The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1 (35 page)

Contee leaned
forward and rested his elbows on the table. “It is strange that the
Masters would send a Keeper to do this. An apprentice Keeper on top
of it.”

“
It will be my job soon enough,” I answered furrowing my brow.
“Keeper Anderson has grown old and can’t make the trip. You will
treat me with the same respect as you would him.”

Contee
laughed. “You are still young. You do not know the meaning of the
word yet. Nor do you understand the Tower’s ‘respect’.”

“
I am not here to discuss dictionary definitions,” I said
growing in frustration as I reached out with my mind. “I am here to
do a job. I was asked to secure your permission to search the
grounds but I do not need it.”

Contee’s mind
was protected with a simple barrier but I felt it waver as his face
twisted in anger.

“
The Tower already asks for too much,” he barked. “We do not
have time to humour these accusations and still make
quota.”

“
Why do you try and stop me?” I asked. “What is it that you
are hiding?”

“
You dare to accuse me?” he bellowed dropping his mental
shield. “I have done nothing but put up with the Master’s
indecisive attitude for far too long.”

“
Then perhaps you would like to explain it to them directly?”
I asked standing up and entering his mind. “Master Pryce was very
interested in this investigation. I think I will return to the
capital and tell him I’ve found the thief.”

Through the
simple act of standing up, I made myself loom over him and at the
mention of Master Pryce; I influenced his mind to think of all the
nasty things Master Pryce would do to him. I withdrew from his mind
quickly before he could put his shields back up and discover what I
had done.

“
That will not be necessary,” Contee said leaning away. “These
are tough times. The Evenawk rebels are a threat to every outpost
and shipment. I believe it is possible your missing shipments have
been taken by the rebels...but if it pleases the Tower, carry out
your investigation and leave.”

Nice one,
Cathy
said
. Look at him rambling trying to make
it sound like it was his idea. They are all the same.

“
You will, however, have an escort while in my outpost,”
Contee continued. “Someone to help you get what you
need.”

And make sure you don’t steal anything,
Cathy finished.

“
Very well,” I nodded before standing up. “I will begin
immediately, so I will be on the first floor looking over those
shipment crates. Send your escort for me so I may check the mine
and grounds.”

“
You will find this to be a waste of time,” he said returning
to his paper work.

“
Then I will be out of here quickly,” I said as I left the
office and headed back down the stairs.

We’re going to
need to get rid of this ‘escort’.

Good thing Mines are dark,
Cathy
said playfully.

Yeah, lots of
sharp rocks you could land on if you trip.

This is going to be fun
, she said
eagerly.

At the bottom
of the stairs, I walked towards the shipment crates and inspected
them. The two Mages stopped to watch me again and I looked up at
them.

“
What’s in the crates?” I asked sharply.

“
Ranix Dust,” the one answered. “You know, mix it with water
and you have a bonding agent.”

I nodded and
went back to studying the crates.

“
I’m shocked you didn’t know,” the other Mage said.

I looked up
and studied him. “Maybe I just wanted to see how much you knew.
Someone is stealing under the Master’s noses. I figure anyone that
knows a lot must know something about this. How much do you
know?”

“
N-nothing, Keeper,” the one answered nervously.

“
Then perhaps you’ll let me work in peace?” I
smiled.

“
Of course,” the other said as the both hurried out of the
building.

Cathy laughed
. Having
fun?

I pulled my
ancient magic book from out of my pack and opened it. Tons.

I quickly
started flipping through the pages to find if I had included
anything with Ranix Dust. Aside from a design for a trap involving
gluing the unsuspecting person to the ground, it looked like I
would need to find something else.

As I neared
the back of the book, something caught my eye but I quickly closed
the book as the sound of footsteps drew closer. A Mage in a green
robe and an exhausted look in his eyes approached me.

“
I’m Mage Burns, Mage Contee said I was to help in your
investigation?” he asked.

“
Yes, thank you,” I said securing my book in my satchel. “You
look like you just woke up.”

“
Mage Contee couldn’t spare anyone on the day shift so I get
the pleasure,” he replied deadpanned.

“
An escort isn’t necessary,” I said. “I won’t tell Contee if
you go back to your room.”

“
I’m not going to go against his orders,” he said.

“
Very well, we will be quick,” I said. “We need to check the
grounds for anything suspicious then I need to check the
Mine.”

“
All the ledgers and paper work will be in the foreman’s
office,” Burns said.

“
That’s good, but I will still need to explore the depths for
anything suspicious,” I said.

“
You’ll have to talk to the foreman,” Burns droned.

“
Then let’s get started,” I said motioning for him to
lead.

Chapter 30

The search of
the grounds revealed nothing that would be helpful to me when it
came time to signal the attack. I was going to have to disable the
main house and Mage Contee before signalling the Evenawks. First, I
had to figure out how I was going to have to get rid of my
escort.

We headed for
the Mine which featured a small foreman’s office close to entrance.
It was a simple wooden closed off area with a door that could be
locked to prevent the Evenawks from messing with anything.

The foreman,
like everyone else, saw me as a nuisance but let me into his office
to study the ledger. Luckily for me, he was too busy to sit around
and watch me read books but my escort didn’t seem to mind. I
persuaded him to wait on the other side of the door because I was
finding it ‘too cramped to read’.

With him gone,
I quietly searched the office for anything important and found the
spare key to the miner’s shackles. I pocketed it and pulled out my
book to find that interesting spell again.

Rather than
what I thought I had remembered, the spell turned out to be an
ancient formula to make a mild, colourful explosion used for
celebrations. It called for a small amount of Ranix Dust to be
mixed with a mineral like Magnumese and a colouring spell. I don’t
think colour is all that important but Magnumese is used in mines
to burn away any tree roots they encounter.

