Darius sighed and lay down on his bed. It had been a difficult few days, but finally he had a chance to rest. The stress of handing over his previous duties to the appropriate units, his student's exams and Gizel's situation were over. Everything was returning to a pleasant norm, and in addition, he was going to spend the entire coming week only with Draco, because the new tasks would not be entrusted to the Earl until the beginning of September. Fortunately, the dragon would also be going to the Academy at that time and would not have to stay alone in Ed'heer. Of course, the exam results had not yet been announced, but Bleist had no doubt that his student would pass. After all, he had prepared him himself and knew perfectly well what Draco was capable of.
The only thing on the mage's mind now was the accident in Solvein. Gizel spoke to him once more before leaving again. The elf did not have much hope of finding clues quickly, especially since she was burdened with a multitude of other responsibilities. As it turned out, the rumours from Asati that had reached Darius were not very accurate. The elves had more problems than just the situation of the army in Amazonia and the slowly brewing conflict on the eastern flank. Gizel complained that a rift had developed during the Noble Council's deliberations. The king demanded that the aristocrats field their own troops as a contingent to control the situation in South America. This would allow for mobilisation and complete coverage of the border with Rekserberg. Veletoun wanted to focus entirely on the European conflict, as it was the one that could directly threaten them. The nobility, of course, was outraged by this demand and, in protest, blocked military supplies that were soon to be sent to the Amazon and delayed plans to renovate and expand fortresses in the east. A painful stalemate ensued, with no solution in sight. Neither side was willing to back down, and worse still, any concession seemed humiliating.
However, this was a problem for the elf and, in a sense, for Atlantean intelligence, but not for Darius. All he could do was follow the rumours and information out of pure curiosity.
The mage sighed again. The comfortable bed was inviting and enveloped him in such an extraordinary way. He did not even know when he fell asleep.
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'. . . eist!' Something tugged at Darius's arm, but he ignored it, too absorbed in his dreams. Besides, he didn't want to know what was disturbing his rest. 'Mr Bleist!' The next tug was impossible to ignore. The magician turned his head and opened his sleepy eyes. Standing by the bed was a butler, his dimly lit face expressing slight concern.
'What's going on?' Darius looked out the window, but it was completely dark.
'A messenger has arrived from the Luminous Palace.' The servant bowed and took a step back. 'He says he has urgent news for your ears only.'
'Give me my coat.' The magician reluctantly got out of bed. He threw on his military frock coat to maintain at least some semblance of decorum. 'Where is the messenger?'
'He insisted on a quick meeting.' The butler bowed again. 'He is waiting outside.'
Darius cursed under his breath. It was rare for messengers to be in such a hurry, which meant that something important had happened. And the whole week off is ruined. He thought sadly and, not wanting to delay, went out to his small sitting room.
Right next to the door to the staircase stood a messenger in a City Guard uniform. The young boy kept glancing at the soldier from Ed'heer, who had to escort him from the gate. As soon as Bleist entered, the messenger almost ran up to him.
'Good evening, Colonel.' The watchman saluted, clicking his heels together. 'A message for your eyes only from His Excellency Grand Master Tilion.' He pulled a sealed envelope from his inside pocket.
'Thank you.' Darius glanced at the seal and broke it efficiently.
The message was short, just a few words written in familiar handwriting. A summons to appear immediately in the Grand Master's office. Bleist refrained from sighing, feeling the watchman's gaze on him.
'Prepare a fast carriage,' the earl said to his butler. 'I am going to the Palace immediately.' The servant needed no further instruction, bowed and quickly disappeared behind the door. 'Thank you for the message. No reply is necessary, you are free to go.' He dismissed the watchman, and the boy saluted again and left in the company of a soldier. 'I don't want to know what's going on,' Darius muttered before going to get dressed.
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Darius watched the panorama of Atlantis, immersed in the silence of the night, through the window. The city was dark, and only the main roads were lit by lanterns burning all night long, marking golden trails in the sleepy metropolis. Of course, Dorvus and Soeren were exceptions, keeping money and entertainment awake. There, the day lasted 24 hours and no one worried about the time.
Bleist, however, had to worry. Calls in the middle of the night were rare; in fact, this was the first time for him. Usually, even urgent meetings required advance notice, which was understandable given the vast amount of information and documents that usually had to be prepared. Now, things were happening much faster.
The carriage entered the square in front of the Palace and stopped in front of the eastern entrance. Darius did not hesitate and got out. He took a moment to look around. For such a late, or rather early, hour, there was quite a lot of activity in the courtyard, which was most disturbing as it was concentrated on the western side. Soldiers and guards from various formations were entering the building all the time. There were also a surprising number of lights burning in the windows.
