let his honeyed words lead anyone else astray.” He raised his voice. “We shall not become slaves to any noble under any terms!”

  The crowd answered with a murmur that turned into a cheer.

  “Bind her,” he said.

  The coarse rope bit into her wrists, tightening with each pull.

  Hyde’s eyes softened for a fleeting heartbeat. “Power is not a toy for young girls,” he said quietly. “We will take care of the rest.”

  “Take care of what?”

  A deep voice reverberated throughout the clearing. It was slightly labored, yet calm.

  Heads turning around frantically, finding nothing. Faces that had been contorted in self righteous anger instantly turned worried. A man took a step back, stumbling over the man behind him.

  Lothar stepped up from between the trunks, chest heaving slightly. He was unarmed and unarmored. He squared his shoulders as he found Hyde.

  The forest seemed to freeze, as he walked toward the stooped Elder with unhurried steps.

  “We are removing the threat to our independence, Lothar,” Hyde said in conciliatory tone. “I know you grew fond of the ‘Supreme Leader,’ but loyalty to your own people comes first.”

  “Is she also a threat?” Lothar pointed to Aprilia, hands tied behind her back.

  “No. She is just his plaything. I don’t blame the poor girl. It was our failing as a community that we didn’t arrange a good match for her in time. Her idiot parents let her refuse every man that came her way, and she became an easy target for the lecher.”

  “Oh, he is a lecher all right.” Lothar chuckled, then mirth vanished from his face. “But you couldn’t be more wrong, calling him a threat.” His voice came out low, dangerous. “How is a man who freely gave us tools to feed and protect ourselves a threat? Would most of us be even alive without him?”

  “That does not give him the right to destroy our culture!” Hyde almost shouted, losing his composure. “I’ve seen grown women defer to this girl as if she were an Elder!”

  Lothar sighed, and turned to look at Aprilia. “What happened here?”

  She stood straight despite the rope. “He was inciting the men. Against the Supreme Leader.”

  “We were reclaiming ourselves,” Hyde interjected.

  “What was your plan, Elder?” Lothar asked.

  “To rise up against the man destroying our values. Lothar, our craftsmen are laboring day and night to build housing and weapons for the bloody Nanoans, while our own people still sleep under tents. He’s turning us into slaves! Can’t you see that?” he almost begged.

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  “No.”

  Hyde exhaled. “Then you leave us no choice. Seize him as well.”

  Some men moved a step, but not beyond.

  “I said seize him!” Hyde said, thumping his cane.

  “You are a fool,” Lothar said weakly, barely audible.

  “I have led the local council for twenty winters. You will not talk to me that way.”

  Lothar remained silent, his gaze locked with Aprilia’s.

  “Now?” she asked, incredulous.

  “No better time to learn.”

  Her mouth felt dry. The doubts came back. She was just a village girl. Who was she to command? But Jack’s trust in her and Lothar’s confident eyes gave her strength. She squared her shoulders.

  “General, arrest this man for conspiring against the Supreme Leader and inciting rebellion.” She pointed to the old man with her her chin.

  Lothar straightened instantly.

  “Elder Hyde,” he said, voice carrying across the clearing, “I put you under arrest.”

  Hyde’s silver eyebrows rose, as his eyes burned with anger. “Are you mad? I am the oldest of the Elders! My word is law!”

  “No,” Lothar kept his voice calm. “The Law is the law.”

  “Are you all so craven that you cannot seize one man?” Hyde shouted at the crowd, shuddering with anger. “There are sixty of us! The soldiers won’t attack their own brethren!”

  Two men came forward. Judran took out a small knife from his pocket, moving behind the General.

  “Behind you!” Aprilia screamed.

  Judran lunged, but Lothar was already stepping to the side.

  The young man tried to course correct, going for Lothar’s neck.

  He leaned back. His hand clamped around the man’s wrist. The knife hovered inches from his throat.

  A crack. Bone against bone.

  Judran’s nose burst with a wet crunch. He collapsed on the grass, clutching his face.

  Lothar shook his bloodied hand. “A literal hard head.”

  The two men from the crowd took a step toward him, followed by two of Aprilia’s captors.

  “You are all surrounded. Don’t make it worse,” Lothar said lazily.

  He whistled, imitating a bird.

  The forest answered.

  A similar sound came from the east. Another from the west.

  The men froze, like prey in presence of a stalking predator.

  Six soldiers appeared from the trees, repeating crossbows aimed at the miscreants.

  Lothar trained hard eyes at the men. “Hands where I can see them, or we won’t hesitate to shoot.”

