The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "We have to get it from him," Dave said.

  'Leave that to me." Garet pulled his bow from his back. He hadn't used it yet in this battle, preferring the more personal nature of fighting with a sword. But now the bow was their only chance. As he aimed his shot, the commander pulled a blue stone from his pocket.

  No time to waste. Garet released the arrow. It whizzed through the air and then slammed into the commander's head. He fell immediately, dropping the stone. In the immediate chaos that followed, someone kicked the stone, and it went flying toward the flames, which were now less than ten feet away.

  "Hurry!" Garet shouted. "We need to grab that stone!"

  Then the flames engulfed it.

  Captain Davis adopted a look of grim determination. "I'll get it."

  "But the flames will burn you to death," Mara said.

  "I know."

  Garet saw that there was no persuading the captain to change his mind. Captain Davis took off toward the flames, racing past the Imperial Guards, who looked on in confusion. Five feet to the flames. Three feet. Two. One.

  When the captain leapt into the wall of flames, he let out the most anguished scream Garet had ever heard. That scream sounded as if it would last forever, as if Garet could never erase it from his memory.

  Then the stone came flying through the air. Standing a few feet from the flames, Garet caught it. It burned his hands, but he didn't care. This stone was the key to saving as many people as they could.

  "We have to find all the survivors," he said. They raced back toward the garrison to find that the Imperial Guards had left most of the people inside alone. A few were injured or dead, but the rest were unharmed. Garet stood outside the garrison now, just ahead of the wall of flame.

  "Please remain calm," Dave called out, and to Garet's surprise, the crowd of people did as instructed. Of course, many of them were sitting down, waiting for the flames, resigned to their fates.

  Garet placed the blue stone on the ground. "I don't know exactly how this works, but it's the best chance we have. Everybody needs to hold on to somebody while I hold on to the stone. It should be able to teleport us."

  Mara placed a hand on his shoulder. "But where should we go?"

  "Well, I want to go to Luminia," he said softly. "But I don't think we should bring all these people there. If Imperial Guards are there, it won't be safe."

  "Then where would be safe?" Dave asked.

  "Riverside."

  Dave nodded. "All right, let's do this."

  The flames were closer than ever, bathing everyone in their glow and their heat. Garet sat on the ground, touching the stone but giving it no instructions. Dave and Mara held on to him, and all the townspeople gathered there did the same. By now, no one else was trickling in. If there were other people in the city, there was nothing Garet could do for them.

  "Ready?" he shouted.

  Not that it mattered. Another few seconds and the flames would engulf the crowd.

  "Riverside," Garet said to the stone. "East side."

  The world dissolved around him.

  Chapter 53: Path of Destruction

  Upon their return to New Washington, Nadia expected to have some time to rest and train her new powers, but Daniel and Yasmin had other ideas.

  "I don't understand," Nadia said. "Why did we bother to go to the Earth Temple and start that rebellion that killed so many people? Aren't we supposed to use our new powers?"

  The rebellion had already come to an end. Thousands of soldiers had arrived from New Washington. Some people died in the process, but most simply gave up the fight. Nadia felt as if the blood of these people were on her hands, as if she could never wash them clean.

  "I can't read the Webs as well as I'd like," Yasmin said. "But they did show you going to the Earth Temple first. Don't ask me why. That's just the path that showed the best chances of success. I would have been a fool to go against what the Webs showed me."

  Nadia glared at her. "Just once, I wish I could see these Webs myself."

  She was tired of feeling like other people were guiding her life. All she wanted was to know the truth. If so many sorcerers could read the Webs, then why couldn't she?

  Yasmin's expression softened. "You are welcome to try. I sense in you the ability to read the Webs. I can try to guide you in your efforts." She gestured toward a wooden chair in her office. "Please sit down."

  Nadia took a seat, feeling a little sick. She hadn't expected Yasmin to agree so readily, and didn't feel ready to read the Webs. Shouldn't there be some kind of preparation? She didn't want to look like a fool.

