I needed to be careful how I threaded this needle. They had an ingrained religion, one they’d likely had all their lives. To divest them of that would be nearly impossible, but I had to try.

  “I can see your struggle, people of Hilst. I understand what it must feel like to have your way of life shaken, as it has been. But believe me when I say that I do not think the great and mighty Rel has blessed these ventures.”

  I needed to draw them away from the church as an institution—as a ‘place of worship’—not from their god. Rel wasn’t the immediate problem. Rel’s church was. Driving a wedge between the people and the organization would help me win them over.

  “I believe the church has strayed from its teachings and has been acting in accordance with its own worldly desires. And so I will not condemn you for retaining your belief in Rel. However, for those of you who have doubted your faith, I am here to support you.”

  Don’t push it; don’t advertise. This isn’t a commercial. Soothe them. Give them options.

  “My God accepts all. No matter your origin, no matter your gender or age. I will not preach to you here; that is not what this is. But if you seek someone in whom to place your faith—someone who will not betray you the way the church has, please come to see me.”

  The raging swell of anger and hatred had bled from the crowd. But I could still sense the embers of it, simmering just below the surface, ready to boil over once again should a fresh breeze cross it. A lot of the looks of confusion had hardened into resolution.

  Good.

  “This village will need heroes. Those who are willing and able to set aside their lives and fight to defend what they love. Protect their fellow citizens and affix themselves as a shield against the coming purge. Your guards, who—even now—stand ready at the walls of this city, are shining examples of what it means to be a guardian.”

  I swept a hand out toward the wall ringing their village and noted with mild amusement that several of the guards who’d turned to regard the projected scene on the steps, rapidly spun and once again resumed scanning for threats.

  “They’re your bulwark against the threats outside these walls, and it’s thanks to their tireless efforts that your enemies were delayed as long as they were. But there are other heroes among you… Seta, please step over here.”

  I gestured to a spot just in front of me and winked at her. She blushed furiously and tentatively stepped in front of me. Scared and excited about what I was going to do.

  “Seta, daughter of Corlun, has shown bravery in the face of adversity. Were it not for her actions then, the families you see standing here beside me may very well have been lost to you. Without her quick and decisive efforts, their suffering would have been only one of the many crimes the church went unpunished for.”

  There was a murmur in the crowd as I paused in order to stretch the grandiosity slightly.

  “She is another shining example of what being a hero means. So it is with great pleasure that I reward her with a boon from my God. Seta, I’m extremely proud to call you a friend, and hope to continue on into the future with you as a trusted comrade. I thank you for what you’ve done this day.”

  With that, I called over a drone and had it hover just above her head. An item materialized from underneath it, which she reached out and plucked from its tiny manipulator arms. It was a necklace; the steel links of the fine chain were a deep, burnished onyx. Looped around the chain was a simple cog.

  The cog itself was matte black, with an unbroken line of deep red ruby crystal tracing the path of the teeth. I lowered my hand for her to pass the item to me, and she gingerly placed it into my open palm. It was quite heavy, but the elegant simplicity of it was captivating.

  It was a condensed version of my drone, capable of all the same things beyond floating and manipulating objects. Because the drone had sectioned off a part of its main body to create the item, it consisted of my cells and, to an extent, could respond to the will of the wearer by interpreting their thought patterns.

  I willed it into the shape of a dagger, and a small knife the size of a letter opener appeared in my hand. I turned it into a flower, a wrench, and then a puddle of fluid before it automatically returned to the cog necklace. Turning to Seta, I instructed her to turn to face the crowd and then clasped the necklace around her throat.

  It dangled to her stomach before automatically shortening to suit her height, resting gently over her manubrium.

  This modification had been brought about by my promise to Tempi. This would prove to be a much more robust form of protection for those under my religious wing, so that what happened to her could never happen again.

  “Seta, this gift will be a more permanent version of the trinket I gave you on our first meeting. It is a symbol of my God’s love and protection over you. It will shield you from whatever evils would seek to harm you, and will ensure you are never again without a means to contact me.”

  I smiled warmly, knowing that—had she not been able to reach her drone—things might not have gone as well as they did.

  “This amulet cannot be taken off unless you specifically will it. No beast, nor man, nor even you, may remove this unless explicitly wished by you.”

  As a demonstration, I reached to snatch the chain from her neck only to come away with an empty hand. The chain having nimbly avoided my fingers by pulling out of reach at the last moment. The fluidity of the motion was truly a marvel.

