"Of course," Tylen said. "I never meant to imply anything else."
But that didn't sound like a full apology. Parts of the old Tylen surely remained within him, and he was still a prideful man. Markus appreciated that Tylen was trying to change, but a person could only change so much.
"We've all been through a lot," Lara said. "It's understandable if we might be combative with each other. I'm amazed that we've kept our sanity through all this."
Klint chuckled. "I lost my sanity a long time ago."
"And the world lost its own long before that," Nadia said.
"Yeah," Rik said. "Right at the same time Krinir went crazy."
Markus didn't want to think about Krinir. Whenever he pictured the god, he also saw the faces of the people Krinir had killed, both directly and indirectly. Markus had never imagined he could lose so much in such a short time. Yes, a lot of great things had happened to him over that same span of time, but it was easy sometimes to look back on the life he'd lived.
If only he could have remained a woodsman forever.
But Warrick had taken that life from him before he was even born. The Webs of Fate had made him a Weaver. He still didn't know exactly what that meant, but he'd embraced that responsibility.
Or at least he'd attempted to.
"You really think we stand a chance against Krinir?" he asked.
"I don't know," Nadia said, "but we have to try."
A sudden blast of frigid air interrupted their conversation. Markus's entire body tensed as he peered into the gloom and mist, looking for the source of the disturbance.
It floated toward them from their right. Misty tentacles slithered across the forest floor, inching toward them. One of the tentacles lashed out, catching Klint across the chest. He screamed and flew backward, eyes wide in terror as he slammed against a nearby tree.
Dazed, he staggered back to his feet. Everyone had turned toward the ghostly tentacle, watching as it prepared another attack. This time, it wrapped around Lara and started to drag her across the ground.
Markus sent a blast of lightning into the distance, hoping to hit the source of the tentacle. The spell crackled in the air but achieved nothing.
Klint and Rik had both surged to the front of the group and were launching every spell they had at the tentacle, but no matter what they did, it did not release Lara. Markus had no idea how it could even hold on to her. It wasn't solid.
Before he knew it, he was racing forward, following the tentacle's progress. He sent every spell he could think of at the misty substance. Fire didn't do anything. Neither did ice or water or earth or wind. The spirit creature continued dragging Lara away.
Markus tried to grab on to the tentacle, but his hand passed right through it. A tingling sensation ran through him, and his arm burned.
Of course.
Let her go, he thought, directing the words toward the creature.
The voice came back as an evil hiss. Why should I?
She does not belong to you.
I decide what belongs to me.
I am a Death Speaker, and I command you to let her go.
I do not care what you are, human. She is mine.
This wasn't working. Markus had to think of another tactic. Why are you doing this?
A strange question. I do not know the answer.
What purpose do you serve by attacking us?
I do not know.
Then you should let her go, Markus told it.
Very well. The spirit's presence left his mind, and the wispy tentacle released Lara. She scrambled to her feet, glancing around warily. Soon the spirit disappeared entirely.
The others rushed forward, and Nadia frowned at Markus. "What did you do?"
"I reasoned with it."
"That doesn't sound like you," she said. "I expected brute force."
"Well, brute force wasn't working. I had to try something else."
She put a hand on his shoulder, her touch warm and comforting. "You know, you're a lot smarter than you think."
"Yeah, people always tell me that."
Rik stood beside Lara. "You all right?"
"I feel a bit strange, but I'm not hurt."
"A bit strange?" Klint said. "What the hell does that mean?"
"It's difficult to explain, but I don't think it's anything. Probably just some residual effect of being held by that creature." She shook her head. "What did it want with me?"
"I don't know," Markus said. "I spoke to it, but it never told me."
Tylen glanced hurriedly from side to side. "I think we should get going."
Rik grinned at him. "What? You scared, Tylen?"
"Not scared, just sensible."
"Some people would say there's little difference between the two," Lara pointed out.
"Regardless, Tylen's right," Nadia said. "We should get moving."
They left behind their campfire and the clearing and marched through overgrown paths. The trees looked more and more skeletal as they plunged deeper into the forest. Still, no animals called out. There were no sounds apart from their echoing footsteps. Markus kept glancing from side to side, but the spirit creature with the tentacles did not reappear.
Neither did any other ghostly creatures. In all, the Ghost Forest was not nearly as dangerous as Markus had been led to believe. He couldn't let himself fall into a false sense of security, though. Danger could threaten at any moment.
That night, when the forest became oppressively dark, they settled down and slept. They each took their watch shifts during the night, but nothing threatened them.
The next morning, they set out, pushing through the mist and gloom. Markus had a feeling he understood now how Kara had felt in the Shadowed Land. This mist that clung to everything felt as if it were smothering him. Was Kara even alive yet?
He had no idea how long they'd been in the future or if time had even passed while they were there. Maybe Krinir had taken the Floating Fortress back to the same exact time from which they had departed. It was impossible to know.
Perhaps an hour after they set out that morning, something silvery glinted along the path ahead of them. Probably another ghost, Markus decided.
"What was that?" Nadia asked, taking a cautious step forward.
