The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1

by Tim McFarlane

  “I’ve always liked mine,” Aaron added as an attempt to join the conversation.

  “So, how can you help us?” I asked.

  “Easy,” she smiled. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you were looking into the kidnapping of the Nesqian Princess.”

  “’Couldn’t help but overhear’?” I asked playfully. “Something tells me that’s your favourite pastime.”

  “Information is a girl’s best friend out here,” she said. “But I sounded polite, didn’t I?”

  “Please continue,” Aaron said.

  “Your so cute using ‘please’,” she giggled as Aaron blushed. “I know that the Princess has been taken AND I know where she is...almost.”

  “Almost?” I asked.

  “Chester likes to move his hideout around a lot,” she explained. “I’m going to question our unconscious friend here,” she kicked the thugs that I had launched into the wall, “when he wakes up. He’ll confirm the hideout’s location and with the map around the guard outposts, we should get there no problem.”

  “We?” I asked.

  “Of course,” she smiled. “Did you think that I would give you all this information for free?”

  She’s playing us, Cathy said intrigued. She’ll be good to have around.

  “I thought saving you from the thugs was payment,” Aaron said.

  I shook my head. “She has a revenge plan. Something to do with what the thugs had taken back from her.”

  Natalie nodded. “You’re quick, Mage.” She turned to Aaron, “And you didn’t save me. I was using you as a distraction.”

  “Didn’t look that way from where I was standing,” Aaron smiled.

  Natalie rolled her eyes.

  “So, what was taken from you?” I asked.

  “Something that is mine,” she answered simply.

  I raised an eyebrow. “According to the thugs, it was the other way around.”

  “According to Chester, everything is his,” she said staring me down.

  I shrugged. “You know, if you had taken this information to the King’s men you could have been protected and probably even compensated. Why did you come to us?”

  “If the King’s men are involved, I won’t get the pleasure of sinking my blade into Chester’s heart myself,” she smirked. “Plus, I think they still have a bounty on me up there. I’d hate to ‘do the right thing’ then sit in a jail the rest of my life.”

  She has a point, Cathy said.

  I nodded. “Fair enough. Outside help was your best way.”

  “And it looks like I chose well,” she said.

  “And we’re happy to help,” Aaron smiled.

  He’s like a little puppy or something, Cathy laughed.

  The thug on the ground groaned and started to stir.

  “Show time,” Natalie said as she dragged him in a sitting position against the wall. “Now, let’s talk.”

  “I can think of a better use for your mouth,” the thug said while he rubbed his head.

  Natalie back hand slapped him across his face knocking him over sideways. She pulled him back up into a sitting position. “Why don’t you try again?” she said.

  “Mongoose always said you liked it rough,” the thug smirked.

  Natalie extended the blade and brought it right up to the thug’s throat. The thug just laughed. “Fine, darling, what’s on your mind?”

  “Where’s Chester hiding?” she asked.

  “Why? Am I not good enough for you?” the thug said.

  She slashed the thug across the cheek and he fell over again groaning in pain.

  I think she’ll kill him before he talks, Cathy said. He seems to know how to push her buttons. It’s time to intervene.

  And do what?

  Use your Demon skin, she suggested.

  I can’t do that in front of everyone!

  But you promised, Cathy pointed out. If it came time to scare someone you would do it for me. AND I have been nice lately.

  I sighed.

  Natalie had pulled the thug up into a standing position and held the blade to his heart.

  “Last chance,” she hissed. “Then I’ll cut out your heart and eat it in front of you.”

  “You don’t have the guts,” the thug smiled back. “You never have and you never will. You’ll always just be Mongoose’s little bitch.”

  Natalie brought her arm back getting ready to stab and I ran up and grabbed her by the elbow to stop her. She turned and looked at me with such hatred that I was sure she’d chop my head off if I let go.

  “We need him alive for now,” I said to her calmly. “It’s my turn. He won’t stand a chance against my magic.”