  Gasps of astonishment arose from the crowd as they observed the action on the large projection. But I wasn’t quite done yet.

  “If someone is attacking you, even while you sleep, this gift will work ceaselessly to protect you. I will attempt to hit you now. Do you trust me not to injure you?”

  She nodded and closed her eyes. She didn’t even stop to think about it. There was no hesitation on her face, nor worry, nor fear. She had absolute faith in me not to hurt her.

  I brought my hand out and then swung it toward her face. The necklace instantly formed a needle-like spike which intercepted my hand and effortlessly impaled it.

  The force from the impact would normally get transferred through the spike and into Seta, but clever manipulations of the structure and microscopic vents drastically reduced the inertia of the impact by shunting the force out into the surrounding air. Effectively counter-balancing the impact like a muzzle brake on a gun.

  With a small application of energy from my endless well, the amulet effortlessly diverted my damaged hand to the side with a small jet of high-pressure air. As a result, Seta barely swayed. She opened her eyes to see the spike retracting from my hand and reforming the necklace.

  The crowd of people lost its mind. Hooting and hollering at the display of magic before them, the interest in the necklace was universal and profound.

  “Each of the families whose members were taken by the goblins or the church will receive a modified version of these necklaces in recognition of the harrowing events they’ve had to endure. This will be part of a promise I made to young Tempi.”

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I allowed emotion to come into my voice at the mention of the young girl. Fracturing it slightly—as though speaking through a lump in my throat.

  “I plan to uphold that promise to the best of my ability and hope with all my heart that it helps in some small way to bring peace back to their lives. Tempi, would you like to come over here?”

  I knelt down and placed a hand on Seta’s shoulder, beckoning warmly to Tempi, who’d been standing at the front of the crowd with her parents. She happily ran over to hug me, and I rubbed the top of her head affectionately. The drone that had been circling her head swirled and settled into the same position as before.

  I took Tempi’s hands and had her hold them under the drone. Small necklaces rained into her open palms for each of the families standing at the bottom of the stairs. Tempi laughed and cooed over the shiny chains and cogs spilling into her hands, thrilled to be the centre of attention.

  It warmed my heart to see her smiling like that, and the crowd was equally touched by her giggles of joy.

  “Tempi, would you like to help hand these out for the folks over there? Make sure they each get one, alright? It’s very important!”

  She nodded vigorously and rushed to her parents. Mid-stride, her small sandal caught on a raised brick, and she fell forward. Instantly, the necklaces responded and shot into the ground. Rigid, webbed legs cushioned her momentum, and a wide spider-like web cradled her body as they softly brought the child back to her feet.

  The necklaces quickly reformed in her hands, and she looked back at me in wonder. I simply smiled and gestured for her to continue on to her parents. The moment she began her run again, the crowd exploded in cheers and applause.

  That little display likely did more to cement the importance of owning the necklaces than anything I could have said.

  “Thank you, Seta. I know you don’t see it now, but your role in these events is far more important than you could imagine. I trust you and believe in you; together we’ll make Hilst a haven for those who fear the darker places in the world.”

  She nodded gravely and then hugged me before returning to her parents’ side; they were watching Tempi struggle to put the necklaces around her parents’ shoulders to great amusement.

  Standing, I once again addressed the crowd.

  “These gifts were given freely in the name of my God, Mechanriel. May his unblinking eyes remain ever vigilant.”

  I bowed my head briefly and noted with immense satisfaction that many of the people in the crowd mimicked the gesture.

  “Now, people of Hilst. The stage has been set for the next act of your lives. Context has been provided for the events leading up to this moment. As we speak, the forces of the Church march toward us to extract their revenge from you and those you love.”

  It was time to run this freshly forged audience across the strop to remove the burrs.

  “I am not a member of your community; I do not own land here, nor do I know you all on a personal level. I understand if you struggle to accept me amongst your numbers.”

  To my supreme satisfaction, a few people in the crowd loudly objected to that statement. I smiled and raised a hand to quiet them as I spoke.

  “But if you would have me—if you could bear to accept me and my beliefs—then I would work tirelessly to ensure that none of you suffer the wrath that is sure to come knocking on that gate.”

  I swung my arm to point at the north gate.

  “My partner as well—will help you train your guards, strengthen your walls, and bolster your forces to better meet any threats that may appear. I know she is a Wolfkin, and I know that some of you may harbour poor opinions of our bond, but I want to be absolutely clear.”

  I straightened my back slightly, widened my chest a little, and squared my jaw at them. I wanted these words to roll over them like a crest of unceasing water.

