"It does," Kara said. "But even if we find the Nexus, there are so many worlds. I think I understand that now. I have no idea if I'll go back to my own world." She peered into the distance, expecting to see something dangerous, but the place seemed deserted. "You mentioned something called a Weaver. What is a Weaver?"
"Have you heard of the Webs of Fate?" Tobias asked.
Kara shook her head.
"All right. Imagine the world as a giant spider web. Every event is a thread in that web, and it's the most complex spider web you've ever seen. Now, some of these threads are thicker than others. That means they're more likely to take place. Even more importantly, some people can pull events along a certain path. Those people are Weavers."
Kara tried to take this all in. "You think I might be a Weaver?"
"I don't know," Tobias said, "but you have to admit that things have been very interesting in the Shadowed Land since you've arrived."
"But how could I be a Weaver. I'm nobody special. I don't have magic. I'm good with a sword, but I'm not the best."
"Look at how many people decided to help you on your quest to get home," Tobias said. "Do you think an ordinary person could have made all this happen?"
"I don't know," Kara said, "but this sounds too much like fate, and I don't believe in fate." She glanced at Josef. "As you said, the world is more like a game of chance. You never know what's going to happen."
Josef avoided her gaze. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. Weavers are real. I can't tell if you are one. My skill in reading the Webs is limited. But it is possible."
Kara turned back to Tobias. "How did you know this is the Labyrinth?"
"Because I entered it once before." He looked down at the ground. "I didn't get very far. It's a place I never thought to enter again."
"Well, we're back now," Josef said. "We could use your experience."
Tobias raised his eyebrows. "You've never been to the Labyrinth?"
"No, I've had other things to do. I've never seen the need to go somewhere so dangerous." Josef frowned. "Just out of curiosity, what prompted you to try your luck here?"
"I was younger then, and a lot stupider."
Josef chuckled, almost sounding human again. "We've all been stupid at one time or another. Great power often leads to great stupidity."
"Enough discussion," Diana said. "How do we get out of this place?"
"We have three options," Tobias said. "We find the exit, we find the Nexus, or we die."
Chapter 57: The Bridge
Kara and her party started through the Labyrinth, following its twists and turns with no idea where they were going. The blue magical light made it easy to see and allowed them to have their weapons ready.
"What else is here?" Kara asked. "I mean, besides monsters?"
"Traps, most likely," Tobias said. "The Labyrinth is . . . unusual. Doubt we'll face the same thing twice."
Kara scanned her surroundings for danger. "How was a place like this created?"
"No idea," Tobias said. "It's been here since we came to the Shadowed Land."
They walked in silence for a while, listening for any signs of monsters. For the first few hours, though, the Labyrinth seemed deserted. However, Kara had the feeling it was lulling them into a false sense of security.
Josef had taken the lead. Tobias was content to stay back with Diana and Kara. Diana looked pale and terrified. Kara doubted that Diana had expected to face a situation like this. Would Diana charge them a higher price for the added danger?
Of course, that didn't matter to Kara. All she cared about was getting out of this place and escaping the Shadowed Land. There was something tempting about using the Nexus. It was a risky endeavor, but if she found the Nexus, could she let that opportunity escape her? After all, there was no guarantee Krinir would help her. Or if he even could.
A faint scuttling came from up ahead. Kara tensed, peering into the distance. From around the next twist of the passage, a strange creature emerged. It had a head like a giant cat, pincers at the end of its front legs, and six more legs. Like a spider.
It opened its mouth, revealing enormous fangs, and a green substance sprayed from its mouth. Josef and Tobias both raised a shield, and the poison dissipated before it could strike them.
"You hold the shield," Josef said. "I'll take care of the beast."
The monster launched itself toward them, moving with catlike grace and agility. As it leapt, Josef sent a shard of ice at its soft underbelly. The ice pierced the creature and its attack stopped just short of them. Green blood dripped from the wound.