  She continued to stare me down.

  “I can make his nightmares come true,” I whispered giving her an evil grin.

  Her face softened slightly and she turned back to the thug. “You’ve done it now. My new friend here is going to make scream like a little girl.”

  “I still remember your screams,” the thug said to her.

  Natalie looked at me and shrugged her arm loose from my grip. “Save the kill for me.”

  “Aaron, take her around the corner,” I said as I stared at the thug. “I don’t need you to see this.”

  “I...” Natalie started before I interrupted her with a look.

  “I can’t guarantee you won’t be affected by this,” I said.

  A new look crossed her face and she left with Aaron. The thug looked at me trying to remain tough but the fear in his eyes suggested his mind was already wandering. He didn’t know what I was capable of, or he had heard stories of Mage’s using torture, and the unknown scared him.

  Now what?

  Spook him out a little, Cathy answered. Use that Demon skin and Illusion skills of yours and make him think you are a Demon out to get the Mongoose’s soul.

  He’s not going to fall for that.

  Oh, he will, Cathy chuckled. Just act the part.

  Fine.

  “You might as well just kill me because there isn’t anything you can do to make me talk,” the thug said unconvincingly.

  I guess he is finding the silence unbearable, Cathy chuckled.

  Here it goes...

  I started feeding power into the skin of my right arm as I extended it towards him reaching for his throat. Scales rapidly grew on arm as my hand took on a more demonic look. Before the thug could scream I grabbed his throat to keep him silent.

  I searched for his mind and was shocked at how wide open it was. The sight of me growing scales has consumed his entire attention and I was able to plant my illusions in his mind. To him, my eyes starting glowing white and horns grew from my, now, completely scaled head. I opened my mouth and made it look like I had row after row of teeth ready to bite his head off.

  The thug squealed but stayed completely still as if paralyzed in fear. The look in his eye was of pure terror and, though I couldn’t see it, he had probably voided his bladder.

  “Fool,” I said in a normal voice but made it sound booming and deep to him. “If I wanted to kill you why would you still be here?”

  The thug squealed again.

  “All I want,” I continued, “is the Mongoose. His soul is mine and nothing will stand in my way to get it. Not even a pathetic little worm like you. So tell me where to find him.”

  I loosened my grip on the thug’s throat but he didn’t say anything. He just continued to stare in terror at me while pathetic squeaks escaped him.

  “Tell me!” I roared as I slammed him into the building.

  “Carendath Mine,” he breathed.

  I released him and he fell to the ground. Instead of running away he curled into a ball and began rocking back and forth while muttering a small prayer. I dropped the illusion and felt my skin returning to normal.

  I noticed Aaron and Natalie coming from around the corner and I turned away from them until the scales had completely vanished.

  “Oh my god,” Aaron said softly.

  “Did yo
u find out the location?” Natalie asked.

  I looked at my hands to make sure the scales were gone before turning around. “Carendath Mine,” I answered.

  “That sneaky...” Natalie cursed before looking down at the thug. “Whatever you did, you’ll have to teach me to do it.”

  “What did you do?” Aaron asked worried as he crouched over the thug.

  The thug broke from his prayer and looked up at me.

  “Demon!” he shouted pointing up at me. “Don’t let the Demon steal my soul.”

  HA! Cathy laughed. What would you want with it anyhow?

  You’re not helping.

  “Don’t let him get me,” the thug whimpered to Aaron.

  “Wow, you really messed him up,” Natalie said excitedly.

  Was I supposed to be pleased with myself about that? I had successfully got the information but the look of terror in the eyes of the thug was forever burned into my brain.

  Yeah, it will be a good memory for me too, Cathy said.

  That’s not what I meant.

  “Well, we don’t need you anymore,” Natalie said as she extended her blade. She drove it into the chest of the thug. Aaron fell back as he quickly moved away. Natalie pulled her blade out and retracted it. “We have the name and ‘Demon’ here has the map. Let’s pick up your gear and head out.”