If I mixed all
that Ranix Dust with some Magnumese and launched a Fire Ball at it,
it could be enough to destroy the building.

Could you throw in some colour for fun?
Cathy asked
.
Pleeeeeeeease.

We’ll see.

She cheered as
I closed the book and returned it to my bag. I knocked on the door
to signal Burns. He opened the door and stepped back.

“
Everything looks in order but I still need to see the
tunnels,” I said to him. “Let’s do this quickly so I can get out of
here.”

Burns nodded
and led me into the brightly lit tunnels. I was expecting something
a little darker so I could lose my escort but the Mages mixed
together a lamp oil that burns brighter for longer. On the plus
side it helped me plan my route back out of the mine.

Through the
tunnels, Burns took on the role of tour guide as he started to
explain everything to break our awkward silence. I tuned him out
while I looked for some Magnumese. It seemed the miners had it in
liquid form in small containers.

“
Keeper!” a voice exclaimed and I snapped back to see Burns
staring me down. “Were you listening?”

“
Oh, yes,” I lied. “Riveting stuff.”

“
I asked if there was something in particular that you wanted
to check while we were down here,” Burns said.

“
Oh, right,” I chuckled awkwardly. “Yes there was.”

Burns waited a
second before motioning for me to continue. “Such as?”

Dark passages with dead ends
, Cathy
said.

“
Dark passages with dead ends,” I repeated.

If anyone is going to hide something down here...
Cathy started.

“
If anyone is going to hide something down here, it would be
in the dark in a passage no one travels regularly,” I
continued.

“
Makes sense,” Burns nodded before leading the way
again.

Thanks.

Hey, someone has to pay attention
,
Cathy said.

We cut down a
passageway and we passed a line of Evenawk miners working. A couple
looked back in curiosity but they mainly kept their heads down to
avoid any punishment. The passageway abruptly ended just past the
workers and Burns explained that it was meant to be a new section
but was cancelled in favour of another route.

I walked
forward towards the rocks and studied them like I knew what I was
doing. Occasionally, I would flick a small Dispel into the way and
nod like it was what I expected.

I sure hope
I’m not over doing it.

Well, you haven’t licked the rocks yet, so it hasn’t gotten
weird,
Cathy said.

“
May I ask what you are doing, Keeper?” Burns asked
curious.

“
If we are dealing with a Mage as the thief,” I started trying
to think quickly. “They would hide it using a simple enchantment,
something that could be easily dismissed as background
noise.”

“
The lamps emit enough of a hum to drown out a lot,” Burns
nodded in agreement.

“
Exactly,” I said hiding that fact that I didn’t know that. “A
Dispel would be the best way to find any magic.”

Burns looked
around. “Impressive. And if it isn’t a Mage that is the thief?”

“
Then we are stuck using our eyes,” I answered crouching down
to pretend to concentrate on the ground.

I looked back
towards Burns and the workers still trying to figure out a way to
get rid of him. With the workers in the area, everything could be
compromised based on how they would react.

BUT...
Cathy
started
. They would be able to get you
Magnumese in return for that key to their bracers.

The good
outweighs the bad.

Exactly
, Cathy said as I noticed the
worker’s curiosity drawing them closer to us.

“
Mage Burns,” I started causally. “I was unaware that the
workers were allowed to watch my investigation.”

Burns turned
around quickly and the workers stepped back with fear in their
eyes. I drew my sword as I stood up and approached Burns carefully.
He was starting to insult the Evenawks when I plunged the short
sword into his back. A small gasp of shocked escaped him and I
pulled the sword out to let the Mage fall to the ground. The
Evenawks froze in fear as they watched to see what I would do
next.

“
Chieftain Harkis sends his blessings,” I said to help
them.

The vacant
stares I received in return didn’t fill me with confidence.

“
Ok, I need you to listen very carefully because this is
important,” I started. “The rebellion is getting ready to attack
The Mine.” The Evenawks looked at each other excitedly. “I am here
to help and set you free but I need you to do two things. One, I
need Magnumese, and a lot of it. Secondly, I need you to gather all
the miners and organize an attack. You will hear my signal when it
is time.” The Evenawks stared at me without saying anything. “Do
you understand?”

One nodded
slowly. “Yes.”

“
Good, what’s your name?” I asked him.

“
Ravik,” he answered.

“
Come here,” I said.

He walked up
to me and I grabbed his hand and placed the key into it. He looked
up in shock as he recognized the key and I closed his hand around
it.

“
Don’t let the Mages see that. Gather everyone as quickly as
possible in a safe place and free them,” I instructed as he nodded.
I picked up a pick axe that had been dropped a handed it to him.
“And be sure to keep these as weapons.” He looked at the axe
confused. “It’s like mining, only into someone’s back. Now, where
can I get a lot of Magnumese?”

“
The storage shed near the foreman’s office,” Ravik said.
“They refill all the containers there.”

“
Thank you,” I replied. “Let me check ahead to make sure no
one is coming before you leave.”

I travelled up
the passage and looked around quickly. This section of the mine was
still quiet and I motioned for the Evenawks to move. They quickly
gathered up their pick axes and hurried deeper into the mine.

I headed back
to the entrance of the mine while avoiding groups of workers and
Mages. I was able to avoid a lot of attention by continuing the ‘I
belong here’ attitude. Everyone was too busy with work to pay any
real attention to me but if I ran into the foreman there would be
some trouble. Sure enough, there he was at the entrance talking to
a couple of Mages.