The Third Eye Initiative (30 page)

“
So, you’re punishing me? For trying to help people?” Aedrus asked.

“
No,” Tsaeris said, shaking his head. “No, something’s happened, and we need to keep tabs on the novices right now. Until we figure this out, your freedom is going to be restricted a bit.”

“
What happened?” Aedrus asked, curious.

“
We’ll talk later,” Tsaeris said, his silhouette fading into the darkness. “Just get back as soon as you can.”

Aedrus watched him disappear, then sighed and looked down at the
girl; she had slept through the entire conversation. He would let her sleep until morning, then figure out what to do with her. He was bitter at the idea of being stuck at the tavern without his freedom, and he wondered if he really was being punished. He gave himself a mental shrug. Whatever it was, he was sure he would find out soon enough.

In the cold autumn air, Aedrus gazed up at the stars overhead
, waiting for the sun to rise so he could see his young charge to safety.

             
The Tarnished Tankard was unusually quiet, despite the many occupied tables. Mentors who worked out of this tavern had all called in their novices, afraid to leave them by themselves. Novices were always given a degree of freedom as part of their training. It helped to teach them to be self-sufficient, and responsible. But after the murders of the three young novices, it was just too dangerous to set them loose.

Whoever had done the killing knew what they were doing. They were hitting the Initiative where it hurt the worst, and was
at the same time crippling the novices training. Tsaeris admired the move, on a professional level at least. The City was massive, and required many thousands of agents to keep the operation running smoothly. Agents died frequently, and a steady stream of new agents to take their place was a necessity. Obviously, the killer wouldn’t be able to keep the novices down for long, but to instill this fear in them at so crucial a phase of their training was a brilliant move.

Tsaeris wondered if things were the same at the other chapters in the rest of the districts, or if these attacks were specific to the Market chapter. This chapter was the obvious target, as the safe house itself was located beneath this district. He doubted that this enemy had enough power to reach all the chapters.

Tsaeris and Elias had spent some time interrogating the mentors of the dead novices, but it was clear that they were not involved in the murders. This investigation seemed like a dead end to Tsaeris. They had nothing at all to go on, other than the obvious connection of the killer to the Third Eye Initiative. For now all they could do was wait for the next move and hope the killer made a mistake. Or maybe this attack was a onetime thing.

A cloud of tobacco smoke hung low in the air of the common room, and Tsaeris removed a tobacco stick from a case on his belt to add to it. He smoked it slowly, and sipped at his mug of ale, his mind lost in futile contemplation. He was only vaguely aware of the world around him, so when Raina sat down at the table across from him, Tsaeris jumped, startled.

“Somebody’s wound a little tight,” Raina mocked.

“
Are you kidding me? Of course I’m wound up tight,” Tsaeris replied.

“
This whole room seems like a loaded spring. Everyone is so quiet. I’ve never seen this place so full and quiet at the same time.”

“
Everyone is on edge, Raina. Those dead novices really struck a chord here. It’s not just that the novices died, that stuff happens all the time. It’s the fact that they were targeted specifically for being novices.”

“
What’s with the exposition? I know that. I probably knew before you did,” Raina said.

“
Sorry. I’m caught in my own little world right now. And seeing as how that world centers around me, I forget that other people know things,” Tsaeris took a long pull of his ale, maneuvering it around the tobacco stick poking out of the side of his mouth.

Raina laughed softly, and reached across the table to grab Tsaeris’ ale. She brought it to her lips with a smile, and gulped down the entire contents. She slammed the mug down on the table, and wiped her mouth on her sleeve in an exaggerated way.

“Hey, come on. That shit isn’t cheap,” Tsaeris complained.

Raina licked the foam from her lips, and smiled again.

“Really? It tasted pretty cheap,” She said.

“
I don’t really like the fancy stuff,” Tsaeris replied. “Why the hell are you in such a good mood?”

“
I don’t know. It’s been a rough couple of days. Maybe the stress has left me giddy.”

“
If you say so,” Tsaeris coughed. Almost everyone in the room was smoking, and it was getting tough to breathe. He crushed the end of the tobacco stick into a tray on the table, deciding that he was no longer enjoying the smoke.