  She casually walked away as Aaron got to his feet and nodded at me. My eyes still looked down at the heap that was once a person. It was no argument that he was a bad person that deserved to die but while terrified, he was a human as anyone else.

  You’ve put too much empathy into this, Cathy said. You’re freaking out over nothing. He would have done the same to you had he been given the chance.

  So that makes it okay to do it to him? We should lower ourselves because everyone else is?

  No, Cathy started. We don’t pick on the innocent. That makes us...you... better then the average criminal. The pain they inflict should be returned to them tenfold. It is a justice that can be found everywhere, Physical Plain or Spiritual. Would you rather spare him so he can continue to cause pain to others or end one life and save many others?

  There will always be another to take his place.

  So justice will always been needed, Cathy said softly.

  I never thought I would be having a talk about justice with you.

  I never thought I would be having these feelings but here we are, Cathy said.

  I turned to look at Aaron and Natalie walking away and I left the bodies behind to follow them.

  A couple of days away from the Tower and I’ve learnt more about life and the world then I did in my whole life in class.

  A couple of days stuck in your mind and I’ve learnt things I never knew were possible, Cathy said. Thank you for letting me piggy back in your mind.

  Thank you for helping me. You’re the best mistake I’ve ever made.

  Cathy laughed. You make it sound so wonderful, she said sarcastically.

  I’m kind of pumped up now to dish out some justice. Let’s go save the kidnapped princess from the bandit king.

  And that’s doesn’t sound cliché at all, Cathy said.

  Chapter 16

  We picked up our bags from the inn and immediately headed out of town. Natalie’s goal was to get past as many of the guard patrols as possible before sunrise but Aaron and I were already tired after the day’s events. The adrenaline from the fight outside the pub was only going to last for so long.

  We found an abandoned cave off the main road that the map had marked as safe and made camp inside. It didn’t take long for me to fall asleep. Shortly after I closed my eyes, Natalie’s boot was waking me up again.

  “Wake up already,” Natalie said with another kick.

  Set her on fire so I can sleep! Cathy groaned.

  “What’s your hurry?” I hissed sitting up. “As far as we know, Mongoose isn’t expecting us.”

  “He knows all the tricks of the trade,” she said. “Don’t worry; he’ll be expecting us before we get there.”

  “Well, we’d move faster if we weren’t dodging every outpost,” Aaron said as he gathered his belongings. “What’s so bad about bumping into one of them?”

  “I’m a wanted woman,” Natalie said. “It’s no biggie for you but I’d rather not go to jail…again. If you’re assaulting Chester’s place I want in on that action.”

  “Fair enough,” I said as I shouldered my pack and put on my hat. “Let’s start walking again.”

  “What did I tell you about that hat?” Natalie said crossing her arms.

  “You wouldn’t be caught dead with someone wearing a hat like this,” I recited.

  “Exactly,” she nodded.

  “Then don’t die and whatever you do, don’t get caught,” I countered as I left the cave.

  “That Mage friend of yours is going to get a boot to the mouth one day,” I heard Natalie say to Aaron as I distanced myself from the cave.

  I stretched out my joints and pulled out my two maps, the one The Keeper gave me and the one from the hunter. Natalie had been excited when she saw the maps and immediately plotted our route. Having her as our guide took a lot of trust but seeing as Aaron hadn’t traveled this far south and this was my first time leaving The Tower, we were stuck with her. For all we knew she could be walking us around in circles.

  I constantly checked The Keeper’s map hoping to spot one of his landmarks but there wasn’t much detail for where we were. The Carendath Mine was outside the village of Malkia but to avoid the patrols we needed to head through an abandoned stone quarry that had become a home for outcasts and bandits. Knowing our new ‘attack first ask questions later’ friend, it wasn’t going to be a simple walk.

