Levings, Levose

The Ministry of Citizens' Misconduct detained Kaz at Precinct No. 561 and interrogated him for nearly two hours after he reported the corpse in the alleyway. He was fortunate to be wearing his pristine navy blue and ivory colored Imperial Military Academy uniform. It afforded him a touch of impartiality that most authorities wouldn't have granted a Sindori male found next to a dead woman's body.

Kaz could've slipped his father's name into the conversation early on and put an end to the officers' skewed, illogical line of questioning, which appeared to be set up to intimidate suspects instead of uncovering truths, but he refrained from doing so.

Kaz didn't actually feel threatened by the two nitwits on duty, merely annoyed, and a small part of him was curious. Curious to see how far these Levish officers would be willing to push and prod at a Sindori boy under such murky circumstances. Kaz viewed it as a social experiment. A game of sorts.

After he filled out an incident report in the front office of the precinct, Kaz was led into a small windowless room by the Inspector. The man was in possession of a thick blonde mustache, and his surname was Lasseve. His partner was a burly middle-aged patrolman who went by Silvan. The pair of them wore black Ministry-issued uniforms and stood before Kaz across a heavy wooden table.

In threatening tones, Patrolman Silvan barked, "Tell me! What was her name?"

Calmly, Kaz answered, "As I stated in the report, Patrolman, I did not know her name then, and I do not know now."

Inspector Lasseve asked, "Do you have an inkling as to what might have happened to the woman before you found her?"

"As I stated in the report, Inspector, I am not entirely sure. I believe she mentioned something about a stolen book before drawing her final breath."

Inspector Lasseve pressed again, "When you found her, she was alive, then?"

"Yes. As I stated in the report, she mentioned something about a stolen book before she drew her final breath. I imagine a corpse would not be able to perform such a task."

Inspector Lasseve swung his arm to smack Kaz across the face. The back of his meaty hand met Kaz's cheek with a loud crack.

"Do not mock me again. Do you hear, Sindori boy?"

Kaz glared at the man. His flesh stung. "Loud and clear, Inspector."

"Did you touch her?"

"Only to check her pulse."

Patrolman Silvan growled, "Did you harm her when you touched her?"

"No."

"Did you try to harm her?"

"No."

Inspector Lasseve's mustache twitched as he circled back to square one. "Are you certain you do not know who she might be?"

"I am certain I have never met this woman in my life."

Inspector Lasseve narrowed his eyes. "Why did you stop, then, to tend to her?"

Kaz sighed. "Because I saw a helpless woman who needed help, so I stopped to help her."

Inspector Lasseve frowned deeply. "You claim to be a recruit at the Imperial Military Academy. What were you doing in that alleyway in the middle of the day? You should have been in class."

"As I stated before, my mother had just arrived in Levings from Reva. I took a leave of absence from the Academy to fetch her from the Port of Warwell. I was on my way back to campus after escorting my mother to where she would be staying when I stumbled upon the poor woman."

"Were you carrying a weapon?" Patrolman Silvan demanded out of the blue. It seemed he was attempting to catch Kaz off guard.

"No," Kaz drawled. "And you should already know this, Patrolman. You searched my person. Twice."

Patrolman Silvan slammed his fist onto the desk between them. It landed on the hard surface with a resounding thud. The sudden outburst didn't startle Kaz. Years of living in the Iman Vatteri had tempered his nerves to steel.

"Enough with the sass, you brown halfling! We will not hesitate to detain you overnight!"

Kaz arched an eyebrow. "And yet I have done nothing but cooperate with you."

Patrolman Silvan turned red in the face. "Do not test me, you Sindori flea, or else..."

"Or else what? Do you intend to arrest me? On what charge?"

Patrolman Silvan hissed, "I would mind your tone if I were you, flea! You may think highly of yourself as an Academy recruit, but, even then, the Ministry wields the authority to charge you with as many heinous crimes as my mind can conjure up. In fact, why don't we start by prosecuting you with the aiding and abetting in larceny and manslaughter of that poor alleyway bitch—and expand from there?"

"With what evidence?" Kaz prompted.

Inspector Lasseve smiled chillingly. "Do you think evidence will matter to the presiding Magistrate when it is a Sindori boy's word against ours?"

Kaz smiled back. "That depends on which Magistrate are you referring to, Inspector. Is it Magistrate Divon Veeres Rolande? Or his superior, High Justice Shilles Charne Gilverse?"

Inspector Lasseve's smile froze. His expression darkened. "How do you know who they are?"

"I am a student at the Academy," Kaz murmured. "Their names may have come up once or twice in class. Needless to say, they are familiar to me."

Patrolman Silvan scowled. "What are you getting at, Sindori boy?"

