The Third Eye Initiative (35 page)

             
Tsaeris still had one hand free, and the man’s other hand was now occupied. Tsaeris reached into his coat and removed a small vial of acid, and in one quick motion, Tsaeris crunched the glass vial into the man’s face.

             
Tsaeris dropped to the floor as the man brought his hands to his face, wisps of acrid smoke leaking from beneath his fingers. Still, the man made no sound, no cries of pain. Tsaeris unsheathed a dagger and leapt at the man, hoping to score a mortal wound while the man was injured. Before Tsaeris could shove the dagger home in the man’s flesh, a heavy boot smashed into the side of his face as his attacker kicked out.

             
Tsaeris lay dazed on the floor as his attacker, seemingly recovered from his wound, walked casually towards him having retrieved his fallen dagger. Tsaeris shook his head to clear in, then rolled into a quick backwards somersault and was on his feet again.

             
The man lashed out with the dagger, and Tsaeris narrowly avoided a cut to his throat. Tsaeris slashed at the man with his own weapon, and received a cut to his own right shoulder for his troubles. It was a superficial wound, and Tsaeris ignored it. The man advanced and Tsaeris backed up. He knew the wall was close and he would run out of space soon enough. His mind worked desperately, trying to find a way to survive.

             
As he backed away his leg bumped into a crate. He knew what was inside, and was suddenly reminded of the time he nearly blew himself and his friends up to escape the Elites. Cursing his own stupidity for what he intended, Tsaeris backed up some more, moving carefully around the crate to draw the man in closer.

             
The man followed him, attacking only sporadically, obviously in no rush to finish the deed. As the man stepped next to the crate, Tsaeris reached into his coat, and dropped a live bomb into the crate of explosives.

             
The man stared down at the crate, and Tsaeris used the opportunity to make a run for the door. The crate exploded behind him, and the blast knocked Tsaeris face first into the floor. He covered his head as a plume of flames washed over him. He silently prayed that the heat from the flames did not set off the many explosives tucked away in his coat.

             
The wall of flame quickly receded, leaving Tsaeris’ hair and flesh a bit singed, but he was otherwise uninjured. The crate had not been full, and contained mostly fire bombs.

             
The weakened ceiling creaked above him, but Tsaeris ignored it and rolled onto his back. He looked back towards his attacker and gasped. The man was rising to his feet, completely engulfed in flame. He cast off his flaming cloak and robes and Tsaeris got his first real look at his enemy, who now wore nothing more than a simple black leather vest and trousers.

             
Tsaeris forced himself painfully to his feet, staring hard at the man. His mouth hung open in shock. The man’s muscular frame was covered in blood, and his face and bald head were severely scarred. Some of the scars were fresh, but most were many years old. But it was not the man’s face that shocked Tsaeris. It was lobe-less and slightly pointed ears. The man was a Turindiel.

             
“Why?” Tsaeris asked, not really expecting an answer. He couldn’t believe that this man was a Tundra elf.

             
“Arinbinev” The man hissed. Tsaeris recognized the word, though he didn’t speak Turndiel. He didn’t have to, that word was a part of him forever, carved into his flesh. Abomination.

             
Suddenly Tsaeris understood. His father was human, and his mother was elf. As far as he knew, he was the only mixed breed. Nerindar had told him that he had been cast out because his people considered him an abomination. This man was here to purify his mother’s mistake.

             
The man limped towards Tsaeris, his body battered and bleeding. Tsaeris braced himself but the man didn’t attack, and walked past him. As he moved to the door, Tsaeris briefly entertained the idea of trying to kill him now that he was injured, but decided against it. Even in this state, Tsaeris was not convinced he could defeat the man, and knew that if he forced another confrontation it would only end when one of them was dead. Tsaeris didn’t like his chances enough to risk it.

             
The man reached the door he paused, and turned to look at Tsaeris. “Raynor,” was all he said, and then he disappeared up the staircase.

             
Tsaeris understood that the man had just offered his name, and it wasn’t as an offer of friendship. The name hung in the air like an ominous wraith, and for reasons Tsaeris couldn’t explain it made him feel queasy.

