"Just tell me what I have to do."
"There is a potion that can cure what's ailing your friend. The knowledge of how to create this potion is likely deep within the ruins of Sandersburg. It won't be easy to find. The Protectors of Sandersburg made sure that people couldn't get to their secrets. You'll have to make your way through a series of challenges meant to test both your skills and your character."
"And if I find this knowledge?" Nadia asked.
"You'll have to take it to a potion-maker. Like healing or the ability to read the Webs of Fate, potion-making is a talent some sorcerers possess. It is rare, however. Very rare."
"Then how will I find someone who can help me?"
"The last known person to have the talent of potion-making lived in the Empire. He's an immortal sorcerer, so he may still be alive. You see, Warrick has always distrusted anyone who possesses the talent of sorcery, but he doesn't typically kill them. Instead, he sends them to a place he calls the Prison City."
"I've heard of it," Nadia said, wishing she'd stop shaking. "But how do you know so much about Warrick?"
"He's the most powerful sorcerer the world has ever known. As a scholar and sorcerer myself, I'm eager to learn as much as I can of him. I've actually entered the Empire. Those of us with sorcery can pass through a number of weak spots in the barrier, more of them than the average person at any rate."
"I don't understand," Nadia said. "Why does the barrier stop Warrick then?"
"Because it was designed it to hold him in, not to stop all sorcerers."
"Will you be able to get us back into the Empire?" Nadia asked.
"I'm afraid not," Angeline said. "I have too many pressing matters to deal with here." She opened a desk drawer and rummaged through it. "However, I can give you this ring. It contains some of my fire magic, and it will help you get through a weak spot in the barrier." She unfurled a scroll on the desk, revealing a map, and pointed to a spot on it. "Here's the place."
"But that's south of the Fire Mountains," Nadia said.
Angeline sighed deeply. "It's the closest I can get you. Even with my full powers on your side, you couldn't get any closer than that. These weak spots in the barrier are rare."
"I understand," Nadia said, but she felt the beginning of tears again. She didn't want to think about traveling through the Fire Mountains. The small taste she'd had was more than she ever wanted. The only good thing was that Markus wouldn't be joining them. She remembered all too well the way he'd panicked in that narrow passage.
"I wish I could be of more help," Angeline said.
"It's all right. You've given me something I didn't have before: hope."
Chapter 10: The Clan War
Berig's heart pounded as he watched the clan's warriors prepare for battle. He stood back with the children and some of the women, mostly the mothers of those children. The other women had joined the men, wielding bows and swords.
Danica stood beside him. They'd both been given swords, but Berig didn't feel comfortable holding the weapon. Along with a few warriors, their job was to protect the children. Berig thought Darek just wanted the two of them out of the way.
The campsite was in chaos, with people running everywhere. Berig had no idea when Clan Seagull would arrive, and he felt sicker with every passing moment.
Screams came from the east. The warriors of Clan Mountain Eagle raised their weapons in response and shouted a deafening battle cry.
Aric and Klint had joined the warriors at the edges of the settlement. When Berig glanced over at Danica, he could see the fear in her wide eyes. Even her positive attitude couldn't survive something like this.
"How're you feeling?" Berig asked.
"I-I've been better."
Berig thought about putting a hand on her shoulder, then decided against it. She liked him as a friend, not as a lover. On some level, Berig thought she'd enjoy a friendly, supportive gesture, but he lacked the courage. As he always had.
He faced the coming battle, trying not to throw up.
* * * * *
Klint stood at the front of the line of warriors, holding his staff ready. Channelers were not common in the clans, so Darek thought Klint would give them an advantage. While Klint understood that reasoning, he wanted to be anywhere else.
As a thief and smuggler, he'd always relied on stealth and surprise. Sure, he'd faced a few monsters in his time, but he'd never seen a battle like this. Few in the Empire had.
"You look like you're already dead," he said to Aric.
"Yeah, I think I might as well be."
"That hopeful?"
