But then, a violent blast shattered the morning silence.
Alice bolted upright, every trace of drowsiness vanishing instantly.
Her heart shot into overdrive, and her hand flew toward the gauntlets resting beside the bed.
And without wasting a second, she got up and ran out the door.
"What the hell is going on?!"
What Alice found upon stepping outside stopped her dead in her tracks.
The inquisitors were forcibly rounding up all the villagers in the center of the settlement.
And they weren't exactly being gentle about it.
They shoved people, dragged them by the arms, struck them without a second thought whenever someone resisted or didn't move fast enough.
Elders kneeling in the dust, women pleading, men held down by force.
These were the very same people who, just hours earlier, had welcomed them with open arms.
And now her own men were treating them like criminals.
But before she could do anything, hurried footsteps came rushing toward her.