             
A few small fires remained from the initial blast, but as the basement was mostly stone, the damage to the house was minimal. Tsaeris spent some time putting out the fires, and to treat his wounds. He sighed in weariness. His struggles for the night were just beginning, and he could afford no time to rest.             

             
Tsaeris left his basement, and took a moment to check on Elias and Tyrier one last time. Deciding that they would be alright, he opened the door and stepped into the downpour of a vicious storm that had descended on the city.

             
Tsaeris was pretty sure that he was going to his death. At the very least, he planned on taking those bastards down with him. Tsaeris closed the door to the house, his seemingly harmless long coat but a thin veil between life and death, and his short sword strapped tightly to his back.

The storms intensity had increased, and the wind howled in Tsaeris’ ears. He stood before the gate of the burned and dilapidated Purity Union Compound.
He could see light coming from within the glassless windows of the Union Mansion at the far end of the yard. The other buildings had been burned to the ground, but the mansion seemed to have survived the fire at least partially intact.

             
Tsaeris placed his hand on the gate and pushed. The gate swung open without resistance, and Tsaeris stepped through. He had expected to be attacked immediately upon entering, but he was halfway across the yard and had yet to see any sign of life, other than the lights inside the mansion. At first he thought that this compound was an odd choice for a meeting place of the Elites, but now that he was here, he understood. The compound was large, and a monument of a grim moment of history that few people would care to visit. The once beautiful mansion had a foreboding look, especially at night. People were superstitious by nature. It reminded him of the church he often slept in as a street kid. It was creepy enough to keep people away, and that made it safe.

The lights inside the mansion seemed like a beacon for Tsaeris. He didn’t know why, but he felt like that was the intent. He was expected. But why him? Standing now before the door of the mansion, he knew that there was only one way to find out. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Tsaeris pushed open the door.

Candles lined the interior walls, and gave off just enough light to see by. The inside was in ruins. Walls had collapsed, and the remnants of fine tapestries were now only charred echoes of their former glory. The interior wood was forever stained black with soot, and marble staircases retained none of their once opulent shine.

Tsaeris kept one hand inside his coat, gripping a glass vial, ready to react if he were attacked. He stepped slowly and silently towards the stairs, but no attack was forthcoming.
He stepped onto the staircase, and began his ascension.

When he reached the top, there was
a long hallway that led both left and right. The left side was dark, but the right was lined with candles on the walls. He walked down the hallway, and water poured down on him from a hole in the ceiling above. He could see the raging storm and the flashes of lightning, which illuminated the hallway eerily.

He followed the trail of candles. The hallway was long, and Tsaeris’ slow and guarded pace made the walk excruciating. Finally the path of candles stopped before a door. This door looked new, and was not stained by soot, and had clearly not been here during the fire. Tsaeris reached for the handle and pushed the door open. The room
was lit by a large hearth in the corner, and more candles. It wasn’t exactly bright inside, but it was enough for Tsaeris to see competently. He stepped inside. The room was much bigger than he would have thought. The meager light left a whole half of the room completely encased in deep shadow. In the center of the lit area of the room sat Aedrus, who was bound to a chair, and his mouth was gagged.

Tsaeris did not immediately go to the boy’s aid. He wasn’t stupid, and knew damn well that he was being watched from the dark side of the room. The
y were waiting to see what he did.

“
Are we going to play this game?” Tsaeris asked into the darkness. “I’m not an idiot. I know somebody’s there.”

He waited for a response. A moment later, a figure walked from the shadows. He was cloaked in black, with a hood obscuring his face. For a moment Tsaeris froze in terror, then noted that this man was barely taller
than he.

“
Ah, but of course you knew. Of course you did,” The figure, who was identified as a man by his voice, said. “I would have been very disappointed with you had you not.”

“
What do you want from me?” Tsaeris asked. “Obviously you wanted me to come here.”

“
I just want to talk, Tsaeris. That’s all,” The man replied.

