The Blue Pearl

Bedona from what she had known had just became one of the biggest failures of Sharak as far as she could tell. That was because her guild was not known for failures. Six months of careful planning and working in disguise only to have it all destroyed in one night. It was to be her last mission as an eye. Success would let her be a Liaison and work directly under Pearl. Her dream ever since he joined Sharak.

What do I do now Rollo?

Her senior and often times her mentor Rollo had died in the mission. The two of them working for the past two years they had become quite close as friends. Most of the times his bleeding her annoyed her but more often than not it helped them than to get them in trouble. Until now that is, this time he died along with the family he was fighting for. In the end if he stayed back he would be alive and been more help in what came after. She warned him, begged even to stay back, that this once listen to her. He didn"t, he just smiled and left like he always did. Up until now her own survival kept her focused on other things but now that she was free of it, everything was flooding back to her. The pain, the loss and the fear.

She felt the sting of tears in the corner of her eyes and ignored it.

Who would she go to now? As an eye, she couldn"t operate alone. Could she go to Aristeros himself and speak of her betrayal and ask for forgiveness. Or her direct supervisor Vilon, with whom she made the deal. Vilon was a Mind of Aristeros, one of Seven and definitely the most senior and notorious among his rank. He had somehow found out about her dream to be a Liaison and gave her a way to fulfill it. Bedona had to put his mark on her, one that overrode Aristeros"s own mark and removed all his influence from her. She was out of that shackle b.u.t.t was presumably putt into a much worse one in the name of Vilon.
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But she had gotten his blood oath, that Vilon would release her when she completed her mission. Steal some treasures from Cindamir, the man they were following in R"qsar. Cindamir was once known as the greatest hero of the Nwaijr-Maen union, South"s Pearl or Pearl was North"s Cindamir depending on who was asking. Bedona"s official mission, which was to just tail the man and find out what he was doing got Vilon"s attention. And he used his mark on her to do this on last mission as the Eye of Aristeros and she would be a Liaison when she returned.

Naturally Bedona took it. As her partner Rollo who as nearing sixty was also at that time was ready to give up his life of espionage and finally spend his life with his family. To finally live his dream of opening a small bakery shop and play the whole day with his grandchildren. He had seven of those little b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Now she would go to them and tell them that their grandfather wouldn"t be coming back anymore. That was if she went back at all.

What would Vilon do to her now? The rumors she heard of him, she always blew them away thinking that would never happen to her. She was just too important to him. Now, would she have run even if she could? She wasn"t sure.

Vilon always seemed to know everything, even to what she was going to say to him before she even opened her mouth. Eyes didn"t much get to meet their anchors and instead they worked through the Minds that were directly supervised them. And Bedona and her partner were under Vilon. Rollo hated the man, but Bedona on the other hadn"t always thought Vilon to be inspiring in his ways. Vilon and Aristeros didn"t get along, in fact often times it looked as if the Mind was working against their Anchor.

Only twice so far, had she met Aristeros. Once when she first joined the eyes; and the second time was almost a year and half later, before she was given this a.s.signment. In that she had suspected that he wanted to find out more about what Vilon was up to. But she had not much knowledge it herself, just as she decided to keep it like that in case something like this happened. She didn"t hate the cripple old man or his twisted ways he got answers out of her. In fact he was quite pleasant and being with him was illumination in its own way. But out of the two she had more faith in younger Vilon than the relic one eyed Aristeros, who could not even walk without his cane. Rollo didn"t agree, "Never underestimate Aristeros." was his warning.

She respectfully didn"t care as one, she wouldn"t an eye for long and two, by then Vilon had already marked her. Hidden underneath the mark of Sharak in her right palm was Vilon"s contract. It itched and flared at the thought, a dark reminder for her dark deal. A betrayal it was, no matter how she framed it. And he knew, Aristeros knew and still he sent Ava and Olean to her rescue. Because if it was Vilon, he would abandoned her the moment she failed. But that was exactly why she chose him instead of the other.

"Aristeros was too soft."

Vilon had said like he had read her mind, as they both lay on his bed, sinking into the soft fur of a Great Betari. His finger ran over her hand where his needles marked him on her. Blood and ink over the golden Brand of Sharak.

"Pearl proved why we needed a new Anchor, it is about time the Golden Tower reforms…under me."

His words thrilled her, he had grand dreams like Bedona"s own, and even grander. He understood her, she thought. She was a fool.

Vilon and Pearl were bitter old rivals. When both of them were just Eyes of Aristeros like Bedona was; about a decade ago when the Blue Tower hadn"t even formed. And the Eyes" numbers weren"t big enough to warrant the existence of the Minds, Pearl had refused Vilon"s offer for partnership. Instead she formed one with her brother and her husband, the first and only set of three in the history of Golden Tower. Ever since then Vilon worked tirelessly to show the woman what mistake it was to not choose him. He gained power, prestige and became the first Mind of Aristeros at the age of twenty nine. And Pearl, by then formed her own Tower and became the Blue Anchor.

It was a thrilling story she had heard from Rollo. He said that every senior knew it but none spoke of it. Aristeros"s request, he said. The old ones respected their Anchor just too d.a.m.n much. But somehow Rollo"s love for Bedona was greater than his respect at least.

Another tear at the reminder and this time she let go and cried. The fall hiding her wails of pain and sorrow, as she cried; for her partner, for herself, for his wisdom and for her foolishness, everything.