Fire-Eyed Widdle

A leap, the swirl of light and darkness, and then another leap.

"Here we are!" Alex announced joyfully, shaking the sparks out of his hair.

"Where is here?" I asked, trying to get rid of the static charges that stuck to my dress.

The surrounding scenery was bleak. We were standing in the middle of a rocky steppe with random islands of dirty brown grass. To our left was a wide, well-paved road. The sky above my head was low, covered with gray clouds. A cold wind blew in gusts. Even the leather jacket couldn't protect me from it.

"We're on Dallytan," Alex replied. "M-minus, T-nine, five-six-zero, isolated."

So it was the theocratic world, with the standard laws of physics, where magic was forbidden. One could try to use it, but it was punishable. This world was isolated from the Lace, without the permission to make contacts. Besides, Alex told its coordinates in relation to the Centre.

Actually, the name of the world was enough for me. I'd been to Dallytan before and I didn't like the place. Its population was a collection of religious fanatics, deaf to everything but the words of Fire-Eyed Widdle. Dallytanians hated strangers, and they still burned people at the stake.

"Are you saying that the Eye of the Great Master is in this vipers’ nest?" I asked. "And what about Widdle’s Covenants and the ban on magic?"

"Who do you think Widdle is?" Alex hummed.

"Xaval?" I guessed.

"Exactly," Alex nodded and headed off in a direction that only he knew.

I followed him.

"Xaval is smart," Alex went on, "the abilities of the mage of the Edge are really great, but with the help of the Eye of the Master, they become unlimited. So it is not too complicated to play god for primitive civilization like this. The prerogative to perform miracles, the persecution of sorcerers as accomplices of evil forces... He has thought of everything."

"Do you think you can convince him to give you the thing that makes him a god?" I asked incredulously.

"Oh, no one can convince him! The only thing we can do is steal the Eye!"

"Oh, really," I nodded seriously. "Why haven't I thought of that? Stealing from a thief is not a crime, but a restoration of historical justice."

"It is!" Alex confirmed with irritation.

We walked on and Alex told me his plan.

Not far from the place where we had left the Lace was the city of Rashas. Ages ago, next to Rashas, Fire-Eyed Widdle performed his first divine act: he drove underground the fire demons that had terrorized the world before his arrival. Every year, tens of thousands of pilgrims from all over Dallytan gathered in the city to see the great miracle and Widdle himself.

Alex planned to steal the Eye right during the ceremony: after the miracle had been performed and before the Eye was safely hidden until the next year.

I listened to Alex, thought a bit…

"It is a chance," I concluded, "albeit a slim one, but it might work. We will mingle with the crowd and approach him for a blessing. If only we took Sanders with us!"

"Who?" Alex asked.

"A pickpocket I know," I explained. "I saw him once, on a dare, take the ring off the finger of an Aidesian grandee."

"A rare talent," Alex hummed, "but we have no time to go after him."

"We can do something too!" I said cheerfully. "Would you dare to cast a spell in a place like this?"

He shrugged.

"Perhaps. I'm afraid they‘ll set a level or two of defense against the magic. But if there is no other way, I will."

"Okay, we'll make it through," I said, handing Alex the dagger he used to keep in his inside pocket. "Don't lose it again!"

Alex looked at the dagger, then at me, patted his pockets and burst into laughter.

"I don't understand why you need this Sanders!" he said.

"He's an ace, while I've just learned a few tricks," I explained reluctantly. "I just hope they're not afraid someone‘s going to rob the god and they won’t take appropriate measures."

  Rashas would have remained a remote village forever had it not been for the whim of Widdle, who decided to perform his first miracle right there.

Since then, everything had changed. Rashas became a religious center and a place of pilgrimage. It grew and turned into a flourishing city of white stone.

The temple reminded me of the Eiffel Tower, crowned with the large magic ball that absorbed the sun's rays when the weather was good and shone when the days were gloomy. As a result, all days in Rashas were full of light, and even rain became spectacular because of the thousands of rainbows shining in the sky.

I knew it first hand. Dallytan had been my first mission as a secret agent, and I still wondered how I hadn’t failed. But now I knew the customs of Dallytan and could pass for a local if I wanted to.

By the way! Alex and I would look as ridiculous here in our clothes as a medieval knight in full armor on the seashore. I explained this to the prince, and we turned to a nearby village, where we took two pilgrim robes that were drying on a rope. Then Alex threw a few coins on the threshold of the house, and we went on our way.

As we approached the city, we mingled with other pilgrims and entered Rashas with our heads covered,murmuring what sounded like prayers. We arrived just in time: the miracle was to be performed that very afternoon.

In the Temple Square was the well, fenced in and covered with a metal lid. It was there that Widdle had imprisoned the fire demons many years ago. Once a year, the well would be opened, and the Fire-Eyed would repeat his heroic deed in front of the religiously ecstatic crowd.

The city was in a festive mood and the Temple Square was completely crowded, even though it was more than an hour before the performance. We appeared to be the most sluggish, and so found ourselves at the back of the crowd. We worked our way through the crowd with the help of our elbows and finally stopped behind the line of monks dressed in bright yellow robes and armed with short and wide swords.