“
How’s Aedrus treating you?” Raina asked.

“
I get a headache just thinking about him,” Tsaeris said. He leveled a glare at Aedrus, who sat at a table across the room. Aedrus, noticing the glare, smiled and waved happily. Tsaeris cursed silently, and turned back to Raina. “Whoever decided to pair me with that boy deserves a slow and painful death.”

“
Oh, come on. He’s a good kid,” Raina chided.

“
You want him?” Tsaeris asked, raising an eyebrow.

“
Don’t you think you’re being a touch unfair about this? He’s a nice boy, and skillful.”

“
Yeah. And he talks. A lot. About everything, at great length. The kid can turn his lunch into a story of epic proportions.”

“
I think you just resent happy people,” Raina said.

“
No. I don’t know. I just don’t think I’m cut out for this mentor stuff. I’m not good with people unless I’m lying to them,” Tsaeris said.

“
I don’t know. I think maybe he’ll be a good influence on you.”

“
What is that supposed to mean?” Tsaeris asked bitterly.

“
Well, you could really use a bit of lightening up. You’re always so serious all the time.”

“
I’m sorry if I don’t find making stupid jokes and telling stupid stories all that appealing. It’s okay to be quiet once in a while,” Tsaeris brought his mug to his mouth, and then remembered that Raina had drunk it all. He sighed and put the mug back down.

“
Come on Tsaeris. You have to admit that you don’t mind Aedrus all that much.”

Tsaeris grunted, but he knew she was right. He found the boy irritating, and wished he could tape his mouth shut from time to time. But there was a lust for life, and an appreciation for almost everything in Aedrus that Tsaeris found appealing. Tsaeris admired Aedrus’ ability to stay positive, despite watching his father die, and the dark things he had seen as a novice. Tsaeris really didn’t hate Aedrus, but he would be damned before he told Aedrus that.

“I think you’re a better mentor than you...” Raina paused, and started coughing. “These people need to stop smoking so much.

Tsaeris coughed himself. He looked around the
room, and noticed that the smoke seemed to be getting to everyone. Every few seconds he could hear another fit of coughing. It was getting hard to see in the common room. He had never seen tobacco smoke this thick. He frowned and stood up. He noticed suddenly that he was sweating. He glanced at the hearth. The flames were low. His eye widened and he cursed.

“
It’s not the tobacco,” He said. He bolted towards the door of the tavern, agents watching him pass with confused looks. He gripped the handle of the door, and pulled his hand away instantly. It was hot, and his hand ached at the burn. He bit his lip, and used his long coat to insulate his hand. He reached the handle again, and tried to push the door open. It wouldn’t budge. He could hear voices yelling out in the streets.

Several agents and novices in the tavern stood up, aware that something was wrong. People were coughing more frequently. Tsaeris bolted towards the stairs, and ran up them two at a time. He made it to the top only and stopped to stare in horror. The entire upstairs was wreathed in flames.

Stupid. They locked a bunch of their novices in one building. How could they have been so foolish? He ran back down the stairs. The smoke filled air was becoming almost unbearable. Tsaeris ran back down to the common room ,his mind frantic. The only door of the common room was sealed shut, and it was clear by the heat of the handle that the front of the building was also on fire. There were no windows to escape from in the common room, and the windows on the top floor would be impossible to reach. Tsaeris ran to the bar.

“
Richard, the place is on fire,” Tsaeris said in a low voice, trying to keep a room wide panic from breaking out as long as possible. “There’s no way out. There has to be a secret exit or something, right? Leading to the sewers?”

“
Yeah, come with me.” Richard said, his voice shaking. Tsaeris followed Richard into the kitchen. Richard moved to the wall opposite the stove, and lifted up several floor boards. Underneath was a trap door. Tsaeris felt a wave of relief.

“
Alright, open it up. We have to get everyone out.” Tsaeris said.

Richard nodded, and twisted a small handle in the middle of the hidden door. He pulled, but it didn’t move.

“It’s stuck,” Richard said, his voice desperate.

