The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  Could she have saved her father if she hadn't gone with Nadia to save Markus? Or would she have ended up dead if she'd stayed behind? Perhaps Warrick was right when he talked about the way Weavers drew what seemed to be coincidences.

  After what felt like an eternity, they stepped into an open chamber illuminated by blue magical torchlight. This chamber was circular with a massive gate at the other end.

  "What do you think this place is?" Kara asked.

  Warrick scanned their surroundings. "I'm not sure, but I think we might have to fight whatever comes out of that gate."

  As if it sensed his words, the gate began to clunk open.

  "Don't worry," Warrick said. "I'll handle it." But the moment he stepped forward, a translucent blue barrier formed around him. "On second thought, you might have to handle this on your own. This barrier won't let me out, and it's keeping me from using magic."

  Kara's stomach twisted. "But we need your help."

  She took one look at Eliza. The young woman carried a sword and a bow, but she didn't look comfortable holding them. Maybe she'd prove tougher in battle than she appeared on the surface, but Kara had her doubts.

  "How can this magic be powerful enough to trap you?" Kara asked as the gate continued to clunk open. So far, nothing had emerged, but that wouldn't last.

  "I don't know. I think this is Lionar's magic."

  "But why would he want us to die?" Kara asked.

  "This is a place where Lionar hid many secrets. I imagine that I know only a few of them. He must be protecting something very important."

  Something stirred behind the gate. Kara gripped her sword, waiting and watching. Beside her, Eliza looked as pale as a ghost.

  The beast launched itself out of the gate. It was perhaps six feet tall and stood upright, with claws at the end of both its arms and legs. Horns were perched atop its ahead, jutting out a good three feet. If one of those impaled them, they'd die quickly.

  Eliza launched an arrow at the monster's thickly muscled chest. The arrow struck true, but the monster kept coming at them. It looked down at the arrow as if it were a mere curiosity, then pulled it free and broke it in half.

  "Guess we'll have to try something else," Eliza said.

  Kara rushed forward, sword in hand, and the beast charged toward her, lowering its head to impale her with one of its horns. She jumped to the side just before it would have struck her, then swung around quickly while it tried to regain its balance. With a huge leap, she landed atop the monster's back, and then she thrust her sword downward as hard as she could.

  With all that force behind it, her sword plunged into the monster's back. It let out a terrible shriek as she pushed the sword deeper and deeper, aiming for its heart. Soon the sword came out the monster's other side, and it staggered to the side, looking down at the blade.

  Kara pulled the blood-soaked blade out of the monster. Blood poured from the monster's wound. It staggered a few more times, then turned to face her, looking almost sad.

  Then its body began to shift around strangely, growing fuzzy at the edges. It let out a horrible scream, and then the monster faded away entirely, leaving in its place the form of a middle-aged woman.

  Eliza's eyes were wide in shock. "Oh my god! It's Selene!"

  Kara knelt down in front of the dying woman. "I'm so sorry."

  "You didn't know," Selene said, her voice barely a gasp. "Whatever did this to me, it took away my sorcery. I’m mortal, and I'm dying. It's strange to think it will end like this, after so long." She coughed up blood, and then, with a final lurch, she hit the ground.

  She did not move again.

  Kara hadn't known the woman, but she cried with the pain of knowing she'd killed a human being. She hadn't intended to do it, but the result was the same. What kind of sick bastard did this to somebody? Wasn't Lionar supposed to be the good god?

  As if sensing her thoughts, Warrick said, "I don't think that was Lionar's work. I think Krinir found this place at some point. He's the one protecting its secrets now. I doubt he could decipher my code, but he knows this place is important."

  Warrick was still encased in the magical barrier. "I think there's going to be more."

  "What if the next one's my father?" Eliza asked, eyes wide.

  "I don't know," Kara said. "I'll think of something. I can't kill him."

  "But how can we know if it's really him?" Eliza asked.

  Kara shook her head gravely. "I have no idea."

