18. Cal
eighteen
Cal
Cal let out a quiet curse as he slipped across the empty room, weaving his way past rows of unoccupied desks. Griff had said that the hall leading to the High Commander’s office was in the back, so that was where he set his sights despite the disappointment clawing his chest.
Eternal Dark, how he wished he was the one going after Kelsith. But Griff was right. It made more sense for Cal to stay here and confront the High Commander…no matter how much less satisfying it felt.
Cal’s thoughts turned to the conversation he’d overheard between Griff and Nathaniel, and some of the nervous energy eased out of him. His fingers lightly brushed over his lips, imagining Griff’s parting kiss still lingering there.
He’d only stuck around for the beginning of their heart-to-heart before guilt made him retreat outside.
It had felt wrong to intrude on their private grief.
But he’d heard enough before he left to set his heart racing.
It was hard to believe Griff actually meant what he’d said about genuinely caring for him… but he was hopeful all the same.
He made it to the hall and peered around the corner, quickly pulling back when he spotted a familiar protector standing watch by a door at the end of the hall. What had Griff called him: Sasha?
If the corrupt protector was here, then the High Commander probably was as well. It looked like Griff had guessed correctly.
Cal glanced down at his basic protector disguise, considering what ploy to use.
Approaching like this might get him inside…
but it carried a good deal of risk. A random grunt asking to speak with the High Commander this late at night might raise suspicion, especially if the High Commander was up to no good or they realized they didn’t recognize the made-up face he’d chosen.
An idea occurred to him then, and he smirked to himself. Terrible or brilliant—he couldn’t really say. All he knew was that he was in a hurry, so it would have to do.
Channeling his inner duskflame, he allowed the dark magic to sweep over him and rewrite his features.
By the time he strode confidently into the hall toward the High Commander’s office, he’d transformed into the spitting image of Griff, right down to his silver aura blockers and his flapping trench coat.
“Griff!” Sasha’s eyes widened when he spotted Cal.
He straightened from his perch a few paces in front of the High Commander’s door, and Cal was relieved to see him make no immediate move to reach for the electro-baton at his waist. “Goddess, you scared me half to death! What the Void are you doing here so late?”
“I need to speak with the High Commander at once,” Cal said, relying on his magic to mimic Griff’s gruff voice.
Sasha frowned. His gaze flicked to the door behind him, then back to Cal. “Sorry, but High Commander Pern is indisposed. Whatever this is about, surely it can wait until morning?”
“I’m afraid not. It’s urgent. Hundreds of lives may be on the line.”
Sasha appeared taken aback, his face paling. Still, he didn’t move. “I really can’t interrupt him right now. But if you leave a message with me, I’ll make sure he gets it as soon as possible.”
Cal shook his head. “It’ll take too long to explain. I swear, I’ll only be a minute.”
Ignoring Sasha’s continued protests, Cal lunged forward, slipping around the protector’s startled attempt to block him. The instant he was past Sasha, he began banging on the door.
“High Commander! It’s Griff! I need to speak with you at once!”
A rough hand on his shoulder yanked him back.
Thankfully, his duskflame disguise held up to the physical contact, tricking Sasha’s mind so that he didn’t notice anything amiss.
Getting found out seemed the least of Cal’s worries though as Sasha glared at him.
He unholstered his baton and held it up.
“I told you, the High Commander is busy. I don’t know what’s gotten into you, Griff, but if you don’t turn around and leave right now, I’ll—”
“Lieutenant Thrank! What the Void is going on out there?”
Sasha cut off mid-sentence, his whole body tensing at the muffled shout from inside. Still glaring at Cal, he glanced toward the door. “Sorry, sir. I told him you were busy. I’ll make sure he leaves you—hey!”
Sasha swung his baton at Cal as Cal once again darted forward, this time ducking beneath Sasha’s outstretched arms. The baton whizzed over his head, leaving a faint crackle of ozone in its wake as electricity briefly flared across its surface.
A protector baton might not kill you, but the enchanted weapons certainly hurt like the Void.
Evading Sasha, Cal beat his fist on the door. “High Commander! Please! It’s urgent!”
He snuck a glance toward Sasha, then ducked an instant before a baton swing cracked against the wooden door. Sasha stepped forward, his eyes narrowed.
Cal raised his arms, shuffling back. “Easy now. There’s no need to get physical.”
