Empire of Chains (World in Chains Book 1)

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "That's a better outlook."

  Nadia didn't like lying to Avia and had never made a habit of it. But was it all right if she lied to make Avia feel better? Or was Nadia lying only to soothe her own conscience?

  She remained silent while Avia did her makeup and found her an elegant dress. When Avia finished, Nadia studied herself in the mirror again. She certainly looked good, as though she hadn't been crying. Only a few small curls remained in her hair. Given a choice, she would have gone to dinner looking terrible, but her appearance wouldn't change Tylen's mind.

  A few minutes later, Nadia stepped out of her room. When she passed the guard at the door, she thought she would lose all her composure. Len should have been standing there.

  "Are you okay, my lady?" the guard asked. He was maybe thirty, with a short dark beard. She remembered him as one of the sloppier guards, and a man Varek had never trusted. Too sympathetic to Warrick.

  "Yes, I'm fine," she said, sounding angrier than she'd intended. She softened her voice. "Sorry. It's been a rough day. Thank you for your concern."

  She stepped into the stairwell, feeling his gaze on her back. When she reached the dining chamber, the succulent aroma of glazed ham filled the room. The voices of servants drifted in from the adjacent kitchen.

  Her father looked up. He was freshly-shaven today and wore his richest red robes. The color of power in Warrick's empire. Her dress was a soft blue with some lace ornamentation, but not too much.

  "Good," her father said. "You look like you've cleaned up." He narrowed his eyes. "I trust that your attitude will not be a problem."

  "I will try my best."

  He frowned, then rose from the table, motioning for Nadia to follow. They walked out to the foyer, where they waited before the open gate.

  A few minutes later, Tylen's elegant carriage appeared along the cobblestone path, led by immaculate horses. The soft clip-clop of hooves became louder, then stopped when the carriage reached the guards at the gate. Tylen dismounted gracefully, a pair of servants alongside him. The servants accompanied him to the gate, then stepped aside as he strode into the castle.

  He bowed to Nadia's father. "Good evening, my lord."

  "Good evening, Lord Tylen."

  "And good evening, my lady," Tylen said. "You look marvelous." He smiled and bowed to Nadia.

  She returned the bow, hoping it looked sincere. "Good evening, Lord Tylen. You look quite stunning as well."

  His smile widened, and she felt the insane urge to knock his teeth out. She was saved from doing something she might regret by her father.

  "Our dinner should be ready now," he said. "Please follow me." With a relaxed smile, he led them into the dining chamber. Though Nadia tried to hang behind Tylen, he made a determined effort to remain beside her, standing closer than she wanted. He didn't touch her, but she could tell it was on his mind. How could her father not see the kind of man Tylen was?

  They took seats at the long table. On some occasions, her father hosted the city's nobility, but today it was only the three of them. Her father sat beside her, and Tylen took a seat across the table, sitting with elegance and composure.

  Servants arrived with the first course. Nadia didn't have much of an appetite, but she vowed to force the food down her throat. She didn't want to waste anything. However, her father and Tylen cast aside whatever they didn't find to their tastes.

  Between courses, they arrived at the conversation Nadia dreaded.

  Her father cleared his throat loudly. "Lord Tylen, it is with great pleasure that I formally extend to you an offer to become a part of the Cray family. In the coming months, you shall wed Lady Nadia, and then upon my death, you shall inherit the city, and the Cray name."

  Tylen bowed, his expression controlled. "Thank you, my lord. I am most deeply honored by your offer, and it is with great pleasure that I accept it."

  Nadia felt like throwing her knife at Tylen, and her father. He'd never had any intention of letting them get to know each other. She should have known.

  "Then it is done," her father said, not even glancing at her. "Congratulations, Tylen."

  "Don't I get some say in this?" Nadia asked, knowing her question was a mistake as soon as it left her lips.

  Her father narrowed his eyes. "We've been over this, Nadia. You might not like the idea of an arranged marriage, but you will come to love Tylen in time. After all, I didn't love your mother when we first met. Our love grew with time."

