Aldric Thornweather's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Aldric Thornweather climbed the steps of his towering trade hall and looked out over Entrana. The clock spires of his routes stretched to the horizon. He wanted a council seat, and he was close. Then the air split open above the market, and a devil stepped through. The creature dropped a scroll at his feet. Red script crawled across the parchment. It was his shipping pact for the southern roads — already signed away to a rival. Aldric read three more pacts beneath it. All stolen. All sealed in blood. He walked fast to the lower square. A weathered wagon sat there now, glowing with broken blades and humming charms. His rival's mark was burned into its side. Buyers crowded around it, ignoring Aldric's own stalls. Magic was leaking into the world, and his rival was selling it. Aldric did not shout. He pulled a small ledger from his coat and wrote three names. Three guild masters. Three favors he had saved for the right hour. The hour was now. By dusk, riders carried his sealed letters. Each favor called in bought back a route the rival had taken. The contracts returned to his hands one by one. The bleeding stopped. But the favors were spent. The guild masters now knew what he had been holding. A shadow moved past the wagon — a six-legged cat with saber teeth, watching him with yellow eyes. The devils were not leaving. And Aldric had just shown every rival his hand.