The Weight

In the city of Westmark, order is everything. The Registry promises stability to those who seek employment within its system. Permanent placement. Protection. A household that will take responsibility for their future. Elin Fenn believed the promise. Now bound by an iron band bearing the mark of Magistrate Marcus Vey, she lives within the walls of Blackthorn Manor — a house where discipline is prized, hierarchy is unquestioned, and usefulness is expected without hesitation. Some tasks are visible. Others are not. When Daniel Corvin arrives in Westmark to establish his place among the city’s respectable families, he finds a society that prides itself on civility and structure. At first glance, everything appears orderly. Efficient. Proper. But the more he observes, the more the quiet rhythms of the city begin to reveal something else. Something the people of Westmark no longer question. In Westmark, every household carries its standing. And someone always carries the weight.