World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "But you're a sorcerer," Rik said. "Shouldn't you be able to read them?"

  "I don't think it works that way," she said. "Some sorcerers can read the Webs naturally. That's what High Priest Tyrell told me. For the rest of us, it would take years of hard work. We simply don't have that time right now."

  "We'll just have to do the best we can," Garet said.

  But Rik had the feeling that wouldn’t be good enough.

  They slept in shifts that night, leaving one person to stand watch. Rik slept first, then was woken by Lara late that night to stand his watch. He had the final watch, one that would lead into morning. Garet and Lara had not had any problems during their shifts, so Rik figured he'd spend a few hours of boredom, peering into the darkness of the jungle.

  He paced at the edge of the campsite, forcing himself to remain alert. High-pitched calls sounded in the distance. From nearby came the low ribbit of a frog. In a place like this, Rik had the feeling that even the frogs might be dangerous.

  For an hour or two, nothing threatened them. It became easier and easier for Rik to fall into a false sense of security, but he would not let that happen. He was part of this group. They needed him, and he would not let them down.

  A growl sounded somewhere in the darkness. Rik tensed, peering toward the sound, but clouds had covered the moon, and he couldn't see anything. His heart pounded.

  For the next couple of minutes, there were no growls, but Rik didn't relax.

  That was a good thing, for soon the growl sounded again. Closer. Rik looked for the source of the sound, knowing it was a futile effort. He remembered, from his time in the Forest of Darkness, that lighting his staff would be foolish.

  When the growl came again, less than ten feet away, Rik decided he had no choice. He lit his staff and shouted for the others to wake up. Shining his light into the darkness, Rik spotted the creature. It was as large as a bear back home, and its entire body was covered in spikes.

  Upon seeing the light, the beast charged toward them. Rik kept the light going while Lara sent a burst of lightning at the monster. The lightning encircled the creature in a brilliant yellow glow. The beast let out a terrible shriek as the spell consumed it, but it didn't die. As soon as Lara's spell faded, it retreated into the jungle. Would it leave them alone, or was it preparing another attack? Rik wiped sweat from his forehead, waiting for the answer.

  The beast charged again. Lara started to gather the energy to form another spell, but the monster was too close. It slammed into Rik, sending his staff flying. Rik was sure the spikes would stab him to death, but it appeared the monster's underside was soft and unprotected.

  It closed its mouth around Rik's arm, tearing into him with long fangs. Rik tried to pull free, but the beast was too strong. Its claws also began to gouge his chest. He screamed in pain, writhing beneath the onslaught.

  There was nothing the others could do. Any spell Lara used would hurt Rik as well. Garet had a sword, but he couldn't get through the creature's spiky armor.

  Pinned beneath the monster, Rik tried to pull his axe free. The beast was too heavy, though. He couldn't breathe, couldn't move, couldn't do anything. He was going to die here.

  Then a great wall of water slammed against him and the monster, sending them both hurtling along the jungle floor. The monster tumbled off of him, and he was able to breathe again. As the flood carried him, he clung to a thick vine. Soon the water flowed past him, carrying the monster far away.

  Rik got to his feet, feeling sharp pain wherever the monster had scratched or bitten him. He prayed it wasn't poisonous.

  "Rik, are you okay?" Lara asked, racing toward him.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the help."

  "It was a risk," she said, "but it was the only thing I could think of."

  "Well, it worked," he said.

  The moon had come out again, and Garet's face looked pale in the moonlight. "I don't think any of us are gonna get back to sleep. We should set out." He narrowed his eyes. "How're your injuries? Need some healing herbs?"

  "Yeah, I probably do," Rik said, "but where're we gonna find anything like that?"

  Garet's expression sank. "You're right. I don't know the plants in this place."

  Rik started walking, testing out his injuries. They stung with every step, but there was little he could do for them.

  "I've got some whiskey in my pack," Garet said.