Tsaeris, his face going cold, rushed to the trap door. Both he and Richard tugged at it with all of their strength, but the door would not budge.

“Damn it! Somebody must have chained it to the ladder or something,” Tsaeris said. Whoever was behind this had obviously known about the escape route. “Richard, do you have an axe?” Tsaeris asked.

“
Yes,” Richard said doubtfully. “But the door is steel plated. I don’t...” Richard said, but Tsaeris interrupted him.

“
Just get it!” He yelled.

Richard nodded and disappeared for a moment, returning with a large steel axe. He began slamming it’s blade down on the trap door, his muscles tightening with the force of the blows. Tsaeris knew almost immediately that it was hopeless. It was clear that the axe would break long before the trap door.

Tsaeris rushed out into the common room again. People were shouting now as they realized what was happening. Raina ran to Tsaeris. Her face was calm, but he eyes betrayed her fear.

“
Fire,” she said.

“
I know,” he replied, his voice hoarse from the smoke. His lungs were aching, and he felt light headed. He wanted nothing more at that moment than fresh air.

“
The trap door?” Raina asked,

“
Sealed. As is the front door. And the entire upper floor is burning as we speak. We can’t get to the windows.

“
What do we do?” She asked.

Tsaeris stared at her without answering. Her eyes widened, and she understood. They were not getting out. Her face became resigned, although fearful, and she stared hard at Tsaeris.

“Looks like they got us,” she said, between bouts of coughing.

Tsaeris nodded softly. The room, which had been full of panic only moments before, began to quiet as people could do nothing more than cough. There wasn’t enough air left to talk.

Tsaeris braced himself on a table, and watched other people braced themselves as well, unable to stand under their own strength as they began to slowly succumb to the choking smoke. He wanted to mouth “I’m sorry” to Raina, who was leaning heavily on the table in front of him, but all he could do was cough. His throat burned, and his eye watered.

The ceiling above him made
a loud cracking sound, as the flames began to devour the floor. It would collapse soon. As if to mock him, a piece of the wood fell from above and crashed to the floor, smoldering angrily. A hole had opened above him, and belched angry clouds of sooty smoke into the common room. What had started as a gradual thickening of the air became an impenetrable wall of poison.

He could hear the coughing in the room slow, and knew it would not be long now. Unable to think of anything else he could do, Tsaeris laid his head down onto the table between his arms and waited to die.

The streets were loud with voices despite the night. A large tank of water sat upon a horse drawn wagon, a long hose attached to the brass lid. A member of the fire brigade pointed the end of the nozzle at the inferno raging on the front wall of the Tarnished Tankard. Another member of the brigade frantically operated a pump attached to the tank, making sure the hose was fed a steady stream of water.

              The building was lost, that much was certain. The only hope now was to extinguish enough of the flames to access the doors, and help those inside escape. Even that hope was a dim one. The fire was strong and determined, and the blaze had been burning for a while. If those trapped inside weren’t already dead, they wouldn’t last much longer.

Elias watched helplessly as the tavern was slowly consumed, cursing himself for their collected stupidity. He wasn’t sure how many novices were inside, but he expected that there were quite a few. He also had a sick feeling that Tsaeris was inside. Tsaeris was almost always in the tavern at this time of night, unless he was on a mission. Elias knew very well that Tsaeris had no mission this night.

Tyrier stood with Elias, the two men watching silently. Elias knew that he must be feeling the same dread that he was. He had never expected that the killer would be brazen enough to attack the novices here. If they all died, it was on Elias’ hands.

The fire brigade began rushing forward. The flames around the door were extinguished. Elias felt a glimmer of hope. They faded quickly as the fire brigade began yanking on the door. It wouldn’t open.

“It’s sealed,” one of them shouted.

“
Nailed?” The other asked.

“
No. Look like the handle is melted. Ain't no fire melted this. Get an axe!” It was too late. The fire spread over the door again.

Elias sighed in resignation. The fire would eventually open the door for them, but it would be too late. The door was reinforced, and thick. It would probably be the last of the building consumed. Elias knew now without a doubt that this fire w
as no accident. That the handle was melted and fused was fairly conclusive. Elias knew of several types of acid that could have done the job. The killer must be very well instructed.