  Nadia held in her scathing retort. Angering her father would accomplish nothing and make her sound whiny and spoiled. Besides, she wouldn't marry Tylen. She likely had a few months before the marriage, enough time to leave the city.

  Tylen maintained his composure. "Lady Nadia, I can understand your misgivings, but I assure you that I will do everything possible to gain your love."

  "Maybe it's time you two get to know each other better," her father said.

  Tylen smiled. "That sounds splendid. Shall I begin?"

  "Of course. Go on."

  Tylen met Nadia's eyes. "What do you wish to know about me?"

  Nadia took a few moments to consider. On the one hand, she didn't want to anger her father. On the other, she had to know if Tylen truly was what she thought.

  "Do you support Emperor Warrick?" she asked.

  Tylen let out a low laugh. "Lady Nadia, you get right to the tough questions, don't you? I like that quality in a woman. You will present an interesting challenge."

  She glared at him. "An interesting challenge? Is that what you see me as?"

  "Perhaps I should have used a different phrase," he said, unfazed. "I simply meant that you are unlike most other noble women."

  Nadia stifled a laugh. No matter how smooth his words, he meant exactly what he'd said. He intended to conquer her. She'd seen too many noble men like him, people who thought women were possessions.

  She maintained her calm. "All right, I understand."

  "Then let's get back to the original question. Do I support Emperor Warrick? That is not the easiest question for a person to answer, but since I am going to spend the rest of my life with you, I should do your question justice." He took a sip of red wine. "In general, I support Emperor Warrick's vision. I encourage you to read the books he wrote on it. Fascinating reads."

  "I've read them," she said. And they're disgusting.

  "Good. Then you'll know where I'm coming from." Tylen paused. "Emperor Warrick seeks to create a more equal society. In his youth, he suffered the life of a poor commoner completely unable to find any opportunity. Only his great magical gifts got him a spot at the Academy of Sandersburg. Others like him, people with no such gifts, were left to lives of servitude. When he came into power, he set out to change this."

  "And how has he done?"

  "Well, the results haven't been what he wanted, but that's not his fault. When the other sorcerers of the time imprisoned him here in the Empire, it cut off many of the key resources he needed to sustain the population here. He has made society more equal. Anyone can become important now. But there is only so much to go around. Even then, many people could be better off, but they choose to blame their problems on Emperor Warrick. He can't reward people who don't support him."

  Nadia clenched her fists beneath the table. How could anyone believe the nonsense Tylen was spewing? Warrick was a tyrant, nothing more.

  "A good ruler would allow dissent," she said. "Warrick knows his ideas have failed, but instead of trying something new, he keeps doing what he's doing. He thinks his ideas have failed because the people won't accept them, not because they are simply bad ideas."

  She'd read a lot of political philosophy in the last four years. At first, she'd found only Warrick's views, but when she'd dug deeper in the library, she'd discovered texts describing other political systems, even some from the Old World. She believed in the ideals of the democratic republic, a long-forgotten system in the Empire.

  She'd tried to convince her father to believe the same, but he'
d resisted. In his view, such ancient systems disappeared because they didn't work.

  In his mind, the people needed to be controlled.

  She had more faith in people, though. Yes, the poor often resorted to thievery and other criminal acts, but that was because of the system that worked against everyone. With Warrick's excessive control and taxation, few people could achieve economic prosperity.

  "Nadia, are you paying attention?"

  She glanced up to see her father looking at her with narrowed eyes. "Oh, sorry, I got lost in my thoughts for a bit. What were you saying, Tylen?"

  Tylen gave her a cross look. "As I was saying, his ideas are not bad ones. The people are the problem. Merchants do everything they can to hide their profits and avoid taxation. People from all walks of life don't report their income. Even many nobles, the people who are supposedly on the emperor's side, do everything they can to avoid supporting the government."

  Nadia wished she could slap Tylen. "You only say these things because you've never known of any other system, because you benefit from Warrick's rule. The rest of the people see that Warrick is evil, and they have the integrity you don't."