“
That’s all? We have a little chat, then me and my friend here just walk on out?” Tsaeris said mockingly.

“
Let’s just see where the talk takes us, shall we?” The man said.

“
Maybe I’d rather just get this over with right now,” Tsaeris said, reaching into his coat and removing two small bombs. He held them tight in his hands, his thumbs under the two pins, ready to pull if the situation demanded it.

“
You may think so now. But trust me. You want to hear what I have to say. I think you won’t want to use those bombs when we’re finished here.”

“
Well, you better get talking. Because, the truth is, I came here expecting to die. So I promise you that I’m going to use these bombs. I have nothing to lose.” Tsaeris said.

“
Nothing? What about the boy?” The man said, pointing to Aedrus.

“
Hey, Ginger,” Tsaeris said, looking at the boy. “If we’re just going to die anyway, you cool with me blowing them up as well?” Tsaeris asked. Aedrus didn’t even hesitate. He just nodded enthusiastically.
‘Atta boy,
Tsaeris thought. “You see?” Tsaeris asked the man.

“
Yes, you’ve made your point. But there’s no harm in talking, is there?” The man asked.

“
Like I said, get on with it. Just make it quick. I’m in a pretty foul mood”

“
I think you should join us, Tsaeris,” The man said, bluntly.

“
Why the hell would I want to do that?” Tsaeris asked.

“
That’s a complicated question, with a complicated answer. Let me start by asking you this. Why do you serve the Initiative?” The man asked,

“
Because that’s who I am,” Tsaeris replied.

“
What I don’t understand, Tsaeris, is why you have this sense of loyalty to that organization. I keep wondering, why do you serve Gravelock?”

“
What, instead of serving you? Well, he hasn’t tried to kill me, or my friends, for starters. Let me ask you this. Why do you care? Why do you want me to join you?”

“
I didn’t, at first. At first I was quite decided on the idea that you had to be killed, but you evaded three attempts on your life. Then I started to see what he had been talking about. You were something special. I also realized that you were different in other ways. You don’t seem to have a false sense of righteousness or altruism. You do what you have to, but have managed to remain detached from it all. That’s a valuable asset.”

“
How do you know anything about me?” Tsaeris asked. Then the answer came to him. “Raina.”

“
Raina,” The man replied. “Raina is a dupe. An idiot. A foolish little girl. She should never have been raised to Elite status. She never had the stomach for the work, and I had to keep her thinking that we were still loyal to the Initiative. So you can sleep easy knowing that your friend was not really a part of it all. At least the killings. But she served her purpose. She did give us information about you. And she had no idea that you knew about us. So when I ordered her to seduce you tonight, I expected it would lead you to us. So she is to be rewarded.”

“
If you expect me to be impressed by the level of planning you put into this, don’t bother. I spend most of my time with puppet masters.”

“
Fine,” The man replied. “But there’s an even better reason for you to join me, Tsaeris. We share an enemy.”

“
What enemy?” Tsaeris asked,

“
Gravelock.”

“
Gravelock? Are you crazy?” Tsaeris asked.

“
Gravelock. Let me tell you something about Gravelock, and then you’ll understand. Gravelock doesn’t care about you, me or any of us, save for what we can do for him. He has pulled the strings of your life and mine, and laughed at the collateral damage his machinations have caused,” The man said.

“
Alright, you got my attention.” Tsaeris replied.

“
Let me tell you my story, Tsaeris. Then you’ll understand why I did what I did. And you will find that we are not so different.”

Tsaeris was interested, in spite of himself. The man had mentioned Gravelock pulling Tsaeris’ strings. Tsaeris had no problem following orders when it came to it, but he was his own man. He would hear this man out, but he kept his fingers beneath the pins of his explosives, and his ears alert. He would release them at the first sign of danger.

“I was the leader of Gravelock’s Elites. His most loyal and talented soldier. Yet, my reward for service and for fulfilling my mission to perfection was abandonment and death. You stand in the rotting corpse of one of Gravelock’s plans, Tsaeris. Gravelock wanted The Purity Union gone from the city. He decided that if he had the Initiative destroy it, it would only be a temporary blow, and would all too quickly grow back. No, he decided that the people must destroy the Union. So he sent me, his loyal servant, his most trusted agent, to infiltrate the Purity Union.”

