Through the Eyes of the Dead 3 (standard:fantasy, 2741 words) [3/3] show all parts
Author: kissofthehungry	Added: Jun 29 2004	Views/Reads: 2581/1899	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
King Brenton storms the unit that Cavara and Klien have just fled, and upon investigating, he finds Avoney clothed in Cavara's outfit. When she is unable to give the information that he seeks, he captures her and gives her over to his soldiers.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

they had been given a warning to go into hiding until news was reported 
that it was safe to come out.  However, when he described Cavara to the 
fifth, her eyes showed a frightened memory and he knew he had found his 
informant. 

When he pressed the issue, the woman gasped, "I knew she was trouble,
she reeked of trouble.  But she didn't stay down here long, no one 
would have anything to do with her.  We were all afraid that she might 
touch us and drive us mad." 

King Brenton was amused by the simple thought process of the commoners,
but he leapt upon one statement of the woman's, "What do you mean, she 
didn't stay down here long?" 

The woman gestured up the pillar, "She went up there, with the Time
Watchers.  I didn't see her again nor did I hear anything more about 
her."  Brenton's eyes trailed up to the thick pillars towering abover 
them, so that was where Cavara had chosen to hide.  Surely she knew 
that it would be easy for them to trap and capture her up there.  A 
smug grin lit his face, he knew that he was about to have his quarry. 

Quickly, he gave orders, and he and his men advanced up the pillars, his
men cautious of the magician that could do them harm.  However, when 
they reached the top, all they saw were a bunch of kids.  The warm 
violet of Cavara's cloak stood out among the bland colors of the other 
outfits and Brenton leapt upon her in excitement.  When he spun the 
girl to face him, rage contorted his features, it was not Cavara but 
some other young beauty. 

"Who are you?" he shook her with his anger, "Where is Cavara?  Why are
you in her cloak?" 

The girl's eyes were wide with fear and surprise and at first, she was
too stunned to speak, but finally she sputtered, "I am Avoney, I don't 
know who or where Cavara is, but I am in her cloak because my brother 
asked me to exchange clothes with another young woman.  I did not 
question the request for I hate the wear of a Time Watcher and longed 
for more colorful outfits.  Please sir, I meant no harm." 

Fresh anger coursed through his system, the foolish girl!  Cavara had
escaped their grasp because she had so naively given up her outfit of 
status in vain lust for color.  Growling with his furious thoughts, he 
made the girl come down with them.  Avoney had made a terrible mistake 
and for it, she would have to suffer. 

Once his feet were firmly planted on the ground, he glared haughtily at
his Advisor, relaying to him with his eyes that Cavara had not been 
found.  Avoney stood behind him, her face pale and her light green eyes 
still wide, but now only in fearful anticipation.  Even in her 
innocence, she knew something bad was going to be done for she could 
see the malice and ill intents blazing in King Brenton's wild eyes. 

King Brenton threw her to the Chief of the Guards and said in a cold
voice, "Do with her what you will.  Whatever is necessary to break her 
for she is your prisoner and as such, deserves no special priviliges.  
She has committed a grave crime against the people with little heed for 
the consequences.  Show her the error of her ways, you have my 
permission to use all methods available.  Just do not kill her."  His 
words left ice in Avoney's chest and from the hungry gaze coming from 
the Chief of the Guards, she had a pretty reliable idea of what his 
methods would include.  Unsure of her grave crime, she prayed that 
whatever Klien and Cavara were up to, that it was worth it and that 
they succeeded. 

For a while, merely intent upon escaping the monster that was looking
for her, Cavara and Klien rode at a furious pace, unable to really 
talk.  However, they slowed the horses down to a slight trot, not 
wanting to wear them out in the event that they needed speed again.  
For a few minutes, they trotted in silence, and Cavara started stealing 
small glances at him out of the corner of her eye. 

Klien was a handsome young man, who sat tall in his saddle.  His gray
eyes were strange, such a color that she had never seen before, and 
they were so enticing.  His lips were smooth and welcoming, full of 
life and temptation.  She wanted to talk to him, but she had no idea 
about what, she just wanted to hear him speak. 

The question escaped her before she had really put any thought into it,
"Are you and Avoney a... a couple?"  Her cheeks darkened, she hadn't 
meant to ask that. 

Klien laughed and replied, "Oh no, Avoney and I are more like sister and
brother.  Why do you ask?"  His answer brought a surge of mixed 
emotions.  Relief, for she was glad to find that he had nothing going 
on with Avoney, which didn't say he didn't have something going on with 
some other girl.  On the same note, it brought another rush of 
embarrassment, for he wanted to know why she had asked such a question. 
 Quickly, he mind went into overdrive and she came up with a reasonable 
excuse. 

"Well, I was just curious why she changed clothes so readily with me
without asking questions.  I mean, if someone had instructed me to 
change clothes with a girl not of my station, I'd want to know why," 
she prayed that he couldn't see the blush in her cheeks.  That he 
believed her reason for the question and didn't guess the real meaning. 


