They began to climb the mountain, taking frequent breaks. Time seemed to pass much more quickly now, day turning to night before Markus knew it.
"Let's stop here for the night," Commander Glenn said when they reached a flat portion of the mountain. "I'd imagine we're all tired."
No one argued. Markus and Rik sank to the ground, thoroughly exhausted. At least the Imperial Guards had shared some water. There was a bit of humanity in them. Markus knew that, of course, having grown up with his uncle. He'd met some Imperial Guards during his childhood, and most of them had seemed decent enough.
It wasn't these men he hated. It was their ruler.
Still, Markus couldn't have said why he hated Warrick so much. That bothered him.
Most of the group fell asleep, Rik included. However, Commander Glenn and one other Imperial Guard stayed awake, probably to make sure Markus and Rik didn't escape, reminding Markus that they were still prisoners.
Markus would never be free.
Now his only hope lay in death. It didn't matter that some Imperial Guards were decent. Markus couldn't live with his conscience if he became one.
Though he was exhausted, he couldn't fall asleep. Instead, he listened to a conversation Commander Glenn and his comrade probably didn't intend for him to hear. In fact, Markus wasn't sure how he could hear it, for they were speaking very softly.
"I still don't know why we can't kill them. It doesn't make sense."
"We can't question the emperor," Commander Glenn said. "For whatever reason, he wants these two alive. We have to trust his judgment. He made it absolutely clear that we must not kill Markus. As for Rik, he advised us not to kill him. It might not be as strong a warning, but I still think we should heed it. No point in risking Warrick's anger."
"I just hate it. They deserve to die. You can tell they're the types to be rebels."
Markus had never considered becoming a rebel, but now the prospect interested him. If he couldn't escape, he'd have to fight back.
"That could very well be true," Commander Glenn said, "but we have to follow the emperor's orders. We'll have Markus on our side, though, at least in name."
"That doesn't make sense either. Why does Warrick want him to be an Imperial Guard so badly? Plainly, he has no desire to be an Imperial Guard."
"Maybe you're right," Commander Glenn said. "We'll see."
The two of them stepped toward Markus, who closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep. His mind was spinning. Why did Warrick want him and Rik alive? More interesting, why did the emperor want Markus as an Imperial Guard?
Markus had always thought it was simply a deal his uncle had made, but was there something different about him, something in his newfound magic? Maybe Warrick wanted that magic on his side. But why? Warrick could do magic far beyond anything Markus could ever hope to do. Healing was nothing compared to Warrick's ability to shape climate and geography.
And why would the Imperial Guards have this conversation where he might overhear it? These men were trained professionals. They must have known better. Or had Markus's newfound magic awakened in him some kind of heightened senses?
Halfway through the night, just after Markus had fallen asleep, an Imperial Guard kicked him hard in the side. Wincing, he sat up.
He glared at the man. "You didn't have to kick so hard."
"No, I didn't, but I felt like it."
Markus got to his feet, holding back his angry retort. Soon the group began traveling at a slow pace.
Markus had no opportunity to tell Rik what he'd overheard. As night moved toward morning, they made the descent toward Tate City, and Markus didn't know how to feel. No doubt he was trapped, but he'd enjoy the chance to get away from the Imperial Guards.
For now.
They entered Tate City a few minutes before sunrise, and Imperial Guards led Markus and Rik to their garrison in the center of the city. Soon Markus stood in the teleportation chamber, realizing it was a lot less impressive than he'd expected. Just a room with a circular platform.
"You are to return to your uncle," Commander Glenn said. "Then, in two days, you'll come to us to begin your training. Don't try to escape again." He turned to Rik. "As for you, consider yourself lucky that we were merciful. We'll be keeping an eye on you."
Markus and Rik stepped onto the platform.
"Raise your right hand into the air," Commander Glenn said. "Then say, 'Crayden Forest, outside Theo's cabin.'"
