A vast chamber opened before them, featuring many large stone pillars in a pit at the bottom of some stairs. Perhaps hundreds of statues lined the pit, organized in straight lines like soldiers, standing the same height as an ordinary person. All the statues held swords. Real swords. Even the statues looked as if they might come to life at any second.
Another set of chain mail sat at the bottom of the stairs, among the statues. Not far from that was a small cylindrical object. Nadia pointed. "What do you think that is?"
Markus peered down from the top of the stairs. "I can't tell, and I'm kind of scared to get closer. I don't like the way those things look." He grimaced. "And my arm started burning really bad as soon as we entered this room."
"I know what you mean," Aric said. "About those things at least. They look like they could come to life at any moment."
Ander strode forward. "Well, we have to go that way."
"I'll go down first," Nadia said. "After all, this is my quest."
"Be careful, Nadia," Ander said, putting a hand on her shoulder. This time, he couldn't keep the fear out of his voice.
Slowly, she made her way down the stairs. The soldiers didn't move, but how long would that last? Two steps from the bottom, she looked again at the cylindrical object. A scroll? Could the first part of White Fire be sitting right here in front of her?
Standing on the bottom step, she reached out toward it, but it was too far. Her intuition told her not to step off the stairs. Why had the scroll fallen here? It should have been taken deeper into the temple, where no one could ever find it.
She reached out again, and her right foot slipped. As soon as it touched the floor, the sword-wielding soldiers came to life, shaking their heads in confusion.
Heart pounding, Nadia scooped up the scroll, then raced back up the steps. From behind her came the grunting of the soldiers and hundreds of quick footsteps. She glanced back to see the soldiers moving with alarming speed.
"We have to run!" she said, racing past the others. Even with Ander's staff, they couldn't take on that many enemies. They rounded the many twists and turns of the corridor, the hurried footsteps growing louder and more terrifying behind them.
"What the hell are those things?" Rik asked breathlessly
"No idea," Nadia said. "Some form of undead perhaps?"
"It doesn't matter," Ander said in the rear of the group. Every few seconds, he sent blasts of fire at the approaching soldiers. Occasionally, their pursuers collided with one another, but they moved far too quickly, making up the ground in no time.
The group reached the vast chamber with the giant statues, but the soldiers were only a few seconds behind, filling the wide corridors from side to side. Blast after blast of fire brightened their surroundings, but the glow dimmed with each spell.
Nadia kept running. "Are you doing all right, Ander?"
"It's getting more difficult. I'm not sure how long I can keep this up."
They sprinted to the door where they'd needed the blue stone. Then, in what seemed a matter of seconds, they returned to the temple's entrance and raced out into the dark city.
Nadia looked back. Their pursuers had now fanned out without the constraints of the temple's corridors. The army stood as wide as they had in their original chamber. How could they avoid so many with Ander growing weaker?
Cold settled all around them, and Nadia's heart raced. This reminded her of running from the Imperial Guard in the forest, but this time no one would come to her rescue. She raced across the uneven terrain, picking her way through the tangled underbrush.
"I can't do it anymore," Ander said from behind her. "Rik, take the staff!"
Nadia expected to see the glow of fire, but it didn't come.
"I-I can't make it work!" Rik said.
"Concentrate," Ander said.
"How the hell am I supposed to concentrate right now?"
The hill at the edge of the city came into view, but so did an army of wraiths standing directly in their path. That evil cold intensified, and she could barely stay on her feet.
They came to a stop, boxed in on all sides. To their left and right stood the city's closely packed buildings and alleys overgrown with vegetation. In front of them, the wraiths hovered soundlessly. And from behind came the undead army.
Legs shaking, Nadia turned to Rik. "You need to get that staff working!"
"I'm trying, but it feels different than the other one."
"Well, try a bit faster," Markus said, glancing in every direction. The difficult path had given them a little extra time, but not enough.
The wraiths closed in. Icy air stabbed Nadia. She fell to a squat, barely able to keep from collapsing. Her vision became fuzzy, and her lungs ached. She felt like she was about to pass out. The hill at the edge of the city, the location of the barrier, was so close.
But they would never reach it.
Chapter 31
Markus trembled as the undead army closed in on them. Even if Rik got the staff working, he couldn't handle both the soldiers and the wraiths.
Markus's arm burned more than ever where the skeleton had grabbed it. In fact, the burning had intensified ever since they'd awakened the undead soldiers.
The rest of the group had pale faces, their eyes wide with panic. Only Rik had taken action, flinging magic at the soldiers. Markus felt a strange buzzing in his mind, like hundreds of thoughts going through his head—all saying one thing.
Kill.
The thoughts of the undead soldiers. An insane idea struck him.
"Stop!" he called out, and their pursuers came to a complete standstill about five feet away, their hands clenched around their swords.
Rik stared with his mouth open. "What the hell just happened?"
