World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "You really do know all about us," Nadia said. "Don't you?"

  "Not everything. The Webs only give us glimpses of who you are. But we know enough to see your importance and to know who you are, Nadia and Klint."

  Klint's hand remained firmly around his staff. "I don't trust anyone who knows too much about me. Risky in my line of business."

  "We mean you no harm," Deon said. "That much should be clear by now."

  Nadia gently grabbed Klint's arm. "I trust them, and so should you."

  "Maybe you trust too easily."

  "Or perhaps you're too suspicious," she said.

  "Perhaps."

  Deon took a seat in a nearby chair and motioned for them to sit down in chairs across from him. Once they did so, he said, "Have we given you any reason to distrust us?"

  "No, I suppose not," Klint said. "I just find it hard to trust people."

  Deon nodded. "Can't say I blame you there. In this world, most of the people you meet aren't friendly. They might have been better people in a better world, but this world has shaped them into monsters, people who prey on the weak and vulnerable."

  "I'm surprised there are other people in this world," Nadia said.

  "Humanity is dying," Deon said. "That much is true. But pockets of us remain. We're trying our hardest to survive. And that's why we need to free Lionar—or free the Lionar from your timeline." He chuckled. "It all gets a bit confusing."

  "What happened to your Lionar?" Nadia asked.

  "Krinir killed him hundreds of years ago. In doing so, Krinir also ended up dead himself. You see, he cannot directly kill another god, not without killing himself in the process. I'm not sure why it happened that way, but it did."

  "Did the act kill him?" Nadia asked. "Or did he have to take on the duties of the Restorer, which proceeded to kill him?"

  "I don't know," Deon said. "That could be what happened. I wasn't there."

  Klint leaned forward in his chair. "Speculating won't do us any good."

  "I agree there," Deon said. "That's not why we're here. We're here because you can help us free Lionar. Again, we don't know exactly how. Jen is not quite skilled enough at reading the Webs for that. But we do know where Krinir and Lionar are, and we can take you there."

  "All right," Nadia said. "Where are they?"

  "A place that was once known as Crayden."

  Nadia's stomach twisted strangely. "Why would Krinir be there?"

  Did Crayden hold some significance for him? It seemed a strange and oddly coincidental place to make his home in this distant future. There had to be a reason behind it.

  Deon frowned. "Why do you ask?"

  "Because I'm from Crayden."

  Deon stroked his bearded chin. "Now, that is interesting."

  "Maybe he chose it to make us think he had a reason for choosing it," Klint said.

  "That could be true," Nadia said. "Right now, we don't have any answers, but perhaps we will find them once we get there."

  Klint chuckled hollowly. "Doubt we'll survive too long once we get there."

  "I don't know," Nadia said. "If Krinir wanted us dead, we'd be dead by now."

  "Yeah, but there's no telling when he'll decide he no longer needs us."

  Nadia's stomach churned. She couldn't argue with that.

  Chapter 36: The Temple

  Rik stared at the giant structure ahead of them. It was shaped like a pyramid, reminding him of his time in Woodsville, but this pyramid was much taller. He gripped his staff, feeling uneasy. What would they face inside? Monsters? Traps? Magic?

  "Well, we shouldn't wait here," Tylen said. His voice lacked the confidence and arrogance Rik had once associated with Tylen. The man's appearance had also become much harder, more rugged. He no longer looked like a pampered noble. Now he'd grown a short beard, which he hadn't groomed in at least a few days.

  "I hope our magic will be enough in here," Rik said.

  "If it isn't," Farah said, "there's nothing we can do about it."

  "That ain't exactly reassuring," Rik said. The more he thought about entering this temple, the more his stomach churned. But he had to do it, had to give Eliza a chance. In truth, although he'd suggested destroying the stone, he didn't want to do it. Or at the very least, he wanted to cure Eliza before destroying it. That was possible, wasn't it?

  Tylen took the lead, followed by Rik, Farah, and Lara. Gram and Garet hung toward the back of the group, and Rik couldn't blame them. They had no magic. Even though Rik's magic wasn't always as powerful as he would have liked, it gave him confidence.

