The Shadowed Land

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "What's the lift?" Berig asked.

  "A magical device," said the other guard. "It carries you up so you don't have to use the stairs."

  They passed the guard and entered the Tower of Light. To Berig's dismay, the inside was just as bright as the outside. There were signs all through the grand lobby, a place of white tile covered in luxurious red carpets with gold embellishments. Similar draperies hung around the windows, and beautiful artwork adorned the walls, depicting landscapes and portraits with a richness of color unlike anything Berig had ever seen.

  "The signs say the lift is this way," Aric said, leading them to the right. Berig and Lara followed, and they eventually reached a place where a large square platform was located within a niche in the wall.

  They stepped onto the lift. There were at least a hundred buttons on the wall, each indicating a different number. Aric pressed the button labeled with a six. Though Berig couldn't read, he did know a few numbers.

  A moment later, the lift rose smoothly. The air shimmered, and Berig couldn't push through the invisible barrier that had formed around them.

  It didn't take long for the lift to reach the sixth floor. The air shimmered again, and then they disembarked. There were more signs on the wall, and Aric appeared to know where he was going. Soon they stepped through a door that opened as if it sensed their presence.

  Inside, people in long white robes moved about. A dark-haired woman stepped toward them. "Do you need something?"

  Aric explained what had happened and what Cyrus had told him. After hearing his story, the healer led Aric to one of their beds, where he waited maybe half an hour for another healer to show up.

  The male healer ran his hands along Aric's bare chest, closing his eyes in concentration. At last, he said, "It's a good thing you're here. A few days more, and it would have been too late."

  Berig felt as if a weight had left his chest. They'd made it in time.

  "It will take a few days of treatment," said the healer. "You two should find yourselves an inn. We'll take good care of him."

  Berig and Lara left the Tower of Light and found an inn. To their surprise, they didn't have to pay for a room. The inside of the inn was the first place they'd found that wasn't so bright. It was still brighter than the average inn, but Berig's eyes finally had a chance to rest.

  They visited Aric a few times a day. Each time, the healers told them he was progressing well, but worry still gnawed at Berig's insides.

  At last, after almost a weak, the healers announced that Aric was free of the lizard's poison. He was sitting up in bed, looking healthier than Berig had seen him in a long time.

  "I feel great," he said. "I didn't realize just how much that poison was affecting me."

  "That's great news," Berig said, but he could see that Aric's mind was on other things.

  "Now that I'm healed, we have to find Danica."

  "I know," Berig said. "But how can we even know where she is?"

  Aric's gaze was fierce. "I don't know. But we will find her. I will not abandon her."

  "Neither will I," Berig said, and he meant it. Whatever he had to do, whatever hardships he had to endure, he would find Danica. It was time that Berig stopped drifting through life. He would save Danica, and then he would embrace whatever the Webs of Fate had in store.

  Chapter 60: Captive

  After another few days traveling through the Labyrinth, Kara felt as if she'd be trapped there forever. With every breath, she teetered on the verge of panic. Even Josef had shown some cracks in his armor. He'd grown even quieter than usual.

  They'd encountered a few monsters but hadn't suffered anything beyond minor injuries. Josef had done a good job protecting Kara, though she knew he had ulterior motives.

  Every day felt the same until one day they entered a chamber that appeared to be a dead-end. In the center of the chamber, however, there was a small blue stone, irregular in shape. Josef gazed at the stone, and his expression looked relaxed for the first time in days.

  "It's a teleportation stone," he said. "We're going to leave this place." He beckoned Kara forward and grabbed one of her hands. "I'm going to touch the stone now and give it a little bit of my power. You don't have to do anything."

  Kara watched as Josef made the stone glow. A few moments later, she felt as if the world were spinning around her. Her feet left the floor. Her stomach lurched. She closed her eyes, hoping the sensation would end.

