World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  Soon Berig could see the people they'd saved—well, for the moment at least. His heart climbed into his throat. One of them was Theo, Markus's uncle.

  The other was Berig's brother.

  Berig froze. This had to be some kind of mistake. His eyes were tricking him. Marek was dead. He had to be dead. Sure, Berig had never officially resigned himself to the truth, but he'd always known. Always. And now he saw Marek here, in the strangest place imaginable.

  Marek looked just as surprised as Berig, his eyes almost comically wide. He grinned. "Strange place to meet, don't you think?"

  Berig said nothing as he rushed forward and wrapped Marek in the tightest hug he'd ever given anyone. Nothing else mattered. Not the dragon. Not Warrick or the Webs of fate or Krinir. Berig had finally reunited with his brother. His heart pounded so fiercely he thought it might explode. Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at his brother.

  Many years had passed, but Marek hadn't changed. He still greeted Berig with that same smile, and now Berig wondered if he truly had died and this was some kind of afterlife.

  "Am I dead?" he asked, struggling to speak through tears.

  Marek continued grinning. "Not yet, though I imagine that dragon might have something to say about both our fates."

  "You're just like I remembered you," Berig said.

  "You're not. You've grown up a lot." Marek pulled out of the hug. "Good to see you again."

  Theo cleared his throat. "I know this is a touching reunion, but we might want to worry about that dragon. I'm not sure Kara can hold it off much longer."

  "I know," Berig said. "But there ain't much we can do."

  "Come on, Berig," Marek said. "You've always been resourceful."

  "No, you were always the resourceful one," Berig said. "I just followed along."

  "You still don't give yourself enough credit, Berig."

  Maybe that was true. Berig had done a lot of heroic things in the time since he'd left Bradenton. Sure, he was terrified most of the time, but when the situation called for him to act, he usually found a way to do something. Something crazy, perhaps, but anything was better than nothing.

  After all, how many people could claim they'd gone back in time to break themselves out of prison?

  "I have an idea," Berig said, "but it's probably gonna get me killed."

  Marek chuckled. "That's the spirit!"

  It almost felt like old times. Berig remembered all their thieving jobs together, remembered how much they'd enjoyed those times. Sure, it had been a rough life, but not as rough as what Berig had lived in recent months.

  "What is this idea?" Theo asked.

  Berig glanced toward the dragon. It remained encircled by Kara's lightning magic, but the magic was fading. Far across the chamber, Kara looked small and weak.

  "The eyes," Berig said. "They're the weak spot of any creature."

  "And how're you gonna get up there?" Theo asked.

  "I'm a good climber."

  "I'm coming with you," Marek said.

  "No, I'm doing this alone. I can do it. I've done similar things before."

  "Then I trust your judgment," Marek said.

  Berig hadn't expected to hear that response. During their time together, Marek had never backed down in an argument. He'd never trusted Berig's judgment.

  Maybe they'd both grown up.

  Before Berig could second-guess himself, he took off sprinting. The chamber flashed past him, bathed in eerie blue torchlight. Ahead, the dragon stomped all across the chamber, shaking the ground with its steps. It moved with less energy now.

  Berig just might have a chance to do this.

  Kara's spell died.

  She collapsed about thirty feet from the dragon, and didn't get up. But there was no time to worry about her. She'd either live or she wouldn't. Berig had a chance to save everyone else at least, and he had to take that chance, had to prove himself worthy.

  His brother's life depended on him.

  The dragon staggered across the cavern, toward Kara. Berig approached from behind, leapt, and grabbed onto the dragon's spiky tail. Using the spikes for handholds and footholds, he made his way along the tail, then up the dragon's back. To his amazement, he felt little fear. This was climbing, and he'd always been a good climber.

  But he wasn't climbing fast enough. The dragon had reached Kara's position. It raised one of its clawed feet and prepared to bring it down on Kara. The blow would kill her even if it didn't chop her into a thousand pieces.

  Think, Berig! Think!