"Don't touch the blood," Josef said. "I think it holds some kind of poison."
Kara darted around to the side. She wasn't sure what she could do. If she got close enough to hurt the beast, she'd risk touching its blood.
Diana used her staff to send flames at the creature, but the flames didn't appear to affect it. Instead, it shrieked with rage and launched itself toward her. She tried to duck to the side, but she was too slow. The creature landed atop her and pierced her shoulder with its fangs.
She screamed, and her body began convulsing. Then her flesh began to sizzle. She screamed more loudly, but there was nothing anyone could do for her.
Josef continued to send shards of ice at the creature. He stood right behind it, dangerously close. Each shard of ice hit the creature's underbelly. It was dying, but too slowly.
Diana stopped screaming and fell still. Kara wished she could do something, but she couldn't get near the creature without risking her own life. Still, Diana didn't deserve this. She hadn't been involved in Kara's quest like the others. She'd simply agreed to lead them through the mountains—a journey she'd made countless times.
Kara stood by Tobias, hoping his shield would protect her. The creature had turned its attention to Josef, who backed away, launching more shards of ice at it. It was gaining on him.
"You have to try something else!" Kara shouted, trembling.
Josef waved his arms, and the air grew terribly cold. A moment later, the creature stopped as if it had frozen solid, and then it toppled over onto its side.
"What did you do?" Kara asked, stepping closer hesitantly.
Josef glanced at the monster. "It's an ice spell. Makes the air very cold, so cold it freezes the monster's blood. I wasn't sure if it would work. It stops some creatures in their tracks, but others are resistant to it."
Kara took a few steps and knelt beside Diana.
"Don't touch her," Tobias said. "She's covered in venom."
Diana wasn't breathing. Her face looked pale, showing no signs of life.
"So senseless," Kara said. "How could God allow such a horrible world to exist?"
Tobias looked on with a grave expression. "I wish I had an answer for you."
"God doesn't care about us," Josef said. "History has shown us that much."
To Kara's surprise, she agreed with Josef. Once, she might have believed in the goodness of God, but now she'd seen so much tragedy. Before, she'd blamed it on Warrick. Now she had to consider that God was the source of so many terrible things.
She hadn't known Diana all that well, but she still felt hollow when she looked at the woman's lifeless body. Too many people had died on this quest.
"We should get moving," Josef said. He cast only a passing glance at Diana.
Reluctantly, Kara left their guide behind. It seemed wrong to watch all these people die and simply leave their bodies there for monsters to eat. She'd never had a chance to bury any of the friends she'd lost. Many had burned in Crayden, leaving nothing behind. Since then, she'd been busy on this quest. In some ways, it helped distract her, but every loss was an immense weight upon her chest.
They continued through the Labyrinth, walking in silence. What could they say to each other right now? They'd lost so many people, and they stood little chance of escaping this place. Kara didn't want to dwell on all the negatives, but this wasn't negativity; it was realism.
Kara had no idea i
f Josef knew where he was going. He looked confident enough, but he always seemed confident. Though she had no proof, she suspected he'd been in this place before and had lied to Tobias. She suspected a lot of things about Josef.
"We need to find a teleportation stone," Tobias said, breaking a long silence. "That's how I got out before."
"That won't be easy," Josef said. "Teleportation stones are exceedingly rare, even in a place like the Labyrinth, where the magical energy is more likely to create them."
Feeling numb, Kara didn't want to ask any questions. She followed Josef's lead and prayed they wouldn't run across any other monsters.
The Labyrinth felt as if it would never end. They followed passage after passage, took turn after turn. Everything looked the same. They could have returned to a passage they'd already taken without knowing it. There were a few monsters, but Tobias and Josef handled them easily.
Kara felt useless. Once or twice, she got involved in a battle, but Tobias and Josef did most of the work.