"Could be another Silver Wisp," Rik said, and Markus shuddered at the thought. The last thing they needed was a visit to the Shadowed Land. Without Danica, no one could return.
"No, I don't think it is," Nadia said. "It looks like a person." She took another step forward, squinting into the darkness. "It looks like—no, that's impossible."
Markus placed a hand on her shoulder. "Who does it look like?"
The figure turned toward them now and beckoned them closer. The ghost was a dark-haired woman, and though her hair was straight, Markus could recognize Nadia's pointed chin and small nose. If he wasn't mistaken, he knew exactly who this was.
Nadia started toward the ghost. "It looks like my mother."
Chapter 58: People from the Past
Nadia wasn't sure if she was truly seeing her mother, but she still followed the ghost along the winding forest paths. Soon the ghost led her into an enormous clearing filled with thousands upon thousands of silvery ghosts.
At last, her mother turned to her. "Nadia, I've missed you."
Nadia took a hesitant step closer. "Is it really you?"
"It is, Nadia. This is a place where we go after we die. Not the only place by any means, and we're free to travel to the other place."
"The other place?" Nadia asked, her eyes filling with tears.
"I'm afraid I can't tell you about it. You wouldn't understand." Her mother beckoned her closer. "But that is not a concern for now. I'm just happy to see you again. I've watched you from afar, as ghosts can, but seeing you in person is different."
Tears streamed down Nadia's face. "Are you proud of me?"
"As proud as a mother can be." She looked beyond Nadia. "The others can come forward as well. There are people waiting for t
hem."
Markus and the others looked hesitant, but they stepped forward at Nadia's invitation. Looking down into the clearing, Nadia spotted her father approaching. He seemed to glide up the hill before stopping beside her mother. They shared an awkward glance.
More and more people came forward. Parents. Friends. People Nadia didn't even recognize. Soon they all broke off into groups. Nadia didn't want to intrude on anyone else's reunion, so she went off to the side with her parents. Her father had not spoken yet, and tension hung in the air between him and Nadia's mother.
At last, he said, "I am sorry for what I put both of you through."
Her mother flicked her gaze in his direction, but only for a moment. "I said before that I have forgiven you. You do not need to apologize to me."
"Then I apologize to you, Nadia. I was a terrible father."
Nadia couldn't argue with that. "Perhaps."
"It's my fault your mother was killed, and I never understood your dreams. When I saw Warrick destroy Crayden, I finally understood." He shook his head slowly. "But now I understand even more. Warrick is not our enemy."
"I know," Nadia said. "But I still can't forgive him."
Her mother smiled. "You've always been a bit stubborn, Nadia."
Nadia's tears had dried now, replaced with a feeling of immense shock. She couldn't believe she was talking to her parents. Though she'd heard tales of the Ghost Forest, she'd never truly believed them. They'd been scattered and unreliable.
Three more ghosts appeared nearby: Avia, Varek, and Len. She felt another upwelling of tears, but she suppressed it. She should have been happy to see them all again. Instead, their ghostly appearances reminded her that they were all dead.
Len stepped forward first, smiling that infuriating smile of his. "Have you missed me?"
"A bit," she said. A weak smile tugged at her lips. "But I haven't missed your stupid smile. I can't even count the number of times I wanted to wipe it off your face."
Varek stepped forward, chuckling. "See? He still hasn't grown up." His gaze settled on Nadia, and he nodded with approval. "But you have."
Ander and Aric soon joined the group, approaching from her right. She'd almost forgotten that they were both dead, as she hadn't been present for their deaths. Her tears threatened again, but she took a few deep breaths, holding back her emotions.
"Ander, I've missed you," she said. "You shouldn't be dead."
"But I am dead," he said. "I made that choice willingly." His expression became downcast. "Not that it mattered much in the end. Everyone I helped escape that day is now dead. Still, if I had to do it again, I'd do the same thing."
Nadia's tears came with more force. "I've missed all of you so much."
Until now, she'd buried all the losses in the back of her mind, focusing on her task instead. But as she stood her, looking at the faces of all the loved ones she'd lost, she realized just how much Warrick and Krinir had taken from her. And with that realization came a sudden sense of determination. She would find out how to kill Krinir, and she hoped to do it herself.
She glanced back at her parents. "Are you happy with what I've become?"
"I am," her mother said. "You've become so much more than even I hoped you could be. You've done me proud. You've taken on challenges greater than anything I ever thought you would, and you've remained a good person through all of it."
"I'm proud of you, too," her father said. "I don't know how many times I have to say it, but I was wrong, dreadfully wrong. I never should have forced you take the safe road. I never should have forced Tylen on you. I always hated myself for what I did to your mother, Nadia, and deep down I think I regretted every time I tried to steer you away from her path."
Nadia's throat felt constricted. "Thank you. That means a lot to me." She took a couple of deep breaths. "Tylen told me how you stood up for me, in the end."
He gave a great shudder. "Please don't remind me of that pain. But, yes, in the end, I knew I had to do right by you. In the end, I think I understood you. Finally."
"I should have been a better daughter."
"You were a great daughter," he said. "I simply did not see it."
