World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  Aric leaned forward in his chair. "You speak as if you know Warrick well."

  "I did, once." Pain flashed behind Marlon's eyes. "We were friends. Cyrus told you to come here. Did he tell you he was also friends with Warrick?"

  "No, he didn't," Aric said, with a hint of anger.

  "It's a difficult fact to admit. I suspect he didn't tell you because he didn't feel it was important for your quest." Marlon massaged his temples, as if the mere thought of Warrick gave him a headache. "Of all the things I've done, I'm most ashamed of how I failed in this regard. I keep looking back to those days, wondering if I could have done something different. We all saw the signs, and we ignored them. We let Warrick become the monster he is now."

  "Why haven't you tried to stop him?" Berig asked.

  "He's too powerful."

  "I don't understand," Berig said. "He's just one sorcerer. You've got hundreds of sorcerers here in Luminia. If you all got together, I'm sure you could take him down."

  Marlon ran a hand through his hair. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. Warrick is no ordinary sorcerer. He has the strength of two powerful magical artifacts on his side: The Stone of Creation and the Stone of Destruction. On top of that, he seems to have obtained more power from some source we don't yet know about. We sent hundreds of sorcerers against him when we imprisoned him in the Empire. He nearly destroyed that entire army."

  "That does make sense," Aric said. "Think about it, Berig. This is a man who created a ring of mountains around the entire Empire. A man who created all kinds of magical regions filled with monsters and bizarre weather. Do you think he's an ordinary sorcerer?"

  Berig scratched his head. "I don't know. Guess I thought all sorcerers were just as powerful. How was I supposed to know? I'd never heard of another sorcerer before."

  "It's understandable," Marlon said. "I hope you can see now why we couldn't stand against Warrick, why we don't try to stop him." His expression tightened. "Unfortunately, the time is approaching when we'll have to. The Webs have told me that Warrick may soon break free from the Empire. Our own sorcerers have noticed that the barrier is breaking down."

  "What do we do then?" Aric asked.

  Marlon considered for a few moments. "Don't concern yourself with Warrick. He is not an immediate problem. You wouldn't be able to do anything at this point. You are not yet strong enough. But two of you sitting here have the power to become sorcerers." His gaze settled on Berig and Lara. "You two need to make the Pilgrimage if you want to play a role in the events to come. The second Great War is coming. We need all the help we can get."

  "Then what do you really want us to do?" Aric asked.

  "Go to the New Earth Empire. The Webs tell me that, even if you do not find a way to rescue your friend, you may be able to help Markus and Nadia."

  Aric frowned. "Why would they be in the New Earth Empire?"

  Marlon took a sip of tea, then set down the cup. "For much the same reason you're going. It's the only chance they have to bring back two people lost to the Shadowed Land."

  Aric raised his eyebrows. "Two?"

  "Kara and Rik."

  Berig shook his head. He hadn't known Rik and Kara, but he didn't think anyone deserved the Shadowed Land. "Things just keep getting weirder, don't they? I don't know. Maybe we really are destined to do something great."

  "It isn't destiny," Marlon said. "It's a matter of probability. You are far more likely to go on to great things than most of the people who have ever lived, but you could also die tomorrow. The Webs never deal in certainties."

  "Can they tell you about the past or present?" Aric asked.

  "They can, but you can't look very far into the past."

  "Can you tell me about my friend Ander? Is he all right?"

  Marlon hesitated. "Unfortunately, I have to be the bearer of bad news. Ander is dead. He was part of an attempt to send Warrick to the Shadowed Land—a mission given to him by Cyrus. The mission succeeded, but Imperial Guards killed Ander as he tried to escape."

  Aric leaned forward in his chair, eyes closed, pain etched in the lines of his face. He rocked back and forth a few times, then shook his head forcefully. When he opened his eyes, tears streamed down his cheeks. Berig had never seen this much emotion from Aric. The man had always been calm and in control.

