The Third Eye Initiative (21 page)

The four agents were right behind him, and the last one in closed and latched the windows. Elias scanned the room. The room was dark, but Elias’ trained
eyes were able to pick out a few details. A large bed sat against the wall to his right. Other tall dark forms must have been dressers and closets. The floor beneath him felt soft and carpeted.

On silent feet, Elias moved to the bed. It was empty. He moved back to the agents and through a series of gestures, ordered them to take up hidden positions in the room and await Dormic’s return. There was no time, however, as the door to the room opened. The room flooded with light from torches in the hall outside. Elias and his agents moved quickly to the walls of the room. It was Dormic.

Elias was sure they must have been spotted, but the light from the large candle in his hand must have impaired Dormic’s night vision, as he hadn’t reacted to them. Elias was relieved. The candlelight washed the room in a dull orange light, but wasn’t bright enough to dispel the shadows from the walls and corners. The agents made good use of those shadows.

Dormic was dressed in an expensive looking red silk robe. He placed the candle on the table beside his bed, and pulled the thick white blanket back. Dormic lifted the pillow as if to fluff it, but Elias caught the glint of silver. Before he could register what that meant, Dormic spun around quickly and cast two knives into the shadows. Elias heard a couple of painful
grunts and the bodies of two agents fell to the floor.

Elias drew his sword, and exited the shadows. The other two agents were closer to Dormic than he, and attacked him with swords drawn. Dormic produced a short sword from beneath his robes and with two quick motions cut the agents down. They never had a chance. It had happened so quickly, and now Elias was alone. Dormic spun to face him.

“You fool! What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Dormic asked angrily.

“
It’s over, Dormic. Tonight, you die,” Elias said, as he approached the man with his sword at the ready.

“
This is a mistake. You forced my hand, and now your friends are dead. Must you die as well?” Dormic said

“
We’ll see,” Elias said coldly, then lunged at Dormic.

Elias swung his sword horizontally from the left,
and then in a quick skillful motion reversed the direction. Dormic parried the attack easily, and kicked Elias hard in the stomach. The blow knocked the wind out of him, and he feel to his knees. It was all he could do to bring his sword up to deflect a killing blow leveled at his head. Elias knocked the blade away, and then rolled to his left and onto his feet in one smooth motion.

“
You’re not going to kill me, friend. You should accept that, and just leave.”

Elias came at him again, more carefully this time. He had obviously underestimated Dormic. He knew that he faced an experienced swordsman now. He stabbed out several times with his long sword, trying to feel Dormic out. Dormic easily blocked each attack, never taking the offensive.

Elias moved as if to throw another quick stab, then stepped forward quickly slashing hard at Dormic’s neck. Dormic ducked swiftly, and punched out his the hilt of his sword. The blow landed square on Elias’ nose, breaking it. Blood poured down over his mouth and chin.

Elias leaped backwards narrowly avoiding Dormic’s sword, but he was dizzy from the blow to his nose and the quick motion of the dodge made Elias stumble into the wall. Before he could react, Dormic’s sword pieced his right shoulder. Elias’ own blade fell from numb fingers as Dormic roughly yanked his sword free of his flesh.

Dormic, grinning, slashed out at Elias throat. Elias fell to the floor desperately, and rolled. He rolled hard into the tall window, the impact jarring him. He struggled to his feet.

“
Well, this was fun. But it’s time to end this. I do have a long day ahead of me, and need a full night’s sleep. It will be hours before my servants clean up the bloody remains of your friends and yourself.”

“
You...think this is over?” Elias asked, his voice coming out in painful rasps.

“
It certainly looks that way, doesn’t it?” Dormic sounded quite pleased with himself. He approached Elias slowly, teasingly.

“
I have to say. It was nice to finally meet you,
Elias.
”

Elias’ eyes went wide when Dormic said his name, and Dormic grinned at his reaction. Dormic stepped forward quickly, leveling his sword for a killing blow. Elias reached to his belt, pulled out a small knife a
nd threw it at Dormic. It buried deep into his arm and he cried out in pain.

Mustering what strength he had left, Elias threw himself backwards into the window. He crashed through it in a shower of cutting glass. He felt shards of it pierce his skin. Then he was falling.

The shock of impact with the ground sent waves of agony through Elias’ spine. He saw lights dancing before his eyes, and nausea threatened to overwhelm him. He forced his eyes open and the world was spinning. He wondered if he had broken his back.

It was only with a heroic effort that Elias managed to force himself to his feet. He was in pain and even standing hurt, but he was reasonably sure that nothing was broken. He was behind the mansion, with the compound wall only about ten paces away from him. His shoulder was bleeding heavily, and he could barely lift his right arm. There was no way he could climb the wall in his current state.

He heard voices inside the mansion. Dormic was shouting for his men. Apparently Dormic had not trusted the fall to kill Elias. It was dark and heavily shadowed where Elias stood. There’s a good chance that Dormic was unable to see him when he had hit the ground. Now, he had precious little time to escape the compound before Dormic’s men found him. Elias was too injured to put up any serious fight.

