"At least I have some time, then."
"Not as much as you might think," Nadia said.
"Empty threats," Tylen said, and turned to the others. "Now, does anyone else want to ruin my life? I have a remarkable way with words. Don't make me use it."
Ander looked down at the ground. "I see your points, Tylen. Unfortunately."
The others all voiced their agreement. It must have been his strange persuasive abilities at work. He hadn't been sure they'd work this time. At some point, they might bring this up, but he'd have time to outmaneuver their efforts.
"Now let's get back to Crayden," he said. "I've had enough of this forest." He stepped over to Nadia. "Get up."
That had come out harsher than he'd intended.
"Do you want to go through this again?" she asked with a fiery gaze.
Captain Davis approached them. "Come with me, Lady Nadia. I know you don't like Tylen, but we'll make sure he doesn't cause you any more problems."
Nadia let the captain help her to her feet. She wavered, then steadied her balance, looking for a moment as though she might vomit again.
They walked slowly for Nadia's sake. Tylen hated the pace, but he had to show he could be accommodating. Marriage would be a lot easier if he could gain her approval, but was that even possible now? And a part of him really did want her approval.
He'd worry about that problem when the time came.
* * * * *
Darien sat on the stone floor in the room where he read the Webs of Fate. He closed his eyes, focused his thoughts, and called the Spirit of Malavia to him. It appeared in the room a few moments later, bathing him in frigid air. He shivered, but he was used to it.
The spirit spoke in a low hiss. "What do you require, master?"
"Nothing for the moment. I wanted to congratulate you on your performance."
"I do my best, master."
"For a moment there, I was almost convinced you do detest me."
The spirit remained silent, and Darien scooted away from its strengthening chill. In truth, he didn't trust the creature. He didn't know where it had come from or who had created it, only that he had found it deep within the jungles of Malavia more than five hundred years ago.
But all indications said that he had it under control. It had never disobeyed a command he'd given. If it had ulterior motives, it hid them well.
Regardless, he needed it. The spirit was his best way of controlling events outside the Empire. It took longer to summon it over such great distances, but he had to settle for what he could do. He still burned with anger whenever he thought of Cyrus and the others imprisoning him within the Empire. They'd been friends, and they'd betrayed him.
He still didn't know how they'd done it.
But he did know the barriers were weakening all over the Empire.
"You may go," he told the spirit. He had almost forgotten about it despite its chill. That horrible cold vanished moments later, and warmth washed over Darien. Introducing Nadia to the spirit and calling on her to save it from its servitude were key events according to the Webs.
Darien smiled. He was one step closer.
Chapter 23
Rik remained in Crayden, trying in vain to think of a way to free Markus. He had one plan, but it struck him as more insane than his usual. Maybe he could get the Order involved. But why would they agree to help him?
His steps carried him into the blacksmith shop where Tomas worked.
"What brings you here, Rik?" Tomas asked in a subdued voice, his face lined with worry.
Rik approached the counter. "Is everything okay? You seem like something's bothering you."
"I could say the same about you. I've never seen you without a smile. I wonder, could the same thing be bothering both of us? It's Markus, isn't it?"
Rik's heart fluttered. "So you know what's happened to him?"
"All I know is Imperial Guards took him away."
"Well, he's in prison," Rik said, resting a hand on the wooden counter, looking longingly at all the weapons and armor he couldn't afford.
"That's better than I expected," Tomas said. "I thought they'd kill him."
"Well, they don't want him dead for some reason. But they're going to leave him in there as long as they want."
Tomas frowned. "What can we do? We can't break him out."
"I know. I was thinking maybe the Order could help. You never know."
"Why would they help?" Tomas asked. "He doesn't mean anything to them. The Order can't help every person Warrick's done wrong." He rested his elbows on the counter, covering some of the cracks in its surface. "I don't know. Maybe I could talk to my friend Kara. She's in the Order. But don't expect much. From what she tells me, the Order isn't all that effective."
Rik turned away in frustration. He could hear, from the next room, Tomas's master working at the forge, probably unaware of their conversation. Still, Rik felt anxious. Imperial Guards offered large bounties for anyone turning in Order members.
"Well, I guess that's something at least," Rik said. "I hope we can figure out a plan. I'm out of ideas. It feels wrong."
Tomas laughed softly. "Rik without ideas? That is strange."
Rik couldn't bring himself to laugh in return.
* * * * *
Nadia felt sick as she walked up the path toward the castle. Was it the berries or her nerves? She trembled at the thought of her father's anger.
She'd stayed as far away from Tylen as possible, talking to Kara instead—mostly about Markus. What had become of him?
Of course, she already had enough to occupy her mind.
They reached the open gate and stepped into the foyer, where her father waited in a chair. Dark circles sat under his eyes, and his hair was a mess. His expression became stern.
He rose and strode over to Tylen. "Thank you for finding her."
"Anything for you, my lord," Tylen said with his fakest sincerity, bowing his head.
