The church had descended into something Silver didn't recognize by the time they woke that morning.
Voices rose sharp and fractured from the main hall, two groups squared off near the altar over what remained of the shared food stores, accusations flying faster than anyone seemed able to sort through them.
"You've been taking more than your share!"
"We have children! What do you expect us to do, watch them starve while you hoard—"
"Everyone's hoarding! That's why there's nothing left!"
Silver rose slowly, python coiled tight against his arm, watching the scene unfold with the same grim recognition he'd carried since the estate first fell — desperation curdling into something uglier, faster now than even his worst years running the syndicate had prepared him for.
"We should move," he said quietly, glancing toward Dahlia and Victor, both already awake, already reading the room with the same wary attention. "This isn't going to stay contained to shouting much longer."
