It was not long before we began to see more mountains. Theodmon told me they were the Mildorian mountains, and at the bottom was Mildor itself. We could not see the city since the forest had grown thick around us. But Theodmon told me that we were getting close to the birthplace of the church, the central power .
A few days into the forest, our company halted, and I saw Naro and Grinning Man talking to Cleaver. I sat on my horse next to Theodmon, and Tuale rode behind us—but it had been days since he had spoken.
After seeing his two fellow churchmen butchered before him—and one that had come back to life—he was skittish and withdrawn. In a way, I felt bad for him, as I realized that his own predicament was like my own when life had put me on this journey.
As I watched the men talk, I sensed Theodmon mutter something under his breath. I turned to him. “What is it?”
He looked at me with a look of surprise on his face. I figured that he must not have realized he had even spoken. Theodmon frowned, and for a moment, I thought he would not answer the question. Then he rubbed his temples with both of his hands.
“I am sorry, my son. I’m not used to my thoughts tumbling out into the world so easily.” He held up a finger and pointed. “It’s a Whisper Eye, and a powerful one too.”
I stood up in my saddle and realized that there was another man I had not seen. He was cloaked in brown and wore faded, travel-worn clothes. As I looked at him, he removed his hood to reveal blond hair and a handsome face. He had a strong jaw with a closely trimmed beard and a sharp nose. But he was not a man--as he was not much older than myself.
“What is a whisper eye?” I asked, finding something about the boy inherently odd without being able to discern why. His eyes were bright green, and as I asked the question, the boy titled his head and looked right at me.
Theodmon sighed in frustration. “As I told you before, the mana pool is infinitely complicated, and the effects of it on the human body can be unique. There are more than a hundred, perhaps a thousand, different variations of magic, and all types of magic were accepted, respected, and taught in Kel’Ednas. All except the power of Whisper Eye.”
“Why?”
“Well, for one, it can’t be taught. Whisper eye is not so much a magic as a sort of virus. It’s an extremely rare form of wild magic. The magic invades the mind and corrupts a part of it, changing the personality of whoever it touches. And then, it is passed down from generation to generation, never growing weaker—only stronger every time. It would not be so dangerous if the power itself did not also contain elements of prophetic power. It makes Whisper Eyes exceedingly hard to catch and pin down. It has been some time since I sensed it once, and it seems the virus in this one is more powerful than any I have seen.”
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Theodmon shook his head, and I heard him curse again. “I’ve half a mind to kill the bastard right now.” Once he voiced the idea, he seemed to like it, and he dismounted from his horse.
As we walked up to the group of them talking, the man turned to look at us again, but this time he looked at Theodmon. He seemed to stiffen. Almost immediately, he gripped something at his waist and then said something to Cleaver. Then, he moved to mount his horse.
“Stop!” Theodmon yelled. Cleaver turned to us, confused, and looked back and forth between us and the man.
The man kicked his horse in the ribs without looking back, and before Theodmon could grab him, the man was riding down the road, kicking up a dust storm behind him.
Theodmon glared at Cleaver as he held a hand on the pommel of his sword. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
Cleaver looked at Grinning Man and Horse Man as if he weren’t the subject of the question. Grinning Man shrugged, then Cleaver answered, “A spy of some sort. I’ve used the man before as a contact. Odd sort, but reliable if you pay him well.” He gestured at a small leather bag in his huge hand that was empty. “Very, very well.”
Cleaver continued on as he mounted his horse. “Told us which shifts on the wall have green or dirty guards, or both. Should be easy to bribe our way into the city without much notice now.”
Theodmon eyed Cleaver warily. Then he sighed. “The money's gone. And we can’t go through with that plan.”
Cleaver glared at Theodmon, and I sensed rising anger in the man. He was the leader of the group, and he did not like Theodmon telling him what to do. He had also seemed to not like Theodmon, and I couldn’t blame him.
Theodmon knew things about him that he didn’t want others to know. “What do you mean the plan is gone? Did you see how much gold we paid him?” His fist tightened around the empty coin purse. For a moment, I thought he might strike Theodmon.
Grinning Man put a hand on Theodmon’s shoulder and smiled at him. Cleaver regarded the man, and he took a deep breath.
Theodmon looked between the two men, and a look of disgust came across his face. “If all you are after is gold, then you will quickly find it to be your demise.” And with that, he turned and got back on his own horse. “And Cleaver, you might want to check your other purse.”
Cleaver stiffened. From the look on his face, it was not common knowledge that he had two. Then he looked down and rummaged through his leather jerkin and belt. He looked up blankly. “It’s gone. That fucker took it.”
I knew that if we ever saw the man again, Cleaver would kill him, and by the look on his face, he would make it slow.
“Why didn’t you stop him?” I asked Theodmon, as he settled back on his horse.
“You mean with my power?” Theodmon sighed. “Like I said, the Whisper Eye is an odd magic. It is resilient to outside effects. The boy--whoever he is, would not be influenced by my magic, despite how powerful I have become.”