And even as I took mental notes for my report, I couldn’t shake the image of Elior on that cold stone throne.
Still and small and silent.
I wanted to know what his role was in all of this.
Malachi led me down one of the narrow dirt paths that split the compound, the kind of road worn by years of bare feet rather than tires. The wind shifted through the trees, carrying the faint smell of smoke, soil, and something vaguely metallic underneath.
Malachi gestured toward a row of long, low buildings in the distance. “Those are the dormitories. Men on the west side, women on the east. Purity must be guarded, even in sleep.”
I nodded as if that made sense. “And families?”
“Boys stay with their fathers. Girls with their mothers.” His tone tightened a little, like the question was borderline improper.
As we got closer, I noticed the little details that never made it into the Bureau reports. The doors had no locks on the outside.Laundry flapped on lines between the buildings—plain robes, shapeless underclothes, nothing personal.
A man stepped out of one dorm, tall and narrow-faced, carrying a bucket of water. He froze when he saw us, bowing quickly before hurrying off without a word.
“They are humble,” Malachi said proudly, watching him go. “Work builds humility. Comfort breeds sin.”
I gave him my best thoughtful look, biting back the urge to mutter, “Yeah, and control breeds power.”
We followed the path uphill toward the largest structure I’d seen yet—a sprawling farmhouse with a wraparound porch and gleaming white columns.
Malachi’s house.
It stood out from the rest of the compound like a damn cathedral in a shantytown. The porch was clean, the steps freshly painted. The flowerbeds were tended, filled with lilies instead of vegetables. A pair of rocking chairs sat by the door, and I could see lace curtains through the windows.
He noticed my gaze and smiled, unbothered. “The Lord provides according to need,” he said smoothly. “As the Voice, I am tasked with welcoming guests and handling matters that require comfort and privacy. It would be unseemly to meet them in a dormitory.”
Translation:Yeah, I know it’s nice. That’s the point.
He motioned me toward the door. “Come, Jace. Let’s sit for a while. You must be thirsty.”
Inside, the air was cool and smelled faintly of lemons and furniture polish. It was another world compared to the dorms—ornate rugs, dark wood furniture, and paintings on the walls. Not a single trace of poverty anywhere.
Malachi moved with the ease of a man used to hosting. “Sit, please,” he said, gesturing toward a table in the sunlit kitchen. “I’ll fetch something refreshing.”
I took a seat, glancing around while he was busy at the counter. A glass-front cabinet in the corner caught my eye. Inside were crystal glasses and fine china. There was a radio, too. I hadn’t seen one anywhere else in the compound. On the far wall, a framed quote in gold script read:Obedience is freedom.
He returned with two glasses of pale yellow lemonade and set one in front of me. “Homemade,” he said proudly.
I took a sip—sweet, tart, almost too good. “Best I’ve had in a while,” I said, because it was true.
He smiled, settling across from me. “You strike me as a man searching for something, Jace.”
Ah, here it was—the pitch.
I leaned back in my chair, trying to look open but uncertain. “Maybe. Guess I’ve seen enough of the world to know I don’t really belong anywhere.”
Malachi nodded as though I’d passed some invisible test. “The world is not kind to the righteous. It tells men they are alone, that suffering has no purpose. But sufferingispurpose. It burns away the weakness until only Light remains.”
He leaned forward, his voice lowering to an intimate, confiding tone. “You have that look about you—the mark of a man who’s been tested. Tell me, Jace—have you ever felt as though the pain in your life wasn’t meaningless after all? That perhaps it was guiding you here?”
He was good. His tone was warm, persuasive, practiced—precisely the kind that made vulnerable people start believing.
I hesitated just long enough to sell it. “Maybe. I don’t really know.”
“The Lord does not waste suffering. If He has led you here, it is because He intends to make you whole.”
