Misunderstood Hero: My Family Are All Villains

Hours later, the night had swallowed the Holy Palace whole.

The two Suns had set, leaving behind a sky with the faint glow of the Twelve Moons.

Most of its inhabitants had retired to their chambers, exhausted by the day’s events.

But in the war room, the lamps still burned.

Malik stood at the head of the meeting table, his golden eyes fixed on the maps spread across its surface.

The same maps he had studied before, but now certain sections closer to the North had been crossed out in red ink.

Enemy positions, supply routes, faction bases, strongholds, and important targets.

Kabir stood beside him, the rest of the Guard of the Fifth surrounding them.

"We aren’t sure that Ayyub is a traitor."

Malik tapped at the table with annoyance.

"Perhaps his two aides are. So I’ll need you to personally send each of them information regarding our attack targets. The information will come "from the top," so they are not to share it with anyone."

Kabir’s eyes widened as the Sultan’s meaning settled into his mind.

"Ah, will we implant false information to see which of them informs the enemy?"

Malik nodded while glancing at the other members of the Guard.

"Yes. I need all of you to document their preparation, defense, and so on. Compare them from tonight to after the generals hear of the information. Do so tomorrow morning."

Kabir’s expression shifted from curiosity to excitement.

"If we notice an obvious change, then that’d be our traitor."

His lips curled into a smile.

"I understand, my Sultan. A great plan."

The others murmured their agreement, prompting Malik to gesture them forth.

"Enough flattery. Get to work. Our Promise begins today. Ensure this campaign starts very strongly."

He turned and walked towards the door, needing to replenish his Rukh.

Behind him, the Guard of the Fifth bowed as one.

Kabir waited until the Sultan’s footsteps faded down the corridor to face his people.

He made a few signals, and almost immediately, most of them disappeared; only seven of his fellow shadows remained.

They had worked together for years, bled together, and killed together. There was no need for formalities.

"First, we scout the targets."

Kabir spread a second set of maps across the table, three of them.

Each was marked with a different location of an enemy outpost near the border.

"These are the bases we’ll claim to strike. Each one corresponds to a different general. Ayyub gets the northern outpost. Farid gets the eastern. Hamid gets the western."

His eyes traced the terrain, the patrol routes, the defensive positions.

"We need to know their current state. How many soldiers. What kind of fortifications. Where they store their supplies."

A shadow nodded.

"So when we send the false information, we’ll know which base is preparing for an attack."

"Exactly, Shadow Sarah."

Kabir nodded back at her.

"The traitor will tip off his masters. The enemy will reinforce the base tied to his general. And we’ll be watching."

He straightened up.

"Rami, you take the northern outpost. Sarah, the eastern. I’ll take the western. The rest of you watch the generals themselves. Note any messengers, owls, or any unusual activity tonight. But do not interfere; we need them to act."

The Guard melted away into the darkness.

Tarek, the one from Azeem’s earlier comedy act, remained.

"Shadow Kabir, let me come with you."

Kabir shook his head.

"No, you’re needed elsewhere. Go back to the Sultan’s Hall and guard him."

Tarek gritted his teeth.

"But the Sultan can protect himself! What can I even do to someone who’d threaten an Angel?! I want to be useful to him, not just stand around all day!"

Kabir sighed, exacerbated, showing just how many times they’ve had this conversation before.

"Of course, the Sultan can defend himself, but he shouldn’t have to. He shouldn’t have to do anything. We cannot let what happened last time repeat! He needs rest. And I need someone I trust watching his door."

Tarek stared at him for a long moment, only to then sigh.

"I understand."

Kabir watched him disappear into the corridor, then he gathered his cloak and slipped out into the night.

...

This Western outpost sat on a rocky hill overlooking a dried riverbed.

Kabir approached from the South, keeping to the shadows of the scattered boulders.

The Twelve Moons were half-hidden behind clouds, providing just enough light to see.

He counted the sentries. Four on the walls. Two at the gate. Another pair patrolling the perimeter.

The fortifications were basic: wooden palisades, a single watchtower, and a few tents pitched inside.

Kabir crept closer.

He noted the number of soldiers visible, no more than sixty. Supply crates were stacked near the center of the camp, while a small stable nearby housed a handful of horses.

After committing everything to memory, he withdrew.

***

Rami reached the Northern outpost at the same time.

The terrain here was flatter, and the outpost was larger.

It had stone walls instead of wood and a proper gatehouse.

He found a position on a low ridge overlooking the camp and settled in to watch.

Much like Kabir, he counted the soldiers, noted their patrol patterns, and observed the comings and goings of messengers.

Once he had every detail, he slipped away.

***

Sarah approached the Eastern outpost from the cover of a glass spire. The outpost was built into the side of a hill, hidden by rock.

A single road led to its gates.

Everything seemed routine, much like the others.

She completed her observations and withdrew.

***

By midnight, the Guard of the Fifth had gathered back at the war room.

Kabir compiled their reports, three enemy outposts, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

"Now we send the messages."

The shadows had already prepared three scrolls stamped with the Sultan’s seal, each listing a different target.

Of course, the information on them was false, but they looked real enough.

With that, the three scrolls were sent to General Ayyub’s estate, Farid’s house, and Hamid’s house, delivered by one of Sinbad’s many children, the official messengers of the Holy Palace.

Guard of the Fifth watched for anything suspicious happening in those homes.

Nothing happened.

The lights in the houses went out and the night wore on.

Dawn broke over the Holy Palace.

Kabir had not slept.

He stood at the window of the war room, watching the Suns rise over the city walls.

Rami sat at the table, while Sarah paced by the door.

"It doesn’t matter; they likely have Holy Relics to communicate. We must check the outposts again. If the traitor tipped off the enemy, we’ll see it."

They moved out as the morning light spread across the land.

Kabir returned to the Western outpost first.

He approached from the same direction, using the same cover.

Only to see the unchanged outpost with even the same number of guards on patrol.

Nothing had changed overnight.

The soldiers moved with the same rhythm, and the supply crates remained stacked where they had been.

His Sultan was right.

Surprisingly, Ayuub wasn’t the traitor.

Yet Kabir offered no reaction to that information.

He simply noted it and moved on.

***

Rami reached the Northern outpost a short while later.

He climbed to his ridge and looked down, finding the outpost unchanged.

No reinforcements had arrived, and no extra supplies had been brought in.

...did they mess up?

***

Sarah approached the Eastern outpost at the same time.

She reached the edge of the clearing and looked down at the outpost built into the hillside.

Her breath caught.

No, they didn’t mess up.

This outpost had changed.

More guards stood on the walls, twice as many as before.

The gate had been reinforced with fresh timber, and archers manned positions that had been empty the night before.

Soldiers moved with purpose, carrying crates, stacking supplies, preparing for something.

In the center of the camp, a group of officers stood around a table, pointing at a map.

A messenger bird circled overhead, then descended into the camp.

’There’s no doubt about it. They were tipped off.’

Sarah counted everything she could see, then slipped back into the shadows.

...

She reached the war room breathless.

Kabir and Rami were already there, their faces grim.

"So it’s Farid?"

Sarah nodded.

"There’s no questioning it."

Kabir looked towards the corridor that led to the Sultan’s chambers.

"We inform the Sultan."

They had found the traitor!