The Third Eye Initiative (34 page)

They kissed for a long time, and Tsaeris stroked the inside of her still clothed thigh with his hand. When his hand slid between her legs, she let out a small moan of pleasure against his lips. She reached out and began unbuckling his belt.

They sat up as Tsaeris removed his pants and boots and threw them onto the floor in front of the bed. He put his arms around her and began kissing her neck tenderly. She gasped and leaned her head to the side. He bit her playfully, moved away from her neck and stared into her eyes.

He reached out and began undoing the buttons of her dark brown leather
vest. His hands worked fast, his anticipation fueling his desire. Two buttons undone, then three. Finally the vest was open, and she removed in. She reached in to kiss him, but Tsaeris held her back, staring at her chest in horror.

“
What is it?” Raina asked, nervously. “What’s wrong?”

Tsaeris did not reply, and just continued to stare. Around her neck was a long leather cord. And sitting on the end of the cord, against her breast, was a polished brass ring.

The room
was almost as dark as the night outside. A single candle lay upon the desk, illuminating a map of Market district. The figure, cloaked in the deepest black, stared down at the human shaped pawns placed at several spots on the map, some black, others blue. Another smaller map lay next to it. This map showed the catacombs under Market, with a large circle representing the Third Eye Initiative safe house.

He smiled to himself softly as he considered the placement of his pawns. Tonight. In the next few hours, everything would change. His master stroke was set, and he had
but to wait for the pieces to fall into place. He moved his hand over the two pawns sitting in the safe house. He lifted the black pawn, and used to it knock over the blue. It fell on its side with an audible thud. He was confident that that move would have played itself out by now.

He looked over at the map of Market, and moved the t
wo black pawns into position beside the three blue pawns. It was time to wait. Soon, those pawns would be removed, and the game could begin in earnest. He smiled at the sound of thunder. A storm. How wonderfully dramatic.

***

Aedrus was hungry. He sat at the table, crumbs of bread and the grease from roasted chicken was all that was left of his meal. He looked to Elias with a hopeful look. The one he got in return did not fill him with hope.

             
“Sorry, boy. Would take an army of cooks to make enough to fill you and Tyrier both,” Elias said. Aedrus sighed, and Tyrier, who sat across from him, grunted.

“
Can I at least get some ale?” Aedrus asked.

Elias gave him a hard stare.

“Get it yourself,” Elias said, harshly.

“
Fine. Where is it?”

Elias pointed to a cask of ale, which sat only two feet to Aedrus’ right. Aedrus
smiled gulped down the last of his water and walked over to the cask and filled his mug with the amber brew. He looked at Tyrier, and raised a questioning eyebrow. Tyrier nodded. Aedrus filled his mug as well, and then sat back down at the table.

Elias stared at Aedrus again.

“What?” Aedrus asked.

“
No, I’m fine. Not thirsty, but thanks for offering,” Elias said dryly.

“
I think you just like being mad,” Aedrus accused.

Elias rolled his eyes, and shot a quick glare at Tyrier, who was chuckling. Elias sat down at the table, next to his brother.

“Why do I have to stay here, Elias?” Aedrus asked.

“
Because it’s late and I don’t feel like escorting you back to the safe house.” Elias replied.

“
I don’t need an escort.” Aedrus replied indignantly.

“
What are you, an idiot?” Tyrier bellowed.

“
I’m aware of the dead novices, Tyrier. I just don’t think I’ll end up as one of them.” Aedrus countered.

“
Yeah?” Tyrier began, scratching at his beard. “Why’s that?”

“
I’m just too good,” Aedrus said, a sly smile on his face.

“
Too good?” Tyrier yelled out, laughing. “Boy, you live in a neat and tidy little fantasy land, don’t you? Word to the wise. Nobody is too good to die. Now stop being such and ingrate, and just shut up and deal with it. It’s one bloody night.”

“
Well, where am I going to sleep?” Aedrus asked. “Tsaeris’ room?”

“
Uh,” Elias began, “no. I don’t think so. His room is death trap. If he ever gets himself killed, I’ll probably just sell the bloody house rather than risk going down there to clean it out. You’ll sleep in my bed tonight.”

Aedrus was young, so naturally that only made him want to sleep down there ever more. He wasn’t going to argue about it, however. He was fairly certain that arguing with Elias was always a dead end.

Something was going on, of that he was sure. The way that Elias and Doctor Giant kept exchanging glances, and the nervous tension in almost everything they said, was more than enough to tell him that something wasn’t quite right.

