World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  Left humanity to suffer beneath their incompetence.

  Darien would always help himself. Yet he had to admit he wasn't as powerful as he wanted to be. As the party had traveled through the desert, he had only been able to help them indirectly. By creating a new nest of giant scorpions, he had provided better prey for the sand snake. Apart from that, they'd handled everything on their own.

  There'd been a few moments of doubt during the sandstorm, but they'd handled it well enough. Now, however, Darien felt sick to his stomach. Rik slipping off that ice bridge had been a low probability event. It shouldn't have happened.

  No, he didn't need Rik as much as the others, but his death would complicate things. At this point, Darien felt numb to deaths on an emotional level. It was all strategic. He believed he'd come to terms with his use of people as pawns. There was no other way. Maybe someone else would emerge to improve the world, but he couldn't rely on anyone but himself.

  He would have the power to change things. One day.

  Now it was time to see if Rik had somehow survived. Darien closed his eyes and focused on the Webs of Fate once again, praying that Rik's slip wouldn't alter his plans too much.

  Chapter 50: The Cave of Many Paths

  Shortly after Berig and Klint returned to Lord William's manor, the party was prepared to leave. It wouldn't be long before Imperial Guards traced Klint to the location, however much he and Berig had tried to cover their tracks.

  Lord William and his wife Maria had acquired new provisions for the party. Only a few hours remained before sunrise, and they intended to be underground by then.

  Ander gave Klint a stern look. "This cave of yours better not be a lie."

  "It isn't. I might be a lot of things, but I keep my word."

  "Then lead the way," Ander said.

  Berig felt more like sleeping than traveling, but he followed the rest of the party as they left the manor, sacks of supplies slung over their shoulders. They peered into every alley, expecting Imperial Guards, who surely knew about Klint's escape by now.

  Toward the northern edge of the city, they encountered their first one. The man approached, looking on sternly, sword drawn

  "Is there a problem?" Ander asked, with remarkable calm.

  "We are looking for two fugitives," the man said, and Berig ducked low, hiding toward the back of the party. "I find it odd to see such a large party traveling in the dead of night. Especially a group with so many supplies and weapons." He narrowed his eyes. "And staffs."

  "We need these to help us navigate difficult terrain," Ander said.

  The man's gaze was cold. "I doubt it. It just so happens that those staffs match the description of ones stolen from our garrison, and one of you looks like a man we seek." His eyes settled on Klint, who'd made no effort to hide himself.

  Klint lifted his staff and sent a blast of lightning at the Imperial Guard. The spell lit up the night, and the party flinched against the blinding glare. The Imperial Guard screamed and twitched on the ground, then fell silent.

  "Why'd you do that?" Berig demanded.

  "He was stalling," Klint said. "Waiting for his comrades to show up. We need to get moving. Now."

  Too late. Nearly a dozen Imperial Guards came from nearby alleys, brandishing their swords.

  "How're we gonna get outta this?" Berig muttered, heart pounding.

  "I knew we should've killed that guard," Klint said. "Can't afford to go soft." He turned to the approaching guardsmen, raising his voice. "Don't come closer. I'll do the same to you. You might outnumber us, but we've got magic. Two of us, in fact."

  "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here," said the commander. "We only want two of you. Yourself, as I'm sure you know, and the short man hiding at the back."

  Ander raised his staff. "You can't have them."

  "I think you should reconsider." The commander turned to his men. "Arrows ready." Four of the Imperial Guards raised bows and nocked arrows on their bowstrings. Striding toward the group, the commander said, "Arrows fly faster than spells."

  Berig's stomach sank, and he scooted closer to Klint. "Can you make some kind of shield?"

  "Yeah, but then we couldn't fight the Imperial Guards."

  "We've got two staffs. You do the shield. I've seen Ander use fire spells."

  "Good idea," Klint said, then whispered into Ander's ear.

  "Whatever you're planning," the commander said, "it's not gonna work. Surrender the fugitives now, and we'll let you go on your way. Our patience has its limits."

