The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  One night, they sat around a small campfire, eating a pair of rabbits Berig had caught. He'd stolen a few knives near the prison before they set out to the south, and they'd used those knives to skin and prepare the rabbits.

  "Berig, you've been quiet," Lara said.

  "I'm gonna die. Can't think about much else."

  "Why spend your time thinking about that? If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. You should enjoy the moment more. That was a big part of clan life. Yes, we looked to the future through the Webs of Fate, but we also understood the importance of the present."

  "It don't matter." Berig stared into the fire. "I'm still gonna die."

  "Everybody dies. You have the advantage of knowing how and roughly when."

  "For some reason, that don't feel like an advantage to me. Feels more like a death sentence hanging over my head. How am I gonna do it? Not sure I'll have the strength to go back in time and return to that prison when the time comes, but it sounds like I have to."

  "Or the world will cease to exist," she said.

  "Yeah, that don't sound too good."

  "You don't know if that's what really happens." She leaned closer to him. "Even sorcerers don't have all the answers. It's merely what they believe will happen. I talked to Tyrell about these things, and he has a very intuitive grasp of the Webs of Fate. He knows how strange and unpredictable they are."

  Berig looked into her eyes, wishing he could be half the person she was. "You've always got a way of making me feel better," he said. "Don't know how you do it."

  "I merely look at things rationally."

  "So did Aric, and look how that ended up."

  "Aric's death was tragic and unexpected," she said, "but it had nothing to do with his outlook on life. Sometimes, you can do everything right and still fail in the end. Nothing can make us invincible, not even finishing the Pilgrimage. That goes against the natural order of things. We are meant to die—some of us sooner than others."

  Berig tossed a stick into the fire. "It all feels wrong. The only reason I left the Empire was because I wanted to cure Aric. We did cure him, but then we lost Danica, and that led us to this place. And now he's dead, so even if we find Danica, she won't be happy. You know how much they were in love."

  Firelight danced across Lara's face as she adopted a look of deep concentration. At last, she said, "Fate has a strange way of working. The Webs of Fate don't determine outcomes, but they do show what's more likely, and perhaps everything we've suffered will lead us down the right path in the end. I'm afraid I don't have anything more encouraging to say."

  Berig leaned in close, resting his head on her shoulder. "It's all right. You tried, and that's what's important. I know I'm not always the easiest person to talk to."

  She lay on the grassy ground with him beside her. "Actually, Berig, I find it very easy to talk to you. You may not always look at things optimistically, but you're a decent man, a sensitive man. I'm glad I met you, Berig, and I love you."

  The fire crackled nearby, and pale moonlight filtered through the trees, creating a beautiful scene. And Lara was the most beautiful part of that scene. Whenever he looked at her, he couldn't believe she'd chosen him. It felt like something that belonged to another person's life. No one had ever loved Berig, certainly not a woman as beautiful and intelligent as Lara.

  "I love you, too," he said. They shared a long and passionate kiss—a kiss that turned into much more.

  The next morning, they woke early, just as the sun's red rays scattered through the trees. Berig couldn't recall feeling this good in quite a while. The pain of Aric's loss still hung over him, but being with Lara helped him manage that pain. For now.

  They did their daily check on the road. It was still strange to Berig that this was considered a road. It was covered in some kind of smooth gray rock, dotted with yellow and white lines. A few times, they saw strange vehicles going past at astonishing speeds. Some of these vehicles were quite large. Whenever they saw one, they ducked back into the trees.

  This time, Lara spotted a nearby sign. "Looks like there's a town up ahead. The arrow on this sign is pointing in that direction. By now, it must be safe to be seen."

  "I don't know. Our descriptions might've gone this far." Berig had always been paranoid, probably a consequence of spending so much time on the wrong side of the law. Now he was playing a more dangerous game than ever. They couldn't go back and face execution.

  "We're going to follow the road," Lara said. "I can't stand another day in the forest."

  "Yeah, I guess it's getting to me, too."

  They walked along the side of the road, staying on its left side so that they'd be going the opposite direction compared to the closest approaching vehicles. Berig didn't relish the thought of getting hit by something moving so fast.

  A few vehicles passed them as they walked, but no one stopped. However, Berig still felt as if he couldn't breathe every time this happened.

  Soon they crested a hill, and the trees became thinner. Ahead was a valley containing a town. It didn't look as large as the city near the border where they'd been prisoners, but it still had the strange look of any settlement in the New Earth Empire. Vehicles were flying through the air. Signs glowed along the roads. Berig would never get used to this place.

  "We should hide our weapons," Berig said, and they stuffed the plasma rifles into the leather sacks they were carrying.

  Soon they descended into the town. It was a bright and clean place, full of people going about their business without sparing a second glance for Berig and Lara. They were dressed in normal clothing for this place, so hopefully they weren't too conspicuous.

  "So what're we gonna do here in town?" Berig asked. "We've got no money."

  "I'm not sure, but I feel like we could use somebody to give us directions. Maybe we can even find someone who'll give us a ride to New Washington. It would be much faster."

  "Can't argue with that."