“
What happened with that guy the other night? The one who followed me and Tsaeris?” Aedrus asked.

“
He’s dead,” Elias replied. “Was just some mugger.”

“
A mugger? Then why did Tsaeris send for you two?” Aedrus asked.

“
He wanted to find out if the guy was rogue, or a member of a Thief guild crossing a line.”

“
Uh huh,” Aedrus replied, knowing it was a lie and accepting it was all he would get. He cursed silently. He was so bored. These two were not much for conversation.

Aedrus took a long pull of his ale, and decided it was probably time to get some sleep. It was late, and there really wasn’t anything to do.

He excused himself, and Elias showed him where the bed room was. He opened the door and walked inside, candle in hand. He looked around the room. There was only a small desk, and a bed. Even Elias’ bedroom was boring.

Aedrus lay down in the bed without
undressing, removing only his short sword and placing it on the floor leaning upright against the bed, and was surprised at how tired he really was. He closed his eyes and fell asleep almost immediately.

He wasn’t sure how long he had slept when his eyes suddenly opened. It couldn’t have been more than an hour or so, since the candle that he had placed on the desk had only burned a small fraction of
its length. He looked around the room, wondering what had awakened him. Maybe a sound from outside. His stomach felt like it was in knots. Something was wrong. A flash of lightning followed by a boom of thunder sounded outside his window. He decided it was probably the storm that had awakened him. For some reason, he didn’t quite believe it.

He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, and rubbed his eyes. He took a moment to shake off the last remnants of sleep,
and then rose to his feet. He reached his hand to his side and felt the reassuring hilt of his short sword still leaning against the bed. He had almost hoped that it had been his sword falling to the floor that had awakened him. He took a moment to strap the scabbard to his belt, the moved to the door of the room.

He pushed the door open only a crack and peeked out. It was dark. Tyrier and Elias must have extinguished the candles
and gone to sleep. Aedrus stepped out into the hall on quiet feet, careful not to wake his hosts. He had almost reached the living room when he felt his foot bump up against something in the darkness. Aedrus swallowed hard, and slowly crouched to his knees. He reached out. It was Doctor Giant. Dead? He shook the big man, but there was no response. Aedrus’ eyes filled with tears, and he rubbed them away. He stepped over the body of his friend and moved into the living room.

             
It only took him a moment to locate Elias, who lay on the floor near the table. It was hard to see in the darkness, but it didn’t look like the two men had put up much of a struggle. He found that very hard to believe.

             
A small sound escaped the kitchen. It was very slight, the shifting of a boot, or the creak of a leather belt. Without his training he never would have picked it up, but for a member of the Third Eye Initiative, the sound might as well have been a trumpet blaring.

His sense of sadness and loss was replaced by rage, red hot and thirsty for blood. Whoever had done this was in that kitchen. He removed his short sword from
its scabbard and he could feel that it too was hungry for the blood of this murderer.

His weight was balanced on the balls of his feet, and he made no sound as he crossed the living room
to the kitchen door. He pressed his ear against the wood, listening for a sound, any sound. There was nothing. Whoever was behind that door must have heard him leave his room, and was waiting for him to open that door. An ambush.

Ambush this, he
thought, and he kicked open the door, and leaped back. Nothing. No attacker came from within. A flame burned in the cooking hearth, a kettle hanging over the fire. Somebody had been about to make tea or coffee.

Aedrus approached the door again, his senses on high alert for any sound, any sign of movement. He knew that somebody had been in that kitchen moments ago. They must still be inside. He crossed the door frame with one foot, his left hand pressed slightly against the door. If somebody mo
ved on the other side, it would disturb the door and he would feel it. Feeling secure for the moment on his left side, he kept his eyes fixed to the right. The small flame of the hearth cast dancing shadows along the walls, but there didn’t appear to be anyone there. They must be hiding behind the open door, he decided.

Aedrus took a deep steadying breath, pulled back his left hand,
and then hit the door hard, hoping to stun whoever was behind it. The door slammed into the wall, meeting no resistance.

He stood there,
stunned. Where had the murderer gone? This was impossible. He was still struggling with his bafflement when he felt the legs wrap around his neck from above. The rafters! How had he not checked above him?