"Look at those riders. What're the chances we survive?"
"What were the chances that we'd escape the Empire?" Klint said. "I've faced long odds before, and I'll face them again." He took a deep breath. "Besides, I've got magic on my side."
Still, he trembled as the mass of riders approached, thundering across the open plain. This was not a small group. No, there had to be hundreds of these riders. Clan Mountain Eagle had hundreds of warriors as well, but numbers were no guarantee.
Darek sat high upon his horse, glaring at the approaching riders. "This is just another skirmish," he told the assembled warriors. "We've beaten them before, and we'll do it again."
"Wish I could feel so sure," Klint muttered, hoping he was masking his fear. In his life, he couldn't show fear. He'd dealt with people who could sense fear from a mile away, who would pounce on that fear like the predators of the Black Swamp.
The riders came within range, and Clan Mountain Eagle's archers unleashed their arrows. A resulting flurry of arrows came from their enemies. Klint, standing at the front of the group, used his staff to create a shield around himself and those close to him. The arrows disintegrated when they hit the shield. Still, Klint couldn't survive forever. At some point, he had to attack.
Shouts and screams came from all around. The approaching riders roared as they charged. Arrows rained down from the sky, and the archers of Clan Mountain Eagle were falling by the dozens, as were the other warriors around them.
Darek gave the order to charge, and Klint found himself swept up in the attack. He didn't have a horse, but he raced forward with everyone else. Aric remained at Klint's side, seeking the protection of the shield. Whenever Klint looked at Aric, he worried the man's illness would return. Aric appeared strong, but how long would that last in the heat of battle?
More arrows fell from the sky. Someone to Klint's left fell with a strangled cry. Heart pounding, Klint continued his charge until he was within spell range.
Energy surged through him as he channeled magic through his staff. A wave of fire burst from the staff, striking the front line of charging clansmen. Engulfed in flames, they tripped and fell. They screamed, shouted, cursed. Someone shouted incoherent orders.
Klint sent surge after surge of fire at the enemy. Some of Clan Mountain Eagle's warriors had formed a protective wall around him, using thick shields to protect him from arrows.
Eventually, Klint tired. He'd experienced this before: a sign that he needed to switch to a different type of spell. Acting on instinct, he launched a burst of lightning. More screams came from the enemy. Klint hesitated, wondering if he should be killing these people.
No. They were trying to kill him and the people who'd helped him.
He continued sending blasts of lightning at the soldiers, weakening with each spell. The screams and shouts of battle, the clanking of swords, the faces of comrades and enemies alike—they all faded into a dull roar, a steady rhythm. Klint had never experienced anything like this before, and he hated it. So much killing.
A bunch of enemy warriors charged toward Klint. They must have found the source of the spells destroying their ranks. The warriors around Klint rushed to defend him, but he didn't think it'd be enough. Some of them were young, maybe twelve years old. Others looked too old or weak to pose a threat.
This was not going to end well.
* * * * *
Berig s
huddered as the battle came closer. Some of the riders from Clan Seagull had flanked Clan Mountain Eagle's defenders. Now the enemy was battering away at the last defenses between them and the children of Clan Mountain Eagle.
"Will they kill all of us?" Berig asked a nearby clanswoman.
"They'll probably take us captive," the woman said. "But in the end, we will likely die."
Danica sounded on the verge of tears. "How can you live like this? All this war. All this killing. This is no way to live."
"It's what we've always known."
The shouts and screams came closer. Berig could have sworn he smelled blood in the air. Soon that would be the blood of children. Most of the women, including some of the old, held weapons, and even a few of the children looked ready to fight back, but it wouldn't be enough.
What kind of cruel world forced children to fight in wars?
A great roar came from Berig's left, and he turned to see that Clan Seagull had breached their defenses. The warriors rode their horses into the center of the settlement, slaughtering those few members of Clan Mountain Eagle who tried to slow them.
Berig glanced at Danica. "Got any ideas?"
