Tora Steele's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Tora Steele walked the frozen yard alone, counting his steps against the cold. The warehouse rose ahead of him, its blue metal walls crested with sculpted ice and gold. Every crate inside the region passed through gates like these. He wanted his name on a door like that one day — clean, legal, his own. A hooded woman waited beneath the lanterns. Sylvaria Moonwhisper did not turn when he stopped beside her. She held a scroll bound in silver chain, its runes glowing a sharp, cold blue. "You want a foothold," she said. "They control the gates. I can move you past them in a week." Tora studied the scroll. The wax seals were already cracked, waiting. He read the terms once. Routes opened. Rivals quieted. His acquisition saved. In return, every shipment he ever moved would carry her mark, and her enemies would become his. A shortcut, paid in chains he could not cut later. "You hide what matters," Sylvaria said, watching his face. "So do I. Sign, and they stop being a problem. Don't, and the window closes by morning." Tora set the scroll back in her hands. "No." He turned toward the gate, his breath sharp in the cold. He would lose the deal his own way, on his own terms — and the leak in his circle was still bleeding. The shortcut was gone. The longer road just got harder, and someone he once trusted would answer for it before the week ended.