The Legacy

Chapter 4

There’s an old saying my father likes to quote. He has a lot of them, but ironically, this is his favorite. Nothing can change its current position without an outside force acting upon it. I found it utterly blasphemous when he said it, and my thoughts are proven true when I stand in front of Commander Ximen. His stance and expression drastically different from when I was here last night. Granted, judging by his slightly tousled beard and rumpled clothes, he’s obviously been roused from slumber in a hurry because the night guard spotted me at the gates but still. I wish he took me half as seriously when I was wearing a hijab and dress instead of mask and armor.

“Isn’t it a little late for a social call?” He snaps.

“There was an attack inside the city” I get right to the point. “Have you identified the culprit?”

There’s a bristle behind me as one of the soldiers who escorted me in speaks up, “Isn’t that your job? To solve the crimes in this city”

I turn back at him and scowl, “No. My job is to keep the peace between the society classes because the elite force is exclusively devoted to the crown. “I keep my voice cool, adapting a deep monotone as his words raise the hair on my nape. I turn back to Commander Ximen, “You know as well as I do if people don’t get some answers, the marginal power groups will swoop in with their own versions of the story to grab support.” p

“As appreciated as your concern is, we’re handling it. We know who the attacker is and his criminal connections.” Ximen says condescendingly. His slippery smile making me feel two feet tall. 

“Maybe, or you’ll make the people even angrier with the way you boys handle things.”

Lord Caspar enters behind me, as if on cue. He stumbles through the door and stops in his tracks when I turn to him. His eyes widen. “Oh, you’re here” he says breathlessly, his tone very different from Ximen’s. I suppress my smile and bow slightly, “Lord Caspar”. He’s in his sleeping robes, his favorite tasbeeh that I gave him last year wrapped around his wrist. It awakens something inside me, a deep rooted resentment because here I am, standing as an unnamed outsider because my father trusts a masked ghost more than his own daughter. I swallow and shove it down, down, down until its buried deep under along with Elmirah. Commander Ximen is on his feet, clearly annoyed. “Lord Caspar, we have this under control.” He snaps as respectfully as he can.

Father smiles, “I’m sure you do Ximen” He turns to me “What brings you here today mylady?”

His voice is polite, the way he used to talk to me before. Before the crown’s worries became his and my father was buried under a person made up of repressed fear and frustrations. “I need the security footage of the attack in the market.” I make myself say, “The on sight server was destroyed, I need access to the confidential back up.”

“Like hell you do” Ximen snaps again.

Lord Caspar raises a hand to stop him, calm as ever. Unlike Ximen and most of the elite force who see me as a nuisance, my father sees the masked ghost as a Godsend. His beliefs are further strengthened by my mother’s speeches and stories of royal guardians roaming the cities under cover of darkness to protect the good people of God. And while my mother provides me with the perfect cover, my father’s beliefs just piss me off. Atleast the whole charade keeps me in everyone’s good graces, sort of.

Lord Caspar bows at me politely “Of course my lady, right this way.” He leads me past Commander Ximen. I meet his burning gaze and feel intense satisfaction at the vein popping in his forehead before following my father down another exit. He takes the servant route down to the NOC in the basements. The modern architecture giving way to old stone as we make our way down. He keeps a low chatter going, his voice echoing through the artificially lit path. His calm tone is betrayed by his stiff shoulders and I know he’s anticipating the impending argument. Commander Ximen doesn’t take getting one upped lightly, and I know we’ll witness his temper one way or another in court.