The man removed his hood, revealing a shock of long blond hair, and a face ruined by fire. Tsaeris blinked. He had never seen this man, but he felt like he should know him.

“My name is Dormic.” The man said.

Dormic! How was this poss
ible? Dormic had been killed after the bombing of the Dwarven Arms Fair. An event that had wounded The City and thrown its people into despair. This man had been behind the attack. How could he be a Third Eye Agent? This man was responsible for Cyra’s death.

“
They found your body. You were dead.” Tsaeris said.

“
There are chemicals out there that can make a man appear dead, Tsaeris. My heart beat was so slow, my breath so shallow that they left me for dead before setting my home on fire. When I awoke I barely escaped the fire. My face was ruined, but it was a price I was glad to pay for my life. I’m sure you can relate to that.”

“
Dormic. The only person I ever loved is dead, and it was your fault. I should kill you. And believe me, I’ll make sure that you’re actually dead.” Tsaeris said, holding up one of the bombs.

“
Don’t you understand, Tsaeris?” Dormic said. “I was ordered by Gravelock to infiltrate the Union, and to work my way up into a position of power. Which I did. I played the role to perfection. I acted pleased when the Union had me nominated for council. When elected, I crippled the career of Captain Blorick, one of the only truly good watchmen in the city. I did terrible things, things which I hated myself for. All for the sake of appearances, to protect my cover”

Dormic paused, and began to pace. The expression on his face was haunted, and his shoulders seemed to slump under the weight of his regrets. He finally stopped pacing, and stared at Tsaeris.
“When the power was mine, Gravelock ordered the bombing of the fair. I followed orders, as you do, and saw it done. It was for the greater good, Gravelock had told me. That lie kept me going. The greater good.”

Dormic paused again, his eyes distant. Tsaeris began to tremble with rage, but didn’t speak. He wanted to hear the whole story.
“Gravelock said that the bombing would incite the anger of the people, and they would tear down the Union. Not the Initiative, but the people. So I did as I was told. And Gravelock was right, the people tore the Union apart. When it was over, I was left to die at the hands of the mob. Gravelock had what he wanted, and knew that the people would blame me, and would not be satisfied without my blood. So he gave me to them. Me, his loyal puppet, while he, the puppeteer, lived on.”

Tsaeris reeled at the revelation. Dormic had been an agent. The Third Eye initiative was behind the bombing of the Dwarven Arms Fair. He felt his world collapsing from beneath him.

“Cyra was killed because of Gravelock, Tsaeris. If not for him she, and hundreds more, would be alive today. And Jarod, the good Doctor’s son. No, I am not the enemy, Tsaeris. Gravelock is.”

“
Why,” Tsaeris began, and then swallowed his emotions. “Why did you try to kill me?”

“
I tried to kill you to hurt Gravelock, Tsaeris. It was a mistake, and I regret it.” Dormic said softly.

“
How would killing me hurt Gravelock? I can understand how killing Elias and Tyrier would hurt him. But me? I’m nobody.” Tsaeris said.

“
No, Tsaeris. Gravelock has been obsessed with you since you were a boy. He tried to talk Elias into bringing you into the Initiative. When Elias refused, he had to force the issue. He had the Elites tell Pyron and his guild that you were stealing in his district. He knew that Pyron would harm you, and it would force Elias to recruit you to keep you safe.”

“
What?” Tsaeris asked. He was very aware of his missing eye at that moment. “That doesn’t make any sense. What if Pyron had killed me instead?”

“
There were steps taken to ensure that did not happen.” Dormic said, and gestured to the darkness. Another man stepped forward, and Tsaeris recognized his pointed features.

“
Rat Face,” Tsaeris said, shocked. Rat Face had been one of the men in Pyron’s guild, the one who had escorted him to the chamber.