El Fundador ❲Top • HACKS❳

The governor laughed. It was a dry, hollow sound. "You have nothing, old man."

And then, the governor arrived.

"This," he said, "is the plaza. To your left, the granary. We will build it tomorrow. Behind me, the church. We will raise its walls by the next full moon. And the census?" He turned to Huara. "My daughter will write it when she learns her letters." El Fundador

"You were granted a charter twelve years ago. You were ordered to found a villa —a town with a church, a plaza, a granary, and a census. Where is the church?"

The governor's scribe unfurled a document. "By decree of His Majesty, I am to verify the existence of the town. If it does not meet the requirements, the charter is void. The land reverts to the Crown." The governor laughed

"I have a name," he said. "They call me El Fundador. And you cannot void what is already founded."

"Esperanza," he said. "Hope."

He walked to the center of the square and drew a line in the dirt with his heel.

The governor's hand hovered over his sword. The scribe's quill trembled. For a long moment, no one breathed. "This," he said, "is the plaza

That night, Huara gave birth to a girl. Alonso held her in his arms, her face scrunched and furious and alive.

"You are Alonso Martínez?" the governor asked.