"I am not accustomed to such insolence." Anger flashed in his eyes as mist swirled around them, but then that anger disappeared just as quickly.
"I don't care. You deserve every bit of it."
"I do," he said, surprising her. "I understand why so many of my subjects hate me. I accepted long ago that I'd have to endure it. There's nothing you can say that will make me feel any worse than I already do."
She gave him a tired look. "Do you honestly expect me to believe that you feel bad about all the evil things you've done?"
His gaze turned as chilly as the mist, but then he turned away. "I don't expect you to believe anything."
"Good. Because I won't believe a word you say." She turned and started walking. "Now I'd appreciate it if you didn't follow me."
"I'm afraid I must come with you."
"Why? Because these stupid Webs of Fate demand it?"
"Yes." He stepped closer, intimidating with his tall frame. "You wouldn't survive a day in this place without me. We are outside the wards."
Kara glared at him. "Are you offering to protect me? You do realize my fondest desire is to see you dead?
Perhaps she was being reckless, but she didn't care.
"Would you refuse my offer of protection? I know where you're going. You intend to see Krinir. The road there is more dangerous than anywhere else in the Shadowed Land." He smiled, an expression that didn't look natural. "Besides, I don't care if you want me dead. You can't kill me. It doesn't matter how hard you try."
Kara remained perhaps a dozen feet from him. "How do you know so much about the Shadowed Land? Have you been here before?"
"No, I—I'm not sure." He shook his head slowly. "Something about this place feels familiar. Returning here, I feel like I know everything about the place. I don't understand."
This time, Kara could hear the doubt in his voice. He was telling the truth. She almost moved a step closer as he brooded in silence, but then she decided against it. She did not trust the man, even if she had seen, for the first time, that he could have moments of weakness.
He met Kara's gaze with a quizzical frown. "There's an unusual magic within you."
"What do you mean?" Kara recalled that strange feeling she'd had since going through the Nexus. Could Warrick see something in that feeling that she couldn't?
"It is not sorcery, and it is not channeling. It's something else, something I've never seen before. Interesting."
She wondered how much she should reveal to him. Then again, did it really matter? She was at his mercy no matter what she said. If he wanted to kill her, he could do it in a moment with little effort.
"I went through the Nexus a few days ago," she said. "I ended up somewhere with a very dim sun, in a land covered with snow. After that, I felt as if I could feel colors within me. That's the only way I can describe it. Is that the magic you're talking about?"
"It could be. The Nexus takes us to different worlds. My instincts are telling me that there could be different magic for every world. Perhaps you entered a world in which you would have possessed magic had you been born there. That's my best guess."
"But why can't I use it?" she asked.
"I have no idea. Perhaps you haven't figured out how."
"Perhaps." Kara couldn't believe she was discussing this with Warrick. She still wanted to know how he'd ended up here just in time to save her, but she knew he wouldn't give her a straight answer. The thought of traveling with him made her feel sick.
"We should continue to the east," he said with no emotion, his expression controlled again. It was as if that moment of weakness had never happened.
"And what if I've decided to go my own way?"
"We're both going the same way. You might as well accept my protection. If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead."
"And how do I know you won't change your mind?"
"Does it matter?" he asked. "If you don't come with me, you'll surely die anyways."
Though Kara hated to admit it, he was right. Thus far, she'd survived only because she'd had sorcerers and channelers on her side. Weapons were useful, but they weren't enough against the worst of the Shadowed Land.
"All right, I'll come with you," she said. "But I still hate you."
He nodded, his gaze cold and distant. "I'd expect nothing less."
She didn't know how to respond to that. Warrick started walking, and though she hated it, she trailed a few steps behind him. Maybe she could stab him in the back. It wouldn't kill him, but surely it would cause him pain.
No, that was a terrible idea. If she hurt him, he would hurt her in return. She'd heard that he had powerful means of torture at his disposal.
They did not talk as they traveled. The misty landscape seemed deserted. Today, the mist wasn't thick, but she still couldn't see more than half a mile. At times, thicker clouds swirled around them.
Twice, they encountered monsters. Warrick handled them with ease.
That night, they settled down in a small, rocky valley. A few skeletal trees flanked the edges of the valley, and there was even a small pond from which they could drink, though Warrick preferred to conjure his own water with magic.
He'd started a fire and was cooking one of the monsters they'd encountered. Kara knew they were usually safe to eat, but she didn't relish the thought. Most of the monster meat she'd eaten in the Shadowed Land had been tough and almost tasteless.
Warrick seemed intent upon his cooking. They hadn't said more than a few words to each other since they'd started traveling. The silence was beginning to bother Kara.
"I didn't know you still had to eat," she said. "You're immortal, so you can't starve to death."
"I can still get hungry."
"I'm surprised you know how to cook on the road."
He gave her a sharp look, but then his expression softened. "It's been a long time, but it's not that hard. I did a lot of traveling before I became emperor. I learned to survive on my own. Besides, I don't mind doing it. Keeps me from getting bored."
During a conversation like this, she could almost pretend Warrick wasn't the emperor she'd hated her entire life. But then she looked at his face, at his red imperial robes, and remembered the flames in Crayden and the screams of the dying.