  Berig reached out a hand and touched Aric's shoulder awkwardly. "I'm sorry to hear it. Ander was a good man and a good friend to you. I'll never forget what he did for me on the Red Plateau. He didn't have to come back for me. None of you did."

  Aric struggled to speak through his tears. "I just can't believe it. Ander's always been there for me. I've known him most of my life. And now he's dead, just like that."

  "At least he died a hero," Berig said.

  "That's what he always wanted to be. A hero. A leader. Someone who can make a difference. At least I know that he took Warrick with him."

  "I don't understand," Lara said. "If Warrick is in the Shadowed Land, then how can he escape the Empire? My clan knows a great deal about the Shadowed Land, and if there's one thing everybody knows, it's that no one can escape the place."

  Marlon sighed deeply. "No one has before, but Warrick will probably find a way. The normal rules of the world don't seem to apply to him."

  "But it is possible to escape the Shadowed Land," Berig said. "It just comes with a price. That's what the goblins told me." Berig went on to recount how they'd been captured by the goblins and how he'd been able to communicate with them. He relayed everything they'd told him about how they'd left the Shadowed Land.

  Once Berig finished, Marlon said, "That is interesting. I've heard of these goblins, but I had no idea they were actually human." He shook his head. "That's a cruel sentence—living without the ability to speak to other humans for all these years." He stroked his chin, as if deep in thought. "So Krinir can send people out of the Shadowed Land. Interesting."

  Berig tapped his fingers against the wooden arm of his chair. "You really think we might find a way to bring them back from the Shadowed Land?"

  Marlon took another sip of tea. "I don't know. The answers may lie somewhere in the New Earth Empire, but it's more likely that they'll have to rely on themselves to escape. I can't be sure, though. I have a great deal of difficulty reading the Webs when I'm looking into the Shadowed Land."

  "Then why should we trust anything you say?" Berig asked. He didn't know why he felt the need to question the sorcerer. The Berig of old would have sat there silently, too nervous to ask anything.

  "I think he has our best interests in mind," Lara said. Her voice was kind but firm.

  Marlon clasped his hands in front of him. "Yes, to an extent. However, I must balance your interests with the interests of the world as a whole. If you want security, just stay here in Luminia. If you want to save the world, go to the New Earth Empire."

  Berig still had his doubts about Marlon's motives. "Why can't you come with us?"

  "I am needed here. I can't abandon my duties."

  "Convenient," Berig said. He hated the feeling that he was being manipulated by someone who was hiding part of the truth.

  "I understand your doubts. If you do not wish to heed my advice, that's your choice."

  "We're going to the New Earth Empire," Aric said. "If there's any chance of getting Danica back, we have to take it. Maybe we'll even find a way to get rid of Warrick permanently. Ander's dead because of him."

  "You may start on that path in the New Earth Empire," Marlon said, leaning forward in his chair. "In the northern deserts of the empire, you'll find the Earth Temple. It is the closest temple and should be the beginning of the Pilgrimage for you two, Berig and Lara." He sighed again. "But it won't be easy to gain entrance. The New Earth Empire has stationed soldiers there to keep anyone from entering the temple."

  "Why can't anything ever be easy?" Berig asked. He couldn't think of a time in his life when he hadn't struggled. Growing up on the streets taught him that the world didn't care about him, that he'd
amount to nothing. Losing his brother had taught him that he could rely only on himself.

  But his time with Aric and the others had taught him that people could care about him if he gave them the chance. Life with them hadn't been easy, but it was the best he'd ever had.

  His thoughts drifted back to his brother, and he turned to Marlon. "Do the Webs tell you anything about my brother? His name's Marek. Is he dead?"

  "Give me a moment, please." Marlon closed his eyes and sat silently for perhaps a minute. Once he opened his eyes, he said, "Your brother is alive, Berig, but that's all I can see. It feels as if someone has altered the Webs around him, making the strands dark and impossible to decipher. I'm sorry, Berig. I wish I could tell you more."

  Berig felt tears forming in his eyes. "You've told me enough. Thank you."

  This time, he believed that Marlon was telling the whole truth.