Markus and Rik exchanged glances before Markus said the words. For a moment, he'd considered saying something else, but that wouldn't have worked with the Imperial Guards present. They could follow Markus and Rik anywhere within the Empire.
The world blurred, then faded into darkness as Markus's feet lifted from the floor. When the nauseating sensation ended, he stood atop the soft forest floor
The sweet smell of tree bark greeted him, along with the chirping of crickets—the comforts of home despite everything. He didn't want to see his uncle, didn't want to serve Emperor Warrick, but that didn't change how he felt about the forest.
"Never expected to see this place again," Rik said. "My parents will be shocked to see me back. They'll probably make me go get an apprenticeship now. That doesn't sound so bad, but I know what being back here means for you. I'm sorry we failed."
Markus kicked at a twig. "It wasn't your fault. I should've expected that something more than Imperial Guards was keeping people from escaping." He sighed. "I have no idea what I'm going to do now. I suppose I could always try to make it to Mountainside."
Mountainside was one of the refuges for rebels in the Empire. Because of some strange magic, Warrick couldn't enter the city. If Markus could make it there, a journey that would require traveling through the Black Swamp and the Red Plateau, he could find a home. A place where he wouldn't have to become an Imperial Guard.
Rik smiled. "You know, maybe that's what we could do. Just remember to take me with you when you go. Friends stick together, right?"
"Always, Rik. Always."
"I guess I'll let you get back to your uncle. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about."
Markus stopped Rik from leaving, then recounted the conversation he'd overheard last night. Rik frowned throughout, but he had nothing to add. Instead, he limped back toward his family's cabin. Markus watched him go, then turned and entered the only home he'd ever known, feeling sick to his stomach.
His uncle was sitting in an old chair. For a few moments, they looked at one another in silence. Would Uncle Theo be angry now? With his muscular frame and often stern expression, he had the ability to intimidate—or even terrify.
"Glad you're back, Markus," he said. Not the welcome Markus had expected. There was no anger, no recrimination. That was not like the Uncle Theo Markus had always known.
Markus shuffled toward his uncle. "Not so glad myself."
His uncle's voice became hard. "You should be glad. Most people in your place would be dead now. Were it not for my relationship to you, you would be."
"I'd rather be dead than serve Warrick."
"It's not that bad," Uncle Theo said. "You don't spend your whole day killing people."
"Oh, it's only part of the day. That makes me feel so much better."
"That's not what I meant. Sit down, Markus."
Markus settled down in a chair across the room, glaring at his uncle. He tried to rein in his temper—a task that felt more difficult than usual.
Uncle Theo cleared his throat. "I have a lot to say, Markus. Please hear me out." He took a breath. "Through all these years, I was training you to be an Imperial Guard, to be what I was. But I failed to recognize that you were more like your father, that you're an idealist. I did what I did because I had to do it and there was no way around it. However, he was the type that would've refused given the same situation.
"I'm going to tell you a story I've shared with few people. When I was fifteen years old, my parents took me and my brother and tried to escape the Empire. Like so many be
fore and after them, they ran into the same problem you did. No one can escape."
"You knew all this time," Markus said. "Why didn't you tell me?" Somehow, this knowledge hurt worse than his uncle's other betrayals.
"I'm sure my old friend Wes told you that the barrier is something we try to keep secret. I was hoping you wouldn't do what you did. I was hoping you would see sense." He fell silent a moment. "Now let me get back to the story. When my parents were captured, they were killed. The Imperial Guards considered killing us too, but they decided we were too young. You see, most Imperial Guards are not monsters. We're just people forced to make difficult choices."
"Really? How can you claim you're not monsters? Imperial Guards kill people. They burn down villages. Those are monstrous acts."
"All right, it's time I filled you in on another secret, one you'll discover soon anyways. Yes, Imperial Guards have done horrible things. I've even done horrible things. But we can't control what we do in some situations. The Imperial Guard seal grants us magic, but it also allows Emperor Warrick to bind us to his will, if he considers a mission important enough. We can't disobey his orders no matter how much we want to. I'm not proud of some of the things I did, but I had no choice. None of us did."
