4. The First Domino

Chapter 4: The First Domino

983 AN

Aug 24

Zaun – Strath's Den, Eastern Docks

The harbor stank of rust and old diesel, its air soured by spilled distillate and sweat. Inside a gutted warehouse overlooking the loading zone, Strath sat behind a cracked resin table, watching the last of his runners scramble back in through the side door.

He slammed a fist onto the table. "They lost the whole dock?"

The runner flinched. "Y-yes, boss. She—she cleaned it out. Quick, too. Said it's hers now."

Strath muttered curses under his breath. His fingers trembled slightly, brushing the old smuggler tattoos that circled his wrist. Dock work had been his territory for over a decade. The idea of someone—not just someone, but a girl who hadn't even hit twenty—taking it from under him? It burned.

Behind him, one of his men leaned close. "Should we retaliate?"

"With what?" Strath snapped. "Half our routes are gone. Ironglass pulled out. Cael strangled the other half, and that damn girl—"

He stopped, gritting his teeth.

Ashryn.

The name was making the rounds like wildfire. First whispers. Then stories. Now territory.

Strath stood suddenly. "Get my coat. We're going to talk."

His man blinked. "You mean negotiate?"

"I mean... survive."

—

Zaun – Ashryn's Base, Near the Converter Site

The light in the warehouse was dim and sickly, barely held together by overhead chem-lanterns that buzzed like agitated wasps. Ashryn stood at the edge of the central table, arms crossed, coat discarded and hung over a bent pipe. The warehouse had once been a textile sorting facility—now, it was a war room.

Schematics of pipelines, dock maps, and baron trade routes littered the wall, secured with rusted nails and hope. Cael stood by the far side, silent as ever, one hand resting on the hilt of a dagger strapped to his thigh. Lynne was off to the side, organizing a stack of sealed reports, pausing occasionally to glance toward the main door.

Ashryn bounced a small, metal ball against her knuckles, humming off-key and nodding along with her own rhythm. Her eyes flicked from chart to chart, tracing supply flows and debt chains. It was more than trade. It was power. Control.

The door creaked open.

Strath stepped inside, flanked by two men who looked like they'd seen better days—one limping, the other with a stitched gash across his jaw. Strath himself was composed, in the way only a desperate man could be. His sleek coat clung to him like armor, and his eyes flicked between every shadow.

He stopped a few paces from the table.

"You've made your point."

Ashryn gave a little shrug. "Aw, come on. Don't look so sour. It was just a little demonstration. Boom. Bang. Maybe some bruised egos."

Strath didn't flinch, but his men did. Ashryn grinned.

"You cut off every shipment, every route. Even the Ironglass flipped."

Cael spoke, voice even. "They flipped because your rates were outdated and your methods crude. We gave them an upgrade."

Ashryn clicked the ball into her palm. "You were good once, Strath. But you're a smuggler, not a warlord. And this city's already got too many of the latter."

Strath's jaw tensed. "What do you want?"

Ashryn stepped forward. Just once. Not threatening — commanding.

"Your dock. Your routes. Your people. Under me. You still manage the harbor, but only under Cael's oversight."

He started to protest. She cut him off.

"I'm not here to debate. You can say no. But then the next time I walk into that dock, I won't leave anyone breathing."

The silence was heavier than the air.

Cael watched him with eyes that didn't blink. Lynne didn't even look up from her clipboard.

Strath exhaled. "Fine. The dock's yours. I work under your flag now."

Ashryn turned away before he finished. "See? That wasn't so hard! I didn't even have to throw a punch. Disappointing."

He hesitated, then turned and left. The sound of the door shutting echoed like a gunshot.

Lynne looked up with a casual air, but her tone carried weight. "That's one."

Cael nodded. "First domino."

Ashryn didn't speak for a moment. She stared at the wall map, tapping the ball against her palm again. "He won't be the last. Margot's watching. Renni's stirring. Smeech never sleeps. And Finn? He's already sharpening his blades."

"You want to bait them?" Cael asked.

"Nah," she said, tone light. "Let them move first. More fun that way. Besides, who doesn't love a surprise party?"

Cael tilted his head. "Margot might fold."

"She will, if she sees the benefit. She runs vice, not war. Give her structure, safety, and clients that don't vanish in the night, and she'll consider it."

Lynne joined in, her eyes narrowed. "Renni won't."

Ashryn nodded. "Nope. She's beyond saving. She burns."

"And Smeech?"

Ashryn scratched her chin. "Yordles are weird. But money talks. I'll speak his language."

Lynne asked again, "And Finn?"

Ashryn made a mock gagging sound. "That psycho? He's itching for a reason to come after me. Let's not give him one—yet."

Cael continued, "I heard he's close to Silco?"

Ashryn waved a hand dismissively. "Close? In Zaun? Please. That word doesn't exist here. Everyone's out for themselves. Even allies are temporary."

Cael crossed his arms. "We build pressure, isolate targets, and pick them off in order."

Ashryn smirked. "Now you're getting it. Like knocking over a stack of cards. Except these ones bleed."

She moved back to the central board and pinned a new note beside Strath's old insignia—a crude phoenix drawn over a broken chain. Lynne handed her a sealed file.

"Latest report from the west quarter. The crowds are starting to talk. They say you're cleaning up, taking over. Some call it a takeover. Others... a rebirth."

Ashryn raised an eyebrow. "That was fast," then chuckled. "Guess I'm famous now. Should I start signing autographs?"

She turned toward the board and stared at the word she'd scribbled earlier in chalk: Virelle. Still foreign, but slowly growing roots.

"It's coming together," Cael said quietly. "One baron down."

"And four to go," Ashryn replied, then smiled wide. "Oh, they're gonna love what's next."

The storm hadn't arrived yet.

But its winds were starting to howl.