"Let's order one and find out." She tapped the screen, and a tray below the device extended, revealing a pizza that looked just like the one on the screen. It was perfectly circular and cut into six smaller slices, much like a pie.
Markus and Nadia grabbed plates from a nearby cabinet, then placed the pizza on their plates. When Markus took the first bite, he was in love.
"This is the best thing I've ever tasted," he said with his mouth full.
Nadia swallowed a bite. "I don't know about that, but it does taste good. A lot better than the kind of food we've had lately."
"You're crazy. This is the best thing ever. You know, I'd be all right with being imprisoned here if it means I get to eat this whenever I want."
Nadia gave him a half-serious glare. "You better watch out, or you'll get fat. I don't know if I'd like you fat."
"Neither would I."
"I think we should explore the palace," Nadia said. "They told us we could."
After they finished their meal, they made their way out into the corridors. There was a screen showing some kind of map next to their door. Nadia frowned at it, then said, "I think this red dot indicates our location. We don't want to get lost."
But getting lost was all too easy. The palace felt more like a labyrinth. They'd switched into some of their new clothing, so at least they didn't look conspicuous wandering the halls. For the most part, they remained where they could look out the windows and gaze upon the city's flashing lights. It was still hard to get used to this place.
Many doors in the palace featured red handprints. When Markus touched one, a rude voice told him he was not authorized to enter the room beyond.
"Where'd that voice come from?" he asked.
"I'm not sure. It could have been a computer perhaps."
"I didn't think computers could talk."
Nadia gave him a tired look. "Do you have a better explanation?"
"No. This place really confuses me."
"I think it's wonderful," Nadia said. "If only we weren't prisoners here."
Sometimes, it was easy to forget they were prisoners, but then Markus thought of the bots swimming around inside him. He couldn't feel them, but they still bothered him. There had to be some way to remove those bots. No matter how luxurious this place was, they couldn't stay here forever. If they stayed, they'd never rescue Rik and Kara.
"You really think this technology will help us find Rik and Kara?" he asked.
Nadia considered a moment as they walked through a corridor where the walls almost gleamed and computer screens were everywhere. "Maybe we should ask somebody."
"But who would we ask? I don't think the president will help us."
Nadia spent some time exploring the computers, but she had a lot of trouble. As intelligent as she was, it appeared she didn't understand these devices much better than Markus. That made him feel a little better. Maybe he wasn't a complete idiot.
"Having a bit of a trouble?"
Markus turned to see a middle-aged woman watching them with interest. She had the clean and tailored look of everyone in the city, but she was the first who'd appeared to notice them. Was she a friend, a foe, or just a curious stranger?
The woman smiled at them. "You must be the new prisoners—I mean, new guests here in the palace. I've never seen anyone struggle so much with a computer." She held out a hand, and as they shook it in turn, she said, "I'm Karin, and I think I can help you."
"How?" Nadia asked.
Karin glanced at the computer screen. "What're you looking for? If you think the computer can tell you a way out of the palace, you're mistaken."
"That isn't what we're looking for," Nadia said. She hesitated a moment. "Two friends of ours are in the Shadowed Land. We're trying to find a way to get them back home."
Karin shook her head. "The computer won't tell you that either. As far as we know, there is no way to bring somebody back from the Shadowed Land. If the government has developed any such ability, it will be a closely guarded secret. A simple computer search won't find it, especially not a computer search from someone who barely knows how to use a computer."
Nadia's features tightened with impatience. "All right. Then how can you help us?"
Karin spoke in barely more than a whisper, the sound barely audible over the general noise in the corridor. "I can get you out of the palace."
"All right," Nadia said. "We're listening."
"We can't talk here, out in the open. Too many people. Too many cameras."
"Cameras?" Markus asked.
"Devices that can watch everything we do," Karin said. "They keep a record of everything they see and hear and send it to a computer to be stored forever. There's enough noise in the corridor here that I doubt they've heard anything I don't want them to hear." She started walking off to the right. "Follow me."
Markus and Nadia exchanged a nervous glance, then followed Karin through the palace's branching corridors, past robots going about their routine duties and guards who didn't give them a second glance. Markus still felt as if all eyes were on them, however.
Karin stopped before a door on their left and placed her hand against the handprint on the door. The handprint glowed green, and the door swung open. She stepped inside, gesturing for them to follow. The room inside looked much like their own.
"There are no cameras in here," Karin said. "It's illegal to place cameras in living quarters. That doesn't stop the government from doing it, of course, but I think they trust me enough that they wouldn't. I'm a high-ranking government official, after all." She gestured for them to take seats on a nearby couch, and then sat down in a cushioned chair across from them.
"How can you get us out of here?" Nadia asked. "They put tracking bots inside us. If we try to escape, they'll know."
"I'm a scientist by training," Karin said. "Bots like those are my specialty. I know how to disable them. I'll need the right medical equipment, though, and that may prove difficult."
Markus leaned forward on the couch. "Why're you helping us? Why do you care?"