She looked paler than he'd ever seen her. "No. What hope do we have?"
"Then we might as well lay down our weapons," Berig said. "Maybe they'll spare us."
"I wouldn't depend on that," said the nearby clanswoman.
Trembling, Berig dropped his sword and waited for his fate.
* * * * *
Klint had run through all his spells, all his energy reserves. He was doubled over, sweat pouring down his face. All he had left was his sword, and while he was proficient with the blade, he was no master. He'd grown too reliant on his magic. The battle had died down momentarily, but that calm was short-lived.
"They've breached our defenses!" Darek shouted. "They're inside the settlement."
Klint turned, feeling a sudden surge of energy. Berig and Danica were in that city. He'd grown close to them in a way he hadn't felt since he was a child, before his life had taken so many dark turns. He had to protect them.
He raced through the city, heading toward the sounds of chaos, amazed that he'd survived this long. Some people said he lived a charmed life, but he doubted that.
Luck can only last so long, he told himself, running among a crowd of clansmen. By now, the archers were no longer a threat on either side. Maybe they'd run out of arrows, or maybe the battle was too chaotic.
Blood pounded in Klint's ears. His throat was raw with exertion. As he sprinted toward the center of the settlement, he felt the pain of perhaps a dozen minor injuries he hadn't noticed in the chaos of the battle.
Maybe twenty warriors remained. The enemy had about the same number, but they also had hostages. Klint felt sick at the thought.
Heedless of his own danger, he rushed forward, but then a strong hand yanked at his arm, pulling him back so forcefully he felt as if his shoulder had separated. He shot to his feet, ready to attack whoever had grabbed him. His sword almost struck a blow before he realized it was Darek.
The clan chief's expression was grim. "We can't engage them."
"Why not?" Klint demanded, struggling against his grip.
"They're using our children as hostages."
Klint continued fighting. "But won't they face cruelty now?"
"Clan Seagull is not quite that barbaric. They will kill the old. They will rape the women. But they will not harm the children. They will try to raise them as members of their clan." He shook his head. "It's sad that some will suffer, but that is how we live here in the Clanlands."
Klint stopped fighting, feeling as if a heavy weight had settled over him. "You're not gonna fight at all?"
"Not right now. We've gotta come up with a plan." Darek turned and strode away from the settlement, sadness etched in every line of his face. "There are other settlements nearby. Our clan is much larger than this one village."
Klint followed. "What about my friends? What'll happen to them?"
"I don't know."
Aric put a hand on Klint's shoulder. The man had appeared out of nowhere, bearing many shallow cuts. His clothes were soaked with blood, and he looked unsteady.
"I care about them, too," Aric said. "But Darek's right. We have to devise a plan."
"Well, we better do it quickly," Klint said. "If those bastards rape Danica . . ."
Aric shook his head. "I don't want to think about that."
But if Klint had learned anything in his brutal life, it was that you always had to consider the worst outcome. The world would never bow to your wishes.
* * * * *
Berig watched in horror as Clan Seagull murdered the old men and old women. Then the warriors rounded up everyone else, holding them at sword point. Some of the children screamed, earning themselves blows with the flat of the blade.
One of the warriors stood near those holding Berig. This man wore his beard in braids like Darek's. Probably another chief, Berig decided.
"You are not clan," the man said. "No clan wears such strange garments."
"We came from inside the mountains," Berig said
The man laughed coldly. "You should have stayed there."
Part II
Inside the Mountains
Chapter 11: The New Mission
Ander sat at a table in the headquarters of the Order, eating a small meal and talking with Talia. She'd been silent most of the conversation. Though she'd come to accept the death of her husband Graig, she had not yet recovered from it.
She poked at some vegetables with her fork. "It all seems kind of useless, doesn't it?"
"What do you mean?" Ander asked, though he did have some idea what she was talking about. Graig and Captain Davis had died for nothing more than safety in Mountainside. Ander needed to do something to make their deaths matter.
