Guests and Suspects

[thethiefofvictory 339]

“Sir, you have a guest. Says it’s urgent.”

 

“Who?”

 

“He didn’t say.”

 

“Let him in.”

 

James looked at the guard who had delivered the news. A young man who, James thought, would sacrifice himself for the King. He stood at the door at attention, keeping his eyes low. He was dressed in perfectly clean, red Watch uniform that looked new. James noticed that the guard looked rather ill and disturbed, and made a mental note to talk to him when he had time. Right now, he had an important guest.

 

The guard opened the door and walked out, and James could hear a faint “Please come in.”

 

A woman walked through the door, and closed it before walking towards the desk in the room. She was dressed in blue Peacewatch uniform that denoted her position as captain of the Watch. In other words, she controlled the city’s police.

 

She smiled mischievously as she watched the look of pleasant surprise on James’ face.

 

“Sarah, you’re alive?!” he managed to exclaim, before standing up and limping towards the woman that stood before his desk. Rather unexpectedly, a hug followed. The woman stood there like stone, an expression of surprise on her face.

 

A second or two later, both of them sat at their respective seats before the metallic desk, cluttered with all sorts of papers.

 

“You haven’t met me this well since… since when? You know, maybe you should close the balcony doors, lest people wonder how on earth the King reconciled with his sister.”

 

“And then you’ll be ousted and arrested on grounds of falsification of identity? Yeah, we have cultivated quite a reputation for hostility. Perhaps we shouldn’t have. Tell me, how’d you survive?”

 

“How’d you get atop the War Palace?”

 

“How’d you know?”

 

“Why have you underestimated me?”

 

“Oh well. I lose. Anyways, what’s the matter?”

 

“We caught Victoria’s murderer.”

 

“Um, what? Didn’t I kill her in the War Palace?”

 

“I’m not sure whether it is that woman. But we did find someone, and we have evidence supporting it.”

 

James took a moment to comprehend this. Then he looked into his coat, and took out a gun, presenting it for the woman to see. “Do you recognize this?”

She noticed a word inscribed on the gun. Sarah.

 

“Let me see. That can’t be mine, no. Wait a minute. We found this gun at the scene of Victoria’s assassination. The name, though, I cannot reco- oh. The assassin, Sarah.”

 

“Clan? I presume Deadcliff?”

 

She shook her head. “Time.”

 

Their chat was replaced by an uncomfortable silence, as both pondered on the meaning of it all. At last James broke the silence. “Family?”

 

“We never learnt that.”

 

“So. Sarah, Time. No, Sarah Spark, Time.”

 

“How’d you know?”
 

“So she belongs to the Spark family. Not something I expected, to be honest.”

 

Sarah repeated her question. “How did you know?”

“I’m not sure, really. Although I remember that name, maybe from the Hex at the War Palace.”

 

“Hex? So the War Palace has one of those supercomputers too. That’s the third we’ve discovered this year. I'll make sure to question Research about this. I wonder why the history books never mentioned these?”

“I have a question. Do you know who the woman I killed at the War Palace was?”

 

“Only two ways to know. Either you pay another visit to the War Palace, and I doubt you’d return from there this time. Or you could seek out whoever controls you, but that would likely need a visit to the Palace too.”

 

“Or I could question Ms. Time.”

 

“May work.”

 

James heard a voice. Female, but not Sarah’s. The assassin. Let her go. She is innocent, and innocents do not deserve punishment.

 

What does this mean?

 

Sarah did not take long to notice that her brother was lost in thought, and was ignoring the existence of the world around him. Which, as she knew, meant that he was worried.

 

“James? What’s happening?”
 

The voice woke James from his thoughts, and rather rudely at that. “What? Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry.”

 

“Why should I not worry? What’s happened, James?”

 

“Memories. Voices. According to them, Ms. Time is innocent.”

 

“Did Victoria say that?”

 

James paused for a moment. What would he say?

 

“Yes.”

 

Thanks for reading! This is part of a series, complete details in the linked post. Etc. 

Edited July 28, 2018 by thethiefofvictory

[LOLKILLERTOTHEDEATH 1,921]

Approved!

 

Nicely written. I couldn't find any mistakes barring a misplaced comma.

[P.4.R.K.O.U.R 329]

Was going to point out that note but this darn mobile...

Edited July 28, 2018 by P.4.R.K.O.U.R

[thethiefofvictory 339]

I couldn't find any mistakes barring a misplaced comma.

You don't seem to have removed the note to editor, eh? There, fixed it for ya. :P