Part 11: Blindsided

The first thing that hit me when I entered the bottom level of the clock tower was the smell of smoke but the building didn't seem to be on fire. I went up to my hideout and found everything still in tact. It wasn't until I looked out an open window that I saw why Costa was so upset: Whole sections of The City were burning and others were covered in thick overgrowth that marked where Viktoria and the Trickster had overwhelmed the districts.

Costa blamed me for this but there was too much going on for all the weight to be on my shoulders. I decided to see if the Baron still had The Eye but before I turned to leave, I noticed a matchbox left on the window by Basso's bird.

Got the hell out of dodge. Hope you did the same. -B

Good. It would have been a shame for him to get himself killed after I had just saved him from some inept guards. I crushed the matchbox and traveled down to the lower level to transport myself to Baron Stonebridge.


The door I came through was massive. I had no idea the glyph was capable of mixing and matching them like that. It was also a bit familiar once I got a good look at my surroundings. I was in the ruined cathedral in the Old Quarter. I could hear chanting from the main chamber and something heavy beating on the doors I just crossed.

I opted for the chanting. A group of men in red robes stood near the edge of the large opening in the center of the cathedral. There were a few armored guards with them but no one seemed concerned with the sound of whatever was trying to break in. They were too busy chanting and praying.

"Blessed be the hammer that is wielded in times of war..."

"For it will drive our enemies into the ground just as the nail is driven into the beam."

Baron Stonebridge was wearing a robe as well but when he lifted his arms, I could see that he was armored underneath it. He held up a golden goblet as if he planned to drink from it but kept it away from his face while a priest continued to recite his spiritual last rites.

I thought I was going to have to interrupt their ceremony but the Baron sensed that I was there. He glanced over his shoulder in my direction before turning away form the ritual to face me. The guards took their hammers by the handles when they followed his gaze but before they could come after me, Stonebridge called for them to stand down.

"I hope you haven't come to steal from me, thief. That wouldn't be the wisest course of action while I'm preparing for war."

"Just checking up on my favorite Baron," I said as I approached the gathering. "Do you still have The Eye?"

One of the priests stepped forward and barked in my direction. "This is the utmost sacrilege! Our great Baron is purifying himself to receive the Builder's blessing and you are disturbing that ancient rite!"

Once again the Baron proved to be the more reasonable one in the room and stared down the priest until he shut up. "What do you want with The Eye," he asked.

"To make sure it hasn't fallen into the wrong hands."

He sighed and passed the cup to the priest. "I could have used a man of your talent and conviction days ago. I'm sure by now you know what we're up against. I expected a fight from them but nothing so aggressive this quickly. Auldale's been overrun by their beasts and savages and I didn't have time to take The Eye with me when I left. If you can find it before they do, you might just save this city. I might even name a day after you."

I shook my head. "Don't do me any favors."

We looked at the cathedral entrance just as it was thrown open. The largest tree beast I had seen so far lumbered past the broken doors to take us out.

All of the Baron's men—the priests included—took formation to meet this challenge. "Get to The Eye," he yelled at me. "It's hidden in a room beneath the cellar!" I'm no soldier but I knew when to take orders. The tree was too distracted by the Baron and his party to notice me running by its massive legs to get out through the smashed doors.

Out of curiosity, I glanced back to see the Baron and his men holding their own against the creature. This religious fervor was something else. I might have to get some for Basso so he'll stop needing me to save him so often.


Even when I thought I had this door glyph figured out, it still had a way of surprising me. I tried to get to the Baron's house with it but I ended up stepping out of the door of a guard tower in Auldale. The street was familiar enough but I couldn't tell how close I was to the house until I climbed up to the tower's top level.

The Baron's house was destroyed and there was a crater left where his cellar used to be. I could tell The Eye wasn't there anymore but it wasn't far. I rotated in place until my senses pointed me in the right direction.

Marsh-dwellers. They were running through the streets and I could see one of them had The Eye in his hands. I didn't have time to be considerate of their lives. I took hold of an arrow that I saved for special occasions and let it fly in their direction.

The explosion filled the streets with thunder and sent the group of marsh-dwellers flying in different directions. I quickly climbed down the tower and moved towards what was left of them.

The main reason I didn't care to use that arrow was all the noise it made. By the time I reached a rooftop near the dead marsh-dwellers, several more had shown up with weapons in the ready. The second-largest tree beast I had ever seen was also closing in to join them. I didn't have another blast arrow and if I fired a regular one, that would just give my position away.

