World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "The stone keeps getting warmer," Lara said. "I'm not sure I like that."

  "I don't like anything about this place," Rik said.

  Soon their path opened into a larger chamber. At the center of this chamber was an empty pedestal and beyond that pedestal was a closed gate. The center of the pedestal contained a round hole that perfectly matched the size and shape of the stone Lara was carrying.

  She approached it hesitantly. "Do you think we should put it there?"

  "I have no idea," Tylen said.

  Rik frowned at the pedestal. "We should give it a try."

  Lara reached the stone out, lowering it slowly toward the pedestal. Her face was lined with concern. Tylen's breath caught in his throat as he watched. If this was the wrong decision, there would soon be no way to reverse it.

  But how could they know which decisions were the right ones in a place like this? No one had given them any guidance, not even Warrick.

  Had Warrick withheld information, or did he know nothing about this place?

  Lara placed the stone in the center of the pedestal. It was a perfect fit.

  The gate ahead of them opened with a series of groans and clunks. The passage beyond was darker than rest of the temple so far. Tylen wiped sweat from his brow, trying to ignore the nervous feeling churning in his gut.

  "Well, what're we waiting for?" Rik asked. "Let's see what's inside."

  Tylen glared at him. "Are you actually enjoying this?"

  "I figured I might as well enjoy it. We have to do it anyways."

  Tylen let out a low laugh. "Can't argue with that logic."

  They stepped into the darkness. Rik lit the tip of his staff as the blue light faded away. Soon the stone passages gave way to formations that more closely resembled a cave. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, and stalagmites along the ground made their footing tricky.

  The passage wound in circles, pushing deeper and deeper below the surface. The air became much cooler. Soon they reached a place where strange green light permeated their surroundings, coming from mushrooms along the cave walls.

  "Interesting place," Rik said, running his hand along one of the glowing mushrooms.

  "I've seen enough of this place already," Tylen said. At times, he wondered why he was even doing this. Yes, Warrick had given him orders, but why was he following Warrick's orders? Did he believe in Warrick that deeply? Did he trust Warrick that blindly? Or had Tylen lost his direction completely, leading him to cling to anyone or anything?

  Was Tylen even the same person he'd once been? He couldn't say he liked any of these people, but he'd never particularly liked anyone. However, he did respect them, and that was a major difference from the man he had once been. These were people who had endured all kinds of hardships, people who hadn't given up in spite of those hardships.

  Tylen hadn't given up either. If someone had asked him, before the destruction of Crayden, if he could have continued through everything that had happened since, he would have told them yes, but he would have known the true answer.

  No. The Tylen from back then would have lost all hope by now.

  But he did have hope. He respected the man he served. He loved the woman he spent his nights with. Perhaps his life could never be what he'd once hoped for, but he'd made the most of the life he'd been handed.

  It was time to bury the old Tylen once and for all. That man no longer existed. Now he could be a different man, a better man.

  But his thoughts still drifted to Nadia, to her rejection of him, her love for Markus—a man Tylen would have once thought couldn't amount to anything. But Warrick had told him of the things Markus and Nadia had accomplished together, and now Tylen held a grudging respect for the young woodsman he had once hated for taking Nadia from him.

  All these thoughts swam through his mind as they passed deeper and deeper underground. Thus far, nothing had threatened them, but Tylen could feel evil hovering in the air, waiting to strike when they were least ready.

  That meant Tylen couldn't lose himself in his thoughts. However much he might respect the others, he still trusted himself most. He couldn't leave his life in anyone else's hands.

  Soon the cave passage led them to a more open chamber covered in enormous spider webs. Tylen's chest felt tight. He didn't want to see the creatures that could produce such enormous webs. He'd never feared spiders, but these were a different kind of spider.

  "Be careful with that light," he whispered to Rik.

  Rik nodded and pointed to their right. "I think I see an exit up that way."