Nadia felt like vomiting again, and it wasn't the berries. How could her father not see Tylen's true nature? Nothing would ever make him believe what Tylen had done in the forest. Not even if they all told the same story.
She felt trapped.
Her father turned to her with narrowed eyes. "Words cannot describe how angry I am with you, young lady. Get out of my sight. It's enough that you're safe. I intend that you stay that way. You won't pull that stunt again, not with guards stationed at the bottom of the tower." He turned away from her. "Now go. Just go."
Nadia had never seen this cold anger before. She would have preferred it if he'd yelled at her.
Two guards led Nadia up to her room, and she saw no reason to fight them. Her legs collapsed a few times on the stairs, forcing the guards to support her weight.
When she reached her room, she strode to her bed. None of the search party accompanied her, as they knew her father would not permit any visitors. There was little hope of his mood turning around any time soon. She felt a miserable knot in her stomach.
She had failed. Now she would have to marry Tylen.
She could still feel his dagger pressed against her face, feel the pressure as she was sure he would cut her. He would have done so if Kara and Ander hadn't interfered.
Tylen was a monster.
But what good would crying do her? Instead, she contemplated how she'd escape her situation, for she would find a way. Perhaps she could behave and convince her father to give her freedom again. Her father had always been soft, easily swayed. If she acted contrite and expressed a change of mind about Tylen, perhaps he'd buy it.
Now she had to wait for her father to calm down. For the rest of the day, she went downstairs only for meals, accompanied by guards, and if her father saw her, he left the room. She'd call after him, but he would ignore her. This felt worse than his anger.
She went to bed that night worried her father would never speak to her again. She didn't know what to expect of him now. At least she hadn't had to deal with Tylen again. She wasn't ready
That knife. That cruel grin on his face.
Those images lingered in her dreams that night and still bothered her as she went down to breakfast the next morning. She approached the table hesitantly, seeing her father. He had shaved and tidied his hair. Though he didn't leave this time, he stared at her with narrowed eyes. She ate in silence, feeling his cold gaze, and put down her fork halfway through breakfast
"I'm sorry, Father," she said, meeting his brown eyes. When he didn't respond, she continued. "I shouldn't have run away. I was immature and selfish. I didn't think of how much my leaving would hurt you, but I can see it in your eyes, and I am deeply, deeply sorry."
"Thank you," he said quietly. She couldn't gauge his emotional reaction.
"I've had time to think now, and I understand that you have my best interests in mind. My time away from here proved to me how much I have yet to learn about the wider world. I need you in my life, Father, and I missed you when I was gone. The whole time, I couldn't stop thinking of how horrible everyone back home must feel."
She was able to make her words sound sincere because they were, for the most part, true. Yes, she'd embellished parts and told minor lies. The next part, however, would test her ability to fake it.
She took a deep breath. "I will also give Tylen another chance. I was the most unfair toward him. With the shock of Varek and Len dying, I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I know it doesn't excuse my actions, but I've had time to calm down now. Tylen has given me no reason to hate him, and I will apologize to him as well."
Her father said nothing, his face a frozen mask.
"The fact that he led the search party showed me a lot about his character. He wants to gain my love, and I should give him a chance."
Nadia retained a contrite expression, one she'd practiced in the mirror many times, anticipating an occasion like this. She didn't like that she had to lie to her father, but she'd been lying for years. What was one more?
"I don't expect you to forgive me," she said. "And I understand that I deserve to be punished for what I did and the hurt I caused you. But I'm hoping we can both see this as an opportunity to repair our relationship. We've been through the worst of things, and we've survived. These are the kind of moments that can serve as turning points."
She'd run out of things to say, and prayed her father wouldn't see through her lies. Had she been convincing enough?
"Thank you, Nadia," he said, louder this time. "I'm not sure you believe everything you just said, but I'm glad you said it." He ran a hand through his curly brown hair. "I also have a few things to admit. Though I hate to say it, I was wrong."
She tried to keep her expression neutral.
"As much as I don't care for what you did," he said, "I have to take some of the blame. For all these years, I let you do whatever you wanted. I suspected that you were going to Order meetings, but I didn't stop it. If I'd moved to prepare you for your future as high lady sooner, you wouldn't have been at that meeting. Varek and Len, good men despite their faults, wouldn't have died, and you wouldn't have been so distraught yesterday.
"I also should have recognized how much their deaths and your close call affected you, but I was too caught up in what I wanted, and I didn't think of your emotional state. I should have waited with Tylen." He chewed on his lower lip. "I'm sorry, Nadia."
She tried to keep her mouth from hanging open. "Thank you."
"That doesn't mean that I'll accept what you did, but I can at least understand it. I won't confine you to your room, though there will be major changes. I'm giving you my trust even though you haven't earned it. Don't expect me to forgive you if you break that trust."
Dread twisted her stomach. "What changes?"
"No more Order meetings, but you knew that already. You will also stop your archery and swordplay, at least for now. You may see Kara, but I forbid any contact with Lord Ander. I also expect you to spend time with Avia, learning the duties of a woman—an area in which your skills are sadly lacking. I will have the guards record everything you read in the library. If you gain my trust, I may remove some of these restrictions, but only then."
