The Tower Of The Watchful Eye: The Legend Of Kairu Book 1 (36 page)

I reversed
around the corner I came from, and watched the group. It looked
like a simple conversation about duties until the foreman started
flailing his arms.

Looks like you may have started a storm with your missing
shipment stories,
Cathy said.

The Mages left
the foreman and headed into my direction. I ducked back around and
stretched out with my mind. The only way to get past them was to
trick them. I felt out for their minds and noticed they were too
distraught by their previous conversation to notice me probing
them. I planted my Illusion spell and walked around the corner and
passed them. They continued on without a glance in my
direction.

I dropped the
spell and walked carefully towards the storage sheds while keeping
an eye on the foreman. He was retreating back into his office and I
walked quicker when the door closed.

There were
three storage sheds to choose from and I opened all of them before
finding a jug the right size for what I needed. With the jug in one
hand, I crept towards the foreman’s office and reached out with my
mind. The foreman’s mind was mildly protected but it wasn’t like
Contee’s mind. I slipped in, planted my Illusion and walked quickly
out of the mine.

So far so good
, Cathy
said.

Yeah, but that
might have just been the easy part.

Next is the fun part!
Cathy said
excited
. Blow up the building
already!

I calmly
walked towards the Mages' building. I counted the Mages that were
outside as I walked. With two at the gate, and one in the guard
tower, the destruction of the house would devastate them. They
would have to rely on their colleagues in the mine and that would
be if the free miners don’t get to them first.

I approached
the front door and slowly opened it to peek in. A Mage disappeared
up the stairs and I counted to three before opening the door wide
to scan again. Everything looked clear so I opened the door and
crept in quietly.

The area with
the crates was still empty. I had probably scared the other Mages
away for the rest of the day. I checked the area one more time
before walking over and checking to see how the crates were sealed.
There were no physical locks so I tried to remove the top by hand
with no luck.

They’re Mages, you know
, Cathy
said.

I sighed and
launched a Dispel at the crate. The crate glowed brightly for a
second before returning to normal. I tried the top this time and it
opened easily.

Inside, the
crate was full to the brim with Ranix Dust, enough to probably help
in the construction of a castle. But more importantly, enough to
take care of this house. I opened the jug of Magnumese and poured
the entire jug into the crate. The mixture started to hiss and
bubble violently and I wasted no time leaving the building. The
sound of footsteps coming down the stairs only made me move
faster.

At the door, I
turned, forced a large amount of power into my hand and launched a
Fire Ball at the now seething crate. I didn’t even wait for it to
make contact, I just started running as far away from the building
as possible. A cry of alarm was cut short by the sound of multiple
explosions. I turned around in time to see the building get
launched off its foundation by the explosion and hurled straight
into the air.

Now THAT’S a signal
, Cathy said
excitedly.

Ah, damn! I
forgot to grab the pie!

The building
came crashing down into the ground as the two Mages from the gate
ran up to me.

“
What happened?” the one asked.

“
Uh...” I started before raising my hands and hitting them
with a Pulse then knocked them off their feet. “I’m getting sick of
lying.”

I pulled my
robe up over my head as my scales started to cover my skin. On the
horizon, I could make out the rebel Evenawk troops getting
closer.

I was worried
the flying house would confuse them.

Well, you never specified what the signal would be,
Cathy pointed out.

The two gate
guards rose to their feet and raised their hands at the ready.
Staring wide eyed at my scaly form, they hesitated before the one’s
hand glowed bright with Fire. Before he could get the spell off, he
was struck by an arrow from a flying Evenawk archer. The other
turned around to see the attacker and I launched an Ice Bolt into
his back. He dropped to the ground and I watched as the Evenawks
landed and began their transformation.

The rebels
surrounded the shattered house killing any Mage that tried to
escape the wreckage while the Evenawk miners, who had been sleeping
in the bunkhouse, joined those outside to watch what was happening.
I could see why this would be a valuable target for the rebels. The
mine or land itself wasn’t of any value; it was the fifty plus
Evenawks that could join their army.

A screaming
Evenawk snapped my attention back to the house. One of the rebels
was on fire and the others ran away from the house. From under the
rubble Mage Contee stood up protected by an orb surrounding his
body.

I guess it was
too much to ask that he would be killed in the explosions.

He’s too crafty for that
, Cathy
replied as I started towards the destroyed house. Besides, this is
more fun.

I wish I had
Aaron, Natalie or Donkor to help.

Sometimes, you have to fight battles alone,
Cathy said.

At least
you’re here.

Where else would I be?
Cathy
chuckled.

The rebels
moved out of my way quickly as they noticed my scaly form.

“
Get to the mine,” I called out to them. “Leave this to
me.”

The rebels
retreated before I could finish my sentence. It was nice that I
didn’t have to break it down word for word for them.

Contee looked
at me and smirked. “I should have known you were a fake.”

“
Yet, you let me walk around here freely,” I said raising my
left hand to prepare for any attack.

“
Do I dare asked what happened to Burns?” he asked.

I shrugged.
“Nothing to say really. He slipped and my sword pierced his
heart.”

“
Why would you work with these creatures?” Contee
asked.

“
Because they deserve their freedom,” I answered.

Contee
laughed. “Still just a boy. Don’t you know why we took them over in
the first place?”

“
To gain access to their resources,” I answered.

Contee laughed
again. “Your ignorance will be your death.”

His hand grew
dark and he launched dark goo from his hands. I stopped it with my
hand and the goo wrapped itself around my hand and wrist. Pain
raced up my hand as it felt like I had dipped it in a boiling
cauldron. I grabbed at the goo with my other hand but it only
caused the pain to spread to my other hand.

