29. The Eye of Borrin

Maria just stared at the young girl in front of her, not truly believing what she had just heard.

After a pause she said.

"Did you just say that you saw me kill you in a vision?" she asked not knowing what else to say.

"Yes." replied Morag. "All farseers are shown the end of their time on earth but are not able to affect it. I have seen mine and when I looked at you I recognised that you were the one in it."

"I am not the only one in it, am I?" asked Maria.

"No." said Morag. "Their were others. The visions are always a little hazy and I don’t always recall a face until I see it in life. I always see from my eyes so I have no way of knowing how I look or how old I am at the time."

She paused intently studying Maria’s face.

"You look very much like you do in my vision." she said and sighed.

"I was hoping I would get to do more before it happened." she continued. "But we are only given a set amount of time and when it is done there is little you can do about it."

Maria stood up quickly.

"Don’t get that kind of defeatists attitude." she told the girl. "Just because some of your vision is happening now, doesn’t mean that it will happen."

"But you are here...."

"Yes." interrupted Maria. "But not everything and everyone is here, is it."

"No." said Morag. "But if it were not to happen now but later, would you not look older?"

"Not necessarily." said Maria. "there is a lot about me you don’t know."

Maria knew that her ageing was very slow. She could look as she does now for decades before any new signs of age began to show.

At first she thought this great, but soon realised that she would not be taken as seriously as her age would have her be, since outwardly she would be seen as younger.

"Besides." she continued her conversation with Morag. "I came here to get you out, not to kill you. Someone else here deserves that more than you."

Before Morag could ask her what she meant by that, they heard a key turn in the door and it opened.

In walked Eachann followed by Bowen.

Morag rose to stand next to Maria. She stood tall and straight, looking directly at Eachann with a defiant stare.

Maria only stared at Bowen.

She wondered how such a seemingly unimpressive man was able to escape her mother. He was dirty and missing some teeth. His nose was crooked and his hair was practically non existent. And he did not look particularly bright.

Yet somehow he was able to continue on without any problems.

"Eachann." said Morag, bringing Maria back to the situation at hand.

"Morag." said Eachann.

"I will give you one chance." said Morag. "If you let me go I will make sure that father does not look for you. You may go as you please without fear of recriminations. But if you continue with this madness you will pay dearly."

Maria saw that Paul’s stubbornness and confidence was definitely a family trait. Even though she was smaller than Maria, Morag acted twice as big and you felt that she had the ability and wherewith all to back up her words.

Maria looked to see how Eachann and Bowen were taking this young girls proposal.

Bowen seemed to be worried as if he thought that she could do what she threatened. But Eachann just smiled.

"Unfortunately." he said. "The person I am doing business with is much more powerful than you or your family, and I am more frightened of him than you."

Morag just stared angrily at him.

"If my hands were not tied, I would look into your future just to assure myself that you will not profit from this folly."

Bowen’s eyes grew wide.

"She’s a Farseer?!" he cried out. "You didn’t tell us that. You know the penalty for even just hurting a Farseer is heavy. It is worse if we kidnap one! They are held as almost sacred. I would not have said yes if I had known. None of us would have."

"Shut up!" said Eachann. "The compensation will be worth the risk Don’t be such a coward. It is too late to back out now. Just keep quiet about this to the others and we should be able to get through this."

Bowen reached into his filthy shirt and pulled out a chain with a jewel set in an amulet of wrought iron, holding it as if to ward off evil.

Maria stared at it. The amulet had the shape of an eye in it and the jewel was set into it to resemble a bright red pupil.

She had seen this amulet before. It was once used by her aunt to play a trick on her mother. One day Maria had come home to find her mother in a perplexed mood.

She had told Maria that stuff had been moving around by themselves, and she would sometimes bump into nothing but what seemed to be empty space. She felt that perhaps a restless spirit had accidentally found its way into her home and was looking into ways to have it removed.

Over her mother’s shoulder Maria had seen her aunt with a big mischievous smile telling her not to say anything. And Maria had realised that her mother could not see or hear Eva at all. And Around her neck had been the same amulet that was now around Bowen’s neck.

After much more moving of objects and frustration on the part of Death, it was revealed that Eva had been playing her trick by using the Eye of Borrin. An amulet that hid you from Death’s sight and only her’s. Everyone else saw the wearer normally.

And here it was around the neck of a petty criminal.

"Where did you get that?" asked Maria.

Bowen looked down at the amulet and back to her.

"This thing?" he said. "I found it in one of the bags of stuff we got from the last manor we robbed. I liked it so took it. Privilege of being leader. I think it is a lucky amulet too."

"Why?" asked Maria.

"Saved my life in a bar brawl I got caught in shortly afterwards. It stopped a knife from getting me." he looked a little puzzled as he remembered the fight. "At least I think it did, since I only ended up with a small cut."

He opened his shirt more to show a wound near the heart that still looked fresh, but was not bleeding or getting infected.

"Sure is healing funny though." he said poking at it.

Maria just sighed.

He wasn’t any sort of great magician or wealthy patron who could buy ways of cheating Death.

No. He was just a nobody who happened to stumble across a pretty trinket and decided to wear it.

That was why her mother could not collect him. She couldn’t see him.

If her hands were not tied she would have just reached out and ripped the cursed thing off of him and have at least half her problems fixed.

But unfortunately they were.

"Enough talk." said Eachann. "I am sorry young Morag. But I must deliver you as promised and get my share. After that I will disappear."

"Leaving me to who knows what fate awaits me with my new patron." said Morag.

"Your well being no longer concerns me." said Eachann in a cold voice. "Not since the day your father decided to replace me."

The two men turned and left the room.

After they had locked the door, Maria saw that Morag, despite her bravado was really scared.

"Don’t worry." she said to the young girl. "We will get out of this, I promise. No mysterious stranger is going to take you away."

A weak smile crossed Morag’s face.

"Thanks." she said.

"Now I just have to think of something." said Maria.

A voice said in her head.

"We’re back."

"Theodore!" said Maria too him. "Who exactly is we?"

"I brought Paul." he said.

Theodore could transport anyone through a portal but he was limited to one only.

"The others are off on other duties but he was still at the manor. I quickly told him the story, and brought him to help out. Sorry I could not get anymore." he said.

"That’s not a big problem." she told him. "I need you to come here and untie me. Then we can figure out something, like maybe have Paul start a distraction or something."

"Eachann!! You treasonous son of a tooth less goat! Come out here and fight me like the man you once were."

There was no mistaking Paul’s bellow.

"I don’t think he wanted to wait." said Theodore.