Chapter 2
- Xander Jade
- Apr 19
- 10 min read
A week later, Erik was more myth than man—at least that’s how the villagers acted. He stalked the muddy streets, every set of eyes tracking him like a loose wolf in the sheepfold. Mothers snatched children out of his path, pressing them to their thighs and whispering urgent, snot-streaked warnings. Old men, hardened by decades of coastal misery, straightened up behind fences, knuckles white on rakes and spears and whatever else passed for a weapon in this frozen shithole. If anyone dared look at his face, it was only to spit, or else to quickly make a warding sign before scurrying away.