"I thought coming to Mountainside would accomplish more," she said. "But it seems the Order doesn't do anything important. Even here." She shook her head. "All we can hope is that Nadia succeeded in killing Warrick."
Ander didn't want to think about Nadia's quest, didn't want to imagine her dying out there without him when he could have gone with her. Markus and Rik were talented young men, but they lacked his experience. How could Ander have let the three of them do this without him? It had felt right at the time, but now it didn't.
Ander drummed his fingers on the wooden table. "Cyrus said he would have news for us today. I hope he gets here soon. I'm sick of waiting."
"Is it wrong that I almost hope to learn Nadia failed? There's a part of me that wants a shot at Warrick. The place he created took Graig from me. It's only fair to get back at him."
"I know what you mean," Ander said. "We've lost a lot of good people."
Footsteps sounded in the adjoining hallway, and Cyrus stepped through the door. His long, silvery blond hair looked unkempt, and he sported a short layer of stubble on his normally clean-shaven face.
Ander didn't have to guess. "She failed."
"I'm afraid so." Cyrus sank into a wooden chair across the room and massaged his temples. "I knew it probably would happen, but I guess I can still be an optimist at my old age."
"We're ready, then," Talia said. "What can we do?"
"I'll get to that in a few moments. First, I need to bring in everyone who'll be part of your quest." Cyrus turned to the door. "You can come in now."
The first person was a blond woman roughly the same age as Talia. Ander had seen the woman in passing, but he couldn't recall her name. He had isolated himself during their time in Mountainside. Worry had consumed him. Worry for Nadia, and for Aric.
The woman took a seat at a nearby table. "I'm Sarah."
"Sarah has a rare magical immunity," Cyrus said. "Creatures like the Silver Wisp don't affect her, which means she's perfectly suited for this mission."
Ander didn't like where this was going.
A second person stepped into the room, and Ander thought his eyes were deceivi
ng him. It was Captain Davis. He looked thinner, but there was no doubt.
The captain grinned. "Bet you never expected to see me again."
Ander couldn't form any of the questions on his mind.
Captain Davis took a seat at the table and ran a hand through his brown beard. "Well, when that monster swallowed me, it didn't chew me or anything. So I used my sword to cut my way out. I nearly suffocated by the time I got out, and something in the monster's digestive juices had a paralyzing effect. My armor probably protected me from the worst of it. Only parts of me were exposed to its digestive juices.
"By the time I got out, I could barely move. I lay there on the rocky ground beside the monster for more than a day before I could finally move. And even then, it was a struggle. I had to take frequent breaks. When I got out of the Red Plateau, I stopped to rest awhile at the nearest settlement. It wasn't until a few days ago that I felt strong enough to travel again."
"We should have looked for you," Ander said.
"I don't blame you. You had a goal in mind. By all appearances, I was lost."
"That doesn't matter," Ander said. "You don't leave people behind."
The captain laid a hand on Ander's shoulder. "Don't blame yourself. You did the right thing. Your mission was to get everyone to Mountainside. You had Aric to worry about." He shook his head. "Cyrus told me about Aric leaving the Empire. Hope he's okay out there."
"As do I," Ander said. "I feel like I've failed everyone."
From across the room, Cyrus cleared his throat. "Now you have a chance to make up for that. It's time I told you how you're going to deal with Warrick."
Ander, Talia, Captain Davis, and Sarah all looked at Cyrus with rapt attention.
"The Webs of Fate have suggested another path to removing Warrick," Cyrus said. "It's not a perfect path, and it doesn't involve killing him."
Ander learned forward in the wooden chair. "I don't understand."
"White Fire was our one chance to kill him," Cyrus said. "At least for the moment. But there's something else we can do. I mentioned the Silver Wisp. Using a scroll, it is possible to capture the essence of the Silver Wisp. That is, you can create a scroll that will send someone to the Shadowed Land. And no one has ever escaped the Shadowed Land."
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 61