  Still, he feared none of them would be strong enough.

  They climbed a set of wide stone steps leading up toward a massive archway that marked the entrance to the temple. At the top of the stairs, thoroughly exhausted from the climb, they paused and looked back toward the jungle, which now sat far below them.

  "How are we gonna get out of this place?" Rik asked.

  "Don't worry," Tylen said. "Warrick is always prepared." He pulled a small blue stone from his pocket. A teleportation stone. "Once we get the Stone of Restoration, we'll travel to this Eliza, and we'll heal her." He shook his head. "After that, I'm not so sure."

  "We'll figure something out," Rik said, wishing he felt as confident as his words.

  Tylen stepped into the temple first, and Rik had to give him credit for that. The Tylen of a few months ago would not have taken the risk, leaving it instead to those he deemed inferior.

  Could a man change so much in such a short time, or was it all an act?

  Right now, it didn't matter. They had a mission to accomplish.

  Taking a few deep breaths, Rik followed Tylen into the temple. Inside, it wasn't as dark as Rik had expected. Instead, the faint blue glow of magical torches filled the large chamber. As the rest of the group filed in, Rik surveyed his new surroundings.

  The chamber was rectangular with another archway at its far end. Two sets of steps led up to their left and right, and two more open doors stood at the top of each.

  Gram frowned. "Tylen, does your intuition tell us anything?"

  Tylen considered each exit from the chamber. After a few moments, he shook his head. "Sorry, I can't tell anything here. Normally, it comes to me so easily, but not here."

  Rik chuckled darkly. "Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

  "Then we might as well try the path straight ahead," Lara said.

  Tylen shrugged. "Can't argue with you there."

  They all proceeded to the far end of the chamber and stepped through the open door. The passage beyond was much narrower, but the same magical torches cast their eerie blue light upon everything. The party followed the passages twists and turns, finding nothing dangerous.

  For now.

  Soon they stepped into another chamber. This one was much taller than the entry chamber. A broken path of walkways ran along the side of the chamber, climbing gradually upward. In places, there were gaps, and the rest of the path looked as if it might crumble at any second. But Rik saw no other means of reaching the top of the chamber.

  Garet pointed upward. "You think we wanna go up there?"

  Rik squinted up at the ceiling, hoping to see what waited at the top, hundreds of feet in the air. There was a green glow he didn't recognize.

  "I think it's the only option," Farah said.

  Rik groaned. "Did you have to say that?"

  Already, he could feel his chest tightening, his guts churning. He'd faced his fear of heights before, but it never got easier. He had to push those fears aside, though. The fate of the world was at stake, and he couldn't let a silly little fear get in his way.

  He had to heal Eliza.

  They started up the broken path, sticking close to the chamber's wall. At first, the climb was easy, but Rik felt sick whenever he looked to their left. The path had no railings.

  Soon they reached the first broken spot in the path. The gap was too wide to jump, but Rik remembered using wind from his staff to propel him over similar
gaps in the Shadowed Land. Somehow, that didn't make the prospect any more inviting.

  "How're we gonna cross this?" Garet asked.

  Rik's insides twisted into knots. "Leave that to me."

  He took a few deep breaths, then stepped to the edge of the walkway and judged the distance. He determined how much wind he'd need, channeled the energy through his staff, and leapt. Pointing his staff downward to keep himself aloft, he crossed the gap. To his relief, he landed on the other side without incident.

  "That's great," Tylen said. "But how are the rest of us going to cross?"

  Rik hadn't thought of that. He searched his surroundings for anything that could bridge the gap, but he found nothing. No levers. No signs of a bridge at all.

  "I think I might have the answer," Farah said. "Tylen, Lara, we need to focus on our lightning magic. I don't quite understand it, but I think we can use it to make ourselves jump farther. At least it felt that way when we were in the Lightning Temple. Let me try."

  "And if you fail?" Tylen asked.