  "Our accents are probably going to give us away, though."

  Berig scratched his head. "Yeah, didn't think about that."

  "Maybe they'll just think we're from a different part of the empire."

  "I don't know," Berig said. "The two of us don't really have the same accent either."

  "We'll make this work. What reason do they have to be suspicious of us?"

  Berig could think of a lot of reasons, but it wasn't the time to voice his doubts. They needed directions badly. Couldn't the other Berig have given them more specifics? All he'd told them was to head south. Useless.

  Guess some things don't change, Berig thought. Even in the future, I'm still useless.

  As they walked the streets of the town, vehicles whooshed by in every direction. Berig was amazed no one ever got hit by those things. He figured it was best if they stayed close to the buildings, on the bit of raised gray stone where everyone else was walking.

  No one seemed interested in them. That was a good sign. Maybe these people hadn't heard of the escaped criminals from up north, or maybe the authorities didn't care about Berig and Lara that much. But they had to. Berig and Lara had almost destroyed the prison.

  Nothing made sense anymore. Berig felt more lost than ever.

  And that was saying something.

  Nearby, there was a clear case containing baked food of some kind. Berig watched as a man took something small, shiny, and rectangular from his pocket and swiped it through a small slot on the side of the case. Then the man pressed a button, and a metallic arm grabbed one of the items and deposited it in a slot for him to take.

  The man was only a few feet away, and he didn't seem the vigilant type. Berig recognized such people as easy targets, and saw an opportunity here.

  The gray stone on which they stood was a little uneven. Berig walked toward the man, deliberately dragging his foot across the stone so it would catch. He faked a fall, colliding with the man, who dropped the object he'd used to pay for the food, as well as the food.

  Since Berig ha
dn't actually fallen, he caught the food. That had been his intention all along. The card had fallen beneath the display case.

  "So sorry," Berig said. "My foot caught there for a moment."

  The man steadied himself against the case. "It's no problem. Quick reflexes there."

  "It didn't even touch the ground," Berig said, handing the man the food. The man nodded his thanks, then went on his way, leaving the object behind. Berig waited until he was sure no one was paying attention before collecting the object.

  Lara gave him a disapproving look. "I can't believe you just did that."

  "We need money. This thing's obviously money in this place."

  "But that man might need it."

  "He was really well-dressed," Berig said. "Better dressed than most of the people here. He carries himself like someone who's got so much money he won't miss a little." He shrugged. "I don’t like doing it either, but if we're gonna survive, I might as well take advantage of the skills I built up my whole life."

  He looked at the case for a few seconds, then slid the card through the same slot. Nothing happened.

  "I think you're supposed to press a button," Lara whispered. "Try that one. I think it will give us that long pastry with chocolate across the top."

  Berig pressed the button, and to his relief, the metal hand grabbed the item she'd indicated. They took it and split it in half. When Berig bit into his, he fell immediately in love. It was perhaps a little too greasy, but it was sweet and filled with some kind of custard.

  "They never gave us these things back at the prison," he said with his mouth full.

  "I still feel bad about it. What if that's all the money he had?"

  "It wasn't. I've grown up as a thief. I can tell."

  Lara frowned. "All right, I suppose I'll trust you on that."

  They made their way through the streets of the town, eventually stopping in front of a building that gave off some of the most succulent aromas Berig had ever smelled. The little pastry hadn't been enough, so they stepped inside.

  A young woman near the entrance, dressed in a plain green uniform of some kind, led them to an empty table for two, then placed two shiny pieces of paper in front of them. The shiny paper was folded into three sections, showing pictures of food. Berig couldn't read the descriptions, but he thought it all looked delicious.

  He pointed to his selection—a burger, according to Lara. She ordered something with chicken meat. It took about fifteen minutes for their food to arrive. When Berig bit into his burger, he decided that little pastry wasn't all that great. No, this was the best thing he'd ever tasted. It took a lot of effort to keep from devouring the whole thing in a few bites.

  They finished their meal, then left the building—some place called a restaurant—with much fuller stomachs. Berig hadn't felt properly full in a long time—most of his life, in fact. He wasn't sure he'd ever felt this full. It was a strange feeling.

  Out in the street, they wondered where they should go. They still hadn't asked anyone how far it was to New Washington, or how long it would take to walk there.

  "Maybe we don't have to walk there," Berig said. "We can use this rectangular thing to pay for someone to take us there."

  "I don't know," Lara said. "I feel like somehow they might track us through it."

  Berig frowned at the strange money. "Yeah, I guess it's possible."

  They asked around a bit and found out that New Washington was still a long way away. The road there would take an entire day in one of those fast-moving vehicles. If they walked, it would take months. That settled things.

  A friendly young man directed them toward a place where they could rent a self-driving vehicle, though Berig wasn't sure what that meant. When they entered the place, Berig couldn't believe his eyes. Those sleek metal machines were everywhere.

  A man approached them. "Looking for a ride to somewhere?"

  "Yes, we need to get to New Washington," Lara said.