  Something stirred beyond the gate, and Kara tensed. She didn't know whether she should fight their next opponent or not. But if it wanted to kill them, she couldn't stand there and let it. Of course, with the last one, Eliza had attacked first. Maybe if they didn't attack, this creature wouldn't attack either.

  The creature—or perhaps Eliza's father—emerged from the gate. It was a lizard about eight feet long. A forked tongue protruded from its mouth, scenting the air like a snake's. It watched them with beady eyes but didn't make a move toward them.

  Kara thought she saw something human in those eyes. She didn't move closer, though. Her legs were trembling too much, and tears stung her eyes. She wished she could go back and change the last few minutes, find a way to avoid killing Selene.

  Eliza took a few tentative steps toward the creature. It watched her but remained where it was. She took a few more steps, trembling so fiercely Kara could see it.

  "Father?" she said. "Is that you?"

  The lizard did not respond. It remained where it was, watching her.

  "If it's you, Father, please come back to me."

  She stood perhaps ten feet from the lizard now and held out a hand as an invitation. The lizard moved for the first time, but only a step or two. Kara's heart pounded a mighty beat.

  "I think he recognizes me," Eliza said. She took another few steps closer, and now she was less than five feet from its head. "Please, give me a sign that you recognize me."

  The lizard took another step toward Eliza. She flinched but remained where she was. Kara felt as if she couldn't breathe. This could all go horribly wrong with no warning. Then again, if this lizard wanted to attack them, it would have done it by now.

  Eliza's hand was now inches from the lizard's mouth. Kara had to give Eliza a lot of credit; the young woman was braver than Kara could ever be.

  The lizard's forked tongue reached out and touched Eliza's hand. Again, she remained where she was, looking into its eyes. The lizard blinked its own eyes slowly, appearing as if it might recognize her. But maybe that was wishful thinking on Kara's part.

  "He remembers me," Eliza said. "I can tell." She stepped toward the lizard again. Kara expected it to attack, but it seemed more curious than anything. Eliza placed her hand on the lizard's head and slowly rubbed there in a circular motion. She looked back at Kara and said, "My father used to do this when I was a child. It helped calm me down."

  Eliza continued rubbing its head, and it closed its eyes as if enjoying the experience. Then the change happened. The lizard's body blurred in a strange swirling motion, and the next moment, a dark-haired man lay on the ground where it had been.

  In the center of the chamber, the magical barrier around Warrick also disappeared.

  "Father, you're all right," Eliza said, taking her father in her arms.

  "Everything seems a blur in my memory," he said. "Selene saved us from the fall, but when we landed, this strange magic took hold of us. She tried to fight it, but she wasn't strong enough. We were turned into these monsters. After that, it's hard to remember anything. The first thing I remember is you rubbing my head, and that must've broken the spell."

  Eliza had tears in her eyes. "I'm just glad to have you back. But we killed Selene."

  "It's all right," her father said. "You didn't know it was her. You thought she was a monster. In the Shadowed Land, that's a normal assumption to make. You did nothing wrong."

  Kara wished she could believe that, but she had blood on her hands. She doubted she could ever wipe away
that blood. Yes, it was a normal assumption to make, but still Selene could have lived if they'd been more careful.

  Kara felt a hand on her shoulder and looked back to see Warrick.

  "Don't try to comfort me," she said.

  "All right, I won't. But that doesn't change the fact that it wasn't your fault. You did what any normal human being would do when confronted with a monster. If you want to wallow in guilt over that, it's your choice. But it's a stupid one."

  She took a step away from him, and he didn't follow.

  Eliza's father glanced around. "Where's Rik? Is he dead?"

  "He isn't dead," Kara said. "But he's been turned to stone by some monster in here. He's alive and aware, but I can't imagine the torture he's going through. The other man with us, Warrick—he thinks we can find a cure somewhere in this place."

  "Then we shouldn't waste any time," he said, getting to his feet. "I'm Dirk, by the way."