Regret filled his uncle's eyes. How could Markus feel good about his future when he was doomed to a similar life of regret?
"But you won't be controlled most of the time," Uncle Theo said. "Using the seal like that takes a lot of energy, even for someone like Emperor Warrick. So he uses it only in the most important situations. Most of the time, you'll be free to make your own decisions. You don't have to become a bad person simply because you're an Imperial Guard."
Markus clenched his fists, struggling to remain calm. "You don't understand. I can't be part of an organization that goes against everything I stand for. I can't put myself in a situation where I might end up killing people. That's wrong, and you know it."
"I still don't know where you got these ideas, Markus. There's no point hoping for a better world. Warrick is all we have. To oppose him is suicide."
"I guess you didn't control me enough," Markus said. "Even with all your restrictions, I met people like Rik. And I knew you were always lying to me. If there was one thing I didn't want, it was to turn out like you."
That had come out a bit harsher than he'd intended, but his uncle deserved it.
Uncle Theo scratched at his thick brown beard, his eyes hard. "Look. I'm not proud of what I did, but when the Imperial Guards spared me and my brother, they made me serve them, made us keep the secret about the barrier. Jaden could even life a normal life.
"Of course, he always hated that I'd chosen to serve the people who killed our parents. I understood how he felt, but I did it to protect him. I did what I had to do, and that's what you'll do if you know what's good for you."
Markus could sense his uncle's simmering anger. Normally, that would have terrified Markus, but he was past caring what his uncle thought. If his uncle wanted to hurt him, he would fight back.
"I won't do it," Markus said. "I'm not changing my mind. I have no one to protect. I accepted long ago that I might die trying to escape the Empire. Now I'll just have to die refusing to serve evil. What's the difference, really?"
"Don't be so quick to assume they have nothing to hold over you. If you refuse them, they might threaten Rik."
"They won't," Markus said. "Warrick wants him alive."
"And how do you know that?"
Markus told Uncle Theo everything that had happened on the mountain, including how he'd healed Rik and the conversation he'd overheard.
"Interesting," Uncle Theo said. "I always knew Warrick wanted you for some reason, but I didn't know that he needed Rik alive as well. That makes no sense." He shook his head. "Then again, who am I to understand the ways of a sorcerer like Warrick?"
"What about the healing?" Markus asked. "Doesn't that surprise you?"
"Honestly, it doesn't. I figured there had to be something special about you if Warrick wanted you so badly." He bit his lower lip, as though he wanted to say something more, but then he closed his mouth and looked away.
Markus didn't press the issue. He'd always suspected his uncle knew something about the way his parents died, but his uncle had never offered to share that information, and probably never would.
Uncle Theo sighed. "I'm not going to convince you to change your mind, am I?"
"No, I'm set on my decision." Markus rose from the chair. "I'm glad to see you again, but I have to leave. The sooner, the better. Goodbye, Uncle Theo."
Markus felt a twinge of regret about leaving his uncle. The man had revealed a different side of himself, a softer side. Markus almost felt sorry for the sacrifices his uncle had made. But that was all the more reason to leave now.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm still not sure."
Chapter 15
Nadia tapped her right foot, waiting for the Order meeting to begin, listening to the low murmur of tense voices. She had her eye on the unfamiliar people in the back, trying to keep them from noticing her gaze.
At last, Carlos emerged from a side room, strode to the makeshift podium at the front of the room, then waited for everyone to stop talking, tapping his fingers on the podium. "I'm glad to see we have such good attendance. Tonight, we're going to discuss the threat Imperial Guards pose to our city. We've received intelligence that something big is planned for Crayden, and we need to prepare for all eventualities."
Nadia glanced back to see that the unfamiliar men still stood there, blending in with the crowd but whispering to each other.
Graig Richardson, a prominent local merchant, raised a hand to get Carlos's attention. "Do we have any idea what this threat might be? How can we act on something for which we have no specifics?"