The fire had been raging now for at least ten minutes. Smoke would claim those inside before the flames did. He wished there was something he could do, but it was hopeless. He glanced at his brother.

“How long?” Elias asked.

“
Ten minutes of smoke inhalation is usually fatal. Sometimes you can go as long as fifteen, though anything after ten will almost always end with brain damage.”

Elias nodded. It was almost over. Depending where the fire had started, they may already be dead. There was no way to tell when the smoke would have reached those in the common room but, either way, they didn’t have long. Elias watched the stream of water shoot from the hose. It seemed to vanish instantly as it hit the fire. The small stream of water seemed useless against so angry a blaze. The fire brigade was under staffed and poorly funded. It was no surprise that in the battle of fire versus the brigade, fire almost always came out victorious.

A loud popping sound could be heard from within. Elias frowned. He figured it must be the sound of wood snapping. He found it odd, however, considering how well he could hear it over the noise of the fire brigade and the civilians watching the event.

He heard it again, and this time he knew what it was, what it must be. He rushed forward towards the fire brigade.

“Everyone, back up!” he yelled. People turned to look at him, frowning. “Get out of the way, now! Away from the building!”

Everyone backed up, not willing to bet their lives on whether or not this man was crazy. The fire brigade stared at Elias, waiting for an explanation.

“Hang on. Just...wait,” he said.

A moment later the front wall of the tavern exploded outward in a shower of splintered and burning wood. The building began to creak in protest, and would
collapse soon. From out of the newly formed hole in the wall, people began to pour into the streets. Most of them were supporting others who were either hurt or unconscious. Maybe dead.

At the lead of the group was Tsaeris, who was now on his knees vomiting violently onto the cobblestone street. Elias could not stop the grin that came over his face.

As the only Doctor present, Tyrier ran to the retching and coughing group, and began frantically checking on the welfare of those conscious, and those who had yet to move. Tsaeris looked up at Elias, and nodded. Elias nodded back, relief flooding over him. That damn boy had done well.

***

“I put my head down on a table, pretty sure I was dead,” Tsaeris told Elias as Tyrier checked on the others. “Then I remembered that I’m armed to the teeth with explosives. Tried to blow up the door first, but it wouldn’t move. Found a part of the front wall that seemed weaker, and put almost every explosive I had against it. It seemed to do the trick.”

             
“Good thinking,” Elias said.

             
“I figured one of two things would happen. It would open a way out, or bring the building down on top of us.” As if in response, the tavern gave a final groan and began collapsing inward. Clouds of smoke and ash soared into the air, but now everyone was far enough away that nobody was hurt. Tsaeris grimaced. “My luck has gotta run out soon.”

             
At the behest of Tyrier, the Brigade removed the tank of water from the large wagon, and helped Tyrier lay the unconscious down in its place to be brought to his clinic. It was a massive wagon, and easily held the dozen or so wounded. As the wagon rolled away, Tyrier came to speak with Tsaeris and Elias.

“
Against all odds, everyone seems to be alive. A few agents are unconscious. I expect they should recover. The killer failed this night, despite how easy we made it for him.”

“
How’s Aedrus?” Tsaeris asked, coughing immediately afterwards. Tsaeris was impressed with how well the boy had held up during the whole ordeal. He never panicked, and had even helped Tsaeris stack the explosives.

“
His throat and chest are sore, but he seems fine otherwise. We got off lucky.”

Tsaeris nodded,
and then rubbed his eye. His face was sooty, and a lot of that soot had made its way into his eye. He felt constant tears running down his cheek.

“
It’s a shame. I liked the Tankard,” Tsaeris said, solemnly.

“
We’ll have to spread the agents out among the other Third Eye taverns in the district for now,” Elias said.

Tsaeris nodded again, not really feeling like talking. His voice was hoarse and his throat burned.

The streets had emptied again, as citizens found their way back to their beds now that the spectacle was over. Richard and Raina stood with Aedrus, speaking quietly. The other agents and novices had disappeared, no doubt making their way to the safe house. Tsaeris signaled to Raina, who nodded. She escorted Aedrus away, taking him to the safe house as well. Richard followed, looking depressed and defeated. That inn had been a big part of the man.