"Because I think you can help us. I'm a Technomage, and I've read the Webs of Fate. I've seen that you two could be very important in bringing about change here. I'm not all that skilled at reading the Webs, so I can't give you anything more specific than that."
Markus barked a laugh. "What a surprise."
Karin appeared to ignore his sarcasm. "I'm part of the resistance movement here in the New Earth Empire. We're the ones who see the problems in our supposedly perfect society. I'm sure you've already seen it for yourself. We have all this great technology, all these things that make our lives comfortable, but that comes at the cost of a government with too much authority."
"We've noticed," Nadia said.
"The government controls everything in the empire," Karin said. "They don't let anyone in. They don’t let our technology extend beyond our borders. There are also huge disparities in income and living conditions. Here in New Washington, everything looks perfect, but all you're seeing is the surface. Beneath that surface, people are struggling to survive.
"This is especially true in the far reaches of the empire. People who live out in the less settled areas, such as the Great Desert, are subject to monster attacks. Their lives are much closer to what you probably know from outside the empire. The government doesn't care about them, but those of us in the resistance do. We seek to change things."
Nadia frowned. "But how can you oppose such a powerful government?"
"It ain't easy, but that's where you come in."
Nadia gave her a stern look. "I don’t like having my actions decided for me."
"I'm not forcing anything on you. I will help you escape this place. From that point on, you can decide whether or not you want to support us. In the end, you'll find that your goals and ours align. You'll have to make your way to the Earth Temple if you want to continue on the path you've started. The Earth Temple is deep in the heart of the Great Desert, and it's guarded by the empire's sol
diers. You'll never get in unless you work with us to change things."
Markus didn't trust Karin, not yet anyway. Yes, she was offering to help, but it came with conditions.
"What about Krinir?" Nadia asked. "Where does he come into this?"
Karin leaned forward in her chair. "I imagine the president told you all about the great things Krinir would do for us. I can see in the Webs that you present a danger to Krinir, and the president's a talented Technomage, so I imagine he saw the same thing."
Markus and Nadia both nodded.
"The president was lying to you. Krinir is evil. No other way to put it. He might cloak his evil in the idea that he's promoting the spread of technology that can help us. But that technology can also destroy us, and that is Krinir's ultimate goal."
"How can we trust you?" Nadia asked.
"Who should you trust more: the man who imprisoned you, or the woman who's helping you escape?"
"But how do you know that's what Krinir really wants?" Nadia asked.
"We've recovered a lot of information from the Great War. We know what Krinir really did during that time. He used his powers as a god to wipe out entire cities of people who disagreed with him. If you didn't support Krinir, you were the enemy. It was as simple as that. Do those sound like the actions of a good person, or an evil one?"
"Does the president know all this?" Markus asked. He felt overwhelmed by all this new information, and though Karin seemed to be on their side, he couldn't be sure about anything.
"Of course he does," Karin said, "but he doesn't care. As far as he's concerned, it's all right if we wipe out a bunch of people who are opposed to Krinir. In the end, the president thinks that will make the world a better place. Those of us in the resistance know better."
Nadia's gaze was intent. "You still haven't told us how you know his true intentions. Maybe he truly does want to make the world a better place. Perhaps it is just his methods that are evil. How can you know his true goal?"
"I suppose we can't. But I think his actions make everything clear enough. There's a reason Lionar exiled Krinir to the Shadowed Land. Krinir is too dangerous."
Markus turned to Nadia. "It makes sense to me. I think she's telling us the truth."
"I'm not so sure," Nadia said.
"Very well," Karin said. "I'll let you see for yourselves." She went to a computer by the wall and began working on it. Soon the image on the computer screen appeared on a much larger screen positioned on the wall. Then, with a few more clicks and taps, the image started moving.
"This is a video recording taken by a camera," Karin said.
The screen showed a view from perhaps a hundred feet in the air. Armies were assembled below, facing each other. At the front of each army stood a single man. The view focused in closer on each man. One wore white, the other black.
"The one in white is Lionar," Karin said. "The one in black is Krinir."
On the recording, Krinir said, "If you don't surrender to me, I will destroy your army and the city you're protecting."
Lionar glared at him. "Even you wouldn't sink that low."
Krinir laughed. "Oh, you'd be surprised how little anything bothers me anymore."
"I know you don't want to do this. You are both Creator and Destroyer. You can't embrace one side of the coin without embracing the other as well."
"I will do as I please," Krinir said. "This is war, and people must die. Cities must be destroyed. Surrender to me, and we can avoid all this."
Lionar's gaze was fierce. "You know I can't do that."
"Then all the lives lost here are blood on your hands."
Both gods commanded their armies to charge. The air exploded with magic. Waves of fire. Bursts of lightning. Windstorms that knocked down hundreds of people at once. The clinking of swords echoed through the air. Plasma rifles fired from all around. In all, it was a scene of chaos. Smoke obscured the battlefield. Spells of every color flew back and forth.
Soldiers had fallen all over the battlefield. Black and white had merged into one mess, hurling spells at each other, hacking away at their enemies. Markus felt sick watching it. Even from high above, he could see the blood staining the ground.
