Zac’s lips unscrewed, and he straightened to his full height, releasing the man. “If you are headed in you have to pay. No exceptions,” he said firmly. Whether the man had Marks or Merits, it didn’t matter. Jace was in no condition to claim having seen anyone or recognizing one impoverished face from another. Zac looked to the other guard, hoping for some sign that he was wrong, but with the flip of his hair back and the unsteady stance as he took another toll, Zac breathed a heavy sigh of resignation. That hangover would plague Jace for the better part of the day. Extending a hand, Zac’s gaze sheepishly skated away. “Merits only.”
The man stared in disbelief, then quickly dug through his pocket. “Filthy guards, exploiting a man doing good for his wife…” he grumbled as he handed over a Rose Merit.
Zac sighed, collecting the toll. “That’s just the law of the land today. Everyone will hear the queen, whether by Merits or Marks, but everyone has to trade up.”
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The man’s shoulders sank and he issued a soft thanks for the subtle offer to trade if need be, but when he hurried off it wasn’t because he was laden with Marks. It was because he’d paid his fare twice. Zac’s gut twisted with guilt, hand tightening on the Merit as he hesitated to add it to the drawer.
“Still playing protector of the people, Zacion Thraelon?” A voice cut through the excited chatter. Kellam, a broad-set man with a thick black beard and thin lips, strutted to the post and slapped a hand on the side of the guard shelter. “Some things never change, do they? Even when you’re neck-deep in Merits, you can’t help but champion the Mark-heavy hordes.”
Before he could respond, his jaw slack, and words dangling in his mouth, the bells tolled again. The song, longer and louder than before, coupled with trumpets. As the blaring trailed off, the slow, heavy knell filled the air, vibrating the stones themselves. The crowd fell silent, and the air thickened. Zac shifted, leaning around his post with Kellam by his side. In the highest tower window, a shadow moved. A shiver raced through him. The queen was coming. The queen was coming…
Continue to Chapter 7