She nodded, though she felt sick again. "I understand, Father."
How would she accomplish any of her goals with all these restrictions?
* * * * *
In the throne room of the Golden Palace, high atop Mount Imperia, Darien tapped his fingers on the golden arm of his throne. The glow of magical torches filled the room. Once lit, they kept glowing until he decided to put them out, like electrical lamps from the Old World.
Unlike most, he was old enough to remember many of the tales of the Old World, of the great sciences that had ruled that world, and of how those sciences destroyed it. In the new world, they had replaced science with magic. The powerful were the people like him, people who could control the elements, and he would have the world.
One day.
For the moment, the large throne room was empty, as he liked it. Even in his youth, he had never taken well to the company of others. He had managed social situations with skill, though, like he managed everything. Life was simply easier without too much reliance on others.
A door opened off to his right, and in strode High Commander Iven Adams, a man Darien trusted above all others.
Darien kept his tone patient. "Have you assembled the war party yet?"
"Yes, Your Majesty. I have chosen the men I trust most."
"Good," Darien said. "I have to have men I can trust not to fight me. Destroying Crayden will undoubtedly go against some of their beliefs. Hell, it goes against mine. But it has to be done. Our future demands it."
"I understand, Your Majesty. Sacrifices must be made."
"Yes, they must. The attack will commence in one day."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The high commander strode out of the throne room, leaving Darien alone with his thoughts. He had known for more than a century now that he'd have to destroy Crayden, killing the people he'd sworn to protect.
And he did protect them, even if they didn't know it.
Now that the event was so near, he hated it. He considered himself a manipulator of the future, but at times it felt like it was manipulating him in return, as though some evil entity lurked in the Webs of Fate, forcing him down paths that made him feel sick.
These thoughts were foolish. No one controlled the future, not even him. But there were times when it felt like some warning rang out in his subconscious. Times he had to remind himself that he was only feeling the pain of doubt. His opponents painted him as some kind of uncaring monster. They didn't understand him at all.
All through his life, people had seen darkness where they should have seen light, seen apathy where they should have seen caring. They blamed him for all the deaths on his orders, yet they ignored the deaths that resulted from their own inaction.
What did it matter to a bunch of sorcerers in Luminia if countless peasants were dying all over the world because they had no protection? These sorcerers were too wrapped up in their own powers and ambitions, their own conflicts, and they failed to see the bigger picture. If the world continued on its current path, it would suffer like the old one. Maybe even end.
But all these people saw was Darien's evil.
Chapter 24
Nadia spent the next day bored to tears as Avia taught her how to sew. Too often, Nadia messed up the stitching and had to start all over again. She wanted to throw the clothes on the floor.
"You're doing perfectly fine," Avia said. "You just need some practice."
"But I don't want to sew. It's so boring, so normal." Nadia shook her head sadly, feeling the warm breeze through her open window. Maybe she sounded childish, but she didn't care.
"Well, you need to learn these things."
"I suppose you're right."
A knock sounded on the door. Nadia rose from her red-cushioned chair and opened the door. Kara stood in the doorway, frowning.
"Is everything all right?" Nadia asked.
<
br /> Kara stepped into the room and took a seat on the edge of Nadia's bed as Avia watched from a chair across the room.
"I have some bad news," Kara said. "Your hero Markus is in prison."
"What? How did that happen?"
"He refused to become an Imperial Guard, and instead of killing him, they locked him in the lowest level of the Crayden prison. Indefinitely."
"How did you find out?" Nadia asked.
"As it happens, I'm good friends with a young man named Tomas, who's a friend of Markus and Rik. Rik told Tomas, and Tomas told me."
Nadia felt sick. "I have to see him."
"That's not all you want to do."
"Your father won't allow it," Avia said.
"Then I'll just have to convince him," Nadia said, wondering how she could do that. Her father seemed in a better mood, but how much freedom would he permit her? Then again, he had taken a liking to Markus. Maybe that would convince him.
Maybe she could even get him to intercede with the Imperial Guards.
"We need to go and see my father," she said. "Tell him what's happening."
Avia gave Nadia a tired look. With Kara at her side, Nadia filed out of her room, past the guard at the door—Jasin, the sloppy, bearded one who sympathized with Warrick's regime.
Soon she stepped into her father's study and knocked on the open door. He sat at the side of the room, hunched over paperwork on his desk. "Yes, Nadia, what is it?"
"Remember Markus, the young man who saved me?"
He nodded.
"Well, Kara found out that Imperial Guards have imprisoned him. We have to do something about it. We can't just let him die in there."
His stern gaze settled on Kara, who stood at the door. Then he looked back at Nadia, his expression grave. "There's nothing we can do. I have a lot of power, but Imperial Guards always have the final say."
Nadia held back tears. "But isn't there something you can do?"
Empire of Chains (World in Chains Book 1) Page 18