Snod had taken him under his wing when he first came to the Order, a terrified and confused young
boy who had to endure so many lessons because he didn’t understand his new home. Snod did
everything he could to watch over him and keep him safe, thrilled to have a little brother take care of,
no matter how difficult he could be.
Athaliah was stubborn and headstrong, Snod often taking the blame for his various missteps so he
wouldn’t have to suffer. It took many years, but he was finally getting better. He was learning his
place in the Order, and Snod thought he was happy.
But without Snod there to help keep him on a righteous path, he was suddenly terrified that Athaliah
would wander off again. He didn’t want his brother to follow in his footsteps and be exiled from their
home.
Snod headed into the kitchen, busying himself as he began to prep to cook breakfast. He got the
coffeemaker going and started pulling ingredients out of the fridge. He was quite an accomplished
cook, and he enjoyed it. It was relaxing.
He was already mixing up eggs and milk to make omelets when Frankie came out to see what he was
doing, grinning as he asked, “You cook?”
“This is normally women’s work,” Snod replied with a smirk, stirring at the bowl. “Like laundry,
tending to the children. My mother died when I was young, so it was just me and my father for a long
time. He was very sick, and I had to take care of our household. So I learned.”
“Really,” Frankie said, his brow scrunching up. “Chores in the Order are, uhm, assigned by gender?”
Snod was confused, saying, “Well, of course they are.”
“Right,” Frankie chirped. “So the men do all the hunting and bossing around, and the women do all
the housework?”
“Only the men who are fit for the sacred task actually hunt and no, there have been a few female
hunters,” Snod protested. “Though they’re not allowed to hunt when their blood is in. They get
sequestered like all the women do.”
“Wait. You lock up women when they’re on their period?”
“No,” Snod snorted, adding spinach and cheese to the bowl. “They’re not ‘locked up.’ They’re
isolated in a special place until the blood of the first sin leaves their bodies. Then they can come
back.”
Frankie scrubbed a hand across his forehead, saying, “Oh, Obe. We need to have a long talk about