  Klint raised his staff, and the air shimmered around the party as they moved close to one another. Ander pointed his staff at the nearest Imperial Guard, launching a jet of fire. The man dodged it, and the guardsmen responded with a flurry of arrows. Berig flinched away, but when the arrows struck Klint's shield, they disintegrated.

  "You might want to reconsider," Ander said. "Yes, you might capture us, but are you willing to suffer those losses?"

  The Imperial Guards looked at one another, their faces pale in the moonlight. Once again, Berig recognized Tylen, who stood next to the commander, whispering something in his ear. The rest of the Imperial Guards remained silent.

  "You're right," the commander said at last. "But don't think you've gotten away with anything. One of these days, we'll find you at a disadvantage, and we will kill you. After all, we know who all of you are, thanks to our newest recruit."

  The commander gestured at Tylen, who smiled. Bastard, Berig thought. I saved your life back in Crayden, and this is how you repay me. Damn you, Tylen.

  "You may go," the commander said. "For now."

  The Imperial Guards parted in front of them, and the party strode forward hesitantly. Klint kept the shield around them, but no arrows came from behind. Nor did the guardsmen follow. Soon they disappeared from view.

  As dawn approached, the party left the city behind. They skirted the cliffs forming the western edge of the Red Plateau, alert for signs of pursuit. After a while, Berig relaxed. The sun had risen, and the terrain had become so open he could see for miles. Nowhere within view did he spot Imperial Guards.

  Late that morning, Klint stopped by a section of cliff that stuck out from the rest.

  Danica frowned at the rocks. "Is this the cave?"

  "Only someone with magic can open this," Klint said. "That's how it's been kept secret for so long, and why I'm a smuggler who's in very high demand." He touched the tip of his staff to the rock, and it shifted with a low rumble, revealing a dark cave mouth.

  "Do we have to go in there?" Danica asked.

  Talia turned to her. "Is something wrong?"

  "Oh, it's nothing," Danica said. "I just don't care for the thought of spending so long in a dark cave. Not that there's anything to do about it. I'll just have to approach it with the best attitude possible."

  "If it makes you feel any better," Klint said, "I don't like it much either."

  Berig's stomach churned. "What's it like in there?"

  Klint hesitated. "Well, there are monsters, as I'm sure you'd expect. The caves are also quite strange. The paths shift by some kind of magic, so there's never just one way through. It's all a matter of luck. Sometimes you avoid the bad stuff. Sometimes you don't."

  "That sounds risky," Aric said. "But we need to get to Mountainside, especially now that Tylen has been so kind as to make us fugitives anywhere else we go."

  Berig realized now that he could no longer back out, and it felt like chains had formed around him.

  "I'll lead the way," Klint said.

  They filed into the cave, and once they'd all entered, Klint pushed his way to the back of the group and touched his staff to the rock. The cave rumbled closed, plunging them into momentary darkness before Klint lit his staff.

  "We should light some torches," Ander said. "We'll need the staffs for the monsters."

  Berig and Danica offered to carry the torches, which Ander kindled with weak spurts of fire from his staff. As they walked in the flickering light,
Berig peered around every twist of the passage, expecting something horrible to leap out of the shadows.

  "How long is this passage?" Talia asked.

  Klint kept walking. "It can take anywhere from a few days to a month, maybe longer. It all depends on how direct a path you follow, which depends on the cave's magic."

  "So you're telling us you have no idea," Aric said. "That's comforting."

  "We can do it," Danica said, her voice a little tight.

  For a few hours, they followed one passage—wide at times, narrow at others. No monsters threatened, only the suffocating realization that they were growing farther and farther from the outside world. Berig fought to keep his panic under control.

  Then they arrived at a place with three choices of passage.

  "Which one do we pick?" Talia asked.

  "Doesn't matter," Klint said. "There's no logic to this place, none that I know at least."

  Ander turned to him. "I wanted to thank you again for doing this."

