World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "I don't care about justification," Kara said. "It's still wrong."

  Josef shrugged. "Then I suppose we have nothing to talk about."

  He strode out of the room, his steps heavy on the stone floor. Kara didn't understand why he seemed so offended. If he truly believed in what Krinir was doing, why did he find it hard to defend him?

  "I can tell you more about Krinir and Lionar," Tobias said. "I was around during the Great War. It was about eight hundred years ago. Sometimes, though, I still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a grave time. That war nearly ended the world."

  "What do you mean?" Kara asked. "How can a war end the world?"

  "I forget how much you don't know." Tobias took a sip of water from a stone cup. "I'm not quite sure I can explain. Let's just say that not all the Old-World technology died when we came to the New World. Much of the knowledge remained. It was supposed to be protected, but as you might expect, it didn't stay that way.

  "That was what began the Great War. Prior to the rediscovery of Old World technology, we had our magic, but it could only be destructive on a limited scale. But then a sorcerer unearthed the records of that technology, which were kept in a place called Sandersburg."

  "Sandersburg?" Kara said, taken back. "That's inside Warrick's empire. Or at least it was. Warrick destroyed the city hundreds of years ago."

  Tobias looked suddenly pale. "Did he obtain the knowledge hidden there?"

  "I have no idea. That could explain why he's so powerful."

  Tobias shook his head. "I think you'd know if he had that knowledge. The Keepers of Sandersburg must have developed a way to keep it safe." He stroked the stubble on his chin. "Now I'm curious. How far does Warrick's Empire stretch?"

  Kara had to think a few moments. "Well, Sandersburg is toward the western side of it. The city of Crayden is toward the center."

  "I've never heard of this Crayden," Tobias said. "Where is it in relation to the Darkness Temple?"

  "The Darkness Temple?" Kara said. "I have no idea what that is."

  Tobias shook his head slowly. "How much knowledge has been lost in your land?"

  Kara had no answer for that.

  "Not that it matters right now," Tobias continued. "I was telling you about the Old World's great weapons. As I was saying, a sorcerer found the records of this technology. He brought it back to his people, and they formed a great empire, known as the New Earth Empire. They combined the science and technology of the Old world with the magic of our own. With that combination, they became very powerful. Krinir lent his support to them because he wanted to see the old order overthrown. He was tired of a world with only magic."

  Aren cleared his throat. "So that's what it was all about? A conflict between those who favored magic and those who favored technology?"

  "That's perhaps an oversimplification," Tobias said, "but it's essentially right. I should add that the New Earth Empire didn't get rid of magic altogether. Instead, they found a way to fuse it with technology. They also sought out three immensely powerful artifacts: the Stone of Creation, the Stone of Destruction, and the Stone of Restoration. A sorcerer in possession of all three would be nearly invincible."

  "Has anyone ever held all three?" Kara asked. "Maybe that's how Warrick became so powerful."

  "You'd know it if he held all three. It would give him power beyond imagination. Power that could kill even a god."

  Kara swallowed a bite of her sandwich. "These three stones . . . were they what caused the war? Did people fight over them?"

  Tobias looked uncomfortable. "In part, yes. You can understand why both sides in this war would seek such powerful artifacts. These artifacts contain the very essence of the magic that drives our world. I don't know the details of how they were created, only that the fight over them was long and violent. Some suggest that Lionar, Krinir, and Rador created them, but I can't be sure about that. No one has ever told me."

  His expression became distant and sorrowful, and he fell silent.

  The innkeeper shuffled toward them. "Interesting conversation you're having. It's not that often that I hear travelers discussing ancient history like this."

  "I mean no offense," Aren said, "but this is our conversation, not yours."

  "What? A man can't show interest in an intriguing conversation?"

  Aren glared at him. "I'm sorry, but we're only trying to protect ourselves."

  The innkeeper laughed. "You've got two sorcerers with you, and you look like a channeler yourself. I'm just an ordinary innkeeper. Don't get many opportunities to meet interesting people like you."