Aedrus tried to slash at the legs with his sword, but quickly realized that he was mo
re likely to cut his own throat than to injure his attacker. He dropped his sword to the ground, and reached up to grab the legs. Using all of his strength, he threw himself face first into the floor. The sudden shift of weight pulled his attacker down with him, and the man rolled into the wall.

Aedrus jumped to his feet, grabbing up his sword. He held it out before him, as his attacker had been equally quick to rise.

“What are you going to do with that, child?” The man asked in a slightly high pitched, mocking voice.

“
Oh, I don’t know. Stab you, maybe?” Aedrus replied, and then leaped forward thrusting his sword at the hooded man’s chest. The man’s own sword seemed to leap into his hand, and he knocked Aedrus’ sword aside, then slapped Aedrus on his hand with the flat of his blade. Aedrus’ sword flew from his grip.

Aedrus cursed, and began backing away. The flame of the hearth was behind Aedrus now, and it cast his attacker in deep shadows, making it hard for Aedrus to track his movements. It didn’t help that the man was quickly side stepping left then right, trying to throw Aedrus off.

Aedrus kept backing up, but was forced to stop when he felt the heat of the fire behind him. Aedrus knew he was running out of time.

“
What now?” The man asked, his tone still mocking.

“
You look thirsty.” Aedrus replied. The man didn’t speak, seemingly unsure of how to respond to the odd statement. Aedrus didn’t give him a chance to figure it out. Quick as a bolt of lightning, Aedrus reached behind himself, pulling kettle of boiling water from the hearth, and emptied its contents into the man’s face. And how the man screamed.

Aedrus cursed and shook his hand, trying to alleviate the pain,
as the hot kettle had burned him. He walked over to the man who was still writhing in pain on the floor. He kicked the man hard in the ribs.

“
Not so tough now,” Aedrus mocked. “You killed my friends. Trust me when I say that this is only the beginning...” Aedrus’ speech was interrupted by what felt like an unusually painful mosquito bite in the side of his neck. He reached up, and pulled a small feathered dart from his neck. His vision blurred.

“
You assholes,” Aedrus muttered as his legs gave way beneath him. He saw the silhouette of another man enter the room a moment before the darkness claimed him.

Tsaeris stared at the brass ring for what felt like a long time.
Raina was an Elite. Tsaeris felt stung by the betrayal. Raina seemed confused, even hurt, by his sudden shift in demeanor.

“
Tsaeris, what’s wrong?” Raina asked for the second time.

“
Uh,” Tsaeris said, taking a moment to clear his throat, and to pull his eyes from the brass ring. “Uh, nothing. Nothing’s wrong. I just don’t feel well, suddenly.”

“
Did you drink too much?” Raina asked, concern on her face.

“
Maybe, just give me a moment to clear my head,” Tsaeris replied.

Tsaeris stood up from the bed, and leaned his forehead against the
door. This wasn’t fair. Raina was his friend, one of the only friends that he had. How could she be an Elite? What should he do? Maybe he should just leave and warn Elias. But what then? Raina was one of them, she would have information. What were the odds he would be able to get his hands on another Elite if Raina disappeared? 

He knew that he needed to take advantage of this, to get some answers. But this was Raina
. They had been friends since he had been recruited. They had laughed, eaten and drank together. She was there with him when Cyra had died, had even stood ready to die beside him during the bombing of the Dwarven Arms Fair. He hated this.

“
Tsaeris, are you alright? Do you need me to get the Doctor?” Raina asked. The genuine concern in her voice bit deep into Tsaeris.

Tsaeris didn’t reply. He leaned away from the door, and lifted his left hand up, and
pulled the latch closed. The lock slid into place with an audible click. It had the sound of finality to Tsaeris. He could hear Raina shifting uncomfortable on the bed behind him, not entirely sure as to what was going on. He knelt down for a moment, and silently removed a dagger from his discarded boot. He kept the hilt hidden in his palm, and the blade pressed against the inside of his wrist.

“
Oh, yeah. Locking the door is probably a good idea. Don’t want anyone walking in on us,” Raina said, followed by forced chuckle.

“
No,” Tsaeris said. “We don’t.” Finally, he turned to face her. “How could you be one of them, Raina? How could you do it?”

“
What?” Raina asked, confused. “One of who? Do what?”

“
Those novices. Kids, all of them,” Tsaeris said, his voice cold and his expression dark.

“
What are you talking about?” Raina asked.

“
You’re an Elite, Raina.”