  "Doesn't really matter now," Klint said. "I'm in the same situation as you. Mountainside's the only place I can go without worrying about getting executed. I'm not really making a sacrifice to take you through this place." He shook his head, chuckling softly. "If I ever get my hands on those kids who got me into this mess."

  "Who were they?" Danica asked.

  "A couple of big young men. Went by Markus and Rik, I think."

  Berig laughed, the sound echoing loudly.

  "What's so funny?" Klint asked.

  "I actually know 'em. Seemed like good people to me."

  "Fine, maybe I'll just give them a good scare then," Klint said. He turned back to the passages. "Let's pick the middle one. Don't know why, just feel like it."

  No one disagreed. Berig normally depended on his instincts and intuitions, but they told him nothing. He walked at the back of the group, suffocating in the darkness. There was no day, no night, no time. They stopped to rest whenever they got tired, usually for Aric's benefit. Through what Berig guessed was the first day, nothing threatened them.

  He slept fitfully on the uneven ground. Even with his eyes closed, he couldn't break through how much the cave bothered him.

  When they started traveling again, he worked hard to banish his anxious thoughts. He remained alert, expecting to hear the growl of a monster. Instead, he heard a faint scuttling, clicking sound.

  "What do you think it is?" Aric whispered to Ander, his face pale in the torchlight. How much was that lizard bite affecting him?

  Klint kept his voice low. "Sounds like giant spiders to me?"

  "How giant, exactly?" Danica asked.

  "If I had to guess, I'd say maybe eight feet long. They're not that bad, though. They've got weak spots on their soft bellies. All you've gotta do is hit 'em right there with a spell."

  Berig's chest tightened. Spiders had always bothered him. He'd learned to live with them, but the thought of an eight-foot-long spider made him want to curl up with his hands over his head and pretend the world didn't exist.

  "Ander, you ready? Klint asked.

  Ander nodded, and they continued along the passage, which opened up into an enormous chamber where the scuttling became louder. Dozens of spiders crawled throughout the chamber, spinning webs and eating other monsters.

  Klint hadn't exaggerated about their size.

  "There's the other way out," he whispered, pointing across the chamber. "If we're quiet enough, we should be able to sneak past them. I can't fight this many."

  Berig's stomach twisted into knots, but sneaking was something he could handle. None of the spiders stood in their path.

  "But won't they notice our light?" Danica said, paler than ever.

  "No," Klint said. "They've evolved to have no eyes. They focus mostly on sound."

  That didn't ease Berig's nerves, and he could tell no one else felt confident. Maybe Klint, but he'd dealt with these creatures before.

  "Let's go," Klint whispered, gently leading Danica forward. "You can do it." There was a surprising amount of tenderness in the way he encouraged her.

  They crossed the chamber, careful not to dislodge any rocks. Danica appeared to gather strength as they crossed and the spiders didn't attack them. Berig wished he could feel the same way. His legs trembled with every cautious step.

  In the corners of the chamber, the spiders continued scuttling about. One broke free from the rest and started toward them. Had it heard them?

  Berig wanted to whisper a warning to the others, but with the spider crawling closer, they couldn't make any sound. Slowly, so slowly, they moved toward the next passage. The spider stopped maybe thirty feet away, holding its front legs up as though smelling with them.

  Aric's knees suddenly buckled, and he hit the ground with a heavy thud. He tried to push himself to his feet, but failed, and the sound had alerted the spider, which raced toward them, clicking its pincers madly.

  "Come on, Aric," Ander said, pulling Aric to his feet. Aric wavered at first, then regained his balance. Danica and Klint had already entered the next passage, but everyone else remained behind, standing in the giant spider's path. Worse, other spiders had begun to approach.

  Klint came racing back, staff in hand. "Ander, you stay and help fight. The rest of you need to go up and stand with Danica."

  Berig raced to the passage and soon stood at Danica's side, watching Klint and Ander battle the spider. Klint ducked low, sending a jet of fire at the creature's underbelly. It shrieked and hissed, then raced away.