'Something's going on,' he muttered under his breath and quickly headed for the Grand Master's office.
The corridors in the civilian part of the Palace were deserted, which was a bit strange and unfamiliar compared to the daily crowds. It was probably the first time Darius had seen them like this. As time passed, the spaciousness of the interior became increasingly disturbing. The mage quickened his pace, listening to the echo of his own footsteps.
He quickly reached the vestibule, but an unpleasant surprise awaited him there as well. The City Guards stood against the walls, standing at attention as if their lives depended on it. A sleepy clerk stood at attention behind his desk, not daring to move. All this because of the four members of the Golden Guard standing in the middle of the open room. The Guards were talking quietly among themselves, and although they seemed to be fully engrossed in conversation, they watched Darius closely as soon as he came into their field of vision.
Bleist almost stumbled when he recognised the insignia on their golden uniforms. All four belonged to the Crown Marshal's personal guard, which meant that Zilven himself was currently in the Grand Master's office. Earl quickly regained his composure and headed towards the clerk, who was in charge of the vestibule.
'I have been summoned by Grand Master Tilion,' Darius announced, showing him the sealed letter.
'Yes, Colonel!' The clerk looked as if he wanted to shout himself hoarse. 'I'll report your arrival right away!' The clerk turned on his heel and marched across the room.
Meanwhile, Bleist glanced at the Guards. They did not seem to be in such a hurry, which was a good sign. They chatted casually, pretending not to be interested in anything around them. While the sight of members of the Golden Guard should not have been unusual in the Luminous Palace, the Marshal's aides and Zilven himself commanded enormous respect mixed with fear. Each of them was an extremely powerful mage, even by the standards of the Guard. Even for Darius, meeting them was a rare occurrence.
Although Bleist also belonged to the Guard and held the rank of colonel, he still could not put himself on an equal footing with Zilven's aides. Theoretically, he was several ranks higher in seniority than all four of them, but he would never even think of giving them orders. It was an unwritten rule regarding the aides of the Crown Marshal.
The clerk knocked loudly on the door and marched inside. He seemed to shout his report. After a moment of silence, the clerk came out and stood at attention by the door.
'The Grand Master invites you in!' he said loudly, but a little more quietly than before. This caused the Guards to smile furtively.
Bleist composed himself a little and moved towards the entrance. On the way, he nodded to the Marshal's aides, who saluted him. A nice gesture in accordance with etiquette. Darius entered the office.
As he expected, there were only two people inside. The Grand Master stood in front of a rack with a map of the Sahara spread out, studying several sheets of parchment. Every now and then, he glanced at the documents and then at the sheet in front of him. He looked troubled.
Behind Master Tilion, back and forth, a burly halfling with light blond hair circulated, dressed in the uniform of the Golden Guard with epaulettes decorated with the symbol of a mace. He was clean-shaven, and his face was ruddy from the sun. His dark brown eyes were piercing, almost inhuman. He nervously fiddled with his coat button the entire time.
'Nothing but trouble,' muttered the Marshal in a deep bass voice, glancing at the Grand Master. 'A little peace and quiet would be nice.'
Darius approached at a distance of a few steps, as required, and stood at attention. He had to wait for his superiors to notice him.
'Don't get so worked up, Sven,' Master Tilion said calmly and composedly, but Bleist had known him long enough to sense the disturbing tremor in his voice. 'It's not advisable at your age.'
'Oh, you of all people should be reminding me of my age. Ha!' Zilven pointed accusingly at his interlocutor. 'The pot calling the kettle black!'
'If you have enough strength to be sarcastic, you should use it for something else.' The Grand Master looked at the map, pointed to a spot and dragged his finger down. 'Have you thought about taking up a sport?'
'I practise fencing often enough that I don't need to look for anything else. By the way, you should take care of yourself. You're just skin and bones.' The Marshal shook his head. 'I'm really concerned about these reports.' He suddenly changed the subject.
'It will take some time to gather all the information.' The Grand Master turned away from the map. 'It's a long and tedious process, isn't it, Darius?'
'Colonel Darius Bleist! Reporting for duty as ordered!' Earl saluted, mindful of both military and aristocratic etiquette.
'At ease, Bleist.' The Marshal gave him a piercing look. Darius had never had the opportunity to meet the commander-in-chief of the Royal Guard and Army alone before. The only times he had seen Zilven were at official ceremonies. Even before he became Military Advisor to the Grand Master, he always reported his discoveries to his immediate superiors. The Marshal was a busy and inaccessible person. 'I've heard a lot about you.' It seemed to be said with a slight reproach.
'Thank you, Lord Marshal.' Darius clicked his heels. He couldn't let on that anything the officer said would impress him.