“
An Elite? What the hell does that mean?” Raina asked. Her tone shifted, and her muscles tensed. She was on her guard, and it was clear she knew exactly what he meant.

“
Don’t, Raina. I know what the brass ring means,” Tsaeris said.

“
You’re out of your mind, Tsaeris. I don’t know what you’re talking about. Maybe you need to sleep off the drink.”

Tsaeris nodded softly,
and then lunged at her. He struck her hard with his fist on her left cheek. She fell back onto the bed with a cry of pain. Tsaeris jumped on top of her, pinning her with his legs. Raina threw her head into his face, her forehead connecting with his nose. Blood poured from his nostrils. He leaned his head back out of reach, to avoid another blow, and put the dagger to her throat.

“
I’m tired of this shit. I want answers. Where are the Elites?” Tsaeris asked, his teeth barred in anger.

             
“Tsaeris, please. Let me go. Why are you doing this?” Raina pleaded.

“
I will repeat myself one more time, then things are going to get much, much worse for you. I know about the Elites. I know about the brass ring. Don’t you dare deny it again.”

“
Tsaeris,” Raina began. She paused for a long moment. “Look, the Elites are a unit in the Initiative. We’re on the same side.”

“
Same side? You’ve been killing novices,” Tsaeris yelled.

“
Everybody we have killed have been enemies of the Initiative. Traitors who were about to reveal the Initiative to others.”

“
Bullshit!” Tsaeris growled. “Bullshit. What about the Tankard? The Elites burned that down, tried to kill everyone inside. Novices, agents. Richard loved that place. He was your friend, Raina. Not a traitor.”

“
Are you an idiot, Tsaeris? The Elites didn’t burn down the Tankard. Do you forget that I was in there as well? I was going to die until you got us out.” Raina said.

“
Maybe that was a price you were willing to pay,” Tsaeris argued.

“
We have never killed anyone who was not an enemy of the Initiative. We would not burn down the tavern.”

“
Really? Are me, Elias and Tyrier traitors?” Tsaeris asked.

“
What? Of course not.”

“
Really? Because the Elites have been trying to kill us.”

“
That’s a lie,” Raina accused.

“
Like hell it is. The Elites have turned against the Initiative, have turned against Gravelock,” Tsaeris said.

“
We serve Gravelock, you fool!” Raina yelled.

Tsaeris was about to say more, then he paused. Raina seemed sure of what she was saying. Either she really believed this, or she was one hell of a liar.

“Raina. Who is your leader?” Tsaeris asked. “Not Gravelock, but the leader of the Elites.”

“
I don’t know. I never see him. My orders come down a chain,” Raina said. She stared hard at Tsaeris.

He wanted so badly to believe her. Could it be possible that Raina was out of the loop?
Being used against the Initiative without even realizing it? Could he risk it?

“
Where do the Elites meet?” Tsaeris asked.

“
We’ve had many meeting places. It changes constantly,” Raina replied. A small line of blood dripped from beneath the dagger held against her throat.

“
The most recent one, Raina,” Tsaeris asked pushing the knife even harder against her throat.

“
I can’t tell you that, Tsaeris. I won’t. I swore an oath.”

“
Raina. The Elites have gone rogue. They have been killing kids. They tried to kill your friends. They do not serve the Initiative. Either you’re a liar, or you’re being played.”

“
They wouldn’t turn, Tsaeris. They are the true hand of the Initiative.” Raina replied.

“
Not anymore. They even tried to kill you in the tavern when they burned it down. Remember the novices and agents who had fallen unconscious in the smoke? The Elites waylaid the wagon, murdered them when they still sleep, and killed the fire brigade members.”

“
That’s a lie.”

“
Elias, Tyrier and I found the bodies. Three men then tried to kill us. Elias found the rings, and he knew damn well what that meant. Do you trust Elias?” Tsaeris said.

“
This can’t be true. My brothers would never...”

“
Your brothers betrayed us, and you. Kids, Raina. They killed kids. They need to be stopped.” Tsaeris said.

“
Tsaeris,” Raina said.

“
Forget Elias, Raina. We’ve been friends forever. Do you trust me?” Tsaeris asked, taking the knife away from her throat.

Raina hesitated.

“If you don’t help me now, then any blood that comes next is on your hands. We need to avenge those kids, and we need to stop any more of them from dying. If you’re truly an Elite, and you serve the Initiative, then you have to help me. I promise you. Helping me is serving the Initiative.”