The camera shifted its focus away from the battle, watching Krinir, who had broken free from the battle. He stood facing the city, no one else anywhere near him.
The god raised his hands into the air, and a horrifying sight appeared—one Markus had seen before. A ring of fire at least a hundred feet tall formed ahead of Krinir, encircling the city, and then closing in with alarming speed. People screamed as they ran for cover.
"Please stop it!" Nadia shouted.
"I know it's difficult," Karin said, "but you have to see it."
Markus glared at her. "We know what's going to happen. We've experienced the same thing ourselves. Not at Krinir's hands, but it was the same."
"All right," Karin said. "I believe I've made my point, then."
"You have," Nadia said. "Krinir is evil. How can we stop him?"
Karin had begun pacing. "I can't tell you exactly how to stop him, but I do know the first few steps. There are tunnels that lead out of the palace. First, though, we have to get rid of your bots. I'll get the equipment necessary, but you'll have to wait until you're in the tunnels. Otherwise, you'll set off an alarm all through the palace, and you won't stand a chance of escaping." She paused a moment. "I must warn you, though. The tunnels are very dangerous."
Markus swallowed nervously. "How dangerous?"
"They're full of dangerous machines that could kill you all too easily. And, unfortunately, I have duties here, so I can't come with you."
"That's not a very detailed description," Nadia said.
"I know, but it's the best I have. These tunnels are a closely guarded government secret. They have a lot of advanced technology down there, so they must protect it."
"Then how can we even stand a chance?" Nadia asked.
"You'll have to be resourceful."
Chapter 10: The Secret Path
Markus and Nadia met with Karin in her chambers late at night. She had with her two small glass bottles, at the end of which were long needles. Markus's stomach twisted. He didn't want to think about those needles plunging into him.
"These'll get rid of the bots," she said.
Nadia looked pale. "Are you sure this is our best chance?"
"There is no other way out of this place. The security's too tight. Very few people know about the tunnels. If I weren't a part of the resistance, I wouldn't know about it either. Which reminds me"—she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket—"this contains the location of our headquarters here in New Washington. Protect this information at all costs."
Nadia took the slip and squinted at it. "I have no idea where that is."
Karin explained the directions they'd have to take once they left the tunnels, but Markus could barely follow. He didn't know anything about this bizarre city. Nadia's look was doubtful, but she nodded to Karin and shoved the paper into her own pocket.
"I've also procured some weapons for you," Karin said. She handed them each two strange looking circular devices with red spots in the middle. Each device had straps. "You'll put these on your hands with the red part facing outward."
As Markus and Nadia strapped the devices onto their hands, Nadia said, "What are these things exactly?"
"They are how Technomages get around making the Pilgrimage. These work like magical staffs do for channelers, but they work for you even though you're natural sorcerers. They're just one of the ways that we've combined our technology with the world's natural magic."
Nadia examined hers with a frown. "How do we use them?"
"It's pretty simple." Karin showed them her own device, then positioned her hand over a glass. Water trickled from her hand, landing in the glass. "All you have to do is think about what kind of ability you want to use. A lot of it will come to you instinctively."
"What are these things called?" Markus asked.
"I still don't understand how they work," Nadia asked. "Isn't part of being a sorcerer that you must make the Pilgrimage to use abilities like these?"
"Not exactly," Karin said. "You are sorcerers. The magic is already within you. When you visit each temple, it is more like somebody has turned a key and unlocked that magic. The TWs, like staffs where you come from, get around that little barrier."
"I think you should just accept that they work," Markus said to Nadia. "We can shoot fire out of our hands. Shouldn't that be enough for you?"
Nadia gave him a mock glare. "You know me better than that."
"I'm sure we'll figure it out as we go."
"I don't particularly care for that plan," Nadia said.
"I'd love to take the time to teach you," Karin said, "but I think the authorities might already be suspicious. And I can't risk using too much magic, even in my own quarters. There are ways of detecting it, and they will investigate."
"All right, then," Markus said. "Let's go to these tunnels." His stomach churned at the thought, but it was preferable to staying here as prisoners for the rest of their lives. Now that he'd seen that video recording, he wanted to stop Krinir. Even more than that, he wanted to find Rik and Kara.
He didn't care what Karin had said. There had to be a way.
Karin led them through the immaculate halls of the palace, past dozens of people and countless doors and computers. They carried on an inconsequential conversation, hoping that no one would become suspicious of them.
After a while, Karin stopped and checked that no one was watching. She placed her hand against a nearby door. The handprint glowed green, and the door swung open.
Markus and Nadia filed in ahead of Karin, who closed the door behind them. They stood now in a room with more computers and strange machines than Markus had ever seen. Lights of nearly every color glowed all over the large room.
Karin led them past all these computers and machines, and soon they stood before another door, which did not contain a handprint.
She pulled out the keyboard of another computer and began pushing the keys. Text appeared on the screen, but it made no sense to Markus. He and Nadia waited silently while Karin worked on the computer. She cursed under her breath a few times.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 102