  "I'm Kara. And this might sound really strange, but I actually met Rik back on Terra."

  Dirk nodded. "He's mentioned you. He feels a lot of guilt over what happened to you."

  She cursed under her breath. "I should've told him that I've forgiven him for that. He might have been stupid, but he couldn't have known what was going to happen."

  Just then, she realized that she was being too hard on herself for Selene's death. If she could forgive Rik for getting her sent here, then why couldn't she forgive herself for making a similar mistake—rushing into action without knowing the consequences.

  "You'll get another chance to tell him," Dirk said. "Once we cure him."

  Warrick stepped closer. "Then we shouldn't waste any time."

  Kara nodded her agreement, but she felt sick at the thought of what else this place might throw at them. With Warrick in the lead, they filed through the gate at the end of the chamber.

  Chapter 30: The Scroll's Secret

  Kara walked through the dark passage, her mind in a fog. If she thought about killing Selene, she would surely go insane. But it was all her mind could focus on. No matter what anyone said, she couldn't accept what she'd done.

  "It wasn't your fault," Eliza said. She must have noticed Kara's distress. Eliza was a very perceptive and unusual woman.

  "I know it wasn't," Kara said. "But don't you ever wonder if you could have done things differently? There must have been a way that we could've known."

  Eliza gave her a sharp look. "If it's anyone's fault, it's mine. I shot her with an arrow. That probably made it impossible to return her to her normal form. But I understand that it was an honest mistake on my part. We've never encountered anything like that."

  "I don't feel like talking about this anymore," Kara said.

  "All right. I'll let you work out your emotions on your own."

  The tunnels branched along, going deeper and deeper underground. For now, they seemed deserted, but how long would that last? Every time Kara heard a sound, she tensed, but then nothing appeared. It was so quiet she could hear everyone's breathing.

  At last, they entered a bright chamber. It wasn't as large as the last chamber and contained a pedestal at the center. On this pedestal were two items: a small blue stone and a scroll. Warrick stepped forward and grabbed the scroll.

  Kara was about to grab the stone, but Warrick gripped her arm, holding her back. "We don't want to grab it yet," he said. "It's going to take us to another location. First, we have to find the cure for Rik." He pointed to the left. "We have to take that passage there."

  "What else does the scroll say?" she asked.

  Warrick hesitated. "It says we'll be meeting up with Krinir soon. That doesn't surprise me. He is even more skilled than I at reading the Webs. I figured he'd know we were here, especially once I realized how important this place is."

  Kara felt sick to her stomach. "But what can we do if we meet up with Krinir?"

  "When we encounter him," Warrick said, "you need to hide. None of you can hope to stand against Krinir for more than a few seconds. It's me he wants."

  "But he also wants Rik dead," Dirk said.

  "True," Warrick said, "but I'm still the most important. If he can capture me and get me back on his side, the rest of you are not nearly as important. He'll still try to kill you, no doubt, but you'll have a chance to escape." He shook his head. "I will not."

  "Do you think he'll take your memories again?" Kara asked.

  "Yes, and he'll probably do a more thorough job this time. He'll turn me into a monster meant to do his bidding." He closed his eyes for a long time, probably reading the Webs of Fate. "But it's the best we can do."

  "There has to be something else," Eliza said.

  "It doesn't matter," Warrick said. "We have a task to complete."

  They entered the passage he'd indicated and followed it for a few minutes. Soon they emerged in another small chamber. This one contained two scrolls, arranged on a lone pedestal.

  Warrick picked up both of them. "One of these holds the spell we need to cure Rik. I think it was originally deeper in this place, but I must have found it and put it here. It's sealed with my code again, so Krinir probably doesn't even know what it is. He's a god, but he has his limits." Warrick muttered something, and the scroll came open. "Yes, it's what we need."

  "What about the other scroll?" Kara asked.