  Kara wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand, they had to protect their secrets; it had been foolish to discuss them so openly in a quiet common room. On the other, the innkeeper did seem harmless enough. He probably was exactly what he said he was.

  When had Kara become so paranoid? She supposed she'd never been trusting, not since she'd joined the Order, but she'd always tried to think the best of people otherwise. Had all this time with Josef changed her?

  The innkeeper settled down in Josef's empty chair, seemingly ignoring the stern looks Aren was giving him. "You headed toward the mountains? With all this talk of Krinir, that's gotta be where you're going. It's the only way toward his fortress."

  "I'm sorry," Aren said, "but we don't have to discuss our plans with you."

  The innkeeper leaned back in the stone chair. "There's no need for hostility. I'm trying to help you. If you're going through the mountains, you need someone who knows the mountains. Even a couple of sorcerers might run into monsters they're not prepared to handle. But if you know the right person, they can lead you down the safest paths."

  Aren gave him a tired look. "And do you have just the person in mind?"

  "As a matter of fact, I do." He looked toward the doors leading to one of the inn's rooms. "She's staying here at the inn. Her name's Diana. She knows the mountains better than anyone."

  "That seems a little convenient," Aren said.

  "Why? This is one of the last towns before the mountains. It's only natural that we'd have mountain guides around here."

  Kara agreed, but she could see the doubt on Aren's face. He continued glaring at the innkeeper, who seemed as if he didn't notice. The man walked to a door off to the right and knocked.

  A woman emerged a few moments later, her expression irritable. "What is it?"

  Her hair was an unremarkable shade of brown. In fact, that word could be used for her appearance in general. If Kara had passed this woman on the street, she wouldn't have looked twice. Of course, it didn't matter how she looked as long as she could guide them through the mountains. Kara noted the staff the woman gripped in her right hand.

  "I have some travelers wishing to cross the mountains," said the innkeeper.

  Her gaze settled on the party. "And do these travelers have money?"

  "One of our friends has returned to our room," Tobias said with a slight grimace, perhaps a sign that his opinion about Josef had changed. "He'll have the money."

  "Well, I'm Diana. I can get you across the mountains. As long as the price is good enough."

  "Don't worry," Tobias said. "Josef is a wealthy man."

  Diana settled down in a chair at a nearby table, frowning as she examined their party. They had to look a horrible sight after so long on the road, and she surely wondered if they had enough money.

  "Why are you crossing the mountains?" she asked. "The world on the other side of those mountains is dangerous. There are very few cities. No roads. Monsters everywhere. The very earth will try to kill you over there."

  Aren glared at her. "That is our business."

  "Then that makes it my business, too. I'm not gonna lead you across the mountains if you're gonna face certain death on the other side. I'm not gonna place myself in danger if I don't think I can trust you. Give me a reason to trust you or I don't care how much money you've got." She leaned back in her chair. "I'm waiting."

  Aren and Tobias exc
hanged glances, shaking their heads. They wouldn't be any help.

  Kara took a deep breath, hoping she wasn't making a huge mistake. "I'm trying to get home, back to Terra. I need to find Krinir. He might be able to send me home."

  Diana barked a laugh. "I've heard a lot of crazy reasons for crossing the mountains. This has to be the craziest. We might follow Krinir here in the Sunset Empire, but no one here actually wants to see him. He's a terrifying man, or god—whatever you want to call him." She stroked her chin as if deep in thought. "Hmm, now I find you intriguing."

  Kara wasn't sure if that was a good thing.

  "I'll take you across the mountains," Diana said. "Maybe I'll even stay with you a bit longer. I'll admit that I've always been curious about Krinir. This might be the last journey I ever make, but if you're gonna go out, you might as well do it right."

  "Is it really that dangerous?" Kara asked.

  Diana smiled a chilling smile. "It's more dangerous than you can imagine."

  Chapter 53: On the Open Sea

  Berig and his party stayed a night at the inn, then set out the next morning, heading east toward Seaside.