Remembered her father. Her friends in the Order.
She could never forgive Warrick.
Feeling a hot surge of anger, she took a few steps away from him. He continued watching the cooking meat as if he hadn't noticed anything.
"I'd like to know why," she said, fighting back tears.
He turned to her with a frown.
"Why did you destroy Crayden? I know that the Webs of Fate demanded it. But why? What is so damned important that you were willing to sacrifice an entire city?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does. I lost a lot of people I cared about in Crayden."
"I doubt there's any reason I can give that will change your mind."
"You're probably right," she said, "but I'd still like to know." It felt suddenly as though all her anger had fled and she was nothing more than a hollow shell.
He returned his attention to his cooking. "It's too difficult to explain."
"Are you saying I'm too stupid to understand it?"
"It's long and complicated, and I don't feel like talking about it." He checked the meat again. "It looks done. Do something useful and slice off some pieces for me."
She glared at him, her anger returning in force. "Do it yourself."
She expected him to argue, but instead he took her knife and cut off two large chunks of meat. He took one and handed the other to her. She gave him a cursory nod, but didn't thank him. Then they ate in silence. Warrick seemed to be brooding about something. He wasn't quite what she'd expected. He seemed weary, as if he'd lost all passion for whatever he was doing.
"If you hate what you're doing," she said, "why do you keep doing it?"
He chewed silently, and when he spoke, he sounded almost defeated. "Because som
ebody has to."
"How is anyone supposed to trust you if you won't reveal the reasons you do what you do?"
"I don't care if people trust me."
"Yes, you do," she said. "I can see it now. You care so much you can't stand it."
He swallowed a mouthful of food. "I'd appreciate it if you stopped analyzing me."
"What am I supposed to do then?"
"I don't know. Just stop bothering me."
Kara shook her head in disgust. She'd faced a lot of difficulties up to this point, but traveling with Warrick presented an entirely new challenge. She wasn't sure she was up to it.
Chapter 16: The Sorcerer's Offer
"You're not listening to me."
Rik looked into the face of Dirk, his commander. The man's expression was nothing but hard lines, his attitude just as unyielding. Rik had been training now for a few weeks, and he wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision in joining the Sunset Army.
That was why he had another plan.
"I'm sorry, sir," Rik said. "What was I doing wrong?"
"I told you to produce a trickle of water. You produced a flood."
"I'm sorry, but I've never figured out how to control that ability." Rik gripped his staff, hating the lack of control he had. He was powerful, but he never had any idea what he'd channel through the staff. His training had been brutal, just like his commander.
"Maybe if you listened to me, you'd gain more control."
Rik held in an angry retort as he glanced around the stone training room. Most of the soldiers were practicing their swordplay against dummies or shooting arrows at targets. Rik was the only channeler in the room apart from Dirk.
"I am listening," Rik said. "I just don't know what to do." But he wasn't really listening. His mind was on the upcoming meeting he'd planned.
A muscle in Dirk's face twitched. "It's not that difficult. You have to form an image of the spell in your mind. Imagine water pouring gently from a cup. I don't care how talented you are. If you can't learn to control your magic, you're a liability on the battlefield."
"Then maybe I shouldn't join your army," Rik said, hoping he'd soon have a reason to leave this life behind. It was too confining.
"You already signed a contract. You must serve us for at least a year, and you know the penalty for desertion." His expression relaxed a little. "Just focus. You have the talent."
Rik closed his eyes, thinking of water trickling from a cup. He formed the image as well as he could, but it wasn't all that clear. When he channeled power through the staff, he felt the flood of water burst from its tip. He shook his head, knowing he'd never gain control.
"You're distracted," Dirk said. "That's the problem."
"How could I not be distracted? I'm stuck here in the Shadowed Land. My friends are somewhere out there, without me. My best friend could be dead by now. They could all be dead. And I can't help them. I'm stuck here. Forever."
"I don't see the problem."
Rik clenched his hands around his staff, trying to control his anger. He imagined the joy he'd feel at sending a jet of water at the commander, but knew that would be foolish.
He took a deep breath. "How can you not see it?"
"Your friends belong to another world. You belong to this one. You'll never see them again, so there's no point worrying about them. You have to adjust to life here."
Rik had thought joining the army would help him adjust, but if anything, it had made everything worse. He had no idea what else he could have done, but he knew he was doing the wrong thing. And he was stuck serving for a year. How could he have been such an idiot?
If only he'd received the letter a few days sooner.
"We're done," Dirk said. "You're on latrine duty tonight. Maybe that will help you get your head clear. Nothing like a little hard and disgusting labor."
As Dirk walked away, Rik glared at the back of his head. This was the third time in a week he'd received latrine duty. Every time he struggled in training, Dirk found some punishment for him. No one wanted to be friends with Rik, or maybe Rik didn't want to be friends with any of them. He couldn't think about starting a life here.
He had to get back home, whatever the cost.