  Rik shuddered at the thought, but he knew he had to have it poured on his wounds. Otherwise, he'd risk infection, and he remembered all too well how that felt. He gritted his teeth through the torture as Garet poured the whiskey on all his wounds. Then Garet pulled some bandages from his pack and wrapped Rik's wounds the best he could.

  "You did well," Garet said. "I expected you to scream."

  "I've experienced a lot of pain in recent months. What's a little more?"

  Rik wasn't even talking about the physical pain. Yes, he'd had a lot of injuries that he'd pulled through, but those weren't the ones that lingered. No, it was the emotional pain, the losses of so many. Whenever he thought about everything he'd endured, he had no idea how he kept himself going. So many good people had died, and somehow he was still alive.

  Did that mean he was destined to do something great?

  There was no point speculating about it, though. He had to take life as it came to him. If he thought too far ahead, if he considered the end of their path, it would only drive him insane. They had a mission right now: recover the Stone of Restoration. They'd figure out the next step when the time came. Not the greatest plan, but it was the best they had.

  Soon the sun rose, filtering through the dense canopy above. The calls of animals became louder than before. In the sunlight, Rik examined his wounds. Blood had soaked through much of his clothing, as well as the bandages Garet had wrapped around him.

  "You don't look good," Lara said.

  Rik forced himself forward. "I've had worse."

  "If you need to rest," she said, "we can rest."

  "No, I’m fine." Rik didn't want to slow them down. After all, Eliza could be deteriorating with every passing moment. Already, Rik missed her. He hadn't known her long, but he felt something for her, something he'd never felt for anyone else. In a way, she reminded him of the young man he'd been before this all started. So hopeful. So naïve.

  She was beautiful to him.

  "Rik, we need to stop," Garet said. "You're dripping blood."

  "I'm fine," Rik said, but then a wave of dizziness came over him. The world spun around him, and he used a nearby tree for support. "Okay, maybe you're right."

  They had already run through their supply of whiskey, so all Garet could do was reapply the bandages. Rik gritted his teeth as Garet worked on him. With every passing moment, the pain seemed to grow more intense. His arm burned strangely where the monster had bitten him.

  "I think I'm poisoned," he said. "I'm gonna die."

  "Let's not make hasty predictions," Garet said. "You look bad. I have to admit that. But maybe it'll pass." His grave expression betrayed the lie in his words. He believed Rik was going to die. Even Lara, standing a few feet away, shared the same expression.

  Rik pushed himself to his feet, fighting against his trembling legs. "Well, I feel like I'm gonna die, but what choice do we have? We've gotta keep moving. That's my only chance."

  "Maybe we should turn back," Lara said. "Those sorcerers might be able to help us."

  Rik started walking forward, gritting his teeth against the pain. "I'm not taking any help from them."

  "Even if it means your death?" Lara said.

  "Yes."

  "They're probably not even there anymore," Garet said. "We have to go forward believing we're on our own."

  "That seems foolish," Lara said.

  "Would you rather waste time by returning?" Garet asked.

  Lara hesitated. "Well, no, but we have to think of something else. All we're doing is making our way blindly through this jungle. There's no help for
Rik here."

  That last sentence felt like a noose around Rik's neck. This time, it seemed his luck would run out. He'd done a lot of great things these last few months, but everyone had their time. With every passing moment, Rik felt himself growing weaker, felt his consciousness slipping away.

  He wanted to close his eyes and accept the inevitable. The poison burned in his veins like nothing he'd ever felt before, turning his insides both hot and cold at the same time.

  "I should have been quicker," Lara said, but her voice sounded as if it were coming from far away. Rik wanted to say something to comfort her, but he couldn't make his mouth move. His entire body felt paralyzed, as if he'd turned to stone again.

  The last thing he saw was Garet looking down at him, a tear dripping down his cheek.

  It was the most emotion Rik had ever seen out of the man.

  Chapter 26: The God Realm

  Kara stood in Warrick's chambers, a sword slung across her back. Tylen, Farah, and Gram were beside her. She didn't know how she felt about the team Warrick had assembled. Did Tylen have to be part of this effort? But she trusted Warrick's judgment.