  One of the men decided to test those words. He had taken only a single step forward when there was a dull thud.

  A heartbeat later, the man screamed, collapsing to the ground, as his right leg, speared by a bolt, refused to support his weight.

  No one moved to help him.

  Lothar approached Aprilia and undid her bindings. She rubbed her wrists as blood returned in hot pulses.

  “Did they do anything?” he whispered, eyes burning with anger.

  She shook her head. “No. You came just in time.” Then hung her head in shame. “I’m sorry. I was a fool to confront him alone.”

  “You were. We will talk about that after we’ve sorted this mess.”

  More soldiers emerged from the woods, encircling the crowd. The men grew nervous.

  “Cooperate and you will not be harmed,” Lothar said through clenched teeth.

  “Are you all just going to give up?” Hyde roared. “If I was ten years younger, I would be leading the charge myself.”

  No one moved.

  “You will regret this cowardice forever,” he spat. “And it will be too late when your sons stop listening to you and your daughters begin cavorting with the very same people who forced you out of your homes.”

  An approaching soldier hesitated at those words, but shrank under Lothar’s gaze. He unrolled a coil of rope, which they used to tie the six most aggressive miscreants.

  “Many of you would be dead if not for my foresight in planning the exodus. This is how you repay me?” Hyde raged at the soldiers as they nudged him forward.

  Lothar marched them and the frothing Hyde back to the castle, where they were locked up in the jail. The air in the castle smelled of dust, sweat and anxiety.

  Aprilia stayed quiet in Lothar’s office, while the muffled screams of men being beaten in the adjacent chamber echoed through the walls. The partition wall shook when a body was thrown at it. She stared at the grain of the wooden table, surprised to find herself not flinching. If she was being honest, she couldn’t be bothered with the plight of the six pricks as long as they weren’t killed.

  The other Elders soon arrived. Lothar and Aprilia told them their accounts. All four were shocked to find out about the gathering and its plans. Judging by their expressions, they seemed to be genuinely disconnected from the plot, but Aprilia didn’t dare trust herself. Elder Weber crumpled at the mention of his grandson’s role.

  Two hours later, all of the three thousand Cha were back in Cradle. The sun hung low, turning the stone walls amber.

  Lothar stood in front of the castle gates, looking down at them. The Elders stood behind him, shoulders drooped.

  “The Supreme Leader’s secretary uncovered a plot to assassinate him. Hyde is the ringleader of this group of sixty fools. They tried to harm her and me, so their guilt is indisputable.”

  Murmurs rippled through the crowd like wind across grass.

  He pointed to the edge of the city, and thousands of heads turned. The rest of Hyde’s followers were being led towards them, surrounded by fifty soldiers. All had their heads hung in shame.

  “If you have grievances, speak them openly. If you choose violence-”

  Aprilia put a hand on his shoulder. The man’s habit of being aggressive with anyone he deemed a villain was not going to win the people over. Thankfully, he stood aside to let her speak.

  “I have the manifest of the contents of the latest ship the Supreme Leader sent with me,” Aprilia said, the parchment trembling in her hands. She stilled them with an effort of will.

  “A sack of seeds of every kind of vegetable and fruit that grows in the surrounding region. Radishes, turnips and carrots. Pears, plums, figs and cherries. And fifty sheep. He promises he will be sending more. Does one man need a whole orchard for himself? How much can he eat?”

  The answer, a lot, came to her, but she kept it to herself.

  “They are for you, his people! If he just cared about himself, he would have kept all the money the Queen gave him. If you have any grievances, please come talk to me. He will listen, I promise you.”

  She pointed to the line of men, whose eyes were glued to the ground.

  “Some of these poor fools might also have genuine grievances, but instead of speaking them out, they decided to follow an angry, senile man in his false pride and hatred of what we are building.”

  Nobody spoke in the ensuing silence. The air felt cooler against the sweat on her face. She drew in a long breath.

  “This was supposed to happen after the Supreme Leader was back, but I don’t think we can wait anymore.”

  She glanced back at the Elders, then focused on the people.

  “If you fear losing your voice, let us widen the circle. I propose we establish a governing council of Chadom. It will include people from every group; men and women, young and old. No voice dismissed. No grievance buried.”

  Eyes widened. Many gasped.

  The Elders reeled with shock, but Lothar stood straight, smiling at her.

  Jack had given the Cha means to not only survive, but thrive. Now they only had to rise up to meet his expectations.

  Aprilia felt it. Small and fragile.

  A step forward.

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