  If it was meant to be simple The Keeper would have done it himself, Cathy pointed out.

  Hmm, good point.

  Besides, she started, where is that fire for justice from earlier? You’re not wussing out on me already?

  No...Just...cold feet...

  “Ready to go?” Aaron asked as he joined beside me.

  “Is the ‘Princess’ ready to walk us in another circle?” I asked.

  “You better be happy I don’t walk you off a cliff, ‘Demon’,” Natalie said still mocking me with that name. She passed us and headed through the forest.

  “Take it easy on her,” Aaron said softly. “She IS trying to help you.”

  I sighed. “I know. I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re being played. I can’t let my guard down and neither should you.”

  We started after her as we noticed that she was starting to get too far ahead.

  “Trust her a little bit,” Aaron said.

  “How can anyone just trust someone instantly?” I asked.

  “Easy,” Aaron shrugged. “I trusted you. And look where that got us.”

  That was trust? Cathy said.

  Aaron walked quicker ahead to catch up with Natalie and I stayed back to watch behind us. This had been our standard formation throughout our hike. I would scan the area for life forms and we would do our best to avoid them. Every once in a while Natalie would stop and check the map before continuing on without a word.

  As the trees began to thin, we stepped out of the forest and stared out at The Fingerlin Mountains. As the name suggested, the mountains were thin formations of rock that shot out of the ground like fingers desperately trying to reach for the heavens. According to the map, the Fingerlin Mountains dominated the south with the town of Malkia at the end protected by a horseshoe of mountains.

  “Come on,” Natalie said. “The quarry is on the other side of the mountain. We should make it there before sunset.”

  “What’s our plan of attack Nat?” Aaron asked.

  “Blend in, move through the camp, take the mountain pass to come at Malkia from behind, kill Chester,” Natalie listed off on her fingers. “Easy stuff.”

  “How are we going to blend in?” Aaron asked.

  “They’ll have patrols defending th
e area,” Natalie explained. “We’ll take one and you two wear the armour.”

  “They’re not going to realize we don’t belong there?” I asked.

  “As long as you don’t do anything stupid and draw attention to yourself, you’ll be fine,” she answered. “Besides, all outlaws carry something to shield their faces during heists or assassinations. Just take them.”

  “Assassinations?” Aaron asked.

  “We’re losing daylight,” Natalie said quickly as she started off again.

  Aaron shrugged off the question and followed and I shook my head as I looked over the landscape. With the cover of the forest soon to be behind us, the openness of the field to the mountains would render us visible to anyone. It seemed wrong to travel so boldly in the open.

  She seems to know what she’s doing, Cathy said. Put a little faith in her direction. You could easily take her if she tries to screw with us.

  I chuckled. It’s odd to hear you confident in my abilities.

  It’s rare for you to BE confident in your abilities, Cathy said. I’m running out of ways I can help you. Oh, and they’re getting away.

  Damn.

  I hurried after them and caught up in no time. I scanned the area for any intelligent minds, keeping in my own mind that we were advancing on a bandit camp, and prepared myself for an ambush.

  You know, Cathy started. Getting ambushed WOULD be a good idea. Save you from trying to find a patrol. Search for a group; wander towards them, ‘unknowingly’, and then take them down.

  Hmm. You have a good idea there.

  As usual, Cathy pointed out.

  “Guys, hold up for one second,” I called to them as they stopped to look at me.

  “Did you find something?” Aaron asked.

  “Just an idea,” I answered. I explained Cathy’s plan to them and they nodded slowly.

  “It would save us some time,” Aaron said nodding.

  “As much fun as stalking the patrols would be, we are better off moving quickly,” Natalie agreed. “Lead the way, ‘Demon’. Find us an ambush.”

  “Which direction is the quarry in?” I asked her.

  She pointed in the direction we were heading into and I took the lead with Aaron and Natalie following close behind me. Walking blindly ahead, searching with my mind, we marched across the open field towards the mountains.