After a long time, perhaps days, they reached an open chamber, where they stood on a thin ledge overlooking a chasm so deep Kara couldn't see its bottom. A narrow bridge crossed the chasm, but it didn't look stable. Kara couldn't see anything supporting it.
She pointed at the bridge. "Are we going to cross that?"
Josef gave her a stern look. "You see any other options?"
"No," Kara said. Why did Josef always have to treat her as if she were stupid? She knew she was involved in situations beyond her capabilities. He didn't have to remind her.
They started across the bridge. At first, nothing seemed amiss. Kara tried not to look down, but as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she had to. The world faded away into blackness below her, and suddenly she felt as if everything were spinning around her.
"Careful," Tobias said, grasping her arm.
She steadied her balance. "I'm all right. I just looked down, that's all."
"Must you always be so foolish?" Josef asked.
She glared at him. "Must you always be such a bastard?"
Tobias stepped between them. "Look. This isn't the place to argue. Let's focus on crossing this bridge."
Josef took a few steps before Kara and Tobias started moving. Walking beside Tobias, Kara said, "How can you consider him a friend? Can't you see what he is?"
"I can hear you, you know," Josef said.
Kara cast a contemptuous look at the back of his head. "I don't care."
"There aren't many sorcerers in the world," Tobias said. "Even if we don't always agree with one another, there's a certain kinship between us. It's hard to explain."
There was no point continuing to pursue the subject. The other side of the bridge was just visible across the vast chamber. A low rumble came from somewhere. At first, Kara thought she was imagining it, but then it became louder, stronger.
Soon the ground was trembling. Kara fell to her hands and knees. It was the only way she could keep the quake from sending her into the chasm. Josef and Tobias did the same.
"What the hell is happening?" Kara asked, fearing the bridge would crumble.
Josef glanced back. "I have no idea."
"That's reassuring," Kara said.
Tobias crawled along the bridge. "Come on, Kara. We need to keep moving."
Kara followed the two of them as the chamber rumbled more fiercely. Bits of rock fell from the ceiling, and the two sorcerers cast shields so that the rocks would disintegrate before striking them. Still, shields would do them no good if the bridge collapsed.
The trembling became so strong that Kara struggled to crawl. Larger and larger rocks tumbled down from the ceiling far above. There was still so much bridge left before they'd reach the ledge at the chamber's other side. How would they ever get there?
The bridge gave way beneath her.
She scrabbled frantically at the edge of the bridge, but it kept falling away. There was nothing to hold on to, and she felt herself plummeting into the bottomless abyss.
Life was a game of chance, and she had lost.
Chapter 58: The Nexus
Kara screamed as she fell, certain she was going to die, but then she felt a great wind beneath her. Tobias floated alongside her atop a massive whirlwind. His expression was intense, and sweat poured down his face.
Up ahead, Kara saw another whirlwind, which was carrying Josef to the other side of the chamber. Bastard. He'd only thought of saving himself.
"Can you get us across the chamber?" Kara shouted over the swirling wind.
Tobias gritted his teeth. "I can barely keep this whirlwind going. I might be able to get one of us across, but not both of us."
"Then save yourself. You're a sorcerer. You're an important man."
"No," Tobias said. "I took on the responsibility of getting you home, and I won't fail you now. Besides, a fall like this can't kill me. I may be stuck down there forever, but I'd rather take the chance. I may survive. You won't."
"No!" Kara shouted, fighting against tears. But there was no point arguing. She could only watch as Tobias let part of the whirlwind die. He began to plummet, but the whirlwind beneath her grew stronger and began moving toward the other side of the chamber. When she glanced back, she could barely see Tobias fading into the dark nothingness below.
Riding atop a whirlwind made her stomach churn. She closed her eyes, praying it would be over soon, one way or the other. When she hit solid ground, she opened her eyes. From there, she glanced back toward the abyss but could no longer see Tobias.
She lay at the edge of the rocky legs, tears streaming down her face.