Elias decided to circle around the right side of the mansion and make his way to the front gates. He had taken the key off of one of the guards he killed when he had infiltrated the grounds with his agent, so it was only a matter of a hundred yards and he was safe. How hard could that be?

He limped painfully towards the side of the mansion, his every bone aching in protest. This was bad, he was moving too slowly. He gritted his teeth, and tried to quicken his pace. His right leg gave out from beneath him and he fell heavily to a knee. Ignoring the waves of pain, Elias got to his feet once again.  He continued his trek, using the wall of the mansion for support.

When Elias finally turned the corner to the side of the mansion, he heard the clink of armor and the sounds of heavy boots stomping on the cobblestone ground. Dormic’s men were entering the yard to look for him. He paused and waited, unsure of what his next move would be. He knew they would be coming to look for him around the mansion soon enough.

He heard
the guard shout out, then another. They had found some of the bodies. Time was running out. Elias edged his way along the side of the mansion, keeping his back tight against the building. When he reached the front edge, he was able to take his first look at the open yard between him and the gate. What he saw did not bode well for him.

Guards were spreading out in all directions, with a team of at least four headed towards the mansion where he now hid. The four guards broke off into separate directions, with two heading towards the opposite side of the mansion, and the other two heading straight for where he was concealed in the shadow. He was surrounded.

Slowly and silently, he moved back the way he had come, trying to keep out of sight. The shadows did well to hide him now, but they would not conceal him when the guards were right in front of him. He tried to think of a way out of this, and he knew he had only one option. He needed to kill these two guards quickly and silently when they reached him. The task was daunting. He was in rough shape.

Elias crouched low, trying to make himself as small as possible. With any luck, the guards would not notice him until it was too late. He reached into his boot and drew a long, thin dagger. He steadied his breathing. He was reasonably sure that he would be able to kill one of the guards quickly and silently but he doubted that he could manage both in his present state without creating some noise. He pushed the thoug
ht from his mind. He had to try, it was his only chance. Resigned to whatever happened, Elias readied himself.

The guards were right in front of him when he stuck. Like a snake uncoiling to snatch up
its prey, Elias sprang up and pierced the throat of the first guard. His vocal cords had been cut, and he made no sound as blood poured from the wound. Elias cringed as the second guard let out a surprised yell, and Elias quickly slashed his throat, silencing him. It was too late, however. The yell would have been heard by every guard in the area. Elias’ gamble had failed.

He could hear the feet of the other two guards who had surrounded the mansion coming from behind the house. They would be on him soon. He could also hear the sounds of more guards running towards the mansion.

Then something odd happened. Just when the two guards behind the house should have rounded the side, the footsteps went silent and no guards appeared. Elias frowned, but was unable to come up with any answers. Perhaps they had tripped? He didn’t know, and didn’t really care at the moment.

A final desperate plan entered his mind. It was
dangerous and almost certain to fail, but what else could he do? Elias would burst from the side of the house and try to outrun the guards still in the yard to the gate. He knew it was unlikely that he could outrun them all, considering his injuries and the fact that they were almost at his hiding place already. Even if he somehow managed to reach the gate, there was almost no chance he could open the gate and escape before he was captured and cut down. But it was all he had to work with, and no other opportunity had presented itself.

Gathering his resolve, Elias entered an awkward running limp and left the side of the mansion and entered the yard. Three guards were almost right in front of him, with one running slightly ahead of the other two. More guards were coming from across the yard. As hard as he could, Elias threw his dagger into the leg of the front guard. The guard fell and the two behind him tripped over their falling companion. That would buy Elias a few seconds.

Elias locked his gaze on the large barred gate across the yard. He had no weapons left, which meant that any attempt at fighting was out of the question. He resolved not to look at the guards and just focus on his goal. He heard the men pursuing him. By the sounds of it, they were closing the distance quickly. He pushed it from his mind.

His breathe came out in labored gasps. His legs were weakening and he knew that he would probably fall before he reached the gate.
Having the chance to open it seemed and absurd hope. He glared at the gate as if his determination alone could force it open. It didn’t.

Behind him he heard a grunt. Then another. He ignored it. He limped on, each step forward a colossal undertaking, with each step after being even worse. Several guards were shouting. They sounded more distant than he thought was possible. He wondered how he could possibly still be alive.

Then he was at the gate. He slammed into it hard, unable to stop his momentum. To his shock, the gates swung open and he fell painfully into the street. They were unlocked. How could that be? He tried to rise back to his feet, but he had no strength left. Instead he crawled to the shadows of the wall to the right of the gate.

With no small effort, he forced himself into a sitting position with his back to the wall. He was right beside the open gate, and watched through the bars for the inevitable pursuit of guards to emerge from the compound yard. They never came.

Elias suddenly realized that he didn’t hear any sounds coming from the yard at all. He leaned on the gate, causing it to swing inwards ever so slightly. It was enough so that he could view the yard through the bars. His breath caught in his throat. The guards were all lying on the cobblestone. They were dead. How?

