The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1 (18 page)

He scribbled
on the piece of paper and handed it to me. “Be safe out there,” he
said.

“
You too, Gerry,” I said pocketing the map. “See you on the
trails.”

I walked back
over to the bar and sat back down on the stool next to Aaron who
was already back draining his mug.

“
How’d the questioning go?” I asked him looking down at the
bar.

“
Not good,” he said. “Nobody will even talk to me.
You?”

“
A guy drew me a map to Malkia that goes around the guard
outposts,” I said.

“
Nothing about the kidnapping?” he asked.

“
Nothing,” I answered.

“
Maybe I could help you with that,” a female voice
said.

“
And who are you?” Aaron asked drawing my
attention.

He was talking
to a short figure in full leather armour with a headdress that
covered the hair and most of the face. The only visible part was
the eyes, which were sharp and feminine.

“
There will be time for that,” she said. “But for now, I am
the person who has the information you seek and I will trade it for
a favour.”

“
What’s the favour?” I asked.

“
Meet me in the alley behind the building,” she
said.

“
That’s it?” I asked.

“
Follow whoever follows me,” she said quickly. “And
hurry.”

She walked
quickly away from us and out the front door of the pub. Aaron and I
shot each other a look but we watched in shock as a group of four
stood up from their chairs and filed out of the building after her.
We walked towards the door.

Chapter 15

Outside the
pub we scanned around for any sign of the thugs. Out of the corner
of my eye I saw one running around the corner to my right. I nudged
Aaron and headed in the same direction. Creeping up to the corner,
I peeked around it. Four thugs were advancing on the mysterious
woman.

Smart girl,
Cathy
said
. There won’t be any witnesses back
here should you need to attack the thugs.

Do you think
it will come to that?

Haven’t you learnt anything yet?
Cathy asked.

I rounded the
corner and slowly crept towards the thugs. They were too distracted
to notice Aaron and I approaching.

“
Tell Chester he’s wasting his time with me,” the woman said.
“I didn’t take it.”

“
You will not call Mongoose by THAT name,” one of the thugs
said.

“
Like ‘Mongoose’ is any better sounding,” the woman said
sarcastically.

“
Forget that,” a different thug snapped. “We already found it
and it’s on its way back. The real reason we’re here is the bounty
Mongoose put that pretty little head of yours.”

“
Oh?” She said amused as Aaron and I stood behind the thugs.
“And what’s the going rate right now?”

“
2000,” a thug said excited.

“
That’s it?” the woman asked offended. “What’s a girl got to
do to get in the 10,000’s around here?”

I saw Aaron
slowly pull out a small dagger and ready himself.

“
But...” the woman continued making eye connect with Aaron.
“Too bad you’re not going to get a chance to spend it.”

Aaron plunged
the dagger in the side of the closest guard bypassing his armour.
The thug in front of me turned towards Aaron in shock and I waved
my hand and send a Pulse of energy into him knocking him into the
wall of the pub. He bounced off the wall hard and face planted into
the ground unmoving.

The remaining
two thugs turned towards us and a blade extended from the woman’s
gauntlet. She drove it into the back of the one of them in a blink
of an eye. When the last thug tried to pull out his weapon he had
his throat slashed by the woman.

“
You’re better then you look, farm boy,” she said as she
retracted her blade into the gauntlet. She turned to look at me.
“And a Mage as well? Can I pick them or what?”

“
I think you owe us an explanation now,” I said.

“
Did you want the short or long version?” she said
playfully.

“
Let’s just start with who you are and who were the guys we
just killed?” Aaron said.

“
Ok,” she chuckled. “I’m Natalie, Nat to my friends. Sometimes
I’m Nate when undercover as a guy. These ‘upstanding young men’
belong to Chester the Mongoose’s gang. Who are you now?”

She removed
her headdress to show off a sharp face framed with hair as black as
night. A scar ran from her right nostril in a diagonal line to her
jaw.

“
Uh...” Aaron stammered and I shook my head.

“
I’m Andy, my slack jawed friend is Aaron,” I
answered.

“
Did both your parents forget there are other letters in the
alphabet?” Natalie asked.

“
I never knew mine,” I answered. “I can’t say about
him.”

She nodded.
“Didn’t know mine either. You don’t need them though. They just
slow you down.”

“
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.