“
You two busy tonight?” Tyrier asked.

“
Need help at the clinic?” Elias asked.

“
Yeah. There a good dozen of those unconscious agents and novices. Will be easier to treat them with a few extra hands.”

Tsaeris nodded his agreement, and he, Elias and Tyrier began the walk to the clinic
. The walk was quiet, and the three men spoke little. Tsaeris spoke the least, as talking was just too painful and uncomfortable. Though he did cough occasionally.

About half way to the clinic, they saw the wagon. It was stopped next to one of the street lanterns. The three men looked at each other. Why would the wagon have stopped? Tsaeris had a bad feeling about this.

The first thing they noticed as they approached the wagon was the bodies of the Fire Brigade members. The four horses that had pulled the wagon were also dead. It was impossible to tell how they died from this distance, but the slick wet blood illuminated by the lantern light hinted at the violent nature of the deaths.

Tsaeris drew a dagger, and the other two men drew their swords. On silent feet, they reached the wagon and looked inside. Thick sticky blo
od was dripping from the back of the wagon onto the street. Tsaeris could see the rage ignite behind Elias’ eyes. Tyrier gritted his teeth and climbed into the back of the wagon. After a few moments he climbed back out.

“
Throats slit, all of them. They were unconscious when it happened. Eight novices and four agents.”

Tsaeris cursed. Moments after stupidly allowing the killer easy access to the novices in the tavern, they left them alone, protected only by members of the fire brigade. They were becoming careless and it was costing lives. Tsaeris could see the sentiment reflected in the faces of his companions.

“There’s a sewer nearby. We have to take the bodies away and clean this scene. Best we keep this away from the watch and the people,” Elias said.

“
So not only are we as good as throwing our novices at this killer, now we’re cleaning up after him as well. We’re making his life pretty damn easy,” Tsaeris said bitterly.

“
Not for long. I intend to make his life very hard, very soon,” Elias said coldly

The men took the bodies of the fire brigade first and threw them with a loud splash into the dark sewers below. Next they began cutting up the horses. They seemed to want to leave the worst of it for last, none of them too enthusiastic to handle the bodies of their dead novices and brother agents.

The wagon was too heavy for the men to move, so they took the bodies one by one and dropped them down the sewer. The entire job took over an hour. There was no way to clean the blood or remove the wagon, but at least the bodies would be gone. It would have been too risky to leave bodies of Third Eye Initiative just lying around. A sign of weakness like that could prove dangerous if word reached the thieves guilds and other unsavory organizations that feared the Initiative.

Tsaeris, Elias and Tyrier stood staring at the wagon for a few moments after the work was done, catching their breath after the grisly task. Tsaeris in particular was exhausted, and had contributed the least to the job. He was already weak enough from the smoke.

Tsaeris was about to suggest that they leave when he suddenly felt his throat close up. A wire tightened around his neck, two strong hands looping it painfully around his throat. He tried to struggle but was forced to his knees. While he struggled, he could see that Elias and Tyrier were also on their knees, hands to their neck. Shadowy figures stood behind them.

Tsaeri
s could feel blood dripping down his neck and chest as the wire cut into his flesh. His eye bulged and felt like it would pop out of his head any moment now. He cursed silently. He had escaped one death this night only to find another right around the corner.

He would soon be dead, as would Tyrier and Elias. Without those two he wondered what would become of the Initiative. Perhaps that was the whole idea.

Without a doubt, he knew their enemy was determined not only to cripple their novices, but to destroy the entire Initiative. Without Elias, it might very well succeed.

Tsaeris fought the unconsciousness as long as he could. Not while he had one breath left would he allow this to happen. He would have chuckled then, if he could. It was so out of character for him. Nobility, heroism. None of it had ever meant anything to him. Yet, he was going to die anyway. Why make it easy on them?

              His decision was made. He wasn’t sure if it would save his friends, or kill them, but it was a chance at least. He closed his eye, reached one hand into his coat and removed the pin from the last explosive hidden inside his coat.