  The dragon turned its head, giving him a chance. He clung to the dragon's back with one hand and pointed toward its exposed eye with the other. A shard of ice shot from his fingertips and crossed the distance between him and the dragon's eye.

  When it struck, the dragon recoiled. The sudden motion nearly sent Berig flying, but he got his other hand around one of the spikes just in time. Still, the motion sent him tumbling end-over-end. His legs dangled, and his stomach lurched as he hung over empty air.

  Pushing with all his strength, he pulled himself back to a more secure position. But now the dragon's movements were more erratic than ever. Holding onto its back took everything he had.

  He looked up at the dragon's eye. Blood fountained from the injury, splashing onto the rocks far below. Despite the danger of his situation, Berig felt as if some pressure had left his shoulders. All he had to do was get to its other eye.

  He glanced down. Kara had awoken, and now she'd wedged herself in a tight gap between rocks. Good thinking. The dragon couldn't get to her there.

  Or at least he hoped it couldn't.

  He continued climbing, focusing on his own danger. Kara could take care of herself. The head grew closer and closer, but he could feel his arms giving out. Maybe getting trapped in the Webs of Fate had affected him more than he'd thought at first. He shouldn't have been tired already. It didn't matter, though. He had a task to accomplish.

  He would not fail Kara. He would not fail Theo.

  And he most definitely would not fail Marek.

  Halfway up the back. Almost to the neck. He kept climbing and climbing, pushing through his exhaustion, ignoring his doubts. At last, he reached the head. The dragon was thrashing around more than ever as he clung to its spikes, which thankfully covered its head as well. The dragon probably never considered that all these spikes could lead to its death.

  The world had a twisted sense of humor sometimes.

  Berig hung precariously atop the dragon's head. He didn't want to look down, but that was the only way he could stab it through the eye. After a deep breath, he readied his dagger, reached down toward the dragon's uninjured eye, and stabbed the dagger through that eye with all the strength he could muster.

  Blood spurted from the dragon's eye, but he ignored it, plunging his dagger deeper and deeper through the eye. The dragon's brain had to be somewhere in there.

  A sudden and violent motion sent Berig flying. He tried to grab one of the dragon's spikes, tried to cling to his dagger, but both slipped out of his grip.

  He looked down. The ground looked as if it belonged to another world.

  At least Berig had seen his brother again.

  There were much worse ways to die.

  Chapter 53: The Crucial Task

  Berig plummeted toward the ground, waiting for the moment of excruciating pain followed by the cold, dark embrace of death.

  But only for a moment.

  Then he remembered that he could produce a whirlwind and use that whirlwind to lower himself to the ground more gently. Fighting against his panic, he concentrated on harnessing his wind magic. The whirlwind was small at first, but as he fell, it grew larger.

  When he hit the tip of the whirlwind, he expected it to stop his fall, but it slowed him only a little. He concentrated again, trying to give the whirlwind as much strength as he could, but he kept on falling. Terror surged through him, making him feel sick.

  But the wind grew stronger beneath him. Just
when he thought he'd hit the ground, his descent began to slow, but still he slammed into the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of him, and the sharp pain in his chest told him he'd cracked a rib or two.

  He'd scraped his arms raw. His wrists felt as if they'd been severely sprained. He'd be covered in bruises from head to toe. But he was alive.

  He tried to stand, and that was when the searing pain shot through his right leg. It was broken. He didn't have to see the protruding bone to know that. The pain was so intense he thought he'd pass out.

  He barely noticed when the dragon slammed into the ground, shaking the entire cavern. All he could think about was the pain. He'd never felt anything so hot, so sharp.

  This time, no one would heal him.

  Marek crouched beside him, tears welling in his eyes. "Berig, you all right?"

  "Just a few bruises. I'll be fine."

  Marek chuckled. "You never were a good liar, Berig."

  "Is that damn thing dead at least?"

  Theo glanced toward the now still form of the dragon. "Yeah, I think so."

  "Then I did what I needed to do. I just wasn't good enough."