  When it did, she felt solid ground beneath her feet. She opened her eyes to the gray light of the Shadowed Land. They stood along a warded road.

  "I thought there were no roads on the eastern side of the mountains," she said.

  "There aren't," Josef said. "I have no idea where we are."

  "But didn't you take us here?"

  "Normally, a teleportation stone will take you where you want, but I felt something else tugging at the stone. I think it might have been you. Your status as a Weaver guided us to this location. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

  "Anywhere is better than the Labyrinth," Kara said.

  Josef smiled faintly. "Can't argue with that."

  They followed the road for a while, the mist thickening as they checked for any signs that might indicate their location. At last, after perhaps an hour of walking, they came across a sign stating the distance to Sunset City.

  "We're back west of the mountains," Josef said. "And much farther north. Sunset City is about a week away. We're in the heart of the empire."

  "Then we're not where we need to be."

  "Not necessarily," Josef said. "We'll just face different issues on our way to Krinir. The path to his fortress is shorter this way, but it's also more dangerous." He stroked his beard. "We'll make it work. Or at least I will."

  "Was that last comment really necessary?"

  Josef smiled. "Yes, I think it was."

  "Are we going to Sunset City?"

  "No, there's no reason to go there. We're going to take a path to the east."

  They followed the road, stopping occasionally at small towns along the way. In these towns, Josef always kept an eye on Kara. No matter what she did, she couldn't escape him. Even when he was sleeping, he'd wake at the slightest sound.

  Of course, Kara didn't feel like escaping for the moment. What good would come from it? She'd only end up dead at the claws of a monster. Once, she might have wanted to join her family and Aren and other people she'd loved, but not anymore.

  Every day, Josef checked a red stone he carried in his pocket.

  "What is that?" she asked the fifth time he did this.

  "This stone gives me a way to communicate with Krinir over long distances. Once we're close enough, I should be able to communicate with him. That should be any day now."

  "What do you think he'll have to say?"

  "No idea. That's why I want to talk to him."

  As they traveled together, Kara developed an odd respect for Josef. He was a selfish man, no doubt, but he wasn't cruel to her. Well, as long as she obeyed his commands. She was afraid of what he'd do if she didn't. His prior threats trickled back to the forefront of her thoughts.

  He was silent most of the time. Traveling with him was a lesson in patience. Whenever Kara asked him a question, he brushed it aside.

  "Are you sure you don't know what Krinir wants from me?"

  He kept walking, didn't even glance at her. "I've told you before. He only lets people like me know enough to do our jobs. He's a god. Even powerful sorcerers are nothing compared to him. We're all tools to a god like him."

  "Then why do you still support him?"

  "Because I agree with his goals," Josef said. "Technology may have destroyed the Old World, but that doesn't mean it will destroy this one. Power is neither good nor evil. It is simply power. Good or evil comes from how we use that power, or abuse it."

  "And you've never done evil things in the name of power?" Kara asked.

  "I never said that."

  "You could
have saved Tobias. I know you're powerful enough."

  "It had to happen that way. Krinir told me that much."

  "So you just blindly follow Krinir's wishes?"

  "He is older and wiser than I," Josef said. "He knows what he's doing. I trust him."

  "And if he asked you to kill yourself, would you still obey him?"

  Josef chewed on his lower lip. "That's a useless line of questioning. It's a hypothetical situation. I'll dead with that choice when I have to make it."

  "You're evading my question."

  "Yes, I am."

  With that, he fell silent again. They continued walking in that unbearable silence they'd shared for most of their time together. Kara focused on putting one foot in front of the other in a motion that felt more lifeless with every step. She couldn't shake the suspicion that she was walking toward her death.

  In the tedious silence, she focused on the strange feeling that had lingered within her ever since she'd traveled through the Nexus. That warmth she'd felt in that other world remained. She hadn't revealed it to Josef. It was her secret.