  As they left the Clan Blue Fish settlement, Lara stared at everything in awe. "I suppose this shows how isolated we are as a clan. We don't have much contact with the other clans. Perhaps we should change that."

  "I don't know," Berig said. "Your clan's one of the few good ones."

  "I can't argue with that," she said, flashing Berig a smile. He felt something twist inside and knew he had strong feelings for her. But how could he let her know? He'd never been good at that kind of thing, never been in any relationship at all. Too busy surviving, he guessed.

  As they followed the road out of town, Berig remained silent. Small pedestals at the side of the road contained glowing blue orbs.

  "What're those?" Berig asked.

  "Wards," Lara said. "They'll keep us safe from any monster."

  "So we can't get attacked by monsters as long as we stay on the road?"

  Lara frowned. "I won't say the wards are perfect protection, but the chances of a monster getting past them are very small."

  Berig was relieved to hear that they might be safe for the first time since leaving Mountainside. It felt good to stroll along the road without so many worries.

  His life had been nothing but worry, ever since the day the Imperial Guards burned his village. Worry about finding food. Worry about the monster in Bradenton. Worry about evading the authorities. And now worry about everything on this adventure.

  As it turned out, there was little to worry about over the following weeks. The road remained warded as they entered the Kingdom of Seaside. They stopped briefly at towns along the way, where the inns were clean and there was little danger.

  At last, they arrived at Seaside, the capital of the kingdom. The city sat along the eastern edge of the continent, where waves crashed rhythmically against the shore. Seaside was larger than any city Berig had ever seen in the Empire.

  They stayed along the main road through town. Along the main road, most of the people were dressed in clean clothing. Some were workers or merchants. Others looked more like nobles, with finely tailored clothes in a variety of colors. Berig wasn't sure how nobility worked outside the Empire.

  If he considered everything he didn't know about the outside world, he'd drown under the weight of it all. Better to take life one step at a time.

  "We need to find a ship to take us to Luminia," Aric said. "If only I had any idea how to do that."

  "I'd suggest heading toward the ocean," Klint said.

  Lara rolled her eyes. "Well, that's a bit obvious, isn't it?"

  "You still thinking of staying behind?" Berig asked Klint.

  Klint looked uncomfortable. "Look. I appreciate everything we've experienced together. But this ain't my quest anymore. I got you this far. Time to figure things out for myself."

  They stood in a market in the center of town, where people walked on past, paying them no attention.

  "Maybe we'll even see each other again," Klint said. He walked away, heading deeper into the market. It wasn't much of a goodbye, but it was about what Berig had expected from Klint, a man who had no time for sentimentality. Berig felt a knot in his chest as he watched Klint go. The former smuggler would be missed.

  "It's better this way," Aric said. "He wouldn't have been happy coming with us."

  "I'm going to miss him," Danica said. "He might think he's a terrible person, but I've always seen the good heart beneath that rough exterior. I'm worried that he'll fall back into old patterns. I don't want him to lose everything he's gained with us."

  "Nothing we can do about it," Aric said. "We've got a boat to find. I'm not getting any stronger."

  The party stood there awhile, trying to absorb Klint's departure. They'd been expecting it, but it was still hard to take. With heavy hearts, they made their way toward the city's eastern side, where they found a large area of docks. Hundreds of dockworkers hustled back and forth, carrying cargo, shouting orders. Enormous wooden boats were tethered at the docks. Berig couldn't believe his eyes. How could something that large float upon the rough sea?

  They spent the next few hours making inquiries with anyone they could find. Few captains were going to Luminia, and those who were didn't have room for passengers. Just when they considered giving up, they found Darius, a dark-skinned and bearded captain who said he'd have room for them as long as they paid and helped out with duties aboard the ship.

  "That's very nice of you," Aric said as they stood on the deck of the ship. It was larger than any ship Berig had ever seen in the Empire, but it was one of the smaller ships in the harbor.