  "Then I'll die." She surveyed the path behind them. "But don't worry. I'll practice somewhere a little safer first." She faced the part of the path they'd already traversed and launched herself into the air. Her arms flailed as she jumped at least six feet. When she hit the path, she lost her balance, skinning her knees on the rough stone.

  "I don't think I like this," Tylen said.

  "We just need a little practice," Farah said.

  "What about us?" Garet asked, gesturing at himself and Gram.

  Farah bit her lower lip. "You'll have to stay here. I don't know how to explain it, but I don't think we can use this magic to affect other people."

  "Well, you're the ones with the magic," Gram said. "I'll trust your judgment."

  Farah stepped to the edge of the path, took a couple of deep breaths, then launched herself over the gap. She reached the other side easily, tumbling as she landed. Lara followed without incident. As Tylen stepped to the edge of the path, however, his face turned deathly pale.

  Rik couldn't suppress a grin. "You're afraid of heights, too. Aren't you?"

  "Maybe a little bit."

  "Looks like more than a little bit," Rik said, and Tylen glared at him. "Don't worry," Rik added. "I'm terrified too. I made it across. So can you."

  Tylen opened his mouth as if to argue, then closed it. Rik thought he understood what was running through Tylen's mind. However much Tylen might have changed, he was still a proud man. Showing weakness like this had to infuriate him.

  With a look of grim determination, Tylen launched himself over the gap. When he reached the other side, he hit the ground hard but stayed on his feet.

  Garet and Gram remained on the path below, glancing up uncertainly.

  "You sure there's no way we can get across?" Garet asked.

  "I could try something with my staff," Rik said, "but I don't trust the magic enough."

  Garet nodded. "I understand. We'll wait here."

  Rik, Tylen, Lara, and Farah continued up the path, hanging close to the walls. Still, Rik had to force himself to avoid looking down. If he did, he would freeze. Already, they had to be more than a hundred feet high.

  The green glow from above grew brighter as they climbed. It was tucked away in an alcove high above, however, so Rik couldn't determine its source.

  Soon they reached another gap, a wider gap. Despite his fears, Rik leapt across first, using wind from his staff. He landed on the other side with less than a foot to spare, his heart pounding in his ears.

  The others followed, crossing the gap with ease, propelled by their strange lightning magic.

  "Wish I had real magic," Rik said.

  "Your magic is just as real as ours," Lara said. "It's only a different kind of magic."

  Rik didn't know how to respond to that. Everything that came to mind sounded whiny, and he didn't want to burden the group with his complaints.

  They climbed higher and higher, and soon they could see the alcove containing the green glow, which came from a small stone sitting atop a pedestal.

  Tylen stepped forward, squinting at the stone. "Doesn't look like much."

  "Should we grab it?" Rik asked, taking a few hesitant steps toward the pedestal.

  "Well, we came all this way," Farah said. "We might as well."

  Lara grabbed the stone, and moments later, a great rumble shook the chamber, coming from below.

  "That doesn't sound good," Rik said.

  Chapter 37: The Temple's Secrets

  Tylen stared down toward the ground, and his heart climbed into his throat. Though the rumbling had stopped, the temple had only become more terrifying. Shadowy creatures raced around on the ground, blocking the only path out of the chamber.

  Already, some of the creatures were racing up the pathway, heading toward Gram and Garet. Tylen had to help them. Somehow.

  His conviction about this surprised him. Before the destruction of Crayden, before the world had become so confused and crazy, he would have left them for dead. He'd considered his life more important than anyone else's lives. To some degree, everyone felt this way, and so those thoughts still lingered in his mind, but perhaps he had become slightly more selfless.

  Before he knew it, he was racing down the broken path. When he reached the first gap, he summoned his lightning magic. It filled him with a strange tingling feeling, and as soon as he felt it, he knew he could leap across the chasm with ease. He reached the other side but kept the spell going, noting that it also made him run much faster.