"Nothing. I was merely contemplating."

Inspector Lasseve's tone grew less condescending and more cautious. "Contemplating... what?"

"Contemplating... how much longer the two of you might be able to hold onto your posts. I do not know if the Ministry would approve of the tactics you used on me during our interrogation this afternoon."

Patrolman Silvan looked ready to burst a blood vessel. "How dare you speak to us in such a disrespectful manner, you brown southernly creature!"

Inspector Lasseve's demeanor, however, shifted. The older officer kicked his irate partner in the shin to warn him. His dark eyes flickered anxiously as he gazed upon Kaz in a new light.

"What did you say your name was again, young sir?"

Kaz bowed his head graciously. "My name is Kazekiel Thames Ariss, Inspector."

"..Ariss?" Patrolman Silvan repeated dumbly. "I thought you said your surname was masil-Kepar?"

"Slip of the tongue. I had my name legally changed a few years back when Grand-Consort Ariss took me in. Sometimes I forget which name I am to use on official documents," Kaz explained apologetically. "I am sorry for causing any confusion."

Inspector Lasseve immediately held up his hands in surrender. An uncomfortable grimace stretched across his face. "No, no! We are the ones who ought to be apologizing to you! Are you indeed the Commander Admiral's son?"

"He is my father, yes," Kaz confirmed.

Inspector Lasseve's face grew considerably paler. "Oh my, oh my! We have made such dunces of ourselves in front of you. Please, Young Master Ariss, you must understand—"

"Do not worry, good Inspector," Kaz said reassuringly. "I am not one to hold grudges."

Inspector Lasseve sighed in relief. "Oh, that is most wonderful to hear—"

"However," Kaz interjected swiftly, "there may come a time when I might require a favor in the future. I should hope that you would not turn me away if I came to you for assistance."

Kaz's voice drifted out in friendly tones, but his eyes insinuated otherwise. His gaze was hard as stone. The request was unquestionably more of a command than a suggestion.

"I-I would be most happy to serve you in any manner, Young Master Ariss," the Inspector stammered. "I look forward to it, in fact!"

"Yes, yes," Patrolman Silvan parroted nervously. "You will only have to say the word, and we shall be eager to comply. Within reason, of course. And within the law, naturally."

Kaz eyed them with amusement. "Naturally."

Inspector Lasseve and Patrolman Silvan escorted Kaz out of the precinct with simpering smiles on their faces, apologized a dozen more times, and bid him a fond farewell. It left Kaz with a nasty taste in his mouth. The encounter only served to further his belief in the wickedness of man and the need to acquire power for himself to combat such wickedness.

Kaz suspected, with little doubt, had it not been for his father's name, the Inspector and his partner wouldn't have hesitated to detain him overnight—or worse—for their own corrupt reasons. Reasons which likely stemmed from prejudice against his Sindori blood.

Across the span of his fifteen year existence, Kaz experienced more than his share of hard lessons. They warped the very core of his sensibilities. He had long since arrived at the conclusion that, given the choice between two evils, it was always better to position oneself as the oppressor rather than the oppressed. Excellence paired with compassion inspired respect, which was lovely in theory, but it couldn't provide tangible protections from the harsh reality he lived in.

This was why, despite the bone deep resentment he harbored toward his birth mother, Kaz continually carried out Lady-Consort masil-Kepar's bidding behind the Grand-Consort's back. For all her faults, one truth remained unchanged, she never steered him awry when it came to the pursuit of acquiring more power.

Lady-Consort masil-Kepar's manipulations weren't as shameless as Lady-Consort Givenue's cajoleries. Nor were they as direct as the Grand-Consort's wrath. Her brand of quiet, calculated ruthlessness proved not only ingenious but oftentimes more effective than the other consorts' heavy handed methods. Together Lady-Consort masil-kepar and Kaz plotted tirelessly to distinguish him from the other two Young Masters through his studies, his temperament, and his reputation.

Kaz slaved from dawn to dusk to mold himself into the perfect image of brother, son, scholar, soldier. Genuine thought and emotion no longer mattered. Perception became everything. Gradually, those around Kaz began to take notice—including his father and the Grand-Consort. With their support, Kaz achieved the impossible upon his fourteenth birthday. He dared to apply to the Imperial Military Academy, the most elite military institution across the entire Empire, and they accepted him into their highly coveted class of two hundred recruits that year. Him. The once exiled son of a Sindori consort.

Lady-Consort Givenue nearly suffered a stroke when she first learned about the news. Due to Young Master Givenue's abysmal academic records, she had been forced to twist arms and call in favors, offering up inexplicable piles of coin to get her son through the side door the year prior.