  That was an admission she'd never expected to make.

  Warrick was pacing at the other end of the room, looking as if he were waging some internal war. He probably was, she decided. Even though she believed she had broken Krinir's control, it was something he had to fight against every second of every day.

  Everyone watched him anxiously. When Kara couldn't take the waiting any longer, she strode forward and put a hand on his shoulder.

  He turned. At first, his expression betrayed anger, but then he relaxed. "I'm probably not helping, am I?"

  "Not particularly," Kara said.

  He grabbed a blue stone from a nearby table. "You'll need this teleportation stone. One use will take you to the Lightning Temple. The other use will return you here once you've obtained the Stone of Restoration. On the way, you'll have to help Rik and the others." He grabbed a scroll from the same wooden table and unfurled it. "You'll need this map."

  Kara took the map from him, then examined it. It depicted the continent of Malavia and showed the path they needed to take. She had no idea if they could follow this map, but she would try her best.

  "Now you should go," Warrick said. "Are you ready?"

  They all nodded.

  "Then go. Don't waste time."

  "Wait," Kara said. "I think we need a little more guidance."

  "There's nothing more I can help you with. Krinir has made many of these strands dark. It was hard to decipher them. I don't know what his goals are, but there's nothing we can do about that. We have to make the best decisions we can based on the information we have."

  Kara felt sick to her stomach. "Won't Krinir know what we're doing, then?"

  "In all likelihood, yes." Warrick began pacing again. "To tell you the truth, I feel like I'm in over my head with all this. I don't know which thoughts are my own and which thoughts Krinir has put in my head. I don't know which plans are the right ones." He stopped pacing and looked away, as if hiding tears. "In the end, I just don’t see how we can ever hope to defeat Krinir. So many of those strands are dark, and Krinir is even more skilled than I at reading the Webs. He has to know what we're doing. As soon as it suits him, he will stop us."

  Tylen shook his head slowly. "Then why should we bother?"

  "Because we have to," Warrick said.

  "Why does it have to be us, though?" Tylen asked.

  Warrick stared him in the eye. "Because you're all Weavers, some of the strongest Weavers I've ever seen in the Webs. You may not like it. You may feel like it's taking your choices away from you. But that's the world we live in. And if you want to see this world survive, you have to do your part."

  Tylen's expression was unreadable. "I still don't like it."

  "I wouldn't expect you to like it," Warrick said. "After all, I know what kind of man you are. Deep down, you seek to protect yourself above all else, and now I'm asking you to become part of something so much greater than yourself. That must be difficult and strange for you."

  Tylen looked away. "I don't even know what to think anymore. My life was comfortable before you destroyed Crayden. You changed everything. Maybe you even changed me." He sighed deeply. "In a strange way, I hate you for what you've done, but I also see how it has made me into a different person. Maybe even a better person. I don't know."

  Listening to this exchange, Kara realized for the first time that Tylen truly was not the same man he'd once been. Yes, that Tylen was still in there, but recent events had forged him into a better man. Though she didn't think she could like him, she could learn to tolerate him.

  Maybe.

  She still saw him pressing his dagger against Nadia's face all that time ago in the Crayden Forest. Some acts were unforgivable. Perhaps she was being unfair, but that was how she felt.

  "We're wasting time," Warrick said. "You four need to go. Now."

  Kara wished they could have more time to prepare, but she heard the urgency in Warrick's voice. "He's right," she said. "Let's go to Malavia."

  She placed her hand on the stone first. Tylen, Farah, and Gram followed, looking some combination of nervous and excited. A few moments later, Kara thought about their destination, the Lightning Temple. Before she knew it, the world faded around her.

  Her feet left the ground, and her surroundings swirled. She felt as if something heavy were squeezing her. Why did every teleportation feel different? Why did they always have to be so uncomfortable?