  Marek held Berig's head in his hands. "Don't listen to that voice. You've always been good enough."

  "Then why'd you leave me?"

  Marek could barely speak through his tears. "Because I had no choice. We were both gonna starve, end up in prison, or get murdered in the night. I had to do something. So I became Warrick's steward, and he told me it had to remain a secret or he'd kill you. Now that I know him better, I think he was lying about that, but I didn't know at the time."

  "Then why didn't you come back to me?"

  "Because I trusted Warrick. I know it might sound crazy to you, but he's a good man. He's been forced to do horrible things, but through it all, he let me know at least a little bit of his reasoning. It was enough to convince me he was doing the right thing."

  Tears of pain streamed down Berig's face. "All part of the plan, I guess."

  "Yes, it was."

  But Marek hadn't spoken. Berig turned toward the voice, staring through the eerie blue light and a veil of tears, and saw Warrick striding toward them. Was he here to kill them, here to ruin every sacrifice they'd ever made?

  Warrick turned his gaze to Kara. "I don't know what it is about your magic, but it broke Krinir's control again. I can still feel it inside me, but I'm fighting it for the moment."

  "How can we know that?" Kara asked, glaring at him.

  "If I were under Krinir's control, you'd all be dead. Your magic fooled me once, but only because Krinir made me forget about it. It wouldn't have fooled me again."

  Kara nodded as if that were a sufficient explanation. Berig wasn't so sure.

  "The same thing happened back in Krinir's fortress," Kara said.

  "I didn't understand it then," Warrick said, "and I still don't understand it now. But I do know this. We have to move quickly, before I lose control again."

  Theo cleared his throat. "We have to destroy the Webs of Fate. That's what Rador said in this scroll." He pulled a scroll from his pocket and handed it to Warrick.

  Watching through a haze of pain, Berig struggled to focus on the conversation, but he knew it was important, so he listened as well as he could.

  Warrick read the scroll quickly, realization dawning on his face. When he finally spoke, his voice sounded different than it ever had to Berig. Full of confidence and conviction. "I think I finally understand," Warrick said. "After all these years."

  Everyone was silent for a few moments, waiting for him to explain.

  "I met Rador long ago, in the God Realm. He told me the key to defeating Krinir was to destroy the Webs of Fate. He told me how to do it, and he told me when to do it." He paused a moment. "And that time has come. Every plan I had, every evil thing I did, it was all designed to lead to this moment, designed by a man who knew more than any of us ever will."

  "Then we need to return to the God Realm?" Kara asked.

  Warrick nodded. "It's our only choice. We have to stop Krinir. If he can't read the Webs of Fate, he can't anticipate every strategy we'll use against him." His gaze became distant. "But destroying the Webs of Fate will require a sacrifice. It's the only way."

  "You mean one of us has to die?" Theo asked.

  "Yes." Warrick looked away, as if deep in thought. "I remember what Rador told me: 'In the end, the Wanderer will find his resting place.'"

  Berig was lucid enough to realize what that meant. His voice felt thick. "I'm the sacrifice, then."

  Warrick nodded again. "I'm afraid so, Berig. I am sorry."

  Berig was surprised to hear true sympathy in Warrick's voice. He hadn't thought the man capable of such a genuinely human emotion.

  "We can't waste any time," Warrick said. "If Krinir sees what we're doing . . ."

  "Let's go," Kara said.

  "But how am I gonna get there?" Berig asked. "My leg is just a little broken."

  Warrick stepped to Berig's side and picked him up with surprising gentleness. It still hurt, but Warrick was clearly being careful. Berig looked into Warrick's eyes and thought for a moment that he saw tears glistening in them.

  "I can heal you enough to make this more bearable," Warrick said.

  "I'd appreciate anything you can do," Berig said.

  A few moments later, his pain began to decrease. It didn't go away, but he became less aware of it, though he knew his injuries were still there.

  "More than anything, I eased your pain," Warrick said. "That's enough for now."

