Alkimiya - A Fantasy Mystery Series

ONE - First Assignment

Zenetra Noire sat stewing in Commissioner Fokle's office. Having been swarmed by reporters from the Hive who wanted a few words on how she felt going into her last year of constabulary training, the time alone only served to fuel her growing irritation. It was no one's business but her own how she felt, and if one more reporter told her to, "Just give 'em a smile!" she might start breaking flashers.

Certain expectations came attached to her name. It was not lost on her that she was the last remaining member of a prominent family. The Noire reputation rested solely on her shoulders. Any attack on the Hive would be the downfall of that legacy and though confronted daily with those who seemed to lack any, Zenetra strove to keep her dignity intact.

Even dignified Noires became impatient, however, and as it happened, Zenetra had been sitting in Commissioner Fokle's office for nearly half an hour. Either he was testing her patience by making her wait or he had forgotten all about their scheduled meeting.

Adelric Fokle had been the commissioner of the United Democratic Federation since Zenetra was five years old, yet she had known him since the age of three. Back then, he had been a constable assigned to investigate her mother's murder in the shipyard. He re-entered her life only a few years later when her elder sister vanished without a trace. Though promising to never let the investigation into Xuxa's disappearance end, after eight years and no leads, he labeled the case cold.

That was why Zenetra joined the CF. If she planned to pick up the trail the constables left behind, she needed to learn how they operated. She needed contacts. She needed resources. Only then would she find out what happened to her sister. If that meant sacrificing her privacy and four years of her life for training in order to use the CF and all its connections, then so be it. All her sacrifices would be worth it if it brought closure.

While she waited, Zenetra regarded Commissioner Fokle's office candidly. There was a plain oak desk in the center of the room. Though bare of items save for a single pen and a stack of square, cream-colored paper, the desk expressed Adelric Fokle's personality quite well. Plenty of windows made the office seem airy and bright, despite tall metal filing cabinets filling one wall. A potted plant occupied a single sill. With waxy green leaves and one white blossom that stretched toward the window to bask in the light, the plant was the only thing that gave the room a sense of life.

Zenetra smiled fondly at the peace plant. She had given it to Commissioner Fokle years before as a thank you for his devotion to finding her sister. That had been Mr. Tedman's idea. The Noire family butler was emphatic about staying on good terms with people.

Tension from that morning dissipated as she thought of Mr. Tedman. He was the closest she had to a grandparent. The Hive's reporters had given her a fright that morning but the plant and the stillness of the room turned out to be quite calming.

The door to the office swung open on soft hinges. Commissioner Fokle strode inside and pushed the door closed with the back of his heel. Clutched in his hand was a stack of hemp folders. With short hair and a face clear of stubble, Commissioner Fokle was a highly organized man of fifty-eight who "ran a tight ship," as he liked to tell new recruits. Monotone and with a face lacking in emotion, people often mistook him for distant, but he was a champion of the law no matter how some perceived him and was respected immeasurably for it.

Zenetra rose to her feet and gave a polite nod in greeting. Her stiff cobalt uniform straightened on its own. "Commissioner Fokle," she said. "You wanted to see me?"

Commissioner Fokle replied with no inflection. "I did. Apologies for being late. The morning briefing lasted longer than expected."

"The election has you stretched thin, hasn't it?"