Raina stared at him for a long time. Finally she sighed, a frustrated tear running down her cheek. Taking a deep breathe, she told
him the most recent meeting location of the Elites. Tsaeris frowned when she told him, feeling a sense of unease.

“
Thank you, Raina. You did the right thing.” Tsaeris told her, and then hit her hard in the side of her left temple with the hilt of his dagger, and she collapsed unconscious onto the bed. It was nice that she trusted him. He hoped that one day he could return the favor. But at the moment, he couldn’t risk her having a change of heart and warning the Elites.

He spent a moment securing her to the bed
with a rope he kept in the trunk, dressed quickly, and left the safe house.

***

Lightning crashed and the rain poured onto the city, leaving tiny rivers rushing towards draining grates along the street. When Tsaeris had first entered the sewers, he knew it must be raining heavily outside, as the walkways were flooded.

             
He held his long coat closed, and his hood down to try and shield him from the fury of the storm. It took him longer than usual to reach the house that he shared with Elias.

             
He knew instantly that something was wrong. The front door was open, and there was no light coming from within. He stepped into the house, and removed a candle from the wall. He lit it quickly with flint and steel, and waited a moment for his eye to adjust to the light

.
              The first thing he noticed was a body in the hallways. A big body. He cursed, and rushed over to it. It was Tyrier. He knelt down, and held the candle to the man’s face. He put his fingers to Tyrier’s neck, and his fingers brushed something piercing the skin. He pulled it out. It was a small feathered dart.

             
Tsaeris put the candle down on the floor, and snapped the dart in half. He took a small needle from his coat and ran it along the inside of the dart. A small resin rubbed off onto the needle. He brought the needle to his mouth and licked the resin. He sighed with relief. It was a poison known as Fairy Dream. It was non-fatal, but could knock a man out for hours. Just to be sure, he held his fingers to the side of Tyrier’s neck. He could feel the heart beating. The big man was alive.

He found Elias a moment later in the living room. A quick examination had confirmed that Elias had been drugged by the same poison. He was relieved that the two men lived, but was also very worried. He had expected to go after the Elites with Elias and Tyrier supporting him. There was nobody else who was privy to the existence of The Elites, so he was on his own. He knew what that meant.

He searched the house, but found it empty. He was alone with the two unconscious men. He might have given up then, and waited for his friends to awaken before moving against the Elites. But he knew he couldn’t. The house was empty. Aedrus was gone.

The Elites had never taken novices before, only killed them. But Aedrus’ body was nowhere to be found. There was a small chance that he was still alive, and Tsaeris couldn’t abandon him. Candle in hand, he pushed open the door leading to his room in the basement of the house.

              He spent a few moments lighting candles, making the room nice and bright. There was dangerous work that needed to be done before he left, and he couldn’t do it in the dark. He walked around the room, opening several sealed crates. Inside were piles of small explosive devices. He opened his coat, and began rearming himself. He moved to his chemical station, put a mask over his mouth, and opened the stoppers on several of the vials. Before long noxious fumes filled the room.

             
A shadow fell over his workstation and Tsaeris spun around quickly, instinctively falling into a defensive crouch. Tsaeris felt his breath catch in his throat, and he froze in fear.

             
Two powerful hands grabbed Tsaeris by the front of his shirt, and slammed him down onto his lab station, shattering the table beneath his weight. As he slammed against the floor, Tsaeris rolled out of the remains of broken glass and deadly chemicals right into the ankles of his attacker, tripping him to the floor. Tsaeris quickly regained his feet.

             
His heart pounded as the figure rose, his black robed and hooded form stretching to its enormous height. The figure stood absolutely still, the blackness where the shadows hid his face seeming to stare right into Tsaeris’ soul.

             
Tsaeris’ right hand moved of its own accord, touching his chest where the scarred carving of a Turindiel word lay etched in his flesh. The scar seemed to ache suddenly, as if in response to encountering its creator.

             
“The Purity Union is gone,” Tsaeris said, his voice shaking. The man did not respond.

             
Tsaeris had not seen his attacker since the fall of the Union. He had been so sure that this man had been a member, and his disappearance had seemed to confirm it. But here he was, and Tsaeris knew he was in serious trouble.

             
Tsaeris reached a hand quickly into his coat to retrieve an explosive, but the man was quicker and sprung forward to catch his wrist. The man lifted Tsaeris’ straight up in the air with one arm, and his feet dangled off of the floor. The man reached into his robes and produced a dagger.