  They made their way in that direction, stepping as softly as possible. Tylen felt as if he were holding his breath the entire way across the spider lair. A low scuttling sound came from their left. He tried to ignore it, but it was growing louder.

  In the darkness, he could not see the creature producing the sound, and Rik did not shine his light in that direction. Still, the spider had to see that light

  Something hissed in the darkness, and Farah let out a piercing scream. Rik turned his staff toward the sound, revealing that a spider as large as a horse had jumped atop Farah. She thrust upward with her sword, and the spider recoiled, baring its enormous fangs.

  "Don't you dare touch her!" Tylen screamed as she retreated from the spider.

  He felt within him a different kind of lightning spell, one he'd seen Warrick demonstrate. A giant yellow circle appeared around the spider as lightning gathered above it. It turned its gaze upward, as if mesmerized.

  "Back away from the spider!" Tylen shouted as the spell gathered strength. A few moments later, lightning cracked in the air. The smell of burning flesh hit Tylen as the spider shrieked briefly. Then it fell still.

  "That might have been more magic than we needed," Lara said.

  "I don't care." Tylen stepped toward Farah. "Are you all right?"

  She smiled up at him. "I'm fine. Thank you for saving me."

  He took her in his arms, and they shared a quick but passionate kiss. For the first time, he wasn't thinking about Nadia. He saw the beautiful woman in front of him, and no one else. All this time, that was what he should have seen. Now, when he'd thought the spider might kill her, he finally understood that he loved her, truly and deeply.

  And she loved him back. She always had.

  "I'd hate to ruin this moment," Garet said, "but there are more spiders coming toward us."

  Tylen broke away from Farah and glanced to his left, toward the sound of scuttling. Rik turned his staff's light to reveal dozens of spiders racing toward them. They had magic on their side, but they couldn't fight that many.

  "Run!" Tylen shouted, and they tall took off at once. The spiders scuttling grew more frantic behind them. Tylen forced himself not to look back. He'd never felt any particular fear of spiders, but spiders this large were a different story altogether.

  The party raced toward a narrow passage at the far side of the chamber. Tylen wasn't sure they'd make it in time. With every step they took, the spiders were gaining on them.

  He pointed over his shoulder, sending a burst of lightning backward. One spider shrieked, but the others kept coming. Rik couldn't use his staff against the spiders because its light was all they had. Farah was also sending lightning over her shoulder, but it wasn't enough.

  "I'm going to try another flood," Lara said, pointing a finger over her shoulder as they raced through the dim cavern. Water roared to life behind them. It raced toward the pursuing spiders, then slammed against them. The force of the water carried some away, but others maintained their determined pursuit.

  When Lara tried to produce a wall of fire, only a few feeble flames flickered to life. "I guess I'm not as good with fire," she said.

  Tylen swore silently, wishing they'd spent more time practicing their new magic before entering this place. But they'd avoided using any magic in the jungle, fearing it might attract monsters.

  "I don't think I have another flood in me," Lara said, "but I can try." She pointed over her shoulde
r again, but the water that burst from her fingertips was only a gentle wave.

  Gram pointed ahead. "We're almost to the passage."

  They ducked into the much narrower passage, but still the spiders were close behind. Standing at the back of the group, Tylen had a sudden idea.

  The passage was only wide enough for one spider to fit through at a time. That gave Tylen a perfect opportunity to block the passage. If he used his magic to kill the first couple of spiders, the rest would be unable to enter the narrow space.

  One spider raced ahead of the rest. Tylen sent lightning at it. The spell crackled in the air, and the smell of burning flesh hit Tylen. The spider shrieked, twitching in agony, then fell still. A second spider came behind it, preparing to scale its fallen comrade.

  Tylen unleashed lightning against this spider. Just as it climbed atop the first spider, his spell hit. After a few moments of twitching and hissing, the second spider stopped moving.

  Now, with two of the giant spiders blocking the passage, the others would struggle to get through. Tylen turned back to the others. "That should delay them."

