A fight had broken out at the potion shop in the north of the city, too.
As one of the Grayfeather Family's most important shops, it had fiercely loyal employees who knew how to fight. They had clashed with the Black Fang Family's men.
The two sides fought inside the shop, smashing several shelves.
But the Black Fang Family had brought more men, including a Wizard Apprentice. A few spells later, every employee was down.
They stripped the shop of its potions and carried off all the medicinal herbs in storage, too.
All of Graystone City was in chaos.
Some of the Grayfeather Family's shops were seized outright. Others had their doors broken down, while still others were sealed with the Black Fang Family's notice.
Lin Chen knew none of this. He was still preparing to make his rounds of the shops.
Dawn had just broken when he left the old house in the west of the city.
Alia straightened his collar and told him to visit the shops as usual, so no one would notice anything amiss.
Lin Chen nodded and went out.
But as soon as he reached the entrance to East Street, he saw a crowd gathered outside his family's general store.
He pushed through and saw several Black Fang Family men dragging the shop's employees outside.
One employee clung desperately to the doorframe and refused to let go. Someone kicked him in the stomach.
The guard who kicked him wore a black robe marked with white fangs. "Let go! Keep holding on and I'll chop off your paws!"
The employee gasped in pain, but he still held on.
Another Black Fang clansman stepped up and pried his fingers back one by one. His bones cracked.
Standing in the crowd, Lin Chen slowly clenched his fists.
Taking