  "Nadia, you're going too far," her father said with a stern look. At that moment, their next course arrived, giving her time to think of a response. They ate in silence worse than any she'd ever felt. Each clink of silverware echoed like a mighty chime.

  "Is there anything else you'd like me to tell you?" Tylen asked at last.

  Nadia swallowed a mouthful of food. "What are your thoughts on charity?"

  "That's the purpose of taxes. The government is much better at delivering services equally. Who are we to decide who should benefit and who shouldn't? In paying taxes, we all do our part and allow those who are more knowledgeable to distribute resources evenly."

  Nadia rolled her eyes. "Well, it isn't exactly working. If resources were distributed equally, there would be no beggars on the streets. Maybe it's better than it was before, but I simply don't see equality, and he's done this all at the cost of freedom.

  Tylen laughed softly. "Freedom? You subscribe to some antiquated ideas, Lady Nadia. Everything we do, we do because Emperor Warrick allows it. We can't get a new ruler. We can't leave. Why waste so much energy opposing the natural order of things? Freedom belongs to the past."

  "You only say these things because you've never known freedom," Nadia replied. "None of us have. But I've read about it. Imagine a world where you don't live in fear of Imperial Guards. There's a reason Warrick rules through fear. The people would revolt otherwise."

  "But we can't change any of that. I don't know about you, but I prefer to live in the real world, not an imaginary one. In this world, you do what you have to do to survive, and sometimes people get hurt along the way. It's a fact of life."

  Nadia stabbed her ham with her fork. When her father chose Tylen, it was a cruel act meant to strip away what little freedom she had. Her father had never shown such cruelty before.

  "We don't need to hear your foolish notions, Nadia," he said.

  She glared at him. "You didn't think them so foolish when Mom was alive."

  "I tolerated her ideas. Nothing more."

  "But you said you loved her."

  "And I did. That doesn't mean I had to love everything about her."

  "Well, you should at least respect her memory." She didn't care if she went too far. She'd lost all respect for her father. "If Mom were alive, she would never allow this marriage. She would support my wishes to marry Ander, and you know it."

  Her father's eyes became narrow slits. "But she wouldn't have the final say. I would. Why can't you understand that I'm protecting you? No matter what you might think, I love you, and I don't want to see another person I love die because of such foolishness."

  "Then you won't see me die." She shot to her feet, knocking her chair to the stone floor with a loud clang. Tears threatened her eyes. "You won't see me at all!"

  The time had come to leave Crayden, whether or not Ander was ready to accompany her to Woodsville. She couldn't bear the thought of seeing her father ever again. He had betrayed her mother's memory, and now he had betrayed her.

  She could never forgive that.

  She stormed out of the dining chamber, across the foyer, registering vaguely that her father was yelling for her to come back. When she reached the top of the stairs, she marched past the guard at her door and into the room. She'd already prepared what she'd need to leave, having planned this for a long time.

  She shoved a few last things into her large leather sack, then started toward the door.

  "Nadia, you get back down there right now!" her father said, sounding angrier than she'd ever heard. But what did she care? He could yell all he wanted.

  "I'm leaving, Father, and there's nothing you can do about it."

  "Oh, is that what you think? Well, in that case, I will put extra guards on your door and instruct them not to let you out unless they accompany you everywhere. I will not let you run away, Nadia. You are being selfish and childish, and you need to learn your lesson."

  Nadia kicked her gold-framed bed. Her father had opened the door now, looking on with narrowed eyes and a disapproving frown. She gave him her worst glare in return.

  "I'm being selfish?" she said, her anger taking over. "I'm not the one forcing his daughter to marry a man she hates, a man who stands for everything she despises, simply because it is most convenient for him. You don't really care about me. All you care about is yourself. You know what? I don't care if they kill you for my actions. You deserve it."

  Her father stepped aggressively toward her and pulled her face close to his. "Don't ever say that again. I've done everything for you, and this is what I get as repayment? You might think you're like your mother, but you're not. She never treated me like this."