  "Let's get moving," Garet said.

  Chapter 38: The Journey to Crayden

  Nadia sat at the front of the Walker, looking out the windows as it crossed the barren terrain at astonishing speeds, every step carrying them a great distance. Klint sat nearby, frowning as if lost in deep thought.

  Deon approached from her right. "The Walker's quite an invention, ain't it?"

  "Once, I would have been completely amazed," she said. "But after seeing the marvels of the New Earth Empire, it's harder to feel impressed." She smiled at him. "Not that this isn't impressive, of course. It would be more impressive if it could fly, though."

  "We can't fly," he said. "That much is true. But we can turn this into a boat."

  "I was about to ask how we would cross the ocean. Now I know the answer."

  Klint's gaze was still fixed on the desolate landscape outside the thick windows.

  "Klint, are you all right?" Nadia asked.

  "Just thinking. I'm trying to figure out how my life brought me to this point. I still don't feel like I deserve to be a part of this mission to save the world. I've always been a selfish man." He chuckled. "Then again, if I can recognize that in myself, maybe I'm not so bad after all."

  Nadia swiveled her seat so that she faced him. "You've found a purpose now. That's all that matters. We've all changed in recent months. Do you think I expected to be here? I always thought I'd either kill Warrick or die trying. Now I have no idea what I'm even trying to do. Killing Krinir is the goal, I suppose, but how are we going to do that?"

  Deon stroked his black beard. "Wish I had an answer for you."

  "It's strange," Nadia said. "I vowed to kill Warrick. I never imagined that there could be a greater evil in the world. I thought I knew everything. I'd read so much in my library. But I didn't know anything about the world."

  "Neither did I," Klint said. "I was just trying to live my life the best I could."

  Nadia leaned back in her seat, feeling suddenly weary. "After all this, I'm not even sure I want to kill Warrick anymore. I can't say I like him, or that I even trust him, but I see now that he isn't the greatest evil in the world."

  "Maybe we kill Krinir now," Klint said, "and then kill Warrick later."

  "Or we can hope they kill each other."

  Klint grinned. "That would make our lives a lot easier."

  They sat in silence for the next few minutes as the Walker continued covering vast distances in no time at all. The world outside the window seemed to grow bleaker with every step the Walker made. There were no signs of civilization, nothing that resembled the world Nadia had once known.

  Deon, Jen, and the rest of the Walker's crew were busy driving the massive vehicle. They were friendly enough when they had the time, but they didn't speak to Nadia and Klint all that often. Nadia still had no idea if the Restorers could help them defeat Krinir.

  Was it all a hopeless quest, just like her mission to kill Warrick?

  She still remembered the crushing feeling she'd experienced when Warrick had reappeared in his throne room after she was sure she'd killed him. There'd been a small sense of relief that Markus had survived as well, but it hadn't outweighed the sting of her failure.

  Was she bound for another failure now? Krinir was much more powerful than Warrick. She had no spell that could kill him. Her only hope was Lionar, but if Krinir had imprisoned him, then what use would he be in a battle? Clearly, he wasn't powerful enough to defeat Krinir, or he would have done it already.

  Days passed, but it was difficult to tell. In the darkness of this cold future, there was no sun. She could tell the change from day to night only by the fact that it grew even darker.

  Nadia and Klint spent some time with the crew. Most of them seemed terrified at the prospect of what they were about to do. As they planned their assault on Krinir's fortress, they decided it would be better if only a few people infiltrated the place. It didn't matter what numbers they had. In a battle of sheer strength, Krinir would win with little effort.

  Deon and Jen decided they would join Nadia and Klint. Both of them had Technomagical Weapons like Nadia and Markus had worn in the New Earth Empire. The rest of the crew had no magical talent, so it was better if they remained behind.

  "We can cross the ocean in the Walker," Deon told Nadia and Klint. "But we won't be able to cross the mountains. The rest of the crew will stay with the Walker while the four of us see what we can do."