She reached out as if to hug both of them, but they shook their heads.
"You'll go right through us," her mother said. "We'll have to be content with only words."
A little disappointed, Nadia turned her gaze to Avia. "I don't know if I ever told you how much I loved you, Avia. How much you meant to me when you took over for my mother."
Avia nodded slowly. "I always knew, even when you didn't tell me."
"And I'm sorry I went against your advice so often," Nadia said.
"You were a teenage girl," Avia said. "That's to be expected." There was a distinct note of humor in her voice, and Nadia couldn't help but smile. She should have been sad, thinking of all her dead loved ones, but instead this sight brought her peace.
She knew there was something else after this life.
* * * * *
Markus didn't remember his parents, except for the memory Cyrus had unlocked in him, so now he stood before them, wondering what to say.
"I wish I'd had a chance to get to know you," he said.
His father sighed deeply. "It was not meant to be. That much is clear to us now. Being dead does not make you all-knowing, but it does give you the ability to understand the world at a deeper level. It's difficult to explain."
"Then don't try," Markus said. "I'm no good with that kind of thinking anyway."
His mother smiled. "Then he must take after you, Jaden."
"Can you believe that your own son turned out to be a god?" Markus asked.
"I don't know if you really are a god," his mother said. "You are the Restorer, but I'm not sure it's the same thing. But as your father said, we don't understand everything."
Markus wasn't sure what else to say to his parents. He'd never known them, and he felt no real connection to the ghostly figures standing in front of him. Instead, his thoughts drifted to Uncle Theo, and he said, "What about Uncle Theo? Is he still alive?"
"He is," said Markus's father. "Always was a fighter. You have to give him credit for that." Bitterness flashed across his face. "Even if I hate some of the decisions he made."
"It was the only way he could save you," Markus said. "That's what he told me."
"I know," his father said, "but that doesn't make me feel any better about it."
Markus could understand that type of emotion. Even when you knew the reasoning behind a person's decisions, you could still hate them for making those decisions. This was certainly the case when Markus considered Warrick. He'd come to appreciate that the man was much more than a tyrant, but he'd still committed atrocities.
Could anything excuse decisions like those?
Markus was about to say something else to his parents, but then a short and ghostly figure appeared nearby. No. It couldn't be. Markus fought against a sudden onslaught of tears.
Berig stood before him, a pale imitation of the living man he'd been.
"Hey, don't be sad about me," Berig said. "I died doing something great."
Markus wiped away tears, taking deep breaths to rein in his emotions. "Yeah, you did go back in time to save yourself."
"No, it's not that." Berig grinned. "I destroyed the Webs of Fate."
"You did what?"
"The Webs of Fate," Berig said. "They're gone. I'd explain how I did it, but it's really kind of confusing. I didn't understand it at the time. Just knew it was what I had to do." He gestured to his left, toward another spirt. "And this is Marek, my brother. We met before it happened, and we died together."
Markus squinted at Marek, finding him familiar. "Wait. Weren't you Warrick's steward?"
"I was. It's a long story."
"And we can't really explain everything," Berig said. "Staying in this world and communicating with the living uses up a lot of what we call spiritual energy. If we use up too much, we won't be able to return for a long time
. We're not really meant to be here, you know."
"Then I guess we shouldn't keep you here too long," Markus said.
"Besides, the other place is better," Berig said.
"I'm guessing you can't tell me about it."
"I want to, but it would be impossible. Let's just say I'm happy there's an afterlife."
"What happens to bad people when they die?" Markus asked.
Berig chuckled. "Let's just say they're not so happy."
* * * * *
Rik had an audience of only three ghosts: Dirk, Eliza, and his old friend Tomas. It was difficult to find anything to say. He was still shocked that he could speak to them at all. When he gazed at Eliza, tears formed in his eyes.
"Don't be sad for me," Eliza said. "I don't want you to be sad."
"But how can I be happy when you're dead."
"We didn't know each other that well," she said. "I did feel a special connection to you, but we never got a chance to explore that connection more deeply."
"And that's why I'm sad," Rik said. "I wanted that chance."
"If I learned anything during my life, Rik, it is this: you can't ever expect the world to give you what you want. Do you think I wanted to be Krinir's daughter? Do you think I wanted to grow up in the Shadowed Land? Do you think I wanted to die in that fortress?"
"I still wish Markus had saved you," Rik said.
"Don't blame Markus. He tried his best, and nearly killed himself trying to save me."
"I know. That's why I can't be too mad at him."
"Don't let yourself be angry at all," she said. "It will only make things more difficult."
Rik saw the truth in her words, but her advice wasn't the easiest to follow. Before all these adventures started, he'd been carefree. Anger had been almost foreign to him. But now he felt bitter toward so many things. Could he ever reclaim the person he'd once been?
Dirk put a hand on Eliza's shoulder. "My daughter is very wise."
She turned to him, tears in her ghostly eyes. "You still consider me your daughter."
"I always knew who your father was, and I never cared."
While they were speaking, Rik turned his attention to Tomas, who looked just as Rik remembered him from shortly before the destruction of Crayden.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 174