  Her feet hit the ground, and she opened her eyes. The first thing she noticed was the heat and humidity. It had been cool and pleasant in Luminia, but here it felt as if the air were sticking to her, as if it could drown her if she breathed in too much of it. Even the muggiest summer days in Crayden had never felt like this.

  The trees were clustered thickly. Vines draped across everything. There were so many sounds coming from insects, from animals—both large and small. Kara couldn't keep track of any of the sounds and felt overwhelmed by the change in her surroundings.

  They stood in what could be called a clearing, though it wasn't large at all. Through a small gap in the vines and undergrowth, she could make out a cracked stone building. That had to be the temple.

  Pushing through the vines, they approached the building. Tylen and Farah stepped ahead of the rest of the group.

  "We should be fine," Farah said. "You can stay here."

  "All right," Kara said, though she wasn't sure that was best idea.

  "Don't worry," Farah said. "Warrick told us there's nothing dangerous inside."

  Kara stepped forward. "I still think we should go in with you."

  "Whatever suits you," Tylen said. His tone was dismissive, more like the Tylen she remembered. However much he'd changed in recent months, it couldn't completely erase the man he'd been. That kind of change took much longer.

  Kara and Gram followed Tylen and Farah toward the temple. They ascended wooden steps that had grown worn with age, then reached the stone walls. The temple's entrance stood open, and Kara felt tense as they stepped through.

  Inside, vines had grown across everything. Even the ground was covered in vegetation, and the footing was difficult at times. The place seemed deserted, though.

  Soon they reached the temple's central chamber, where a glowing yellow orb sat upon a pedestal, which was perched atop an elevated platform. Farah and Tylen approached the orb while Kara and Gram kept their distance. Coming in here had been silly. There was no reason for Kara and Gram to be here.

  Tylen and Farah touched the orb at the same time. The room filled with a brilliant yellow glow, so bright Kara closed her eyes against it.

  Then Kara experienced the strangest sensation of her life, stranger even than whirling through the Nexus. Her entire body burned, but it wasn't painful. Energy hummed through her. She felt as if she had grown stronger, as if she could jump high, high into the air.

  She didn't
open her eyes, but she could see.

  And she was not looking at the temple.

  Instead, she stood upon an empty plain, beneath a brilliant orange sky. The plain appeared deserted as she strode through the tall grasses. She searched and searched for signs of life but saw nothing, heard nothing, felt nothing but the pleasant air.

  Then the man appeared.

  He was unremarkable in appearance. Average height. A slender build. The kind of brown hair she'd seen on countless men back home. He smiled at her and beckoned her closer. There was nothing threatening in the way he carried himself, so she stepped toward him.

  "Kara, I've been waiting for you," he said.

  "Waiting for me? Who are you?"

  "I'm the one they call Rador."

  "The Creator?" Kara looked around in confusion. "Did you bring me here?"

  Rador held up a hand. "I'll start with your first question."

  She wanted to ask more but forced herself to remain silent. If this man was who he said he was, she was speaking to a god, and gods deserved respect.

  "I was once the Creator," Rador said.

  "So you really did give those powers to Krinir?"

  His gaze became distant, haunted. "A decision I regret every day."

  "Why'd you do it?"

  "Because I was selfish. I was tired of bearing the responsibility. I wanted nothing more to do with the world." He gazed at the orange sky, as if deep in thought. "Krinir, Lionar, and I were once great friends. We understood that we all had roles to play. Krinir struggled, though. He was not always the man he has become. He was once a good man, a man tormented by a role he did not choose. I thought I could kill two birds with one stone."

  Kara had so many questions, so she had to force herself to focus on his words. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, I thought the duality of Creator and Destroyer would balance within Krinir. I thought it would help him and take away my own responsibilities. But I was blinded by my selfishness. Lionar told me there was a risk, but I didn't care. I was sure it would work."

  Kara felt the sudden impulse to comfort him. But who was she to comfort a god? How could she ever know what he'd been through over hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years?