"Oh that, Avoney usually listens to me.  It's mainly cause I got her out
of some trouble a while ago.  You know how Time Watchers are chosen 
right?" she shook her head and he looked incredulous but continued, "I 
guess only a few Units have Time Watchers, but they are valuable assets 
and every Unit should have a few.  Anyway, Time Watchers are chosen at 
an early age for their light eye color.  It's because they have keen 
observation skills and incredible eye sight.  But eye color alone will 
not make a Time Watcher.  They are tested and retested for psychic 
talents, we're a bit more inituiative than the rest of our people.  We 
can sense strangers coming before they get into eye sight and such.  
Unfortunately, about mid-thirties, the talent goes away and we are 
replaced by the next batch. 

Anyway, being chosen as a Time Watcher is much like becoming a Marker. 
You do not have choice in the matter.  Avoney was chosen but adamently 
refused to take her status.  To refuse to be a Time Watcher is to be 
thrown out of the Unit without any way to provide for oneself and so 
on.  I've never seen this happen and I didn't want to see it happen, so 
I had a talk with her.  Some would say I bullied her while others say I 
hypnotized her into a submissive mode, in reality, I just showed her 
the perks of the job and swayed her into accepting her status.  Since 
then, she's come to love being a Time Watcher.  It's one of those 
things, you can't help it and we've been extremely close since.  Also, 
because I gave her such good advice, she generally listens to whatever 
I have to say because she trusts me to have good judgement." 

Cavara looked at him with a smile on her lips, she felt a new respect fo
him.  If Avoney had been thrown out of the Unit without a horse, there 
would have been little chance of her survival.  Therefore, because of 
Klien's refusal to see something like that happen, he had saved her 
life.  That was one heck of a man.  Klien returned her smile but it was 
different.  His grin made her color again and wish that she had a 
mirror so that she knew she were presentable. 

Not knowing what to say, she finally looked away, but he spoke, "Are you
promised to anyone?"  With lightening speed, her eyes were back upon 
him, wordless shock clearly written on her face.  There was no way he 
could disguise his desire with that question. 

"No," she responded, her heart fluttering in her chest, "It is difficult
to find someone who can tolerate my gifts."  Silence again lasped upon 
them, but her thoughts were busy. 

"Can I ask you a question?" she turned to him dreamily and nodded, "Why
in the world did you pledge your loyalties to that man?  How could you 
use your powers for such a corrupt being?"  The question snapped her 
out of her dreamland and back into reality.  After their previous 
conversation, she never would have expected the venom that laced his 
voice.  Expectantly, he was staring at her and she felt the need to 
explain herself, to reassert herself in his good graces. 

"I believe the Units need to be united.  That it is in their better
interest to do so.  I was naive enough to believe that King Brenton had 
the best interests of the people in his heart, so I willingly gave 
myself over to the idea of unity.  However, through his actions and 
some conversations I was fortunate enough to hear, I realized his 
intentions were not as pure as I so wanted to believe.  You've got to 
believe me, I only joined him because I thought it was what was best 
for the Units. I left the moment I knew for certain his motives were 
wrong and destructive," her voice sounded terribly whiny to her, but 
she couldn't help it.  For some reason, she really wanted Klien to have 
respect for her and like her, not hold her past loyalties as a crime 
worth condemning. 

Klien looked at her thoughtfully then faced straight ahead.  Her heart
sunk, the longer he didn't say anything the more certain she was that 
she had lost any faith with him.  Then, sounding incredibly thoughtful, 
he did speak, "Cavara, have you ever thought of perhaps uniting the 
Units as one?  Not through another power where you can never be certain 
of their true desires, but through yourself?"  His question caught her 
off guard and she looked at him, wide eyed in surprise. 

"Of course I've never thought such a thing.  I'm a Marker, Markers do
not rule the people," she sputtered, her mind reeling at the idea.  
Her, leading the Units?  It made no sense to her whatsoever. 

"Nor do Time Watchers run off with Markers to help them escape the king,
but I've done it.  Why couldn't you bring the people together.  You've 
got the belief, the desire to do it, and when you speak about it, you 
sound genuine and sincere.  Something that Brenton is not able to pull 
off no matter what he tries," there was a little bit of spite in his 
voice and she tried to ignore it.  He was serious, he really thought 
she should be trying to unite the people together. 

The man was mad, she wasn't capable of such a thing.  Yet there was a
nagging voice at the back of her mind, a voice that asked her why 
couldn't she do it?  Why couldn't she bring the people together?  He 
was right, she could never be sure of the true motives of other men, as 
had been proven with King Brethan.  Most of mankind had the black seeds 
of desire for power and infamy sown deep into their hearts.  Her only 
want was to bring the people together, to put them at the best of their 
abilites.  Perhaps it was an idea she should consider.  Out of the 
corner of her eye, she saw him smiling coyly at her, he knew she was 
thinking about it.


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