  The next few minutes passed in a blur of pain and sadness and, strangely, acceptance. Berig had already accepted his death one time. Sacrificing himself once again felt as if he were merely completing the path he'd started by going back in time.

  Berig wasn't sure if he was conscious for the entire journey back to the Webs of Fate. Before he knew it, he caught sight of the blue and green threads dancing above him.

  "Beautiful place to die," Berig said. "How're we gonna do it?"

  Warrick gently placed Berig on the ground. "As a powerful Weaver, you normally draw threads toward you. But here, at the source of the Webs of Fate, you can also sever all the threads. Permanently. The Webs of Fate will cease to exist."

  "And how do I do that? I mean, why does it have to be me?"

  "Because you are the only person ever to be pulled out of the Webs. You are uniquely linked to them. You're a contradiction, Berig, and the Webs of Fate struggle with contradictions. In truth, contradiction is the greatest hope we have. It goes against the very nature of the universe, or so Rador told me long ago."

  "All right," Berig said. "What do I have to do?"

  "You, Kara, and I all have roles to play. Theo and Marek, you should make your way back to the gateway. Once we use our magic to begin the process, this entire cavern will be destroyed. Anyone who remains will die."

  Theo nodded and walked away, but Marek stayed.

  Berig stared at him. "What're you still doing here?"

  "I'm not leaving, Berig."

  "No. You're not gonna die for me. That's the stupidest idea ever."

  "I don't care if it's stupid," Marek said. "I'm gonna die by your side. Where I should have been all these years."

  Berig didn't know what to say to that. It was fitting, he supposed. His brother hadn't been a part of his life for years, but could be part of his death. It was ironic, Berig supposed. With tears in his eyes, he gripped Marek's hand. "Thank you."

  "I'll be here with you, till the end."

  "I still don't understand," Berig said to Warrick. "What am I supposed to do?"

  "Nothing," Warrick said. "Kara and I will begin this process with a contradiction of our own, sending our different types of magic at the Webs. That contradiction, together with you, will be enough to unravel the Webs." He turned to Marek. "You sure about this? I could use you by my side. You've been a good steward for me."

  "Maybe," Marek said. "But I wasn't a good brother."<
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  Warrick nodded gravely. "That's my fault, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything I took from both of you. I took your parents from you. I gave you lives of hardship. I pushed you, Berig, to the edge of death again and again—all because this moment demanded it."

  Berig looked into Warrick's dark eyes. "I wish I could say I forgive you, but I don't know if that's possible. I guess it's enough to say I understand."

  Warrick nodded again. "That's the most I can hope for."

  After a few moments of silence, Berig said, "How're you two gonna escape?"

  "While we've been talking, I prepared a teleportation spell. It will take Kara and me to a different part of the God Realm. From there, she'll get us back to the normal world." He smiled faintly. "Yes, Kara, I know you're a Traveler. Rador told me you would be."

  Kara had a pensive look on her face. "These contradictions," she said, "do you think that's why my magic breaks the spell Krinir holds over you?"

  "It's the best explanation I have."

  Berig gazed into his brother's eyes. "I don't feel ready."

  "That's why I'm here," Marek said.

  "Do you think there's anything else? You know, after?"

  "I don't know, but I'll be with you till the end."

  "I don't deserve a brother like you," Berig said.

  "You deserve a lot more than you think. You're a good person, Berig. You always have been. I hated what you had to become to survive. It should have been me, just me."

  Berig forced a smile, his pain fading to a dull remnant of what it had been. "Do you think I would have let you have all the fun?"

  "Never," Marek said, returning the smile.

  "There is an afterlife," Warrick said, "if that makes you feel better. The Ghost Forest. There's a reason we call it that. It houses the spirits of some of the people who've died in this world. I don't know what happens to everyone, but some have lived on there. Only those of us with magic can sense them and speak to them, but they are there."

  "Did you talk to anyone you cared about?" Berig asked, before realizing it was probably too personal a question.

  "No. My parents weren't there."