'Great work in Dagos.' Zilven's lips trembled as if he were holding back a smile. 'Othis proved himself too, although he probably overused his contacts and favours,' the officer snorted. 'And you even got Her Royal Highness LaVerture involved in this.' He paused for a moment to glance at Tilion. 'Although the court in Asati knows nothing about it.'
'They have their own problems,' interjected the Grand Master.
'Yes, they do. In any case, you did well, Bleist.' The Marshal approached Darius and patted him on the shoulder. It seemed to be a sign of approval.
'Thank you, Lord Marshal!' It would have been inappropriate to say anything else.
'However, I did not summon you here to offer you well-deserved congratulations.' Tilion waved a stack of documents. Even from a distance, the earl recognised the intelligence reports. 'We have a problem.' The Grand Master looked at the top page. 'There has been a murder in the Bushtabhar enclave.' He pointed to a spot on the map somewhere in the Ahaggar mountain range in the central Sahara. 'A young soldier has been killed.'
Darius was a little surprised, because so far it didn't look like a problem that the two most important people in the kingdom had to deal with. And certainly not one that required action in the middle of the night, and the earl could help with that.
'Corporal Caim Rocha.' The Marshal folded his arms across his chest and stared at the map. 'A would-be corporal, because he didn't manage to receive his rank in his home unit.'
'And a former senior guard of the City Guard.' The Grand Master looked at the documents again. 'A month ago, he applied for a transfer from the garrison in Atlantis to his home enclave. Considering that Bushtabhar is outside the jurisdiction of the City Guard, he was redirected to the army. His superiors from both formations agreed, and he was to begin his service at the beginning of September.'
'The problem is that he was found dead today.'
'Worse, he left the city accompanied by three of his colleagues from the City Guard, and they are now accusing the military of murder.'
'For which the soldiers are responding in kind.' The Marshal did not look pleased.
Darius listened carefully, trying to find the reason why he had been summoned to the Grand Master's office in the middle of the night. He did not know where this was all leading, but judging by the expressions on their faces, he concluded that it was definitely not going in a good direction.
'There is a tense atmosphere in the city, even in the entire enclave.' Tilion sighed heavily. 'Considering that this is the border with Shehed territory, it's only getting worse. We have received reports of attacks on soldiers and watchmen, in which several people have been injured. In addition, members of Quel-naza have been spotted in the area.' Only now was everything starting to make sense. Internal tensions could be an opportunity for members of the paramilitary organisation to take drastic action, which is what they were known for. Murders, assaults, rebel attacks and acts of terror were nothing new to them. The members of Quel-naza were ruthless fanatics who wanted to use force to recreate the lost Arayse, the Shehedian kingdom that had disappeared in the sands of the desert. They believed that the end justified the means, which made them extremely dangerous.
'On top of that, the governor of Bushtabhar is Warrant Officer Sean Murphy.' The non-commissioned officer's name was uttered almost through gritted teeth. It seemed that the Marshal was not fond of the man. Bleist also had the overwhelming impression that he should know who he was talking about. 'He used to be a captain, but six years ago he was demoted for opening fire on protesting elves in the Irving enclave. He should have been expelled, but because of his father's connections, he ended up being transferred to a remote province.'
Darius remembered. He had indeed heard about this event. It had even been very public, especially since Count Murphy, the father of the aforementioned warrant officer, had begun to express unflattering opinions about elves, which was met with widespread criticism in higher circles. His attempt to sow xenophobic ideologies became the best example of social suicide.
'Especially since Warrant Officer Murphy has become quite paranoid.' The Grand Master shuffled a few pages. 'He sees conspiracies and assassination attempts everywhere around him. I fear his reactions may be unpredictable. Additionally, considering his previous... achievements, I would expect them to be rather drastic.'
'To sum up, we have several overlapping problems in one place. Murder, mutual accusations between the army and the security forces, hostile locals, fanatics, and to top it all off, a paranoid in a high position. A bloody powder keg,' the Marshal snarled. 'And someone has already lit the fuse.'
'That's why we need someone who can control all this.' The Grand Master turned to Darius. 'And that's where you come in. As my advisor, you can give orders to the City Guard, and as a colonel of the Azure Guard, you have authority over all the soldiers in the enclave. Plus, you know how to investigate and search for threats. You're the perfect fit.'
'That is why we have decided to send you to Bushtabhar, Bleist.' The Marshal clenched his teeth. 'Officially, you will investigate the murder. Unofficially, you will take control of the situation in the enclave. You will receive all authorisations and guarantees from the clerk.' The halfling took a deep breath, as if to calm himself down a little. 'You will leave immediately.'
'Yes, Lord Marshal.' Darius saluted briskly. It was supposed to be such a beautiful week, he thought sadly.