I extend my hand toward Garron, who's still sprawled on the ground among scattered nails and wood shavings. "Let me help you up."
Garron slaps my hand away, his eyes blazing with humiliation and fury. "Don't touch me! You and Calla promised you wouldn't tell anyone about my business. Said you'd keep things quiet."
The words hit me like a physical blow. Around us, curious faces lean closer, eager to catch every word of this public unraveling.
Garron struggles to his feet without assistance, brushing dirt from his work clothes. "Some promise that turned out to be."
The familiar weight of failure settles on my shoulders like a lead cloak. I've done it again—pushed too hard, moved too fast, let someone else pay the price for my methods. The investigation that was supposed to help people has just humiliated a man in front of his neighbors and customers.
Every face in the square stares at me with a mixture of curiosity, judgment, and wariness. The outsider orc who came to their peaceful town and immediately started stirring up trouble.
I turn and walk away, leaving Garron to salvage what dignity he can from the wreckage.
CHAPTER 25
CALLA
The bakery's back room smells like cinnamon and desperation. Maddie and I have covered every inch of the wooden table with invoices, order sheets, and hastily scribbled calculations that refuse to add up no matter how many times we rework them.
"If I cut the honey cakes entirely and focus on basic breads..." Maddie traces her finger down a column of numbers, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"You can't cut the honey cakes. They're tradition." I lean back in my chair, studying the mess of papers. "What if we source alternative ingredients? Something cheaper but still?—"
The bakery door crashes open with enough force to rattle the hanging copper pots. Heavy boots stomp across the front room, and I recognize Thornak's distinctive gait even before his voice carries through the doorway.
"Maddie!"
"Back here!" Maddie calls, already pushing back from the table.
Thornak fills the doorframe like a storm cloud, his weathered face dark with fury. Dirt streaks his work clothes, and his hands clench into fists at his sides.
Maddie crosses to him without hesitation, her flour-dusted fingers reaching for his face. "What happened?"
"That bastard Pike nearly killed someone today." Thornak's voice rumbles with barely controlled rage. "Sold waterlogged timber from my land to young Timmy. Wagon collapsed in the festival square."
"Oh no." Maddie's hands frame his face, thumbs smoothing the tension lines around his eyes. "Is Timmy hurt?"
"No, but only by luck." Thornak's shoulders remain rigid despite her touch. "And that orc friend of yours made it worse. Promised to keep things quiet, then let half the town watch me tear into Garron like some kind of animal."
My stomach drops. "Brakkor was there?"
"Tried to hold me back, but the damage was done." Thornak's jaw works silently. "Made me look like a fool in front of everyone."
Maddie rises onto her toes, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. The simple gesture seems to drain some of the fury from his frame, his hands coming up to rest on her waist.
"You're not a fool," she murmurs against his mouth. "You're protecting people. There's a difference."
"Doesn't feel like it right now."
I watch their quiet intimacy with a mixture of warmth and worry. The way Maddie can calm Thornak with nothing more than her presence reminds me of something I'm not ready to examine too closely.
"Tell me exactly what happened," I say, pulling out a chair for Thornak.
He settles heavily into the seat, accepting the cup of cider Maddie presses into his hands. "Found timber from my land used in Timmy's wagon. Stolen, left to rot in the weather, then sold as quality materials. When I confronted Garron about it..."
"You lost your temper," Maddie finishes gently.
"I lost my temper," he admits. "And Brakkor tried to stop me, but I was too angry to listen. Now the whole town thinks I'm some kind of brute who can't control himself."