  She looked at Markus, and he gave her a smile. After all, he'd shared the same doubts. They all had. If she could read the Webs for herself, then she could either feed those doubts or dispel them. It was a good sign that Yasmin was letting her read the Webs. That action indicated that perhaps Yasmin was telling the truth and guiding them along the right path.

  "Close your eyes and empty your mind," Yasmin said. "You've had intuitions before, haven't you? Perhaps even visions?"

  "Yes, I have."

  "Try to recall that feeling, then. It's your best guide in reading the Webs."

  Nadia had no idea how to do that. She kept her eyes closed, trying to remember how she'd felt when she'd had her visions. Normally, they appeared at crucial moments in her life, or in the lives of others. Her intuitions were even less predictable.

  "Concentrate," Yasmin said. Her voice sounded distant.

  Nadia focused, but she had no idea what she was supposed to do. She tried to imagine an intricate spider web. That was her best idea of what the Webs looked like.

  Nothing happened.

  "It's not working," she said.

  Yasmin's voice remained soft, almost gentle. "I wouldn't expect it to work on your first try."

  Nadia continued to focus, but nothing appeared apart from the darkness behind her eyelids. She closed her eyes tighter, straining to conjure any image at all.

  "Let me help you," Yasmin said. "I can guide you to the Webs." She placed her hands on each side of Nadia's head. At first, nothing happened, but then delicate strands began to dance in her vision. She tried to pull her focus toward one of the strands, but something was resisting her efforts. Concentrating intently, she tried again. Still, nothing happened.

  "What am I supposed to do?" she asked, feeling overwhelmed. She'd never attempted anything quite so difficult. Most things came to her much more easily.

  "Focus on something you'd like to know," Yasmin said.

  Nadia pulled her thoughts to the task that lay ahead of them, and a series of scattered images flashed behind her eyes. It felt like a more disjointed version of her visions. Taking deep breaths, she tried to focus the images, to glean something from the chaotic mess.

  The images slowed down. She saw black-clad soldiers standing between them and the Machine, saw Markus lying dead on the stone floor, saw chaos flooding the streets of New Washington. The images remained scattered, almost impossible to decipher.

  When they slowed again, she saw herself lying dead, then Daniel, Berig, and even Lara.

  "Pull your focus to the right strands," Yasmin said.

  How was Nadia supposed to know which strands were the right strands? Didn't they all indicate potential futures? She had no idea, but she didn't like what she was seeing.

  "Focus on success," Yasmin said. "No other possibility matters."

  Nadia felt as if something strong were closing in around her head, giving her a terrible headache, but she ignored it, focusing on their path to success. This time, she still saw the black-clad soldiers. But she also saw Markus leading an army of undead warriors. A great explosion followed—the destruction of the Machine, she knew instinctively.

  The path to that event still remained obscure, however, no matter how much she tried to focus on it. Already her thoughts were drifting, gliding farther along the strands of the Webs.

  Kara appeared in her vision, and Rik.

  They
were not in the Shadowed Land. They stood at her side.

  Her headache became excruciating, and her grasp of the Webs slipped away. She fell out of her chair, covered in sweat, feeling as if a spike were being driven into her head.

  "You went too far into the future," Yasmin said. "That was spectacular for a first attempt at reading the Webs, but it will take a lot more practice before you can go as far as you want."

  Nadia trembled as she got to her feet. "Thank you for giving me the chance."

  "See anything useful?" Markus asked.

  "Not really. The images were too scattered, like most of the visions I used to get." But not the most important vision, she reminded herself. She could still recall every detail of the events leading to her mother's death, still wished she could have changed the future.

  And perhaps it had been possible. If her visions were related to the Webs of Fate, then perhaps she was merely seeing a high probability strands. Perhaps she could have taken her mother on a different path, avoiding the Imperial Guards.

  No. She couldn't think like that. The past was the past. She couldn't change it.

