Sparnas

Admiral Modry

Dimma rushed to the Lumi BlueWing headquarters, but he did not stop. He went east over the border to Morsterran third face, Gungla, the hostile and dense jungle of predators. There in the middle of the thick, knotty lianas was a stone fort. It was small but sturdy, surrounded by tall thorny hedges and moated by poisonous shrubs it was almost impenetrable from the ground.

"HALT" A voice boomed from a tower to the right of Dimma.

"Dimma Juodas for Admiral Modry," Dimma said as he landed next to the guard in full armor and armed with an assault rifle aimed at his heart. The soldier asked for his pass and he gave a calling card. The one issued by Admiral Modry for the Brothers.

The guard escorted him to the base's main building and straight to the office of the Admiralty. There, the admiral was already waiting for him. A few hours after Dimma had arrived at his office in the morning, a messenger came. It was a Brother and he passed on a black card bearing Admiral Modry's name on it, nothing else. The Admiral did not give any reason for summoning him from his office at Castrum Grand Lodge but Dimma knew what it was about.

He was woken up roughly at the break of dawn. Several Brothers had reported an arson at his lodge. When he arrived there, a messenger from Pilkas isle had summoned him for another arson. He wrote a quick summary of the fires. Admiral Modry had summoned him right after lunch and he brought his reports along with him.

Dimma nodded instead of saluting Admiral Modry. The admiral's dark eyes bored into him. Knowing Admiral Modry half of his life, he was not a man who was into small talks and unnecessary pleasantries. Dimma went straight to the report.

"Admiral Modry. Two cases of arson and theft last night. One was at Castrum, the other was at Pilkas. Two items of value were stolen and the fires were secondary." Dimma handed over the scroll of papers reporting the arson. The admiral scanned the papers. He motioned for Dimma to sit down. "I will submit the full report on both cases by tonight. I have yet to see the scenes again." Dimma suddenly realized he did not leave guards at the scenes. He espied Lady Liath Cinza - Harmaa flew down to Morsterra alone as he went to the Pilkas isle and could not wait to bump into her.

Admiral Modry was thin for a military man, his hair had receded rapidly over the years so he shaved his head bald. A prominent vein in his forehead bulged as he read the report. He was a proud BlackWing who had joined the BlueWing and climbed his rank with honor and blood instead of cunning. His wings had a black frame with stripes of blue. On his wings, red dots had started to emerge. He would have a seat in the Senate in a few years. He wore his armband proudly, it was identical with Dimma's with a white outline on black insignias of a raven, an eagle and a hawk on it.

All the Brothers were required to wear a distinguishable armband since the aftermath of the war. All their relics were given away to several prominent sparnas families for safekeeping. As a token of good faith, as assurance that they would not start another war, the cloak and dagger society of the Krylo Brotherhood was opened bare. Almost. The Brothers still kept secrets close to their heart, and they still have strings in the Senate.

Dimma was startled but managed to keep a straight face when Admiral Modry suddenly slammed the table with both his palms. "Items of value? The Scepter of Castrum Lodge and the Krylo Tome of Pilkas are not just items of- THIS IS SACRILEGIOUS" Admiral Modry crumpled the papers and threw them in his waste bin. "How are you sure our Krylo Tome is stolen? It didn't burn in the fire?"

"The fire started at the end of the room. The glass cabinet where the Krylo Tome was broken with a vase, not yet eaten by the fire."

"I take it that the Pilkas know that our tome was charred in the fire and currently being restored?" Admiral Modry stood up and began to pace around his room. His navy blue uniform was a perfect fit for his body, with sharp creases emphasizing his military discipline. He had medals adorning his outer jacket. His navy blue peaked cap was on his coat rack alongside a thick fur cloak.