Dimwater's Demons by Sam Ferguson

the All Seeing Eye he had previously met with.
    “How does the young sorceress fare?” he asked, fiddling with the sleeves of his black robes until the purple trim around the cuffs was fully displayed properly. A long hood hung loosely over the man’s face, partially covering his features. Like all the others Cyrus had seen before, a medallion hung around this warlock’s neck in the shape of a gleaming triangle of gold enclosing the image of an open eye. “Has she yet pledged her service and loyalty?”
    Cyrus shook his head. “As I said before, the girl is headstrong, and her mother’s murder has given her a kind of raging tunnel vision that makes her unwelcoming to any notion other than revenge. However, I do believe I am gaining her trust. She sees me as an ally, especially now that I am sharing her secret regarding the dragon.”
    “Our order is pleased with the progress.”
    “Tell me why the girl is so important to you.”
    The warlock laughed and shook his head. “My brother has already told you all that we shall ever divulge on that matter. She will be a great ally for us.”
    “Yes, I remember.”
    The warlock leaned across the table. “If you were to swear fealty to the Order of the All-seeing Eye, I could shed light on some of the visions we have seen of the future.”
    “I don’t need your visions,” Cyrus said.
    “Then it must be something else that causes you concern,” the warlock said. “Is it the fact that the young sorceress has the same name as your late wife?”
    Cyrus bristled and his head pulled back. Anger rushed through his veins and it was all he could do to keep from lashing out. “You have no right to mention my wife.”
    “Just see to it that you do not baby the apprentice out of some misplaced affection or lingering grief. You are, after all, indebted to us.”
    “Yes, but you know, the information I have gotten from you has never been entirely accurate. First, you tell me that the shade has the dagger. So, I tracked her down and killed her. Then, after that you tell me that Bhaltair the vampire has the dagger. So, I go with Janik to the vampire’s lair and the dagger is not there either. Now, you can’t even find the dagger. All you can say is that I have to find it before Severin does. Perhaps I would be better off on my own.”
    “Is that a threat?” the young warlock hissed.
    “It is merely an observation,” Cyrus replied. “Perhaps your visions are not as powerful as you claim. In that case, I would do well to work the riddle out on my own.”
    “The dagger is still tied with Caspen Manor,” the warlock said. “If you want it, you must look there.”
    “I have looked there already,” Cyrus replied.
    “Then the other option is to go after Severin directly,” the warlock said.
    Cyrus nodded. “I just told the young sorceress about my fight with the shade,” he said.
    “You told her of the dagger?!” the warlock shouted.
    “No,” Cyrus said. “I told her only that there was an artifact of great power that I was trying to recover. She doesn’t know what it is.”
    “Then why tell her anything about it?”
    “To whet her appetite. She thirsts for revenge, as I said, and has already discovered that a garunda beast’s blood can aid in slaying shades. I merely gave her a push in the direction I wanted her to go.”
    “She will try to hunt the shade,” the warlock said.
    “If she is successful, then perhaps I can still sneak up on Severin.”
    “Doubtful,” the warlock said. “After your fight with this new shade, I am sure Severin has already been warned of your involvement.”
    Cyrus nodded. “Perhaps so, but it is still worth a chance. Let the girl and the dragon hunt down the shade, and then I will interrogate the shade to find Severin.”
    “The Order of the All-Seeing Eye wants the girl alive, if possible, so she can join us.”
    “And I want the dagger,” Cyrus said. “The deal hasn’t changed.” Cyrus pushed up from the table.