“Try anything like that again, and I’ll show you how physical I can get,” Sasha snarled. “Friends or not, I won’t let you jeopardize my job.”
The two of them glared across the hall at each other. Cal was contemplating the pros and cons of simply knocking out the belligerent protector when another shout came from the High Commander.
“For Void’s sake, Lieutenant, just let him in!”
Sasha glared at Cal a moment longer, then sighed. Something like regret flickered across his face, replaced an instant later by resignation. “Yes, sir.”
Reholstering his baton, he stepped aside with obvious reluctance. “Looks like you get your wish,” he told Cal. “Go on in.”
Bobbing his head in thanks, Cal kept a careful eye on Sasha as he stepped past him toward the door. But Sasha made no move to stop him. His shoulders sagged as if with defeat as Cal entered the office.
The room was large, with a high ceiling and surprisingly dark wood for Sanjarka. Color was sparse, the High Commander favoring form over function. Bookshelves and display cases lined the walls.
A desk dominated the far end of the room in front of a wide curved window overlooking the city. The High Commander sat behind it. He wore an irritated frown, pouring over a stack of papers. The look he leveled at Cal was barely a step above a glare.
“If it was anyone else, Inspector Denton, I’d have sent them away,” the High Commander said. “But I figure you’ve earned a little leeway, even on a night like tonight. What is this all about? Has there been a break on the Blackjack case?”
Thinking quickly, Cal let his gaze stray over the room, searching for any sign of the void orb. Of course, he didn’t find it sitting out in plain view—that would have been way too easy.
“Well?” the High Commander snapped, his limited patience fraying. “Speak!”
Cal cleared his throat, turning back to the High Commander and bowing his head. “Sorry, sir. I was simply gathering my thoughts. There has been a break…of a sort. I traced a known associate of Blackjack’s right here to this very office, on this very night.”
That certainly got the High Commander’s attention. His gaze shot up, locking on Cal. “That’s absurd! No one has been in here tonight except for me and my assistant.”
“With all due respect, sir, you must be mistaken.”
“I think I know who has and hasn’t been in my office, Inspector,” High Commander Pern growled. “Now, unless you have something more than rampant speculation and wild theories, you can save it for your next report.”
This was going about as well as Cal had expected. The High Commander would hardly admit to being involved in some sort of treasonous plot. If Cal wanted to get anywhere, he was going to have to try something a bit more…direct.
“Apologies, sir, but I’m quite certain. I believe they left something here. I insist on checking for myself.”
Cal had no idea what sort of investigative authority Griff might have in this situation—likely none since this was his Void-cursed boss.
Still, he feigned confidence as he moved to the nearest shelf and began searching it for any signs of the void orb, or any hidden compartments where it might be stashed.
A confession was secondary—retrieving the dangerous relic remained the top priority.
“What are you doing? Stop that!”
Cal ignored the High Commander’s protests.
Not finding anything noteworthy on the first shelf, he moved onto the next.
He tried to be as careful as he could, but in his haste, he knocked a few books and knickknacks to the floor.
He tensed when he heard the creak of the High Commander’s chair, followed by heavy footfalls.
“This is outrageous behavior, Inspector! Leave my office this instant, or by the Goddess, I’ll have you tossed in a cell!”
Cal muffled a wince. Griff was going to have a lot of explaining to do when this was all over. Though, he supposed that implicating your boss in a conspiracy was already guaranteed to involve plenty of paperwork.
He braced himself for the High Commander to attack, but instead, the High Commander shouted, “Lieutenant Thrank! Would you please remove Inspector Denton from my office and escort him to a holding cell?”
Cal listened with half an ear for the door as he darted across the room to another shelf. After how he’d left things with Sasha, he expected the protector to be only too eager to come in here and take another crack at him. But to his surprise, the lieutenant didn’t answer.
High Commander Pern appeared equally caught off-guard. From the corner of his eye, Cal saw him approach the door with a frown. “Lieutenant?” He tried the door, his frown deepening when the knob didn’t move. “Lieutenant! Why is this door locked? What the Void is the meaning of this?”
Cal shifted over to the next shelf on this side. He’d barely begun rummaging when he noticed an oddly placed wooden pillar set into the back of the shelf. There! A quick rap of his knuckles revealed it to be hollow.