A Good Man Awakens

Chapter 18: Enforcers

The sun dipped lower on the horizon, casting a soft, red light over the fields, bathing the crops in a warm glow. I leaned on my hoe, watching the breeze ripple through the wheat like waves across a still pond. The air was rich with the smell of freshly turned soil and the faint sweetness of hay, while the lazy hum of insects created a soothing rhythm. For a moment, I could almost convince myself this was enough—this simple life of toil and quiet.

But there was always something beneath the surface. A weight that never left. Something in me that knew better.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, trying to shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at me for weeks now. Since I arrived at the farm, I'd carried a sense of displacement. Not because of the people—they were kind—but because of the burden I'd brought with me. The past. The prophecy. The magic I barely understood, let alone controlled. It was all too much, and something was coming. I could feel it, deep in my bones, but I couldn't see what.

I glanced toward the barn, where Reece was working alongside Sophia. Her laughter floated across the breeze, light and carefree, contrasting with the growing tension inside me. For all the hard work and struggle, she was happy here. There was a better life somewhere beyond this—a life without the Arcana's iron grip—but they didn't know that. Not yet.

The sound of hooves on the dirt road broke through my thoughts. I straightened, turning toward the noise, and tensed as a group of riders emerged from the treeline. Their dark cloaks billowed behind them, catching the evening wind like an oppressive blanket, trailing shadows wherever they went.

"They're early," Reece muttered, appearing at my side, his face darkened with a frown. "They usually don't come till later in the season."

"How bad is it?" I asked, keeping my voice low. We both watched the enforcers ride closer, their horses' hooves kicking up dust that shimmered in the fading light.

Reece sighed, shaking his head. "Worse every year. I told Pa we'd need to start plowing the northern fields just to keep up with the increasing demands. They don't care about our struggle—they just come, take what they want, and it's never enough."

My stomach twisted as his words settled in. I didn't know all the details of the Ministry's demands, but I knew enough. This farm was everything to Reece, Ross, and Sophia, and those enforcers—they were vultures, preying on hard-earned labor, taking more than they deserved and leaving nothing but scraps in return. It wasn't just people with magic they persecuted, it was everyone.

I nodded, though the knot in my gut tightened. The Ministry held this land in a stranglehold, their power reaching every corner, every crop. And something about this visit felt off. Their leader was a tall, heavy-set man, his cold eyes sweeping the farm like a predator. He rode with the confidence of someone who had done this a thousand times. His black-gloved hands gripped the reins with an air of cruelty, and the Ministry emblem on his chest gleamed like a badge of dominance, and a warning, don't mess with me.

"I don't like the look of him," I muttered, my instincts prickling.

"You shouldn't," Reece replied, his tone tense. "That's Grayden. He's been here before, always pushing harder. Last time, he made things really difficult for us. If left alone, he'd take more than just produce."

I looked over at Reece, and for the first time, we shared an unspoken understanding. Life wasn't always fair. It was harsh, and some days it felt like we were just hanging on, working against a tide that could sweep us away at any moment.

We both turned our eyes toward the farmhouse. Leaving Ross on her own to deal with Grayden and his men wasn't an option. Fetching Jacob would take too long.