  Sometimes she almost felt as if she could sense colors within her. There was no other way to put it. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. Was that just her imagination conjuring up images of rainbows? She hadn't seen a rainbow since entering the Shadowed Land.

  Again and again, she tried to grasp at those colors. She felt so close to some kind of breakthrough, though she couldn't explain that feeling.

  One day after they'd left the warded roads behind, Josef pulled the stone out of his pocket again. This time, it glowed a brighter red. He smiled. "Finally, we're close enough."

  Kara stood close to Josef, though she wasn't sure he'd let her hear anything.

  He rubbed the stone in his hands. "Krinir, can you hear me?"

  A voice came through the stone, startling Kara. The voice exuded power, confidence. "Josef? I was wondering when I'd hear from you."

  "We are finally within range, my lord."

  "Is Kara with you?"

  "She is."

  "Good," Krinir said. "You must kill her."

  Kara froze, panic gripping her chest.

  "I don't understand," Josef said. "You wanted me to take her to you."

  "I have read the Webs of Fate," Krinir said. "Events have taken an unexpected path. They have shown me a troubling future for her. If you do not kill her, and kill her quickly, our plans are doomed."

  "But aren't the Webs of Fate uncertain?"

  "They are," Krinir said. "But this possibility is too likely. We have to kill her. I expect the deed to be done by the next time you contact me. I'll know if you've done it."

  "Of course, my lord. I will carry it out immediately."

  "See that you do."

  Josef put the stone back in his pocket, then turned to Kara. "I'm sorry."

  Kara trembled. "You don't have to do this. He might be your master, but you don't have to do everything he tells you. I'm defenseless against you. There's no honor in killing me."

  "I don't care about honor. I have a mission to fulfill. It isn't personal." He flashed a weak smile. "There's actually something I like about you. I don't want to do this, but it's necessary."

  Kara had tears in her eyes. "Please, make it quick and painless."

  There was no point fighting him.

  "I'll try my best." He moved back a few steps and raised his arms into the air. A giant yellow circle formed around Kara, and a lightning spell gathered in the sky. It looked powerful enough to kill her immediately, and she appreciated that.

  But she would never get to see Nadia again.

  The spell reached its full strength, and the lightning shot down toward her. She closed her eyes, waiting for the end.

  But it didn't come.

  When she opened her eyes, she saw another man standing on the road, his back to her. He stood facing Josef, who had let the lightning spell die. The man gestured with his right arm, and a wave of darkness appeared at his fingertips. Josef made the hand motion that raised a shield, but the shield wasn't strong enough.

  The darkness overcame his shield and struck him. He hit the ground, rolling and twitching in agony. The scream he let out was unlike anything she'd ever heard.

  The darkness subsided, and Josef stirred feebly.

  The other sorcerer gestured to Kara without turning his face toward her. "Stand back."

  There was something familiar about that voice.

  With a quick hand motion, the sorcerer conjured the same field of yellow that had surrounded Kara. This time, the lightning spell gathered its strength above Josef, who couldn't get to his feet. A few moments later, the lightning struck.

  A sharp crack split the air, and a shockwave slammed against Kara, sending her flying. She hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her.

  "I thought I told you to stand back." The sorcerer turned, and Kara would have screamed in shock if she'd had any breath to scream.

  It was Warrick.

  She scrambled backward along the ground, struggling to get her breath back. What the hell was Warrick doing here, and how could she escape him?

  Warrick stepped closer. "Relax. I'm not going to hurt you."

  Epilogue: Two More to the Shadowed Land

  When Tylen heard the news of Warrick's disappearance, he laid his Imperial Guard uniform aside. He wasn't the only one.

  Without Warrick to protect them, many Imperial Guards feared the people's anger.

  So it was that Tylen was part of a large group headed to the pass leading out of the Empire. No other Imperial Guards bothered to stop them. They had too many other things to worry about.

  Farah accompanied Tylen without question. He hadn't expected that. Did she truly love him, or did she have other motives?

