[Epic - Part IV - Chapter 1]
(Kingdom of Haivaan)
His Royal Highness Prince Charles Bin Abdel Kabir of the Hakimiyeh Kingdom of Jabera was having a very bad day at work.In New York, two of his prized stallions were reported to have been detained and quarantined by the U.S. Customs on suspicions of terror-related financial activity, apparently acting on a tip-off from an undercover jockey at the Kentucky Derby who had anonymously emailed a federal agent about documents accidentally fed to the horses. A senior FBI forensics team was currently investigating piles of manure in an upstate stable owned by a former White House Chief of Staff and a personal friend of the Prince's.
In Santa Monica, his daughter, Her Royal Highness Princess Leila, aged 21, was pictured with a group of Puerto Rican, Scandinavian and Canadian wannabe actors by the paparazzi and their images published all over the Internet and tabloids. They were all dressed in -- well, he wished they were dressed in anything at all.
In Monaco, his eldest son Prince Nabil, aged 28, had blown a sum of 3.8 million Euros -- in one single night -- on what he described as a CIA sting operation involving a complex scheme constituting a series of Black Jack, Poker and Roulette games at a casino. Nabil also blamed Mossad and an unnamed French young lady carrying a Canadian passport who, according to him, lured him into a private hotel suite and performed acts too bold to be shared with a parent.
In Singapore, his wife, Crown Princess Halweena had sprained her ankle while trying on a few pairs of Roger Vivier shoes (estimated price: $23,000 a pair) and tripping over. She had called hysterically from the city's best hospital suite demanding him to come fetch her a.s.a.p. and take her see their family doctor in Frankfurt.
What can I do that I have not done already? Charles quietly stared out of his palace window overlooking the nation's capital, and the majestic mountains beyond and a sky as vast as the kingdom herself.
But all these worries were a like a drop in the ocean compared to a phone call that he'd just received and which had jolted him in a way he never thought anything could.
"My friend... the time we wished we never have to see in our lifetime is upon us." The caller spoke without any introduction or greeting. Not that the person needed any. "Balooney has Burrito in Pakistan. Our friend in Zambia is on his way out of seclusion." The voice said with a calm authority only its speaker possessed.
Prince Charles had breathed deeply and asked feebly: "I understand. What is thy bidding, my master?"
"Instruction for rendezvous will be with you in two hours. Attend to it personally." Commanded the voice.
"I will, sir, of course." Replied the prince, feeling a little tremble in his throat now. This was very extraordinary: never was he required to do anything personally, given his profile.
"Two hours." Said Ibrahim 'Abu Boubou' Moosa Issa and hung up the phone.
"Yes, sir." Replied the prince. That's when he developed a sudden urge to stare out of the window and reflect back on his day. As a closet atheist, he never cared much for a prayer, but now he wished he had some faith to ask someone something.
His Royal Highness was having a very bad day at work, indeed.
Continued...
All Epic chapters posts.