  “I would give my life for the woman next to me—as assuredly as the sun will rise tomorrow, I would lay down my life so that she might live. Any insult to her is an insult to me. Any violence to her will be met with violence from me. We are one and the same; our souls entwined.”

  I raised my fist to the crowd and focused on the strange, heated sensation that Nia’cyl had cast me out of her soul with. It responded. Weak. Muted. The gear on the back of my hand flared to life with a faint, warm orange glow, and I presented it to them like a prized jewel.

  “I respect your decision to hate who you hate, or think what you want, but I ask that you please keep those thoughts to yourself when around her or myself. We can all work for the betterment of Hilst together—no matter your opinions.”

  The crowd was silent, nodding and paying rapt attention to my every word.

  “Now, with all of that said, the time has come to issue your justice to the men below me. They have dug their fangs into your community and done irreparable damage to some of your people. I will assist you in whatever way I can; however, it is your right to see punishment brought upon them.”

  All eyes turned to the group of men bound and gagged at my feet. A few of whom wept silently as their fate encroached upon them.

  “Please, congregate amongst yourselves and elect a speaker through whom you wish to arbitrate. I will invite them up here to speak on your behalf. Take your time and ensure that the one selected is a member you trust implicitly.”

  With that, I stepped back to Armela’s side and did my best to relax. She slipped her hand into mine and rested her head against my arm.

  The crowd cheered, and calls of my name rang out down the street. Many of the people wanted me to be the one to decide the men’s punishment. Any conversation that might have been happening amongst them was likely drowned out by the joyous cries for death of the priests and village leader.

  I’d purposely left the guards out of the lineup and downplayed their role in the affair because it was more nebulous. They would be punished, but not executed, and that decision could come later.

  “You did well; it looks like they love you.”

  Armela stood, watching the crowd pump their fists in the air and chant my name. I reached over and put a hand on top of her head, stroking the space between her ears.

  “And? What about you, my lovely mate? Would you be out there cheering my name as well?”

  She pinched my ass as she snorted.

  “Don’t kid yourself! Unlike them, I have a clear image in my mind of a man who grovelled in blood and guts after getting stepped on. Don’t let this little rowdy group of rabble swell your head. They cheer your name now, but just days ago they’d have done the same for the leader, if he’d stood up here.”

  She was as brutal as ever, though I was grateful. This was the feedback I needed to stay grounded. If she’d started kissing my ass as well, who knows what that would have done to my ego.

  “Should we duck inside these doors and find out just how loudly you can cry my name? Perhaps you might give this group of ‘rowdy rabble’ a run for their money?”

  She punched me in the kidney hard enough to have ruptured several organs in a normal man.

  “Get me one of those necklaces, and I’ll cry out anything you ask me to.”

  I looked down at her to see her blushing madly.

  “Resorting to bribery? Already? And here I thought the sex was good enough; maybe I should take that a little more seriously…”

  Her mouth fell open in a dumbfounded expression.

  “You’re fucking lying! I refuse to believe that it could get more intense than it’s been. Impossible. Maybe your ego is already fucked...”

  I snickered as she pushed me.

  “Why did you want the necklace? Your body already does everything they can do, and you spend your time glued to my waist, anyway.”

  I pulled at her hips, and she collided with me affectionately. She puffed out her cheeks in consternation.

  “I’m still a woman, Vita. It’s not unusual for your mate to want something that reminds them of you. And watching you hand them out to other people and not me doesn’t feel right.”

  Ah, so it was just jealousy. That was easily remedied.

  “You’re absolutely right. This is exactly why you’re my mate, Armela. If you had said nothing, it simply wouldn’t have occurred to me. I apologize for being so inconsiderate of you.”

  With that, I made a necklace and then spun her away from me. Placing the chain around her neck, I clasped it and kissed her cheek. She chased my mouth, and we shared an intimate kiss before she pushed me away.

  “You better deal with this crowd before they summarily execute the prisoners all on their own, dumbass.”

  I looked back at the crowd who were now laughing and jeering my public display of affection. Some pockets of people were actively trying to decide who to send up, but they were few and didn’t look like any consensus was going to be reached. At least not tonight.

  I stepped forward, but Armela grabbed my arm and spoke into my ear.

  “If they decide not to handle it… give them to me…”

  There was a fire in her eyes, and I could tell that her hatred of those involved with slavery hadn’t decreased in the slightest. She would pick them apart slowly if left to her own devices. I nodded, agreeing even though I doubted the people would leave this street until the men were lifeless.