Riley Fenn's Arc

Chapter 2 of 5

Riley didn't go back to the guild hall the next morning. Instead she went to the corner market where guild members bought their morning bread. She needed to find the hooded woman before the assembly, but she also needed to know if Halver had already heard about the accusations. She arrived to find the market crowded with merchants arguing in tight clusters. A bronze bell had been posted on the community board near the old tree with the swing — the formal notice that only senior members could send. Riley pushed closer and read the announcement twice. Halver was calling an emergency vote to close the reinstatement process permanently. Not postpone it. Close it. The vote would happen in three days, well before the scheduled assembly. If it passed, her family name would be locked out forever. Riley scanned the crowd but didn't see the hooded woman anywhere. She did see two junior merchants she recognized, both looking uneasy. She approached the younger one and asked quietly if anyone had mentioned Halver's reasons for the vote. The merchant glanced around, then leaned in. Word was spreading that someone had accused Halver of forgery. He was moving fast to shut down any challenge to his authority before it could take root. Riley walked back to the tree and sat on the swing beneath its bright autumn leaves. She had her answer now. Halver knew, and he was using his power to bury the accusation along with her chances. The hooded woman had offered her a way in, but cooperation meant stepping into the open and risking everything on testimony she hadn't even seen yet. Riley stood up. She couldn't wait for the woman to find her again. She had three days to decide whether to stay invisible or finally make herself heard.