  "Well, I've got plenty of cars that can get you there. Eighty credits a day. Best rates in town." He swept a hand across the stone area containing the cars. "See anything you like?"

  Lara walked along the first row, then pointed to a small black vehicle. "I like that one."

  "Have you rented before?" the man asked.

  They both shook their heads.

  "No worries. It's simple enough. Before you can start the car, you'll swipe your credit card. I'll program the destination for you. Once the car reaches the destination, it will require you to swipe your card again. If you don't, authorities will be alerted. Simple enough, right?"

  Berig hadn't understood a word of that, but he nodded. He didn't want to look like a complete outsider. The man smiled in return, then ducked inside the car and pressed a few buttons.

  A few moments later, he stepped out of the car. "It's all ready."

  "Thank you," Lara said, and Berig nodded his thanks before they both slipped inside the car. Lara took the seat on the left while Berig sat on the right. A small slot was flashing green at them. Berig figured that was the place to slide the card. He slipped it into the slot.

  When the slot didn't release the card, his stomach clenched. What if it had recognized that the card was stolen? The next few seconds felt as if they lasted an eternity. Only once the slot let go of the card did Berig exhale with relief.

  A few moments later, the car began moving on its own. Berig's stomach lurched. He'd never even been in a carriage. The only moving object he'd ever occupied was the boat between Seaside and Luminia. Already, that voyage felt like a lifetime ago.

  The car moved at incredible speeds. For the first hour or so, Berig watched as trees flew by. He had no idea how anything could move this fast, and he wasn't sure it was safe.

  The first time the car spoke to them, Berig thought he'd have a heart attack.

  "There is a rest area here," the car said. "Would you like to stop?"

  Lara pressed one of the options displayed on the screen, and the car came to a smooth stop before a small building. This building contained indoor plumbing like what he'd seen back in the prison. It had toilets and sinks but no showers. He felt a little stab of regret. He'd been so long on the road that he wanted a chance to bathe or shower. He'd experienced showers in the prison, and they'd been a remarkable experience.

  After they relieved themselves, they got back in the car, and it continued south toward New Washington. Every now and then, it asked if they wanted to stop at another rest area or get food at a restaurant. In all, it was the strangest experience of Berig's life.

  And that was saying something.

  They slept in the car as it continued driving them south. The next afternoon, they reached New Washington. It was the most bizarre city Berig had ever seen.

  Buildings towered high into the sky, taller than any trees he'd ever seen. Lights glowed everywhere, and signs situated on the sides of buildings kept changing the images they were showing. Cars zoomed through the air and along the roads. The city stretched on and on, larger than any place Berig had ever seen.

  "How're we supposed to find Nadia and Markus in all this?" he asked.

  "I have no idea," Lara said.

  The car interrupted their conversation. "Payment is required at this time."

  Berig placed the card in the slot, expecting this to go as smoothly as before, but then red lights flashed in the car and an alarm blared.

  "The card you have used is stolen," said the car. "All the doors have been locked, and the police have been notified."

  Berig felt sick to his stomach. "Can't say I like the sound of that."

  Lara shook her head. "I knew we'd regret stealing that card."

  Berig hated to admit it, but he'd known this whole time that she was right.

  It wasn't long before the police arrived. They were dressed much like the border guards, in that strange black armor that looked comfortable but durable. The police carried plasma rifles, which they pointed at the car.

  "Step out of th
e car," said one of the officers. "You are under arrest for credit card theft."

  Part II

  The Dark God's Domain

  Chapter 15: Traveling with the Enemy

  Kara sat on the rocky ground, looking up at Warrick. He gazed down at her, his expression unreadable as he held out a hand for her to grab. Everything in her rebelled at the thought of accepting help from Warrick, but she took his hand anyways.

  It was best if she didn't anger him.

  He helped her to her feet as her legs wavered. She'd come moments from death, only to be saved by the last person she ever would have expected. This had to be a dream.

  "I guess you know who I am," Warrick said. "I also know who you are. You are Kara Miller, formerly of Crayden, friend of Nadia Cray and Ander Franklin, devoted Order member."

  "If you know all that about me, then why'd you save me?"

  "Because it was the right thing to do."

  Kara narrowed her eyes, feeling suddenly bold. "And how did you happen to end up here, in the middle of nowhere, just in time to save me?"

  Warrick's expression became stern. "Does it matter? I saved your life. Instead of questioning me, you should thank me."

  "Thank you," Kara said stiffly.

  "That's no way to speak to the man who just saved your life."

  "Well, forgive me if I don't believe you have my best interests in mind. You know who I am, so you must know how I feel about you. I was there in Crayden when you destroyed it. I saw your Imperial Guards murder innocent people in the streets. Children. I saw your fire claim everyone the Imperial Guards missed. You are an evil man."

  Warrick's face twitched in a strange expression she couldn't decipher. "No one regrets Crayden more than I, but it had to be done. The Webs of Fate demanded it. Just like they demanded that I save you. Everything I do, I do to create a better world."

  Kara barked a laugh. "All right, maybe you aren't evil. You're completely insane. If you think you've created a better world in the Empire, you obviously can't see reality."