  "Are you satisfied now?" Yasmin asked. "Are you ready for your mission?"

  "I think so," Nadia said, but she didn't feel ready.

  They returned to the secret tunnels through the same alley where they'd exited them before. Once inside, they followed the series of walkways down to the main platform, guided by the blue glow of the chamber's electrical lights.

  Whirring and clanking noises filled the air. Somewhere in here, they would find the Machine, and destroy it. Nadia felt trepidation at the thought. She saw the same look in the eyes of Markus, Berig, and Lara. Even Daniel appeared uncertain.

  "Follow me," he said. "I know the way."

  They walked in a direction they hadn't gone before, growing closer to the unsettling noises filling the chamber. When they reached a stone wall, they skirted its edges, moving along a walkway that had no railings. Nadia tried not to look down, but she still felt dizzy.

  Markus put a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"

  "I'm trying not to think about falling."

  Markus chuckled without humor. "Yeah, it's a good thing Rik isn't here."

  As soon as he said Rik's name, his expression became pained.

  "I saw Rik in the Webs," Nadia said. "And Kara. They were with us."

  "Really?"

  "I don't know how," she said, "but I think we have a good chance of seeing them again. We just have to focus on getting through this place." Of course, that was a task easier said than done. Nadia felt as if the pressure of the task were crushing her. It didn't matter how many deep breaths she took, or how much she willed herself to relax. Nothing helped.

  Soon they reached the chamber's far end. Nothing had threatened them, but Nadia's skin prickled as if sensing unseen danger. Here, they entered a narrowed corridor illuminated by blue electrical lights—an eerie glow that made her feel on edge.

  "I really don’t like this place," Berig said softly, scanning their surroundings for threats. As they walked through the corridor, the clunking and whirring sounds grew louder.

  "Is that the Machine?" Nadia asked, praying they were close.

  "I think so," Daniel said. "It's massive. I've seen it before, but I've never gotten close enough to destroy it. Those undead soldiers are in the way."

  "I'm not so worried about undead soldiers," Berig said. "I'm worried about the living kind." His gaze remained fixed on the path ahead of them. Nadia imagined that he'd honed his skills of observation in his former life as thief, and she was glad to have him on their side.

  She was happy to have all of them. Markus because he loved her and would always protect her. Berig for his skills as a thief and his generally friendly nature. Lara for her determined attitude, which reminded Nadia of her own.

  They reached the end of the corridor, and in front of them was another vast chamber. At its far end was the largest object Nadia had ever seen. It glowed so many colors she couldn't even begin to describe it. It had to stretch from one side of the chamber to another. There were computers all over it, as well as all kinds of levers and buttons.

  The whirring and clanking was louder than ever. Daniel pointed at the object. "That's the Machine."

  Between them and the Machine were two problems. First, the empire's soldiers guarded the way, dressed in their black uniforms and pointing plasma rifles at the party. Far at the other side of the chamber, beyond a series of elevated walkways, the undead soldiers waited for them. They were normal statues for the moment, but that would change.

  "Put your hands in the air," commanded one of the soldiers.

  None of them had any intention of doing so. Daniel made a sweeping motion with his arm, and a gust of wind blew across the chamber, striking the soldiers. As soon as the wind hit them, they began firing, but Markus, Nadia, Berig, and Lara had already raised shields with their TWs. The rifle bursts didn't even come close to penetrating their shield.

  "I still don't think they know what this place is," Daniel said, advancing on the soldiers. "They would have sent more soldiers."

  There had to be close to fifty soldiers, and they were blocking the route to the Machine. Perhaps they did know what it was. Perhaps there were more soldiers defending the Machine. Or perhaps they didn't know of Markus's ability to control the undead soldiers.

  Too many uncertainties.

  "I see another walkway to our left," Lara said. "We should go that way. It's better than trying to fight our way past all the soldiers."

