"Zeus! You brainless oaf! Get in here and scrub this floor again! I can still see my reflection’s breath on the marble!"The roar echoed through the vaulted corridors of the Obsidian Estate. Gabriel stood in the center of the grand hall, his face flushed a deep crimson, pointing a trembling finger at a microscopic speck of dust. At twenty-four, Gabriel possessed the sharp features of his father, Lord Mathew, but none of the man’s warmth. His eyes were cold slits of resentment.Zeus entered the room quietly. He was a man of solid build and infinite patience, his hands calloused from decades of labor. He had arrived at the estate as a shivering seven-year-old orphan, and Lord Mathew had raised him with a firm but kind hand."I apologize, Master Gabriel," Zeus said, his voice a calm tide against Gabriel’s storm. "I will attend to it immediately.""Don’t 'Master Gabriel' me with that tone," Gabriel spat, kicking a nearby bucket of soapy water. The gray liquid splashed across Zeus’s leathe

The journey to the camp of the Iron Raiders was long and brutal. Zeus walked in silence, his feet bleeding and his heart heavy. He was surrounded by men who had lost hope, but Zeus was different. He was a man who had already died inside, and that made him dangerous.The Iron Raiders were the sworn enemies of the city. For years, they had raided the borders, led by a man named Toby. Toby was a giant of a man with a scarred face and eyes that saw through lies. He wasn't just a bandit; he was a warlord who hated Lord Mathew’s lineage with a passion.When the slave caravan arrived at the hidden camp in the mountains, the captives were lined up. Toby walked past them, inspecting the "merchandise." When he reached Zeus, he stopped. He squinted, leaning in close to Zeus’s face."Wait a minute," Toby whispered, a grin spreading across his face. "I know those eyes. I’ve seen them behind a shield on the battlefield of the Red Plains."Zeus kept his gaze on the ground. "I am nobody. Just a slave

The dusty plains outside the city were silent, but it was the silence of a graveyard. Instead of marching toward the city gates to face Gabriel, Toby had ordered the army to halt in a secluded valley, miles away from their target. His mind was no longer on the throne or the gold. It was consumed by a poisonous jealousy.Toby stood on a raised limestone rock, his face twisted. In his hand, he held a heavy repeating crossbow. Before him, lined up in the dirt, were the twelve servants and soldiers who had refused to lay hands on Zeus back at the camp."You lot think you’re loyal?" Toby screamed, his voice cracking. "You think Zeus is your master? I am the one who feeds you! I am the one who gave that servant a name!""My Lord," one soldier pleaded, "we only feared his strength. We are loyal to the Iron Raiders!""Lies!" Toby roared. "You saw a man I gave a name and you bowed your heads. If I march on Gabriel now, with a traitor like Zeus breathing down my neck, I’ll be stabbed in the bac

The grief in the city was a heavy, suffocating blanket. While the people saw Zeus as a savior, Toby saw him only as a thief of hearts and lives. Every time Toby closed his eyes, he didn't see the victory at the gates; he saw Agnes falling in the dirt, the jagged blade meant for Zeus buried in her side.Toby sat in the dark corner of a tavern, his eyes bloodshot. Beside him sat the Chief Commander of the newly formed City Guard, a man named Vane."He walks around like a god," Toby hissed, slamming a fist onto the table. "He spends his billions on bread and stone, acting like he’s the most humble man in the world. But Agnes is in the ground because of him. She took a hit that was meant for his useless chest."Vane leaned in, his voice a slithering whisper. "The men are restless, Toby. They don't want a philosopher; they want a warrior. If Zeus were to... fall... in a tragic accident, the city would need a strong hand. Your hand.""How?" Toby asked. "The people love him.""The Open Fight