  "What about Krinir?" Lara asked. "Should we worry about him? I get the impression that he's more of a danger than Warrick."

  Marlon looked weary. "Your impression is correct. That doesn't mean Warrick isn't a threat. He's a very serious threat. But if Krinir were to escape the Shadowed Land, he would make Warrick look like an ordinary sorcerer."

  "Then let's hope he doesn't escape," Berig said. He'd never put much faith in hoping for things, but it was often the best he could do.

  After a brief silence, Marlon said, "I need to give you some gold. Otherwise, you'll never get into the New Earth Empire. You'll need to find a smuggler to get you across a weak spot in the barrier around the empire. Whatever you do, don't get caught. The penalty for entering the empire illegally is death. There are no exceptions."

  Berig didn't like the sound of that.

  Chapter 3: Out to Sea

  Markus's arms burned as he placed one crate on top of another. Kris and his crew had assigned him the unenviable task of taking cargo from the docks and placing it in the ship's hold. At first, Kris hadn't found anything for Nadia, but she'd decided to help Markus.

  "This feels good." She wiped sweat from her brow. "It's honest labor."

  Markus felt like collapsing. "Aren't you getting tired?"

  "Yes, but it's a good kind of tired."

  "If you say so." He watched as Nadia lifted a crate with ease. "They're giving you the lighter crates, aren't they? How can you stand for that? They're giving you easier tasks because you're a woman."

  She gave him a sharp look. "It has nothing to do with being a woman. It is a simple matter of strength. You're much stronger than me, Markus. I might be strong, but anyone who looks at you can tell just how strong you are."

  Markus grinned at her. "Are you saying I have a good body?"

  "I suppose it's all right."

  "Admit it, Nadia. You think I'm the most handsome man you've ever seen."

  A shout came from the other side of the cargo hold. "Less flirting, more working. Don't make me come over there."

  Nadia lowered her voice. "You're not very subtle, are you?"

  "I guess I say what's on my mind. I never ran in your noble circles where I had to hide how I really felt about everybody." He lifted a nearby crate and placed it atop another crate. "I don't know how you survived that life."

  Nadia's look became distant. "That seems like so long ago. I know it's only been a few months, but it feels like much longer."

  "I know what you mean. These months have been difficult, but I wouldn't trade them for any other time in my life. I couldn't give you up, Nadia."

  The sailor cleared his throat, standing a few feet from them now. He had dark hair and a few days' growth of beard. "What did I say about flirting?" The man was smiling, though. He couldn't have been too upset. "We've hauled the last of the cargo into here. You can rest for the night, and then we'll set out in the morning. I’m not sure what we'll find for you to do, but there's always something that needs to be done aboard a ship like ours."

  Sweaty and tired, Markus and Nadia made their way to the small cabin they'd been assigned. It was perhaps eight feet by eight feet and contained two small beds, one bunked above the other.

  "Guess we can't sleep in the same bed," Markus said.

  "Good," Nadia said. "Then I won't have you snoring right next to my ear."

  "I do not snore!"

  "How would you know? You only snore when you're asleep."

  Markus couldn't argue with that. He said nothing as he and Nadia placed their few meager belongings in their cabin. There was nothing to do in the cabin, so they walked to the mess hall, where they found a few crewmembers eating dinner.

  The sailor from the cargo hold was sitting at a table, cutting of chunks of beef with a knife that looked far too large for that task. Markus spotted a few female sailors at a nearby table. He was surprised to see women among the crew. Some of them were even quite pretty, though he only had eyes for Nadia, of course.

  Markus and Nadia approached the sailor with the too-large knife.

  He looked up at them. "What're you staring at?"

  "Just wondering why you're using a massive knife to cut your meat," Markus said.

  "It's supposed to be intimidating."

  "Well, it isn't working," Nadia said. "It actually looks a bit silly."

  He held up the knife in a mock-threat. "I've killed people for lesser insults."

  "I doubt it," Nadia said. "You don't seem the type."

  He tilted his head to the side. "And you're well-acquainted with murderers, I take it?"