  They crossed the mountain without incident. Tylen stopped a moment at the barrier and looked back on the mountains, on the Empire itself. For most of his life, it had been home. It had never felt like a prison, but now it did. Now he was eager to see the world beyond its borders.

  He took that final step toward freedom. But would he ever truly be free?

  * * * * *

  Rik stood in a land of mist and shadows. One moment, he'd met that statue's gaze. The next, he'd found himself here, standing on the rocky ground, mist drifting in thick clouds around him. He took a few tentative steps, wondering where the hell he was.

  This didn't look like the ruins anymore. If anything, it looked like what he'd heard about the Shadowed Land. But how could he be in the Shadowed Land? He hadn't touched the Silver Wisp. Or were there multiple ways of going to the Shadowed Land?

  His chest felt tight as he took a few more steps, feeling completely lost. As far as he could tell, there was no way back.

  He stayed there awhile, but Nadia didn't come to rescue him. Feeling sick, he began walking. This place couldn't be deserted, could it?

  The mist became so thick he thought he might choke on it. Every once in a while, he thought he heard a distant growl. He tensed at every sound. Sometimes the mist drifted so that it looked like something stirred within.

  Rik had heard of monsters in the Shadowed Land. What if they were stalking him?

  No. He couldn't think about that. He had to keep walking, had to find someone who could help him. But even if someone lived here, would they want to help him? He doubted he could find Kara, assuming she was still alive. No one could find anything in this mist.

  Something stirred ahead, a massive shadow. It moved toward him, the ground crunching beneath its steps. Rik tensed, trying to see through the mist.

  The mist cleared a bit, revealing the monster. It stood at least twelve feet tall, covered in thick scales like some kind of snake. But it stood upright on two feet. It also had claws at least a foot long at the end of each hand and foot, as well as a long mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. As it stepped toward him, it growled.

  It had seen him.

  Rik launched a burst of fire at it, but t
he monster walked through the flames as though they didn't exist. He tried a field of lightning. The monster kept coming.

  Heart pounding, he sent wind at the monster. If he'd used the wind to slow his fall in the Fire Mountains, then surely he could use it to knock the monster over. The wind did slow its approach, but Rik couldn't keep it up forever. The monster dug its claws into the rocky ground to avoid getting blown over.

  This wasn't working, so Rik used his staff to pull a stalagmite from the ground. The stalagmite did come up under the monster's foot, but not fast enough to pierce it. The monster moved quickly, hissing as it approached.

  Rik doubted a jet of water would slow the creature, but he produced one. The monster shrugged it aside as if it were nothing. Rik had only one choice.

  He took off running, praying he could outpace the monster. But as its steps grew closer behind him, he knew he had no chance.

  A shout came from perhaps twenty feet away. "Use your staff's ice ability. It will freeze the monster's blood."

  Rik turned toward the voice to see a group of soldiers dressed in orange surcoats, and then he returned his attention to the monster. He used the same kind of ability that had produced the ice bridge over the river, but this time he directed his energy toward the monster's blood.

  The monster's pace slowed immediately. It moved with jerky motions, then fell. Rik kept the spell going, daring to move close enough that he could touch the monster. It shrieked and growled but lacked the energy to put up a fight. After perhaps thirty seconds, it fell still.

  Rik turned to see the orange-clad shoulders approaching him.

  "Thank you," he said. "How'd you know that would work?"

  "We've encountered this type of monster before. That's the only magic it's vulnerable to. Doesn't work on a lot of monsters, but it works on this kind."

  "Can you tell me where I am?" Rik asked.

  "We're on the eastern border of the Sunset Empire," said one of the soldiers.

  "And where is that? Is this the Shadowed Land?"

  The soldier nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "You came here from Terra, didn't you?"

  Rik nodded.

  "Then welcome to the Shadowed Land. It might be too soon to ask you to join us, but the Sunset Army needs more channelers."