Sara had stepped out onto the porch, the door swinging shut behind her with a soft thud. The night air nipped at her skin, carrying the sharp scent of lantern oil and damp earth. Lanterns bobbed in the dark, held high by a cluster of faces lit in flickering orange.
John stood at the front, his robes disheveled, face twisted in fury. Selene hovered behind him, her dress rumpled and stained with dirt, arms wrapped tight around herself. Bezos loomed beside John, his burly frame made him overly intimidated today, while Vivian crossed her arms, her silk blouse catching the light. Servants from John's house mingled with Bezos's workers, their expressions hard and expectant.
Sara spotted a few from her own fields too, shifting uneasily at the edges. Neighbors peeked from doorways, whispering, drawn by the noise like moths to flame.
'Fuck, he brought the whole damn village,' Sara thought, her eyes scanning the growing crowd. The porch creaked under her step as she moved forward.
She dipped into a curtsey toward John, her coat brushing her knees. "Priest John."
John waved a hand sharply, dismissing her. "Stop this nonsense, Sara. I know you're in cahoots with that peasant boy inside. Don't take his side now, or there'll be consequences for you and that pet of yours. Even your noble backing can't save you if you stand in my way today."
Sara straightened, adjusting her coat collar with steady fingers. The rudeness stung, but the crowd's murmurs pressed in, eyes watching every move of hers. So, she kept her face calm, not giving him the satisfaction of a flinch.
"Do you even know what happened?" she asked, her voice even, cutting through the sounds of the dogs barking nearby.
John barked a laugh, short and mocking, his mustache twitching. "Huh, What is there to know? The whole village is talking by now. Step aside, Sara. Let me in before I lose my patience."
Sara held her ground, her boots planted firm on the porch boards. The wind rustled leaves in the trees, but she didn't budge, her heart pounding steady despite the shake in her knees.
Bezos cleared his throat, stepping up beside John. "Why are you blocking the way, Sara? You should be with us, not defending that boy. I'm disappointed, thought you had more sense than this."
Sara met his gaze, her chin lifting slightly. "Standing up to injustice isn't being foolish, Chief. You've heard half the story, haven't you? What about the part where Selene started it?"
Bezos's mouth opened, then closed, his beard twitching as he fell silent, eyes flicking to the ground.
Vivian pushed forward, her waves of hair catching the lantern glow. "Even if that's true, it doesn't excuse what he did. You can't just make a lady strip like that, in public, no less."
Sara's lips pressed thin, the words hitting like a slap. 'Shit, Vivian's with them too?' No quick escape flashed in her mind, the crowd's stares weighing heavier over her. She stayed quiet, her fingers curling at her sides.
John leaned in, his voice rising. "See? Even you can't defend it. Move, Sara, or I'll…"
Vivian nodded, her voice sharper now. "He's right. What he did was beyond the line. Punish the boy, don't make excuses for him."
The pressure built, John's face reddening, the servants shifting forward like they might push past. Sara's breath quickened, her back against the door, the breaking point creeping close as their words hammered in.
As she was just standing there still, her lips pressed tight as Vivian's words echoed, John understood her hesitation, his eyes narrowing, a spark igniting in them. He understood that she was at her breaking point. Now is the time to get bold.
His chest puffed slightly, shoulders squaring as he took a step forward, the gravel crunching under his boot. The crowd shifted with him, murmurs rippling through like wind through leaves. Sara's eyes widened a fraction, her hand twitching at her side, but she held her ground, the porch boards creaking faintly under her weight.
"Priest John, this is madness," she said, her voice steady but edged, like a blade drawn slowly. "Don't step forward. You can't just force your way in. Attacking a home in the middle of the night? What will the guild representatives think when they arrive and hear their benefactor was assaulted?"
John halted, his face twisting into a sneer, the lantern light carving deep lines around his mouth. He glanced at Selene behind him, her arms still wrapped tight, then back at Sara. "The guild isn't here yet, Sara. And when they arrive, they'll find a village where justice is served, not one where peasants humiliate a priest's daughter." His hand swept out, gesturing to the servants clustered around. Some servants were with clubs gripped loose but ready, their faces hard in the flickering glow. "Bring me the boy. Drag him out if you have to."
The women moved, boots scuffing forward, and a low growl from one of the dogs got mixed with their boots' sound. The crowd had swelled now, neighbors in nightdresses clutching lanterns, merchants pausing their evening walks, even a few of Sara's field workers lingering at the edges, their tools still slung over their shoulders from the day's end. They watched in tense silence, eyes darting between John and the house, fear pinning them in place like roots in soil. A woman whispered to her friend, but she shushed her, shaking her head.
Sara's mind raced, her fingers curling into fists hidden in her coat pockets. 'Fuck, now what? Should I give up the guild settlement's authority over to John? The one he eyed for? Will they accept the trade and let Lys go?' The thought burned, but the women's advance pressed it harder, the air thick with the threat of violence.
Just then, the door behind her creaked open, a sliver of warm light spilling out. Gasps rippled through the crowd, eyes widening as they stared past her. Sara whipped around, her breath catching. The women froze mid-step, John's gesture hanging unfinished. Even Selene lifted her head, her tear-streaked face paling further.
Lys stood there, alone on the threshold, the lantern from inside casting his shadow long across the porch. But something was different, a presence rolled off him like heat from a forge, steady and unyielding, making the air feel heavier.
His eyes met John's without flinching, a quiet intensity that silenced the dogs' growls to whimpers, and the whispering of crowds to total silence. Sara stared, the new aura of his prickling her skin. As it was unfamiliar and strong.