He straightened his position against the wall, and was no longer leaning towards the yard. He stared into the dark streets before him. He would have to try and stand again soon. He needed to be away from here. What had happened to the guards? How had he escaped?

Suddenly the shadow of the wall seemed to grow, and stretch out further into the street, the addition taking on a humanoid shape. He looked up to see a dark figure in a dark tattered cloak crouched on the wall above him.

“
Who told ya to go after Dormic?” a harsh, grating voice demanded.

Elias let his head sink down to his chest, and said nothing at all.

***

“
I haven’t seen you in two weeks. Not one word. Then you just show up like nothing is wrong, demanding sex?” Cyra seemed pretty mad.

“
I wasn’t demanding sex, Cyra.” Tsaeris argued. It hadn’t been a demand, more a tactful suggestion.

“
Where the hell have you been? You were supposed to come back soon and tell me what night you had off so we could do something. That was two bloody weeks ago,” Cyra glared at Tsaeris from across the bedroom. Tsaeris was glad that the bed separated them. Cyra seemed like she might be in the hitting mood.

“
I was busy with work.”

“
Work? You have symbols carved into your chest and what looks like a recently sliced open belly,” Cyra was grinding her teeth in hurt and anger.

It was a baffling lapse of good
judgment and an incredibly stupid mistake when he had decided to sneak into Cyra’s room while she was away and wait for her naked in her bed to surprise her. He had forgotten about his scars. Hard to explain away with a job at a shipyard.

“
Oh, that? Yeah, I was attacked by some Purity Union guys for being an elf. Which is why I was gone for so long. Was at the clinic.” Tsaeris saw concern enter her eyes. He decided to use it to his advantage. “It was awful, Cyra. I thought I was dead. I thought I would never see you again.”

“
Why didn’t you send somebody to tell me?” she asked.

“
I was unconscious for most of the time. I only got out a few days ago,” Tsaeris replied.

“
You’ve been back for a few days, and you only come see me now?” The concern had turned back into anger. “And this is how you tell me? Lying naked in my bed?”

“
Alright, that was stupid. I admit it. I just thought that since it’s been so long since we saw each other...”

“
Is that all I am to you?” Cyra was getting even angrier. It was time to try reasoning with her.

“
Why are you so offended? You’re a whore, after all.” Tsaeris flinched as Cyra’s eyes widened. That was stupid. What the hell was wrong with him tonight?

“
Get out,” Cyra hissed.

“
Come on, Cyra. We haven’t seen each other in so long. Don’t be like this,” Tsaeris pleaded.

“
Out,” she hissed again.

“
Why don’t we just start over? We could still have a good night, Cy.”

“
Do I need to have somebody come and throw you out?” Cyra threatened.

“
You know what? To hell with this.” Tsaeris was suddenly angry himself. “I don’t need this shit. I’ll just go see Niivi.”

“
Who?” Cyra asked, her voice shifting into a tone of anger tinged with hurt.

“
You’re not the only one who can have sex with whoever you want,” Tsaeris said sharply.

“
That’s not fair. This is my job.”

“
Yeah, well Niivi is as good as you ever were, and doesn’t pile all of this stupid drama on me. And at least I know that the men who have been between her legs don’t number in the thousands!”

“
You...” And then Cyra started to cry. Her sobs sounded of hurt and betrayal.

“
Oh, come on. You started this. And you have sex with lots of people. Why is it such a big deal that I had sex with someone else?”

“
Please...” Cyra said. “I want you to leave.”

“
Cyra...”

“
Now. And don’t ever come back. Not ever.”

Tsaeris gave her one last look,
and then left the room slamming the door behind him. He stormed out of the brothel, a walking concentrate of thunder cloud. The cold night air did little to cool the heat in his face.

It seemed that every time he tried to get close to Cyra, it always ended in a fight. The girl was so damn touchy. He was able to admit to himself that his angry words had gone a bit
too far, but it never would have happened if Cyra hadn’t gotten so unreasonably mad at him. Maybe he would just stick with Niivi. She was more like him. Laid back, and she didn’t seem to be a big fan of drama.

He walked in the direction of the Tarnished Tankard. Maybe Niivi would
be there. He hoped she would be, as he needed something to take his mind of Cyra. He heard a sound coming from an alley as he passed and glanced in its direction. He froze.

Standing at the mouth of the alley was a large cloaked figure, looking at him. All thoughts of Cyra and Niivi fled his mind. He recognized the form. It was him. The man who had attacked him. The man who had killed Aedrus’ father. Tsaeris’ eye burned in fury, and he was made bold by his anger at Cyra and his anger at this man.

“Come back for more?” Tsaeris yelled. The figure did not move. “Well come on! Come on! You son of a bitch!”

Still the large figure remained still and silent. Tsaeris knew this was dangerous, but for some reason he wanted this fight. He had no reason to think it would end differently, but he didn’t care. He was angry, and wanted to vent that anger on someone. Who better than him?

“Come on, you Union prick. You just going to stand there? You want me? I’m right here!”