Both Lady-Consort masil-Kepar and the Grand-Consort had delighted in Lady-Consort Givenue's unhappiness, but it brought Kaz little joy or satisfaction. He knew it was too soon to celebrate. The Academy would only be the beginning of a long, uphill battle. After completing his four years of training, Kaz knew he would need to claw his way up the ranks in the Imperial Navy, as high as they would let him rise. More than anything, Kaz wished to answer to his own conscience. Not Young Master Ariss. Not his birth mother, nor his adopted one. Not Lady-Consort Givenue or Young Master Givenue. Not even his father.

Until that blessed moment revealed itself to him, Kaz intended to amass as much power as possible to some day afford himself the freedom of choice.

---

The following morning, Kaz's mother summoned him back to her townhouse in Whistlebridge Heights. He had been reluctant to request another leave of absence after forgoing a full day of classes the day prior. She insisted it was a matter of grave importance. He reluctantly acquiesced.

"What were you doing in Precinct No. 561 yesterday, Kazekiel?" the Grand-Consort inquired the moment he entered the parlor.

Kaz bowed to his mother. He didn't hesitate to give her the full report, "Consort-Mother, after we parted ways yesterday, I had the misfortune of crossing paths with a dying woman on route back to the Academy. I reported her death to the Ministry, and they brought me to the precinct for questioning."

His mother didn't look the least bit amused with his response. Her entire face was taut with displeasure when she asked, "What did you tell them about that woman, Kazekiel? Spit out every word you remember. Do not leave anything out."

Kaz studied his mother. Something didn't feel right. She rarely showed interest in anyone's matters other than her own—let alone matters regarding a complete stranger.

He chose his words carefully, "I told them little because I knew little. The woman was barely alive when I found her. Right before she died, she mentioned something about a book that her assailants had stolen from her. She seemed to value the book very much."—and a girl named Brenna—"That is all I shared with the officers."

Kaz had taken care to hide that particular detail about the girl from everyone else. He didn't know why he did it, precisely, but something inside of him felt compelled to protect her identity. Those instincts kept him from revealing her name to the officers. He was now choosing to withhold this information from the Grand-Consort as well.

His mother appeared extremely irate. "You fool! How could you tell them about the book? Do you have any idea what you have done?"

Kaz didn't know, actually. He didn't understand why she was so upset over a stranger's stolen book. Perhaps his mother was in another one of her foul moods where nothing could appease her... Kaz sensed he needed to make amends before her temper flared.

"I do not, Consort-Mother, and I am deeply sorry for it," Kaz mumbled. "Although, I will gladly clean up the mess I have made. Please tell me what must be done."

Grand-Consort Ariss smiled coldly. "Very well then, Kazekiel. This is what you must do to right your wrongs. You will withdraw from the Academy, effective immediately, and transfer to the naval base in Harrogye, Ausicaa to complete your military training."

The blood drained from Kaz's face. Going to a place like Ausicaa would undermine everything he had been striving towards for the past five years.

He protested, "Consort-Mother, you have seen more than anyone everything I have sacrificed to get into the Academy. Surely, you do not wish for me to give up the fruits of our labor for a godforsaken backwater hamlet like Harrogye?"

"Do not speak to me in that tone, Kazekiel. It does not please me. Have you forgotten? You are my son now. You must do as I say," the Grand-Consort chuckled without a trace of warmth. "Pack your belongings tonight. I will cancel your birthday gala and help you tie up loose ends with administration at the Academy. Travel arrangements have already been made. You leave for Harrogye tomorrow morning."

Kaz's fists clenched, but he jerked his chin in agreement and forced himself to smile. "I apologize for my behavior. I was being rash and ungrateful. I will prepare to leave for Harrogye, Consort-Mother."

His mother smiled back. "Good boy."

Fire burned in Kaz's veins. He was careful not to let his emotions show, but he wanted to scream. Perhaps he was a fool, after all. A fool who had believed that a woman like the Grand-Consort would allow him to ascend to any great heights.

Now it was quite clear to Kaz why his mother had traveled all the way to Levings. She had come to dismantle everything he had been working towards. The Grand-Consort's sudden change of heart felt more than a little abrupt, but he suspected it might have something to do with the dead woman in the alleyway. There was no such thing as chance or coincidence when it came to the women in his life. His mother knew something that he did not, and Kaz every intention of finding out what it might be.

He would go to Harrogye to investigate the Grand-Consort and her connection to the dead woman, but he wouldn't stay long. Kaz would die before he allowed her to rip the Academy away from him.

Kaz knew right then and there that he had reached a new level of wickedness because, even as his blood churned and boiled, the smile never wavered on his face.