  Darius shrugged. "Well, we're a bit shorthanded. A few of my crewmen got sick on the last voyage. They're still recovering, and I don't have time to wait for them. This next shipment needs to get to Luminia as soon as possible."

  Shouts came from the back of the ship, where a young, dark-skinned man struggled to haul a barrel across the deck.

  Darius narrowed his eyes. "Filip, what are you doing?"

  The young man set the barrel down, almost falling over. "The first mate told me I had to get all these barrels up on deck."

  "Filip, he was having a joke at your expense."

  Filip wiped sweat from his forehead. "How was I supposed to know that?"

  Darius shook his head. "Just leave the barrel there for now. Someone stronger will take care of it later." He turned back to Berig, Aric, Lara, and Danica. "That's my brother. He's been begging me for a chance to sail across the sea. Don't know why I gave in. He doesn't know the first thing about sailing. A lot like you folks, I guess."

  Filip strode across the deck toward them. "Oh, who are you? I've never seen you before. Are you adventurers? You look like adventurers."

  "He's obsessed with adventure," Darius said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself killed doing something foolish."

  "Hey, I heard that," Filip said. He was almost skipping as he made his way toward them. Berig wasn't sure he'd ever seen anyone so excitable.

  Darius's expression was weary, as though he'd experienced too much of his brother's antics. "Just head down to the mess hall. You're at least a passable cook."

  "Aye, captain!" Filip said. He saluted his brother, then stepped through a nearby door.

  Once he was gone, Aric said, "Isn't he a bit old to be so naïve?"

  "He's always been this way," Darius said. "Doubt he'll ever change."

  "When are we leaving?" Lara asked, after a few seconds of silence.

  "First thing tomorrow morning. You folks look tired, so go ahead and rest up. We'll figure out the rest in the morning."

  They went to the cramped mess hall, where they introduced themselves to some of the sailors. Most seemed decent men, but they didn't speak much with the party. Filip, on the other hand, was eager to spend every second with them.

  "So are you adventurers?" he asked. He was behind a wooden bar, where he was sup
posed to be helping the cook, but the cook didn't appear to need help.

  "We've had our share of adventures," Aric said, "but I wouldn't say we're adventurers. We need to get to Luminia because I have an illness that can only be healed there. If not for that, we'd still be in the Empire."

  "The Empire?" Filip said. "Are you talking about the place inside the ring of mountains? I've always wanted to go there." His eyes widened. "Have you seen the Clanlands, too? I've always wanted to know what that place is like."

  Berig tried not to spit out his mouthful of ale.

  "I don't know why you'd want to see either place," Aric said. "The Clanlands are dangerous. We spent most of our time there fearing for our lives."

  "Then you must be really great adventurers," Filip said.

  "No, we just got lucky." Aric put down his fork. "We all could have died." His expression became serious. "Filip, I get the impression that you've led a safe life here in Seaside. This seems like a safe and comfortable place to live. Certainly safer than anywhere I've been in recent months. The point is, you don't know what adventure is really like. If you ever get a real taste of adventure, I'm not sure you'll find it to your liking."

  Filip looked serious for a moment, but then the expression disappeared. "No, I think I'd like it. I need a little danger in my life."

  Berig did spit out his ale this time, earning a dirty look from the cook, who was busy on the other side of the bar. "No one ever needs a little danger in their life. You're insane."

  "My brother says the same thing."

  The cook pulled Filip away to help prepare something, much to Berig's relief. He liked Filip's spirit, but it was exhausting being around him. No one should be that eager.

  The party finished their dinner, then made their way to the crew quarters Darius had provided. Berig and Aric shared one cramped room. It wasn't much, but it was nice to have a place to sleep. Berig woke the next morning feeling well-rested.

  Darius assigned them some of the lowliest duties on the ship. If it didn't require any skill, they were left to do it. None of them would be much help in operating the ship. Instead, they'd clean up around the ship, help the cook, and do whatever odd jobs Darius could find for them.