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