The miracle began right on time.

The lid that covered the well flew aside, and the black fire shot out of the open abyss into the sky.

The crowd erupted in screams, and somewhere a woman was hysterical. Although the performance never changed, it didn't get less dramatic over the years. Each time the fire demon was real and wanted to get free, and each time Widdle had to fight it again and again. And each time there was a chance for the demon to escape, which made the show even more spectacular.

Nevertheless, each time Widdle did everything right. This time, too, he looked great. He flew down from the sky like a fairy bird. The golden eye shone on his forehead, and lightning flashed all around him. It was really impressive!

Widdle stood by the well and began to draw lines in the air with his hands. The lines shone like golden threads, weaving a fantastic web around the well.

"How dare he!" Alex whispered indignantly. "He's using the magic of the Shield for this trick!"

Fortunately, no one could hear him over the noise.

As the web was spun, the black flame began to sink into the well, and the crowd went wild.

All of a sudden, I felt something alien and hostile appear, and the wind of death blew at my back. I lifted my eyes to the sky and froze.

A black vortex of a tornado swirled wildly and fell down like lightning. The demonic flame rushed out of the well toward it. The crowd fell silent and every eye turned to the sky.

 I felt rather than saw movement at my side. Alex pushed a monk out of the way, leaped forward and drew his sword. The blade in his hand glowed like an electric lamp. I thought he had chosen the wrong time to steal the Eye, but the descendant of the Mages of the Edge stood on the other side of the well, swinging his sword above his head and blocking the vortex’ path.

The crowd gasped and froze.

Alex's sword was spinning with fantastic speed, and soon all I could see was a glowing disk that widened and covered the square with a magical shield.

Meanwhile, Widdle paid no attention to Alex. He finished his fight with the demon, closed the well with the lid. and sealed it with powerful seals.

The vortex touched the shield, and with a terrible scream, it broke into pieces, turned into black clouds and flew away with the wind.

A miracle had happened, Widdle had won again. The crowd cheered.  

Alex put down his sword and turned to Widdle. They stood there, looking into each other's eyes. Even if they were talking, I couldn't hear a sound.

Suddenly a man in front of me fell down, and other monks followed. In a cascade of sparks, someone else appeared behind Widdle's back.

What a day it was!

I jumped over the unconscious monk and ran ahead, knowing I was too late. A black-clad figure emerged from the power lines and immediately slid toward Widdle. It all happened in a second.

 I jumped, threw my leg forward, and hit the stranger in the stomach with my heel. I knocked him down, but I got tangled in my hood and fell after him. I got up quickly and stood between the stranger and Widdle.

My opponent also stood up and turned his face toward me. For the second time in one day I was scared. He had no face at all. Instead, there was a cloud of darkness with red glowing eyes.

He didn't need to introduce himself. I understood at once: it was the Faceless Destroyer. Not Norn, not Haighwerg, but the Destroyer himself.

"Go away!" he ordered.

"Right now," I hummed, playing with my sword, surprised at my own impertinence.

The Faceless One clenched his fists above his head, and when he unclenched them, I saw the burning sword in his hand.

"A cheap trick!" I cried out, attacking him.

"You're an arrogant fool," the Faceless said, drawing my blade away from his chest. "Leave now, and I will spare your life in exchange for Helyswort!"

I cursed and continued the fight. A strike, a block, a lunge, another strike. The world around us disappeared, drowned in the dance of battle. The song of steel, the groan of dissipated air, the gleam of glittering blades. Perhaps the Faceless was a truly great sorcerer, but he wasn't a great swordsman. When I finally reached him, the Destroyer fell with the wound in his hip. Oddly, his blood was red.

He looked at me with his burning eyes.

"It wasn't the end, Archie," he hissed, and disappeared in the fountain of sparks.

"You're a coward!" I yelled. "Come back and fight!"

I cleaned the blood from my sword and sheathed it. Strangely enough, I did not feel the joy of victory, but rather apathy and indifference toward everything.

The next two hours were barely remembered. I vaguely recalled Widdle introducing us as his sons who had come to save the world in time of need. Then he made a speech, blessed his people, and went to Nirvana until the next miracle.

I was brought back to reality by a harsh shout, "Get out!"

I jerked but immediately understood that it was not addressed to me. A man in a fiery red cloak ran out of the room.

We were in a cozy room with light-colored walls and many valuable trinkets. In the middle of the room was a low table with a plate of fruit on it. There were a few soft chairs around it, but no one asked us to sit down or eat anything.

After getting rid of an unnecessary witness, Widdle stopped playing the caring father and asked harshly, turning to Alex, "Okay, who are you?"

The blinding glare of the Eye faded, and I could finally see his face. Widdle had regular, overly refined features, green eyes and blond hair. He would have been handsome but for the cynical expression on his face. The Eye, by the way, appeared to be a yellow diamond the size of a pigeon's egg.

 "What do you think, Xaval?" Alex asked in turn.

Widdle made a grimace. "Relatives... Has my father decided to return his lost son to the family? It took him a long time, really."

"No, he didn't. Just relax, Xaval. No one is going to call you back to Irrat. We're here on another case."

