"You must understand," said the mayor. "At first, his words seemed wise. In such uncertain times, emergency procedures seemed to be in our best interest."

"So you approved this?" Olorus demanded. "On your own? The city council had no say in the matter?"

"Asher's first order was to disband the city councils!" the mayor said pleadingly. "He said it was to cut down on bureaucracy and stabilize local power during this time of crisis. We had heard of a black terror sweeping through ...