"He's gone," Josef said. "There's nothing we can do for him."
Kara felt sick to her stomach. Now she was alone with Josef. Would he confirm all her suspicions about him?
He yanked at her arm, pulling her to her feet. "We need to get moving."
"Can't I have a moment to pay respect to his sacrifice?"
"No, there's no telling what other dangers might be lurking around here."
She slapped him. "I don't care. I need a moment."
His expression twisted into an ugly grimace, and he backhanded her across the face. "If you ever strike me again, I will kill you."
She backed away from him. "I knew you'd show your true self at some point."
"Oh, you don't know how long I've been waiting to end this act. Do you really think I volunteered for this quest out of some desire to get you home, or even because I was interested in seeing Krinir?" He barked a laugh. "I've seen Krinir many times. In fact, I'm working for him right now. I don't know why he wants you, but he does."
Kara continued backing away. "What do you mean? Why would he want me?"
"He must have seen you in the Webs of Fate. You are a Weaver. I can tell that much. But you did not bring us here to the Labyrinth. I did."
"How?"
He pulled a small blue stone out of his pocket. "Teleportation stone. It was designed to take us here to the Labyrinth. Designed by Krinir himself. He foresaw that we would have to come here. I don't know why, but it is not my place to question my lord."
"You're despicable," Kara said, but most of the fight had left her.
His mouth was a thin line. "I do what I must."
"You let Tobias die."
"Oh, I doubt he's dead. Trapped perhaps. Maybe even doomed to an eternity of starvation. But he isn't dead."
Kara felt hollow at the thought of Tobias suffering alone in this place, but she couldn't worry about him. "You were going to let me die. If Krinir thinks I'm so important, why didn't you help me?"
He barked a laugh. "Tobias and I were once friends. I know what kind of man he is. I knew he would save you."
"You're the most disgusting man I've ever met." And that was saying something, considering that she had met Tylen. "I am never coming with you."
"And what makes you think you can resist me? I am one of the most powerful sorcerers in the Shadowed Land. You are nothing but a woman who knows how to use a
sword. There are many like you. There are few like me."
Though Kara hated to admit it, he was right. She couldn't survive in this place without him. Nor could she hope to escape him.
"For now, our interests are the same," Josef said. "You want to see Krinir. I want to take you to Krinir. I don't know what will happen after that, but I think we can at least be civil to each other until then. After all, you're the only one who will suffer if we don't."
"I understand," she said, hating the words coming out of her mouth. She wished she could fight back, but this quest had taken too much out of her. In truth, she wasn't sure she wanted to see Krinir anymore. If he wanted Josef to take her to him, then he had plans for her, and she doubted those plans would suit her best interests. But how could she escape Josef before then?
"I wish Krinir had given me another teleportation stone," Josef said. "Then I wouldn't have to lead you through this place or across half the Shadowed Land."
"Why didn't he give you another one?"
"I don't know. He has his reasons. He always does." Josef started walking. "Let's get moving. I think we can both agree that we'd rather not stick around here."
"Do you know the way out?"
"No, but my sorcery gives me a certain feel for finding the right path. It's not foolproof, not by any means, but it's better than nothing."
Kara followed Josef out of the vast chamber and into a narrower passage. Before they entered the passage, she cast one last glance at the abyss behind them, hoping she'd see Tobias emerging from within. But he didn't appear. He was gone. She had to accept that.
Now she was Josef's prisoner. She had to accept that as well.
They traveled through the tunnels for days and days. Their food stores dwindled, and Josef didn't think they should eat any of the monsters in the Labyrinth. These monsters threatened them from time to time, but Josef handled most of them with ease.
Kara often felt the urge to stab Josef from behind, but it wouldn't kill him. Conventional weapons couldn't kill a sorcerer. People had tried it on Warrick. Sorcerers could recover even from decapitation. Their healing powers were instant and extraordinary.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 93
