The Fox's Gambit
Belle Fox had never been inside the Governor's mansion at night.
Not like this.
Not with her heart pounding,
not with lies prepared on her tongue,
not with soldiers hunting the man she'd chosen to protect.
But tonight, she had a role to play.
A distraction.
A beautiful, dangerous, perfectly-timed distraction.
One that only a Fox could pull off.
Belle Fox — The Entrance
The guards stiffened the moment she approached the front gate.
Her expensive cloak flowed in the torchlight, her posture elegant, chin lifted just enough to remind them:
Belle Fox was a lady who expected doors to be opened.
"L-Lady Fox," one stammered, "it's quite late—"
Belle shot him a cool, annoyed look.
"I'm aware of the hour. My father served the governor for ten years. I will not be told when I may visit."
The guards immediately straightened.
"S–sorry, my lady! Of course! Right this way."
She entered the mansion like she owned it.
Every step measured.
Every breath calm.
Inside, the governor's wife—Margaret Fox, Belle's mother—rushed down the staircase.
"Belle? Darling, what on earth—?"
Belle brushed past her.
"I need to speak with the governor. It's urgent."
Her mother grabbed her wrist gently.
"Belle… you said you wouldn't involve yourself further…"
Belle leaned in and whispered:
"Tonight determines whether Jack Dawkins lives or dies.
I'm not sitting quietly."
Her mother hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Go."
The Governor's Chamber
Governor Nightingale sat at his desk, half-asleep over piles of documents.
He startled when Belle entered.
"L-Lady Fox? This is highly irregular—"
Belle slammed a forged order onto his desk.
"Is this your signature?"
The governor blinked.
"No. That's not—"
Belle leaned forward.
"Your assistant has been forging your name."
His face drained of color.
"My assistant? Carter? Impossible. He's been at my side for fifteen years—"
Belle dropped another page.
Then another.
And another.
Her mother had provided everything.
The governor's hands shook as he read.
"These… these are opium shipment approvals… and artillery transfers… and—"
Belle spoke softly, but with fire behind every word:
"Captain Gaines is using your orders to smuggle opium into the colony."
The governor paled completely.
"Good God…"
Belle continued, voice cold and precise:
"And tonight, Captain Gaines ordered the arrest of a man who discovered the truth. A surgeon. Jack Dawkins. If he is taken, he will be executed."
The governor stood so abruptly his chair fell back.
"No! He cannot arrest civilians without my approval. He needs a warrant. He needs—"
"He forged yours," Belle said.
The governor froze.
"This is treason," he whispered.
Belle stepped closer.
"Then you must help us. Now."
Meanwhile — Jack's Move
While Belle kept the governor occupied, Jack struck.
He slipped through the shadows outside the Captain's locked estate, his breathing slow, controlled.
Sun Breathing: Silent Form.
His feet made no sound.
His pulse steady as a metronome.
His mind focused on the mission.
He reached the Captain's office window.
Locked.
Jack picked it easily.
Inside, the room smelled of whiskey and ink.
He went directly to the captain's desk.
There—
beneath the false bottom—
were the letters Belle warned him about.
Letters from:
lieutenants
smugglers
foreign traders
bribed officers
And one more—
A sealed letter addressed to Governor Nightingale, ready to deliver:
"CONCERNING THE CRIMES OF JACK DAWKINS."
A fabricated report.
Filled with lies.
Jack pocketed it.
Then he found something even worse:
A list of people to be silenced if the smuggling was discovered.
The first names were:
Jack Dawkins
Hetty Baggett
Isabella Fox
Jack's eyes narrowed.
He didn't hesitate.
He pocketed every letter.
Tonight, Captain Gaines would have nothing left to hide behind.
Belle's Final Move
Back in the Governor's chamber, Belle deployed the final piece of the distraction:
Tears.
Real or not, they fell beautifully.
"Governor… Jack is a good man. He saved my life. He saved my brother's life. He saved dozens of others. He is no criminal… he is the only honest surgeon in this cursed colony."
The Governor placed a shaking hand over his eyes.
"I believe you, Lady Fox. I do. But if Captain Gaines is truly behind all this—"
"He is," Belle said sharply.
"—then he is a dangerous man."
Belle leaned in.
"And tonight… he intends to kill Jack."
The governor slammed his hand on the desk.
"I will NOT allow murder in my colony!"
He grabbed his coat.
"Take me to him!"
Belle hid a small smile.
Exactly as planned.
The Governor's Wrath
The square outside the garrison was alive with torchlight, soldiers scrambling like startled ants.