  Nadia pulled out of his grip. "Yes, and you never treated her like this either. I'm sorry, but I have plans for my life, and they don't include marrying Tylen. I will not be stuck here in Crayden the rest of my life. I will not support an emperor who rules by fear, who kills people for simply voicing disapproval with his regime. I'm going to do something important with my life."

  "And what is that?" her father said, advancing on her again. He looked almost apoplectic, muscles in his face twitching like she'd never seen before. "Are you going to go the same way as your mother? You can't kill Warrick. It's impossible."

  "Well, then I'll just have to do the impossible."

  "I don't understand you," he said. "Your mother died for her beliefs. You have to understand the futility of following her path."

  She fought against tears. "It's not as futile as you might think."

  "Forget it." He turned away, shaking his head furiously. "I can see you won't be reasoned with until you calm down. You will be confined to your room except for the necessities. And don't even think of trying to bargain with the guards."

  He slammed the door. Her entire body pulsed with anger. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she sank to the carpeted floor.

  Chapter 20

  Nadia had no idea how long she'd lain there crying herself dry. It seemed like hours later when Avia put a soft hand on her shoulder. Nadia hadn't heard the door open. She didn't want to meet Avia's eyes. The last thing she could stomach was Avia agreeing with her father.

  "Why don't you sit down on your bed?" Avia said. She helped Nadia to her feet, and Nadia made her way to the bed with faltering steps.

  She wiped away tears. "I hate Tylen. I hate my father."

  "Hate is an awfully strong word, Nadia."

  "You can't tell me you agree with him. He is treating me unfairly."

  "That's the way the world works," Avia said. "Sometimes the people we love the most are also the people we hate the most. You can scream all you want about the unfairness of it all, but that won't change anything."

  "I love you, Avia, but that's such a defeatist attitude. We all live in terror, but we don't do anything about it. We simply pass
these attitudes on to our children, who pass it on to theirs. Why can't anyone else see how wrong this all is?"

  "Once again, Nadia, you judge people too harshly. Not everyone can measure up to your expectations. Your father is a good man. Is he always right? No. But he tries to do what's best for you, even if you don't always agree with him."

  A good man? He'd betrayed her mother. There was nothing good about that.

  "You haven't met Tylen," Nadia said. "He is the most conceited men I've ever seen, and he would control me." Or at least he would try. Nadia would never let that happen, no matter what threats he held over her.

  Avia put a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you tell these things to your father?"

  "He won't listen. He has his mind set on Tylen." Nadia picked at the sleeve of her dress. "I know you mean well, Avia, but you're wrong about all this. I have no future here, none I can stomach at least."

  "But you have no choice. You'll have to adapt."

  Nadia took a deep breath, reining in her emotions. "I'm sorry, Avia, but I'm leaving."

  "And how are you going to do that?"

  "I don't know, but I have to." Nadia paused, wondering if she should reveal her deepest secrets. She took another deep breath. "I'm going to kill Emperor Warrick."

  Avia's eyes widened, and she leaned away. "That's crazy, Nadia. It's impossible."

  "Actually, it isn't. I know of a spell that can kill him, and I know where to find it. Or part of it at least. It's the only way I can honor my mother's memory."

  Avia sounded breathless. "Please don't do this, Nadia. It'll get you killed."

  Nadia avoided Avia's eyes. "I've accepted that possibility. I don't want to die, but if in doing so, I free the people of the Empire, at least my death will have meaning."

  "You need some time to think this all through." Avia rose from the bed. "You're angry right now, and you're not thinking rationally. We'll talk again later."

  Nadia felt numb as Avia shuffled back into her own room. Breaking Avia's heart hadn't been in Nadia's plans. She couldn't believe she'd shared her secret.

  Her tears had dried now. She'd spent long enough feeling sorry for herself. Time to take action. She stowed a few last things in her leather sack, then walked to the window, unlocked it, and pushed the thick glass panes apart.