“
I’ve studied Demonology,” Contee smirked. “Your Harden Skin
spell isn't going to intimidate me. Even if you can cover your
entire body.”

It’s
unbearable.

But still just magic
, Cathy
said
. Dispel it already!

I forced power
through my arms and the goo hardened and fell off. My hands still
trembled from the pain.

“
Good,” Contee said. “You are not some one trick street
magician.”

His hand grew
dark and I dove out of the way as another shot of goo was launched
at me. I scrambled to my feet and launched an Ice Bolt at him.
Contee raised a scaled hand and batted it away before quickly
launching another blast of goo at me. I wasn’t quick enough to
dodge it completely as it smashed into my left shoulder. I brought
my hand up and dispelled the goo before scrambling to my feet and
running towards the destroyed house.

Do you know
how to cast that spell?

What? She
asked as I dove behind the house to escape another shot of goo.

It might be
the only way to slow him down.

I’ve never
seen this spell before, she answered. You have to knock him off
balance and hit him with speed if you are going to succeed.

He’s too
quick.

Then be quicker!
Cathy
said.

I jumped to my
feet and launched a Dispel in anticipation. Contee’s latest goo
attack hit my Dispel and dropped to the ground harmlessly. I
quickly shot two Pulses into his direction which he batted away
easily. He countered with more goo which I dispelled easily.

His hand
brightened as he launched a Fire Ball at the broken house in front
of me. The fire hit the wood and exploded. I covered my head with
my scaly hands until wood stopped flying past me. When I lowered my
hands, I noticed there was now a path through the debris and Contee
was advancing on me.

I shot a Pulse
which was easily deflected and dodged the incoming goo counter
attack to launch another Pulse at Contee. This one caught him off
guard and he was knocked over. He quickly scrambled back to his
feet.

“
We could do this all day but there is too much work for me to
do so how about this, Keeper,” Contee started. “You said you
brought a sword with you. No magic, one on one sword
fight.”

“
You expect both of us to follow the no magic rule?” I
asked.

“
I won’t need magic to defeat you,” he boasted.

I grabbed the
short sword from my hip and got myself into position. Contee’s arm
started to glow orange as two blades emerged from the skin of his
closed fists.

Wow, I haven’t seen that spell in a long time,
Cathy said.

What do I
do?

Break the no magic rule, of course,
Cathy answered
. Wait for your
chance.

Contee rushed
at me and I meant his flurry of attacks with a desperate defence.
Staying in the stance I learnt, I met all of his attacks with my
sword hoping to find a chance to knock him off balance. Seeing a
small opening, I broke the no magic rule and shoved him back with a
Pulse. He staggered back but charged forward again so quickly it
knocked me off my feet.

“
You broke the no magic rule,” he smirked as he pointed the
two blades down at me.

“
Well technically so did you,” I replied pointing to the two
blades.

“
That’s because I already knew you would break the rules,” he
replied.

“
What?” I asked confused before waving dismissively. “Never
mind. I’d rather you kill me then try and explain what you meant by
that.”

“
With a mouth like that, I surprised someone hasn’t already
killed you,” Contee said as a pick axe rose behind him. “It just
means I get the pleasure.”

The pickaxe
dropped and Contee’s expression changed to one of shock. I saw the
pickaxe rise, drop again and Contee fell to his knees. The Evenawk
holding the pick axe removed it from Contee’s back and kicked him
over.

“’
It’s like mining, only into someone’s back’,” The Evenawk
quoted.

I couldn’t
help but smile at the young miner I had freed earlier. “Looks like
I was right to trust you with the key. How’s everyone doing?”

“
Mission accomplished, sir,” Ravik smiled. “We’re regrouping
to discuss the next move.”

I picked up
myself up off the ground and scooped up my sword. Ravik led the way
back to the main group who were happily talking amongst each other.
The fact that there were dead Mages all around them didn’t stop
their celebration. When I joined the group, they cheered me and Bak
approached me holding my robes.

“
When you said watch the sky, I wasn’t expecting you to send
up a house!” he exclaimed as everyone laughed. “Neat trick with the
scales. Are you also a Daison?”

“
I am assuming that means Demon,” I said as I put on my robe.
“No, I’m not, it is just a spell. How are the
causalities?”

“
Couple of our brothers will be missed but they died to bring
us victory!” Bak exclaimed to draw more cheer from the
group.

“
Incoming messenger,” an Evenawk said as he pointed to the
sky.

“
Good,” Bak said excitedly. “Nerrilok’s group must have found
victory as well.”

The messenger
hovered above the ground close to the group.

“
Warlord Nerrilok needs assistance,” the messenger said. “The
Mages are over running the place.”

“
Good,” Bak exclaimed. “More for us to kill. Come on boys, the
day isn’t over yet.”

The group of
rebels and miners began their transformation process and took off
into the air. Morale was certainly not going to be an issue with
this group as everyone was still pumped from the easy victory.

Let’s hope their enthusiasm is enough to make up for their
inexperience,
Cathy said.

Agreed I-

My feet left
the ground as an Evenawk grabbed me from behind.

“
Come on, Daison,” Garoks said. “You don’t want to miss any of
the action.”

Chapter 31

The excitement
in the air was infectious. It had been some time since the Evenawks
had cause to celebrate and with the minor victory at the Mine they
could feel that bigger things were yet to come.

The sight of
stray magic in the distance showed just how close to the Valley we
were. Dangling like a piece of meat in Garoks’ talons, I strained
my eyes to see the battlefield. It looks like we are coming in
along the side of the valley which would join us up with Narrilok’s
troops.