  Klint tugged at Ander's arm, and they raced into the passage.

  "We need to get as far away as possible," Klint said. "If that thing gets its friends, we don't stand a chance. Berig, I'll be at the back with you. Don't worry. I'll protect you. You did save my life, after all."

  They raced along the passage, trying to put more distance between them and the spiders. One spider scurried into the passage, approaching with surprising speed.

  "Get outta the way, Berig," Klint said. He launched a burst of lightning at the spider. The magic crackled in the air, and Berig smelled burnt flesh. The spider shrieked and writhed, then scurried away.

  "They're really cowards," Klint said. "As soon as they feel a little pain, they give up."

  Berig wished that could make him feel better, but he was trembling and covered in sweat as they left the spiders behind. He turned to Klint. "What else might we face?"

  "You really don't wanna know."

  Guided by torchlight, they followed the passage until it branched into two. This time, they chose the passage on the left and traveled in silence. When they reached the next larger chamber, they stopped to rest and eat from their supplies. Aric leaned against the cave wall, pale and covered in sweat.

  Danica sat close to Aric, letting him rest his head against her shoulder. Berig felt a twinge of jealousy, but tried not to let it consume him. He still couldn't explain how he felt about Danica. Love, for him, was an alien thing, but he thought he felt that way about her.

  Ander looked at Aric. "How're you feeling?"

  Aric bit his lower lip. "I hate to say it, but I'm feeling weaker every day. Farah might have stopped the poison for a time, but I'm not doing well. I'm scared to think what might happen if there's no cure in Mountainside."

  "There has to be a cure," Danica said. "Cyrus will know what to do."

  "Let's hope," Aric said, but his voice sounded hollow. In recent days, his moods had become more like Berig's.

  After another night of fitful sleep, Berig followed the rest of the party through the next section of the dark caves, a place where everything looked the same.

  "Could we get completely turned around?" he asked Klint. "I mean, could we get through the caves and find ourselves right back where we started?

  "Maybe. I don't know exactly how this place works."

  They followed passage after passage, encountering no more monsters. Maybe they had already faced the worst, but Berig had the feeling they hadn't. Late that day, o
r whatever time it was, they came to the end of a passage and an amazing sight stood before them.

  The cave opened into a vast chamber lit with greenish magical light that rendered their torches unnecessary. The ruins of stone buildings crowded the chamber, and rocky streets stretched between them, forming a rectangular pattern. Deep within the city, Berig caught signs of movement. Were they people, or monsters?

  "What is this place?" Berig asked, looking down in wonder from the ledge where they stood overlooking the city.

  "I think we've found the legendary Underground City."

  Chapter 51: The Underground City

  "What the hell is the Underground City?" Berig asked.

  Aric turned to him. "Long ago, before Warrick was even born, the Underground City was one of the foremost centers of magic in the world. It was also known as a haven for evil. Some say that a place like this lies close to the Shadowed Land?"

  "The Shadowed Land?" Berig said. "Never heard of it."

  "Few have," Aric said. In the greenish magical light, he looked sicker than ever. "But I've always been interested in ancient history. I often looked up books on this stuff in the castle library. I also asked to have Cyrus send me some books, by way of Mountainside."

  "So how exactly does stuff get to Crayden from Mountainside?" Berig asked. "I mean, Klint might be crazy enough to make this journey, but how many smugglers are?"

  "Spies," Ander said. "People Imperial Guards trust. There are cities other than Mountainside to the east of Varner City. Some go directly from these cities to Crayden through the teleportation system. Others walk through the Varner City Gate."

  "But we had to do this the hard way?" Berig said.

  Ander sighed wearily. "It's really quite simple. Imperial Guards don't trust any of us. That takes a lot of time and effort. By their nature, they aren't very trusting. So we couldn't have used their teleportation system. We couldn't have convinced them to let us through the gate. We had no choice."