"What exactly?" Widdle asked.

"Maybe you’ll at least feed those who saved you out of gratitude?" I interjected.

"Saved me?" Widdle chuckled. "There was nothing I couldn't do myself."

"Really?" Alex grimaced. "Why are you giving us such honors in this case?"

"Just politics, my friend," Widdle replied, spreading his hands. "I had to save the situation somehow. God has no right to make mistakes."

"You seem to believe that yourself," I said.

Widdle ignored my words and turned to Alex, "You still haven't introduced yourself, my relative."

Alex said his name and introduced me as well.

"I see, I see," Widdle nodded. "So why have you come, grandson of my brother Mabert?"

I thought sadly that we wouldn't have lunch that day.

"It is time to remember your duty as a Border Guardian, Xaval," Alex said, looking into his relative’s eyes. "The Destroyer has come!"

Widdle was silent for a few minutes, then burst into laughter.

"I knew it's all about the Stone!" he said.

"Not really," Alex objected. "It's about the existence of the Lace. And the Eye of the Great Master, as one of the Keys, is directly related to this problem."

"Really?" Widdle raised his eyebrows. "Explain your words, please."

"The Destroyer needs the Eye to carry out his plans. He has made an attempt to get it today. I doubt that one failure will stop him."

"No one but the Master's descendant can even touch the Eye!" Widdle objected, but his voice faltered.

"The Destroyer is a son of your brother Angrew and a lady of the Haighwerg clan," Alex said.

Widdle thought it over, and then pointed to the chairs and said, "Sit down and tell me everything."

So we did, and then dishes of various foods appeared on the table.

"Help yourselves," Widdle said, and started to eat.

I was glad to follow his example. Alex, however, was busy telling the story of Irrat and therefore didn’t have much time to eat. Widdle listened, nodded, and there was no emotion on his face.

"I understand your concern," he said after the prince had finished. "I really appreciate you telling me about the situation at the Lace. But don't worry about the Great Master's Eye: it's safe with me, and the Destroyer will never reach it. "

"Don't you realize who you're dealing with?" Alex exclaimed.

"On the contrary, I understand perfectly," Widdle was absolutely calm. "He is just another madman, possessed by delusions. How many of them have there been in the history of the world! None have been able to collect even half of the artifacts."

"None of them have been able to seize power in Irrat, but the Destroyer has!" the prince insisted. "Perhaps it would be better to hide this Key somewhere?"

"The safest place for the Eye is here!" Widdle replied.

He got up, walked around the room and stood in front of us. The sunlight through the open window fell on his face, and the stone on Widdle's forehead shone with all the colors of the rainbow. For a moment it seemed to me that Widdle had gained divine feathers. And then he began to speak.

"I am the Eye and the Eye is me! We are indivisible. The Eye gives me power and authority, and in return takes from me what it needs. Long ago, when I was young and rebellious, I left my father's house, and the Eye of the Great Master demanded that I take it with me. It was the Eye that led me to Dallytan when it was praying for a defender. It was by its will and with its help that I defeated the demons of fire and stayed here. I am the only keeper of the Eye, and the Eye in turn keeps me and protects me from trouble and misfortune. And now I tell you: the Destroyer will never get the Great Master's Eye as long as it remains with me! Your bravery today was not necessary: the Eye will not fall into evil hands. "

Alex and I looked at each other. Divine or insane, Widdle really believed his own words. There was no way to convince him otherwise. After all, it might be true – I meant his relationship with the stone, not an attempt to justify his dishonorable actions.

Alex got up and I followed him.

"Okay, Xaval," he said. "The Eye of the Great Master stays with you. I will not even ask you to help us against the Destroyer. Just take care of yourself."

***

"What the hell did you do?" I yelled as we returned to the Lace. "Why did you give up so easily? He’s just an arrogant peacock! Did you really believe his pretentious talk?"

"I didn't," Alex looked offended, "I checked it out. I tested him and found the connection. Widdle knew, by the way, but he didn't stop me. The Eye wouldn't let me in."

"Just great! What now?"

Alex shrugged. "I think as long as Widdle and the Eye stay in Dallytan, they are safe. At least for a while."

"What do you mean?"

"When the Destroyer collects at least four Keys, he will become so powerful that even our semi-god won't be able to resist him."

I really wanted to curse, but I stopped myself.

"Well, then we can do the same thing, can't we? What's our next step?"

"We must wait until the Great Full Moon comes," Alex said. "Then the gates between the past and the future will open. All we have to do is time it right and we can see where the Master left the Keys."

It took me several seconds to grasp what he had just said.

"You mean to follow the Great Master himself?" I clarified, having finally regained the gift of speech.

"If necessary," the prince shrugged.

"But how? Are you sure we can find him?"

Alex put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. "All I know," he said, "is that the Destroyer knows as much about the Great Full Moon as I do. He will surely make an attempt. If we don't find the Master, he will. And then it will be a disaster."

I still thought this idea was suicidal, but I cou

ldn't offer an alternative.

"When is the Full Moon?" I asked.

"It's soon," he said. "Eighteen days, if I don't lose count."