The Third Eye Initiative (8 page)

Tsaeris nodded, shook the Ranger’s hand and went up to his room to drink and sleep.

***

Tsaeris lay awake in bed. His bottle of whiskey was untouched. His mind raced over the events of the day, and the fear he had felt in the alley returned. He had almost died, and for what? To save some whore he had just met? He wasn’t sure what had come over him. Tsaeris had always lived by a strict code of survival. His life above all others. Yet there he was, about to die for that girl. Never again, he vowed to himself. He liked Cyra just fine, but she was not worth his life. Nobody was.

He still didn’t understand exactly what had happened in that alley. Who had killed those men? Why would somebody save his life? He didn’t have any friends, and the only person he even knew in Market was Cyra. Maybe whoever had helped them had been trying to save Cyra, not him. That made more sense, he decided.

Tsaeris didn’t spend much time thinking about his new found heritage. He really didn’t care. So he was part elf. To him, it was an interesting fact and nothing more. It didn’t change his life in any meaningful way.

When sleep finally came for him, it was uneasy, and full of nightmares. He awoke in the morning feeling like he hadn’t slept at all. His mind foggy with lack of sleep, Tsaeris dressed slowly, and headed to the common room to buy some breakfast.

He entered the common room, and stopped. A man was talking to the innkeeper. The man was dressed in a brown cloak, and wore a leather breastplate. Tsaeris could see a dagger hanging on his belt. The man looked to be of middle age, and his rugged face had not seen a razor in at least a few days.

“He’s a short boy, white hair. Hard to miss. Been told he was staying here.”

Tsaeris froze. His instincts screamed at him. He didn’t know who this man was, but he had a bad feeling about this. He knew it was time to leave. Without another
second’s hesitation, Tsaeris bolted for the door. The man turned at the sounds of the boy running, and quickly gave chase.

Tsaeris ran as fast as he could through the morning
crowds. The wind blew his scarf up into his face, and he batted it away irritably.  Surely somebody would try to stop a man chasing a small boy like himself. He looked over his shoulder to see the man not far behind him. What was he thinking? This was The City. He was on his own.

The streets were full of people heading to work. Tsaeris made for the largest concentration of people, hoping to lose the man in the crowd. It was no use. His white hair made him an easy target to spot. He cursed himself for leaving his cap in his room. He broke from the crowd, and sprinted down a long alley between buildings. The man was faster than him, and was gaining quickly. He had to lose him. The alley split off into two different directions at the end, and Tsaeris ran right. A pile of large crates sat against the wall. He had a few seconds left until his pursuer rounded the corner. Tsaeris ran up the crates as fast as he could, and jumped. His hand barely caught the edge of the roof of the building, and he began pulling himself up.

A hand grabbed his ankle before he crested the top and yanked Tsaeris hard to the ground. He felt the air burst from his lungs as his body struck the hard alley floor. A heavy foot pressed down on his chest, and Tsaeris cried out in pain.

“
You best be quiet, kid. I’ll kill you right here and now if you yell again.” The man leaned over and put a sharp knife to Tsaeris’ throat.

“
What do you want?” Tsaeris spoke quietly, not wanting to anger the man.

“
Been working the streets, have you boy?”

Tsaeris shook his head in denial.

“Don’t lie to me. Not a lot of white-haired boys ‘round here.”

It must have been Duncan. That son of a bitch.

“Look. I...I won’t work the streets no more. I just stole a bit. Only enough to eat. I’ll stop, I promise.” Tsaeris hated how small his voice sounded.

“
Ah, lad. Too late for that. Yes, too late. We let you go, and it sends the wrong message to the other little shits. Can’t be soft now, can we?” The man hauled Tsaeris to his feet.

“
Please. I’ve only been here a few days. I’ll leave, and you’ll never have to worry about me again.”

“
It don’t work that way, boy. You’re coming with me, and if you make a sound I’ll kill you quick. Now move.”

The man positioned himself behind Tsaeris, and pressed the knife point into his back. He marched Tsaeris deeper into the alley. Tsaeris felt himself on the verge of panic. He was sweating profusely, and he thought he might vomit. The man stopped him over a sewer grate.