"The foolish man rejected all the power I had to offer him, and now he is here to right that wrong."

I hoped I was the only person who could hear that.

"He overlooks us to your left."

Of course not. That would have made things too easy.

The marsh-dwellers fired arrows and darts in my direction. I hid myself behind a chimney but soon the building started to shake. The tree beast was trying to knock it into a pile of stones and I was going to end up in the middle of it if I didn't act soon.

"Are you pining for me up there, foolish man? We could be wed in flesh, if that is your desire. I could always use another eye..."

The Eye's voice was irritating but it wasn't the one that drew my attention. I could hear the Trickster and Viktoria praising the marsh-dwellers as they approached the gathering. If I let them take off with The Eye, there was no telling how much worse this would get. I took a serrated arrow from my quiver and ran my fingers along its fletching.

The Queen of Beggars had left me with my choice. If I chose to activate the Final Glyph, I had to attune myself to its power by sacrificing my eye. Before I could do that, I would have to remove the human eye that was fixed to The Eye. There was a glyph for that, of course, and the note she left for me showed me what it was. I had decided days ago that I wasn't ready to give my right eye for this city. The Queen's letter also hinted that the artifact's power came from having that eye. It would be a shame if something were to happen to it.

As soon as I stepped out of hiding the marsh-dwellers started firing on me again. I kept moving to stay ahead of their aim but I was going to have to stop at some point. Viktoria was carrying The Eye from where she found it and walking towards the Trickster. The human eye might not have been the largest target but I wouldn't be me if I didn't enjoy the challenge.

I let the arrow fly with the glyph gleaming on its feathers. One of the marsh-dwellers' darts hit me in the should almost immediately afterwards and I flattened myself against the roof just as a bright ring flashed from where my arrow struck the human eye.

The Eye roared and the sound threatened to burst my brain in my skull. I managed to reach the edge of the roof so I could see what was happening. A beam of light shot upwards from where The Eye had been dropped and powerful winds were drawing in the plants, marsh-dwellers and tree beasts in the immediate area. The Trickster had a firm grip on the road with one hand but his body was being pulled in the direction of the beam. Viktoria was holding onto his other hand but she was the closest to going in.

It was interesting to see the Trickster's reaction when their grip on each other failed. He actually looked distressed when she disappeared into the pillar of light. The cobblestones he clung to gave way soon after that but he looked ready to go after her wherever the void was taking them.

I waited until the area was quiet again before I climbed down the building to retrieve The Eye. I was going to give Costa a chance to take care of it this time, since the Baron had proven that he wasn't up for the task.

My shoulder was starting to feel numb where I was struck with the dart and I suddenly lost control of my legs. I dragged myself up against the side of the building and tried to catch my breath. The Queen of Beggars would be proud of me for the sacrifice but I wasn't ready to die for this city. If Red Jenny came for me, I was hoping that favor she owed me would spare me from a return to the dark woods.

I tried to stay alert so I could see her when she came. Someone else approached me. Two marsh-dwellers lifted me up by the shoulders while a third gathered The Eye from the road. I tried to move but I couldn't even take a breath to speak.

A fourth man stood in front of me with a wooden pipe and while one of the ones that held my shoulders forced my chin upright, the man with the pipe blew a powder into my nose that immediately restored my ability to breath. It also hit me with the overwhelming urge to fall asleep and before I could resist, I was out like a light.


"Rise and shine, foolish man. You should be awake for what comes next."

My head felt dizzy but that was nothing compared to the throbbing pain in my hands. I tried to focus on where they were but I couldn't see anything clearly yet.

"I hope you didn't think that taking my eye would render me completely powerless. On second thought, I hope you did, because the look on your face is bound to be priceless. I can't wait to see it, and I will see it soon."

Someone lifted my chin and more powder was blown into my nostrils. I was suddenly very alert and the pain in my hands felt worse. My arms were spread out to my sides and suspended by vines. I could see that much at first. When I finally saw my right hand, the pain was magnified by knowing the condition it was in.

The fingers on both of my hands had been smashed and broken. If they healed at all, they would never be the same—not without any real medical attention. The marsh-dwellers hadn't killed me because they wanted me to live like this. There was another reason they wanted me alive, and it was being held in front of me.

"To have hands and not be able to use them. To be an eye and not be able to see. These are the ties that bind us, foolish man, but soon we will be bound in a different way. What is that saying you humans have? An eye for an eye? Tonight we shall bring true meaning to the words."

End