  Nadia took a seat at the table, though the sailor never told her she could sit there. "In the Empire, there's a place called the Prison City. I've been there. The people in there are terrifying. I don't think you'd last a week."

  "And what were you doing inside a prison city?" he asked.

  "Finding a potion I needed to cure Markus."

  He leaned back, smiling. "Ah, a quest of true love."

  Markus took the chair next to Nadia.

  The sailor gave him a stern look. "Did I ever say you could sit here? Maybe I'm sitting alone because I want to be left alone. You ever consider that?"

  "If you wanted to be left alone," Nadia said, "you would have told us before now."

  "Damn, you're good," he said. "You can read me like a book."

  "So what's your name?" Markus asked.

  "Tam. I'm one of the higher-ranking sailors aboard this ship. Still a few steps below first mate, but I'm a respected man around here."

  "Is that why no one's sitting with you?" Nadia asked. "Because they respect you so much?"

  "No, it's because they fear me," he said, but the words didn't sound convincing. After a moment, he shook his head as if he knew his act wasn't working. "Actually, most of my friends are still onshore, finding whores to sleep with. Apparently, that's what sailors are supposed to do when they're in port. Never really understood the appeal myself. Good way to catch a disease."

  Low chatter filled the large mess hall, but no one was paying attention to them. A lone man stood behind a wooden bar at the far end of the room, wiping down the counter and looking bored. A few men and women sat at the bar, talking and drinking.

  "I imagine this place is packed when the ship's out at sea," Markus said.

  "Yeah, when we aren't working, we spend most of our time here."

  Markus leaned on the table. "Any food you recommend?"

  Tam chuckled. "The cook tries, but most of it ain't very good. This steak's overdone and almost impossible to cut. That's actually the reason I've got such a big knife."

  "Well, I don't care how bad the food is," Markus said. "I'm starving."

  As it turned out, the food wasn't all that bad. Markus had never eaten like the nobles back in the Empire, and even Nadia had grown used to the plain meals they'd eaten on the road. As they ate, a few of the other sailors trickled in and introduced themselves. Most seemed decent despite their rough appearances. Markus had begun to reevaluate his initial impressions.

  He didn't sleep well that night, worried about what woul
d happen once they set out to sea. Some of the sailors had told him about seasickness, and he dreaded the thought of spending the entire voyage vomiting. Nadia seemed to have no concerns, for she fell asleep immediately.

  They set out the next morning. Markus and Nadia stood on deck, watching as the ship left the port. Once it raised anchor, the waves rocked the ship gently. Although the motion was a bit disconcerting, it didn't make Markus feel sick. Standing beside him, Nadia looked to be handling the motion just as well. Good. That was one less thing to worry about.

  Markus spent most of the morning on deck, watching the city recede into the distance. They started out going west. According to Kris, they didn't want to be too close to shore. Near land, there were pockets of large rocks that could damage the bottom of the ship.

  It was interesting to watch the sailors at work, manning the sails. When the wind caught those sails, the ship moved with ease. However, that wasn't their only method of propulsion. Recently, the Westland Kingdom had developed a device known as the steam engine. They hadn't perfected it yet, but it would help them navigate when the wind wasn't in their favor.

  There wasn't a whole lot of work for Markus and Nadia to do, but the sailors didn't seem upset that they were on board. Kris would find some work for them to do, mostly so that they'd feel useful, Markus decided. Soon each day faded into a familiar rhythm. They got to know quite a few of the sailors, but they were hesitant to form close bonds. After all, they would likely never see these men and women again once they reached Luminia.

  They remained close enough to shore that they could always see it. Occasionally, Markus spotted a town, but most of the land they passed was empty.

  One morning, as Markus stood on deck, he spotted a plume of smoke on land. Tam was standing with him and Nadia, taking a short break from his duties.

  "What do you think that is?" Markus asked.

  "Something we shouldn't bother with," Tam said. "We're passing the Clanlands now. If they're burning each other's settlements, that's their problem."