At least he had a few hours before latrine duty would start. He didn't feel like practicing his channeling, so he strapped his staff to his back and left the training room. A few soldiers nodded to him as he passed, but he couldn't bring himself to return the greetings. He was too nervous right now, dreading the next few hours.
Soon he would find out if he truly had a chance to leave the Shadowed Land.
Their garrison stood at the edge of Sunset City, one of the few places in the Shadowed Land that almost looked like home. Green grass. Trees. Flowers and plants of all kinds. Magical lamps even made the air feel warmer and kept the mist away.
Rik walked the streets of the city, wondering how he could get himself out of this mess. The more he thought about it, the more he realized desertion was his best option.
In truth, there were no good choices here. If he deserted, he'd spend the rest of his time in the Shadowed Land on the run. On the other hand, he'd have a chance to return home—even if it was a miniscule chance. As long as he remained with the army, he'd never see Markus again.
Rik stuck to the busiest streets. Sunset City was generally a safe city, but some of its darkest corners were home to thieves and other undesirables. He was most surprised that it felt much like a city back home. The sorcerers at the Imperial Palace did an admirable job in maintaining the wards around the city. There'd been no monster attacks in years.
It might have looked like Rik was walking aimlessly, but he did have a destination in mind. He'd simply kept it hidden from his superiors.
He was going to the Imperial Palace.
After a couple of weeks of no progress, he'd finally managed to gain an audience with one of the strongest sorcerers in the city. The man had told Rik that there was a chance for him to get home. That was the real reason Rik had been distracted through his training.
He walked to the center of the city, where the Imperial Palace glowed like a mighty beacon in the city's blue magical light. The palace was fashioned of the same dull stone as the rest of the buildings, but somehow it seemed much brighter, much more magnificent.
Rik ascended a set of wide stone steps, then crossed an area filled with large, round pillars. The entrance to the palace was just ahead, flanked by a pair of guards.
"Do you have business here?" asked one of them.
"I'm here to see High Sorcerer Mathew." Rik handed over the official letter he'd received this morning. The guard examined the seal, then returned the letter and gestured for Rik to enter the palace. Once Rik stepped inside, the guard took the lead.
"I'll lead you to his chambers," said the man.
"Thank you," Rik said, too anxious to say anything else. They crossed an entry hall filled with lavish red carpets and golden sculptures. Rik had no idea how it was possible to create such beauty and excess in a place as dull and unforgiving as the Shadowed Land.
They stepped into a corridor off to the left. The hallway was just as lavishly decorated. Each door looked to be made of gold, and Rik was starting to wonder if sorcerers had a way of making other metals look like gold. He'd first had such thoughts at Warrick's palace. It seemed beyond belief that anyone could procure that much gold while their subjects starved.
The guard stopped before a door and knocked. A voice sounded a few seconds later, calling Rik inside. Stomach churning, he stepped through the door.
High Sorcerer Mathew was a middle-aged man with red hair and a neatly groomed beard. He motioned for Rik to take a seat across from him, and Rik did so, feeling queasy. The sorcerer sat behind a clean desk fashioned of rich reddish-brown wood. He looked calm as he inspected Rik.
Rik was still wearing his uniform. He figured that would make him look more respectable. Any other clothes he owned would get him laughed out of the palace.
Mathew leaned on his desk, exuding power and confidence. "You're probably wondering why I responded to your letter when no one else did."
"Perhaps a little," Rik said, fidgeting in the cushioned chair. "Mostly, I'm happy that anyone's chosen to help me."
"Your situation is not unique. We get many letters from people hoping to return to Terra. Most of them end up in the trash." He looked Rik in the eyes. "You have to know this. If there were an easy way out of the Shadowed Land, we would all leave."
Rik had feared he might hear that. "Then why'd you agree to talk to me?"
"Because you're a Weaver. Have you heard that term?"
"I have," Rik said. He remembered Cyrus using the term.
"You're one of the most powerful Weavers I've ever encountered," Mathew said. "Whenever I see a powerful Weaver like you, I take an interest in them. Normally, I would tell you it's impossible for you to return home, but in your case, I don't think it is."
Rik felt as if a weight had left his chest. "You actually believe that?"
"It isn't impossible to return home. The Webs tell me that events may transpire so that you'll have the chance." He hesitated a moment. "But it's a long and difficult road ahead of you. Your life would be easier if you stayed in the Shadowed Land."
Rik shrugged. "Well, I've never been one to look for the easy life."
"Then you may have a chance. But it's going to be dangerous. You must cross the worst part of the Shadowed Land, and then you must go to Krinir himself. He's the only one with the power to send people out of the Shadowed Land, but it always comes with a cost."
Rik's stomach churned as he leaned forward in his chair, barely able to contain his excitement. "What kind of cost exactly?"
"It's always different, and that is assuming Krinir agrees to send you back." He drummed his fingers on the desk. "In fact, as far as I can tell, you do not want to meet Krinir. The Webs of Fate tell me he is likely to kill you. Very likely."
"Then what am I supposed to do?"
"The Webs tell me you must go to Krinir's fortress. Beyond that, I encounter too many dark strands, places where I can't read the Webs. About the only guidance I can give you is that you must leave immediately."
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