  Farah, Lara, and Rik were somewhere behind him, but he didn't glance back to watch them. Soon he reached the second gap and leapt over it, fueled by his lightning magic. On the other side, Garet and Gram watched the monsters approach, their eyes wide.

  These creatures were about the size of wolves but had the sleek, predatory bodies of large cats. Massive fangs protruded from their mouths.

  Tylen pointed at a creature about twenty feet away, and lightning burst from his fingertips, striking the creature. It let out a piercing shriek, then toppled to the side, falling off the narrow path.

  More were coming, though. Too many for Tylen to handle alone.

  And the floor of the chamber was swarming with them.

  Tylen sent more blasts of lightning at two of the creatures. They shrieked, falling to the side. As he raced past them, he plunged his sword into the side of one, then the other. But more and more of the creatures raced up the path. Tylen blasted them with lightning again and again, and he could already feel his spells growing weaker.

  Garet and Gram followed him down to the floor of the chamber, hacking and slashing at any monsters that got too close. Now, down on the ground, Tylen realized just how numerous their opponents were. Hundreds filled the chamber, their gazes set on the party.

  Rik, Lara, and Farah reached the ground as well. A massive wall of fire erupted among the creatures, courtesy of Rik's staff. Their earsplitting shrieks filled the chamber. But the determined creatures leapt through the flames, and now about twenty beasts were headed toward the party.

  Lara's gaze was fierce as she directed a massive wall of water at the creatures. It carried them far across the chamber and opened up the passage back toward the entry chamber.

  "Let's go!" Tylen shouted.

  They took off into the passage. The creatures followed close behind, snarling and shrieking and hissing. Rik, running at the back of the group, sent blasts of fire over his shoulder, hitting the beasts and slowing them down.

  The party reached the entry chamber.

  "Tylen, is your intuition telling you anything?" Farah asked.

  "No. Let's try the passage on the left."

  "Any particular reason?" Rik asked.

  "No."

  "Well, that's reassuring," Rik said, sending a couple more waves of fire over his shoulder. The flames filled the entire passage behind them, but the beasts simply leapt through the fire.

  Lara and Farah turned toward their pursue
rs, launching their own fields of lightning. The creatures recoiled beneath the combined onslaught, giving the party at least a few seconds to escape. They raced up the stairs leading toward the passage on the left. Lara still held the green stone they'd taken from the pedestal. Tylen secretly wondered if they should have returned it.

  "Do you know what that thing is?" he asked breathlessly.

  Lara sent a couple more bursts of lightning at the creatures behind them. "I think it might be a key. I don't think it's the Stone of Restoration. We'd know if it were."

  "Yeah, it wouldn't be that easy," Rik said.

  They raced into the next passage.

  "There's a lever on the wall here," Rik said, pointing to his right. Before anyone could shout a warning, he pulled the lever. A gate crashed down behind them, shaking the ground. The beasts pursuing them slammed against the gate, snarling in rage, saliva flying from their mouths.

  Tylen leaned against the stone wall, panting heavily. "Let's hope you didn't just trap us."

  "As I see it," Rik said, "I didn't have much choice. Had to stop those things somehow."

  Once they recovered, they made their way along the passage they'd entered. Like the rest of the temple, this passage was illuminated by blue magical torches. From behind, the creatures continued shrieking and snarling, but soon the sound faded away.

  Lara turned the green stone over in her hands. "It just got warmer."

  "What do you think that means?" Rik asked.

  "I don't know," she said.

  They reached a place where the passage branched off in two directions. This time, Tylen felt his intuition tugging at him. "We need to go left here."

  "Are you sure?" Farah asked. "Is your intuition working again?"

  "I think so. Maybe it always was. I can't say I understand it all that well."

  "Let's go left, then," Rik said, almost grinning. "What could go wrong?"

  They followed Tylen's suggestion, and soon it became apparent that they were in some kind of maze. At every junction, Tylen stopped and let his intuition do the work. He had no idea if he was guiding them in the right direction, but they hadn't encountered anything dangerous. Perhaps that was a good sign, but he couldn't shake his doubts.