  Daniel nodded, keeping his wind spell going. It held the soldiers off, but it didn't appear strong enough to send them into the abyss. As Nadia and the others ran, they maintained shields around themselves. Plasma rifle bursts struck the shield. With each impact, Nadia worried their shield wouldn't hold. A shield could only stand up to so much.

  She remembered that fact all too well, thinking back to their fight with the Defender.

  They raced along the walkway, dodging rifle bursts. Some of the soldiers followed behind them, growing closer, their blasts making more and more of a dent in the invisible barrier surrounding the party. Their shield wouldn't hold much longer.

  Daniel appeared to recognize this. "I'll hold them off. You need to keep going."

  "But they'll kill you!" Lara said.

  "Plasma rifles can't kill me. They aren't magic." Daniel faced the soldiers, conjuring a massive wall of fire, which he sent toward the soldiers. They backed away, firing their weapons. He grunted when the blasts hit him, but he kept his fire spell going.

  Then the explosion happened. The force of it sent Nadia flying, and the walkway made a horrible groaning sound. Bits of debris flew through the air. She hit the ground hard, dazed and confused. Then the walkway groaned again, falling beneath her. She scrabbled for purchase but couldn't find anything to hold as she slid closer and closer to the edge.

  "Nadia, grab my hand!" It was Markus.

  She reached up, but the smoke was so thick she couldn't see anything. Her ears were ringing. Panic flared in her chest as she felt her legs dangling off the edge of the walkway. Its slope had only grown steeper. She tried again to grab something, but she kept sliding.

  "Markus, where are you?"

  His voice came from a few feet in front of her. "I'm right here. Grab my hand!"

  At last, her vision cleared. Through the smoke, she could just make out Markus. He was dangerously close to the downward slant of the walkway. The entire walkway was swaying alarmingly, groaning with every movement it made.

  Closer to the edge. Nadia tried to grab the railing, but her palms were slick with sweat.

  No. She couldn't die like this. Somehow, she found strength she didn't know she possessed. Despite the sweat, one hand clamped around the railing. The other found Markus's hand. He tried to pull her up, but she continued sliding, taking him with her.

  Her stomach lurched. Sheer terror tightened its talons upon her chest. She flailed her legs us
elessly, too much of her body hanging over the vast chasm.

  "I won't let you go, Nadia," Markus said. He grunted with exertion as he lifted her. She gave him as much help as she could, pulling on the railing, but her arms felt as if they couldn't help at all.

  Just when she thought she'd make it, the sweat coating their palms became too much. She slipped out of his grip, sure she would fall to her death. But then she managed to get both hands around the railing. Though the walkway swayed, she was safe for the moment.

  But then searing heat slammed against her left shoulder. The shock of the pain caused her hands to release their grip on the railings. Belatedly, she realized one of the soldiers had hit her with a plasma rifle burst. Not that it mattered. She was going to die.

  She looked into Markus's eyes one last time before she fell.

  Chapter 54: The Machine

  Markus could only watch as Nadia plummeted into the chasm. He'd failed her. So focused on pulling her up, he'd forgotten to shield her from the rifle blasts. She was going to die now, and it was his fault. Maybe he should leap off the bridge and join her in death.

  "Come on, Markus. We've gotta go." Berig's voice sounded distant, as if it belonged to another world. As far as Markus was concerned, there was no reason to live, not without Nadia.

  For some reason, though, he let Berig and Lara tug him across the walkway. He moved in a daze, barely registering the plasma bursts colliding with their shields. Somehow, he was keeping his shield going, but he didn't know how. He didn't care.

  All that mattered was Nadia, and she was dead.

  "Markus, you gotta stay with us," Berig said, gripping Markus's shoulders. "There's nothing we can do for Nadia, but we've still got a Machine to destroy. We need you."

  Plasma blasts flew all around, illuminating the air with their brilliant blue and purple. It was almost beautiful. If only one of them hadn't taken Nadia from him.

  Berig tugged at Markus's arm. "We're nothing but targets here."

  "Nadia." It was all Markus could say, all Markus could think about.