“Open the sewer, boy.” The man ordered.

Confused, but not willing to argue with the man, Tsaeris did as he was told. As soon as the sewer was open, the man pushed Tsaeris hard from behind, and the boy fell into the darkness. He splashed down hard in filthy water, and he heard the man descend a creaky ladder behind him. Tsaeris coughed out a lungful of foul water.

The man pushed Tsaeris further into the dark sewers, seemingly able to navigate the darkness with no need for light. Tsaeris considered trying to run, but decided that it was too risky. This man knew the sewers and Tsaeris did not.

They seemed to walk for hours, and Tsaeris could not help but remember the Neutral Roads. He doubted
The City Watch would be rescuing him down here. Finally the man put a hand on the boys shoulder, and the two stopped. He heard a loud screeching sound, and suddenly his eyes were blinded by torchlight. When his eyes recovered he saw that a small square of the brick ceiling had been pushed open, and the light came from beyond the hole. A false ceiling.

Somebody above them dropped a rope ladder into the sewer. The man ordered Tsaeris to climb up the ladder. He climbed about half way,
and then was hauled up roughly by multiple hands. He looked around. The room he was in was simple. It had some tables, chairs and a bar on the right wall. The wooden walls were worn, but clean. Dozens of men filled the room, and all of them were looking at Tsaeris. A greasy-looking man with a rat-like face and long, dirty hair stood right in front of Tsaeris, grinning an evil smile at the boy.

The rat-faced man leaned over the hole in the floor, and yelled down to the man who was still in the sewers.

“What’s this, then?”

“
This is the one the boss was looking for. Don’t kill him before the boss sees him. I’m heading back into the streets,” the man in the sewers replied.

Rat Face gestured to a man to reseal the hidden entrance,
and then faced Tsaeris again.

“
Alright. Come with me, boy. Don’t be doin’ nuthin’ funny.”

Tsaeris was marched through the drinking room in what he had decided must be a Thieves Guild safe-house. The thieves all smiled at him, and Tsaeris felt his skin crawling. He was le
d through a door at the far end of the room, and into a plain looking hallway. They passed several rooms before the man stopped. He produced a key, and opened a door, and then pushed Tsaeris into the room.

“
You just sit here nice and quiet-like until the boss is ready.”

The door slammed shut. The room was small, and empty. There was no furniture, no bed, and no bucket. Obviously they didn’t keep people in here for very long. Tsaeris did not find that reassuring.

Tsaeris sat down with his back to the wall. He couldn’t believe Duncan had done this to him. He hadn’t even gone back to see Cyra. This wasn’t fair. This trip to market was supposed to be profitable, and maybe even fun. Now he was probably going to die. He wished Jason were still alive so he could kill him.

Hours passed, and nobody came for him. He was hungry and thirsty, but hadn’t been offered food or drink. He wondered if they planned to kill him by starving him to death. How long did it take to die from hunger? Days? Weeks? Tsaeris had no idea.

He would explain himself. Surely this boss would understand. He was just a boy, and only wanted a small profit before heading home. He didn’t mean to step on any toes, and he would just leave for Darson. There was no need to kill him. He would forget the whole thing, and never come back. Yes, he would talk his way out of this. He would be fine.

The door opened suddenly, and Rat Face appeared. The man gestured to Tsaeris, and the boy stood and followed. They walked down the hallway to the end, up a flight of stairs and down another hallway. The entire place was unremarkable. There were no decorations on the wooden walls, and one hallway looked much the same as the next. He was lead up a second flight of stairs, which ended at a landing and a door. Rat Face knocked on the door. A voice gave him permission to enter.

This room was very different from the rest of the safe-house. It was large, and spacious. Expensive looking paintings hung on the walls, and a large opulent bed sat in one corner. Silk-covered chairs and polished oak tables adorned the room, with small silver and gold statues sitting on each. A large fireplace gave the room a warm glow, and a desk sat in the center of the room. Tsaeris imagined that this was the kind of room a king lived in.

