Shimmer

1.

"Did my parents pay you to let me win?"

It stung, my mentor's just-too-long hesitation. It was all the answer I needed, whatever reassuring lie she told me next. That hesitation, and the knowledge it would bring, changed the course of my entire life.

Ever since I was old enough to know what it meant to be a Kiramman, I despised it. The false smile my mother wore for the council, the hushed arguments behind closed doors when my father chose to sponsor Jayce's projects, and the growing disappointment I saw in their eyes at my ongoing rebellion.

I was still a girl when the name Silco floated up from the Undercity; a rebel, styled a warlord by some, a savior by others. He'd ordered attacks on several Enforcer patrols who wouldn't let him line their pockets and pull their strings...I wasn't sure if I wanted to hunt him or thank him. When my 18th birthday came, I told my parents I was joining the Enforcers- Mother responded by getting me a commission as a Staff Officer.
Even when I tried to do something on my own, she still had to control the outcome.

I was a bird of prey masquerading as an office decoration. Stuck in a cage of my own devising, I still found ways to escape. I was already a prodigious shot when I signed up, but with access to my foster-brother's experimental prototypes, I was unmatched.

Sure, my rifle was standard issue, but I had a secret stash of Hex-enhanced bullets and a scope so good it let me watch the Undercity from the Marshall Enforcer's balcony. Because of this, she was content to give me guard duty as well as all the range-time I requested. She knew I was wasted on paperwork and inventory allocation, the concessions were as much for her own sanity as my own. So I watched, I practiced, and I waited...And I finally got my chance.

The Council had called an emergency session - there had been another attack and subsequent fighting in the Undercity. The word 'war zone' was thrown around more than once. I attended as attaché to the Marshall, silent and still behind her left shoulder, trying not to grin at my mother's obvious dissatisfaction.
The arguments continued for a while, long into the night. Some called for action, others counseled patience and a steady hand, and the rest just watched, calculating the cost of a war within our own city.

It was dawn before a plan was agreed upon. A small task force would be compiled to "quietly" end Silco's reign of the Undercity to "liberate" the people there, returning them to Piltover's grasp. I worked hard not to smirk in triumph across the table at my mother. For once, all the money in the world couldn't keep me from the action. I was the best shooter the Enforcers had, there was no way I wouldn't be assigned to this...My time had come.

The Marshall Enforcer called me into her office the next day, to let me know that I had been selected as part of the task force. Before I could thank her, she stopped me.
"Wait, Kiramman, don't get excited just yet...There's a catch. Your mother, Counciler Kiramman-" I groaned out loud "has decided that you are best of service as a sniper- You've got the skills for this and would be far from any substantial action."

Her face hardened, eyes flinty and serous. "Make no mistake, Kiramman, I mean for you to be the one to take him out. Let the grunts clear out his nest, take the lumps. You're too valuable to waste on a raid."
She leaned back in her chair, leather creaking softly as my mentor studied me. "You knew this was coming, didn't you?"

I hesitated, not wanting to seem presumptuous. But of course I had known, who else would it be?
I decided to be honest. "Yes, ma'am I knew. I hoped, anyway."

"Confident...But then you always have been. Take after your father there. Don't lose that confidence once you're down there, though. I promise you, it's a lot different when you're in the middle of it, it's not like watching from our tall, safe tower." She leaned over the desk, gray eyes boring into mine. "There can be no mistakes, we won't get a second shot at this."

I nodded solemnly, saluting with a parade-ground precision. She studied me a moment longer before breaking into a knowing grin.
"You ready to go undercover?"