  "This scroll is even more important. It contains the location of the place where I imprisoned Lionar." He chuckled. "It's no wonder I never saw any sign of him. Krinir and I imprisoned him in the distant future."

  Kara raised her eyebrows. "What?"

  "There are those sorcerers whose magic can manipulate time itself. They don't just read the Webs of Fate; they can travel to distant points in the Webs. They guard these secrets securely, but I must have found someone willing to help me. With that sorcerer's help, I sent Lionar to the distant future—or at least one distant future, one in which Krinir has taken over the world. Essentially, Lionar is Krinir's prisoner in that future."

  Dirk was frowning. "I don't understand. Why wouldn't Krinir just kill him?"

  "Because killing another god is not something you do lightly. Krinir told me that much, now that I'm remembering more and more. If he killed Krinir, he'd have to take the duties of the Restorer upon himself. He already spent too long as both Creator and Destroyer. He doesn't want those competing natures to fight within him again. Just as he has embraced his role as Destroyer, he understands that the world also needs a Creator and a Restorer."

  "This is a lot to take in," Dirk said. "How can we know you're telling the truth?"

  "I have no reason to lie to you. Not anymore." He turned the scroll over in his hands, then held it out for Kara. As she took it, he said, "I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to teach you my secret code. I can use my magic to place the knowledge in your mind. When Krinir claims me as his own once again, I want you to come to me. Show me that you know my code. That way, I'll know that I can trust you."

  Kara felt as if a heavy weight had settled over her. That was a lot of responsibility to bear. She didn't want to think that Warrick might once again become the monster she'd always known. This new Warrick, the man beneath the monster, was someone she could respect.

  Someone she could care for despite what he'd done.

  "Are you ready?" he asked.

  She nodded, and he placed his hands on her head. A moment later, sharp pain exploded through her entire body. She didn't scream, though, because she didn't want to alarm the others. After a few moments, the pain faded, though she still felt a little dizzy.

  "Try to read the scroll," Warrick said.

  Kara read the scroll, and it felt almost as if she were reading normal words. The code was barely recognizable as a code. It was hard to believe.

  "I can read it," she said.

  Warrick nodded, relief blossoming in in his expression. "Good. Now you'll have to hold on to that scroll. It contains the map you'll need to reach Lionar. If we're going to have any chance at de
feating Krinir, we'll need Lionar's help."

  "I understand," Kara said.

  "Good. Now let's go and heal Rik."

  They returned the way they had come, making the long journey in the dark. At last, they reached the place where Rik lay upon the ground, his body turned to stone.

  Kara knelt beside him. "We have the cure. It'll be just a little longer now."

  Warrick unfurled the scroll and read the symbols etched on it. Kara watched with bated breath. What if this didn't work and Rik was stuck like this forever? Would it be better to kill him than allow him to suffer in his petrified state?

  White light burst from the scroll, colliding with Rik. That light encircled him, creating a swirling halo. His entire body glowed, and Kara could feel warmth in the air. The spell had to be working. She couldn't stomach any other possibility.

  At last, the light and warmth died. Kara looked down at Rik, praying he was healed.

  To her relief, his skin looked normal again. He groaned and tried to raise himself to a sitting position. "Those were the worst hours of my life."

  Kara wrapped her arms around him. "Rik! I can't believe it! You're back to normal. You don't know how much it means to me to see you here. I wouldn't want you to be here, but it's great to see a familiar face after all this time."

  Rik glanced past her. "Well, Warrick is certainly a familiar face. What's the story with him anyways? Why's he helping us?"

  Warrick stepped closer. "We'll explain as we travel. Can you walk?"

  Rik got to his feet with Kara's help. He looked unsteady for a few moments, but then he regained his balance. "Yeah, I'm fine. A little wobbly, but that should get better."

  As they made their way back to the chamber with the blue stone, Kara and Warrick explained everything that had led them to this point. To his credit, Rik listened without asking many questions. He still looked at Warrick with hatred, but Kara doubted anything could change the way Rik felt about Warrick.