A man sat behind the desk. He wore a red silk robe, and his head was shaved to the skin. He was thin, almost gaunt, and had an air of superiority about him. He wore expensive rings on each finger, and a long golden chain hung around his neck. He smiled at Tsaeris, and gestured to the c
hair in front of the desk. Rat Face forced Tsaeris into the chair, and bound his hands behind his back.

“
Thank you for bringing him to me. Now leave us.” The man smiled at Tsaeris again, as Rat Face left the room.

“
Have you been enjoying your stay here, boy?” The man asked.

Tsaeris just stared at him.

“You should answer me. You really should.”

“No. I haven’t been enjoying my stay,” Tsaeris replied honestly.

“
Do you know why you’re here?” The man seemed to ignore Tsaeris’ response.

“
Because I stole without permission.” There was no point in trying to lie to the man.

“
Ah, you’re a smart one. Yes. You’re here because you stole without permission. We do not allow freelancing. If a boy wants to work the streets, he needs to work for us. That’s the way we do things here. When we find a boy working freelance, we give them the chance to either work for us, or never work again.”

Tsaeris didn’t like where this was going. The man was going to force him to work for the guild, or be killed. Tsaeris cherished his freedom. He always did what he wanted, not what others wanted. Still, he cherished his life even more.

“So that’s why I’m here? You’re giving me the chance to work for you to save my life?”

The man smiled again.
“That’s the way these things usually work. But this isn’t an ordinary situation, is it?

Tsaeris was confused.
“What do you mean?”

“
Some of my men turned up dead. Murdered. One of my street boys saw you leaving the alley covered in blood, then discovered their bodies.” The man was still smiling.

“
They attacked me and a friend, but I didn’t kill them. Somebody else showed up, and then the men were dead. I had nothing to do with it.”

“
Oh? That’s strange. My eyes on the streets didn’t see anybody else enter the alley. Tell me, what did this killer look like?”

“
I didn’t see him. He just came in, killed them and left.” Tsaeris tried keep the panic from his voice.

“
You didn’t see him. My street kids didn’t see him. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of evidence to this man’s existence, does there?” The smile faded from the man’s face.

“
I swear to you, I didn’t kill them! Look at me. I’m no match for one man, let alone two.”

“
Even a little street kid can get lucky from time to time.” The man stood from his chair. He was much taller than Tsaeris had thought he would be.

“
Please. Let me go. I’m sorry I stole without permission, and I didn’t kill your men. Let me leave, and I’ll go back to Darson. I won’t ever steal in Market again.” Tsaeris hated begging, but he knew his life was measured in seconds only.

“
I have a reputation, boy. I can’t let people think I’m soft. You have to be punished.” The man walked to the fireplace.

“
Please...”

“
Tell you what. I’m going to punish you now. I won’t just slit your throat like I had intended, so there’s a chance, however small, that you may live. Do you find yourself to be a lucky boy?”

The man picked up two fire pokers from beside the fireplace. He placed one in the fire, and the other in his hand as he walked towards Tsaeris.

“Please...please don’t. I’ll give you anything you want. I’ll work for you, I’ll do anything. Just don’t hurt me.” Tsaeris was crying now.

“
Yes, cry boy. Cry and scream.” The man’s smile returned.

The man swung the fire poker hard at Tsaeris’ left arm. He felt, and heard, his bone snap. He screamed. The metal slammed into his ribs, cracking at least one of them. The man continued to beat Tsaeris mercilessly with the poker. Tsaeris heard bones snapping, saw blood flying
. He had heard that sometimes people in extreme agony would lose consciousness. Tsaeris was not so lucky.

After what seemed like an eternity, the beating finally ended and the man walked back to the fireplace.
He removed the poker from the flames and the end glowed white hot. He walked back to Tsaeris.

“An eye for an eye. So to speak.”

The man pushed Tsaeris’ head back, and lined up the white hot end of the poker with Tsaeris’ eye.  A few inches lay between Tsaeris and the poker, but he could already feel the heat beginning to sear his eye.

“Stop it! Stop it! Don’t!”

The man grinned at Tsaeris.
“Hold still now.”