  "I don't think this is the time or place to defeat Krinir," Nadia said. "I can't explain the feeling, but I know it's right. Our mission right now should be to free Markus and Lionar."

  Deon chuckled hollowly. "That may prove just as difficult."

  Jen approached them. "From what I've read in the Webs, I think freeing them is our only option for the present moment. Unfortunately, Krinir has created many dark strands. The fact that time travel is involved makes it even more difficult to read the Webs."

  "Guess we'll just have to improvise, then," Klint said.

  Nadia hated the thought of improvising, but what choice did they have? All she could think about was saving Markus. Was he suffering as a prisoner? Would Krinir kill him once he served whatever purpose Krinir desired?

  That was no question at all. For someone like Krinir, everyone else was a pawn. Once they were no longer useful, they would be killed.

  But how could Nadia know when Markus's usefulness would run out? Or her own? Surely she had survived this long only because Krinir had some use for her.

  In a state of steady anxiety, she waited for them to reach Crayden. First, they came to the ocean, at which time the crew of the Walker worked feverishly. With a bunch of groaning and shifting, the Walker shifted into a boat.

  Soon they were crossing the ocean. The Walker didn't look as if it should float, but it did. The magical crystal powering it helped propel it across the frigid water. Chunks of ice dotted the surface of the water, and they steered clear of the bigger icebergs.

  The journey across the ocean proved just as uneventful as the journey across land. Deon told her there were sea monsters that somehow survived in the cold waters, but they wouldn't threaten the Walker. It was too big, too sturdy.

  Before Nadia knew it, they reached the other side of the ocean. Instead of moving onto land immediately, they traveled around the edges of the continent, which would allow them to bypass one mountain range. Once they reached the edge of what was formerly the Empire, however, they would have to leave the Walker behind.

  Eventually, they moved ashore and converted the Walker back into its original shape. They crossed the barren landscape at great speed. From time to time, Nadia saw monsters lurking, but they scattered at the Walker's approach.

  Before she knew it, they reached the mountains forming the edge of the Empire. Upon seeing them, she felt a strange sensation in her gut. In a way, she was returning home.

  B
ut this home would be nothing like what she remembered.

  It was now Krinir's home.

  "This is as far as the Walker can take us," Deon said. "You ready to travel?"

  Nadia stared at the imposing mountains, which appeared as jagged shadows against the dark sky. "As ready as I'll ever be."

  The crew opened the hatch beneath the floor of the walker, and a ladder descended. Deon and Jen descended first, Nadia and Klint following close behind. Nadia focused on moving from one rung to the next, not looking down. If she glanced at the distant ground, she would lose all her courage.

  They reached the ground without incident, and Deon used a device in his pocket to speak to the crew, telling them to raise the ladder. Soon it retreated from view, and the hatch at the bottom of the Walker closed. There was a strange finality in that moment.

  Nadia was on her way to Krinir's fortress. She had no idea what would happen when they got there, but now there was no other choice. In truth, there never had been.

  Deon led the way as they stepped onto the mountains. Nadia expected to feel the resistance of an invisible barrier, but it wasn't there. Perhaps it had been long enough that Warrick's barriers had faded entirely.

  "Are we likely to encounter monsters here?" she asked.

  "Not really sure," Deon said as he climbed the steep and rocky slope. "In our world, you have to expect monsters everywhere you go."

  At first, the slopes seemed deserted apart from them, but Nadia didn't think that would last. She glanced into the darkness, expecting to see shadowy movement, but there was nothing.

  Step by step, they climbed the slope, eventually reaching a path that wound around the side of the mountain. They entered a narrow pass between towering cliffs and soon encountered a gaping chasm running down the center of the pass.

  Nadia remembered the story Markus had told her of how he and Rik had tried to escape the Empire shortly before they'd all met. If she wasn't mistaken, this appeared to be the same path they'd taken.