"Relax, Graig," Carlos said. "I understand your frustration, but this meeting is an important chance to prepare. In all likelihood, Warrick will probably grant his Imperial Guards magic. To combat that, we'll need someone like Ander."
Ander gripped his staff. "I'll be ready."
Nadia appreciated the gesture, but one staff would not win a battle. They needed a better plan.
"And we'll need people like you as well," Carlos said, pointing to Captain Davis of the Crayden town guard, a bearded man Nadia knew, but not all that well.
"I'll do my best to protect the people," he said. "If the Imperial Guards threaten our citizens, I will gladly break my vow to support Warrick. Hell, I've all but broken it already."
That got a few laughs from the crowd, though there was too much tension in the air for anyone to feel truly humorous.
Nadia sneaked another glance toward the back of the room, where she thought she'd heard the door click. The unfamiliar men had all left. If only one or two of them had left, she wouldn't have thought much of it, but this made them look like definite imperial spies.
An Imperial Guard raid was coming.
Nadia raised a trembling hand.
It took Carlos a while to notice her. "Yes, Nadia? Do you have something to add?"
"I think we're being watched. I saw a few men in the back that I didn't recognize, and once they saw the nature of the meeting, they left. I think they might be calling Imperial Guards. We have to leave."
Carlos stroked his short black beard. "You have a point, Nadia. We must be careful. I suggest we all leave by way of the cellar. It's through that door to my right, and then you take a left. There is an exit at the other side. Let's remain calm. First row, if you would?"
The first row rose in an orderly fashion, then filed into the cellar. Kara, Ander, and Aric were among the first. Stomach churning, Nadia watched as the second row followed. Carlos swayed back and forth at the podium.
At last, the third row stood up and slipped into the cellar. Nadia, at the end of the row, stopped beside Carlos. "Aren't you coming?"
"I'll be right behind you three."
"Get into the cellar, Nadia," Varek said, nudgin
g her forward. At that moment, nearly a dozen Imperial Guards burst through the door. Her heart leapt, and she stood frozen.
"You are all under arrest," said one of the Imperial Guards, leading the charge. All the guardsmen rushed into the room, knocking wooden chairs aside.
"We'll hold them off," Varek said. "Get away from here."
Varek and Len stepped forward, unsheathing their swords, but they wouldn't last long against such numbers. Two of the Imperial Guards engaged them while the rest marched toward Carlos and Nadia.
All she had was her bow. She might manage to kill one or two, but that wouldn't help. Heart pounding, she raced through the door, then down the corridor leading to the cellar. Before she knew it, she'd reached the stairs. Voices sounded from behind.
She hated herself for running, but what choice did she have?
"You've been witnessed hosting an Order meeting," said one Imperial Guard. "You are under arrest for your crimes."
She couldn't hear Carlos's response, only the clinking of swords. Someone let out a scream, probably Varek or Len. As she reached the bottom of the steps, she cursed herself for not heeding her intuition. If she hadn't gone to this meeting, Varek and Len would still be alive.
No. She couldn't think like that. She continued farther into the cellar, colliding with a shelf and sending a large stone pot tumbling to the floor. It shattered, and the sound echoed.
"Someone's down there. I'm checking it out."
"We have the leader. The rest aren't all that important."
"It won't take long."
She raced farther into the dark cellar, guided by instinct. The others must have taken the torches. Echoing footsteps sounded behind her, steel against stone. With every passing moment, her throat felt tighter, panic igniting in her chest. Where could she go? The cellar felt like a maze.
"You're not going to get away," said the Imperial Guard.
She reached a place where the path branched in three directions, and chose to go straight. Her stomach twisted into tighter knots, adrenaline shooting like wildfire through her veins.
She couldn't turn around now with the man so close. Maybe if she remained silent, she could elude him. However, every breath sounded like a fierce gale, every heartbeat like a mighty drum. Panicked, she groped her way along the walls. Those steel-booted steps sounded closer and closer.
Empire of Chains (World in Chains Book 1) Page 11