At the center of the chaos stood Captain Gaines, barking orders:
"Search every alley! That rat Dawkins won't get far! If he resists—kill him and say he attacked first!"
The soldiers hesitated. Murdering a civilian wasn't exactly regulation—
but no one dared challenge the captain.
At least… not until the shouting began.
"CAPTAIN GAINES!"
Every head turned.
Governor Nightingale stormed down the steps of his carriage, Belle Fox beside him like a shadow wearing silk.
Belle's heart thundered.
She didn't know what would happen next.
But she knew this:
Jack was out there—watching.
Waiting.
Ready.
Captain Gaines stiffened, mask of confidence sliding into place.
"Governor," he muttered. "You weren't expected—"
The governor's cane SLAMMED into the ground.
"You dare forge my signature?"
Gasps rippled through the soldiers.
Gaines' smug expression flickered.
"I beg your pardon, sir? I would never—"
Belle stepped forward.
Her voice carried through the square.
"Captain Gaines has been smuggling opium into the colony. He forged the governor's orders to authorize every shipment."
Whispers exploded like sparks.
Gaines laughed—but the sound was brittle.
"This is nonsense! The girl is attempting to protect a criminal surgeon—"
The governor threw a stack of documents at his feet.
"Explain these.
Every one bears my forged signature."
Gaines' face drained of blood.
"And explain," the governor continued, "why your personal ledger contains names of citizens you intended to… silence."
Belle spoke clearly:
"Jack Dawkins. Hetty Baggett. Myself."
A few soldiers stepped back, uneasy.
Gaines' jaw tightened.
"Those papers were tampered with. This is all a scheme—"
The governor's voice dropped to a lethal calm.
"Captain… I trusted you. My entire colony trusted you."
He turned to the soldiers.
"Arrest him."
The Captain Snaps
Everything stopped.
For a heartbeat—
Gaines stood perfectly still.
Then he smiled.
A slow, vicious smile.
"Governor… you fool."
He moved faster than anyone expected.
Steel flashed.
Gaines lunged forward—
dagger aimed straight for the governor's throat.
Soldiers shouted.
Belle screamed.
The governor stumbled back—
And then a blur streaked through the torchlight.
Jack Dawkins Appears
Jack moved like lightning.
Like fire.
Like a phantom nobody could follow.
Sun Breathing: First Form — Solar Flash.
One instant he was in the shadows.
The next he was standing between the captain and the governor, catching the dagger with his bare hand.
The blade sliced his palm—
but Jack didn't even flinch.
Gasps erupted.
"DAWKINS?!"
"Where did he come from?!"
"How did he move—?!"
Gaines stared, stunned.
"…you."
Jack tightened his grip on the dagger until the captain's hand trembled.
"You forged murder orders," Jack said quietly.
"You almost destroyed this colony."
He twisted the blade out of Gaines' grip and tossed it aside.
"And you almost hurt people I care about."
Belle felt her heart stop.
People he cared about.
The governor staggered behind him, shaken but alive.
"Jack Dawkins," he whispered, "you saved my life…"
Jack didn't look back.
His eyes stayed locked on Gaines—sharp, furious, alive with something more than rage.
Resolve.
The Captain's Last Mistake
Gaines backed away slowly.
"You don't know what you're interfering with…"
Jack stepped forward.
"You're right," he said. "I don't."
Another step.
"But I know enough."
Gaines reached for a pistol—
Jack struck.
Fast. Precise.
A blow to the wrist sent the gun skidding.
A blow to the jaw dropped the captain to his knees.
A final strike knocked him unconscious.
Silence.
Dozens of soldiers stared at Jack like they'd just witnessed a myth.
Belle stared at him like she'd just fallen deeper.
The governor pointed at the unconscious captain.
"Put him in irons! And search his estate at once!"
Half the soldiers moved at once.
The rest… kept staring at Jack.
As if unsure whether he was man or monster.
The Governor Speaks
He approached Jack slowly.
"Mr. Dawkins… I owe you my life. And an apology."
Jack shook his head.
"I don't need one."
"Then I will offer this instead," the governor said.
"A guarantee. No more hunts. No more attempts on your life. You are under my personal protection."
Belle let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
"And," the governor added, "you will be reinstated to the hospital at once."
Jack blinked.
"Reinstated?"
"Your talents are wasted in the streets," the governor said.
"I want you leading my medical reforms. Officially."
Jack swallowed.
For once, he didn't know what to say.
Belle stepped beside him, whispering:
"You earned it."
Jack didn't answer.
But he looked at her.
Longer than necessary.
End of Chapter