"Attack the wraiths!" Markus said, pointing at the black creatures hovering about twenty feet away. Rik turned and sent bursts of lightning at the wraiths. After a few of the creatures dissolved into nothing, the others flew out of the way.
The party exchanged quick glances, then rushed through the opening the wraiths had left. Behind them, the hundreds of soldiers remained where they were, watching the party go with dead, chilling eyes.
Return to your posts, Markus thought, directing the words toward the soldiers, who immediately turned and walked back toward the temple.
The party maintained a quick pace, stopping to rest only once they'd passed the barrier. The burning in Markus's arm had faded with the retreat of the undead army.
Ander was panting. "I think we all need an explanation."
"I don't really know what happened," Markus said, before explaining the series of events and thoughts that had led him to dismissing the undead army.
"I've never heard anything like that," Ander said. He turned to Nadia. "What about the scroll? Is it what we came for?
Nadia unfurled the scroll and examined it. Relief flooded her features. "Yes, it's the first part of White Fire. We didn't lose Kara for nothing."
Markus leaned against a tree, waiting for his legs to stop shaking. He looked back at the dark cloud hanging over the city and decided he'd never return again.
Nadia wiped sweat from her brow. "What if Kara's lost somewhere in there?"
"No, I think she's somewhere else," Markus said.
"How do you know? What if we're leaving her there to suffer?"
"The city is huge," Ander said. "We can't find her without too much danger. I know you don't want to hear it, but she's probably dead."
Nadia glared at him. "She's not dead. I would know."
Ander knelt next to Nadia, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Look. I know it hurts right now, but death is not the worst thing that can happen to someone."
She continued glaring at him.
"You believe in God," he said. "God takes care of us when we die. If we're good, we go to Heaven, where we live in eternal happiness. If Kara's dead, that's good for her."
"But she's not dead," Nadia said. "I know it."
Ander stood again.
"Okay, but feeling bad about it won't change anything. I know how horrible it is. You don't deserve to lose everyone like that. Nobody does. But we have to move on. Kara wouldn't want you to give up."
Aric's voice sounded hollow. "He's right."
Markus felt awkward, like someone who'd intruded on a funeral. He looked to Rik for reassurance, but Rik avoided his gaze.
"I have an idea," Markus said. "It's crazy, but it might give us something. I'm thinking the undead soldiers might know something. I'll talk to them." It wasn't something he wanted to do, but he had to do it for Nadia.
She looked up at him through teary eyes. "Thank you."
"Rik, I think you'll have to come with me," Markus said. "You still have the best chance with the staff, at least until Ander recovers. You okay with coming?"
Rik chewed on his lower lip. "I don't want to go back, but we have to try."
They took a few moments to recover, then made the slow descent toward the city. Markus quested out with his thoughts, trying to find the undead army, and though he could hear something faintly, he couldn't connect with them.
Rik kept glancing back and forth, looking for wraiths, but the city's familiar cold had vanished. Even as far as the entrance to the temple, Markus couldn't make out the soldiers' thoughts. Reluctantly, he nodded to Rik, and they reentered the temple. A place that had seemed terrifying before suddenly didn't bother him so much.
The buzzing in his head grew stronger, but it wasn't until they reached the chamber where the soldiers were lined up that he could connect with them. For now, they were thinking restful thoughts, but they did remain alert for intruders.
Can you hear me? Markus thought to them, unsure if it would work.
The Death Speaker has returned.
I have a question for you.
We might know the answer.
Elsewhere in these ruins, we came across a creature: this wispy, silver orb. When it touched a friend of ours, she disappeared with it. Where is she? Is she still in the city?
She is not here, the soldiers told him. She is in another place. She is alive.
Please, do you know where she is?
That we do not know. We are sorry.
Well, at least she's alive, and she's not here, Markus thought to himself before turning his thoughts back to the soldiers. Thank you.
You are welcome, Death Speaker.
Markus disengaged his connection with the undead army. Though he had no idea how he'd done it, speaking to them felt almost natural. Briefly, he forgot that Rik hadn't heard any of the conversation. He was staring off into space, a little warily.
"Did it work?" he asked.
"Well, they spoke to me. She's alive, but she's not here. The problem is they don't know where she is."
"Better than nothing, I guess. Let's get back to the others. This place still scares me."
"What happened to all those dreams of adventure?" Markus asked.
"I think I can find less scary adventures."
Markus laughed softly. "I think adventures generally are scary."
"Yeah, maybe."
They retraced their steps, keeping alert for danger. Nothing threatened them all the way out of the temple, and though occasional blasts of cold hit Markus as he walked through the city, he didn't see any wraiths.
A few minutes later, they reunited with the rest of the tired and sweaty group. Nadia rushed toward Markus. "Did you find out anything?"
"She's not there," Markus said. "She isn't dead either. But that was all they could tell me."
Nadia looked down at the ground. "Well, at least we know that much."
Markus's stomach felt hollow as he saw the tears trickling down her face. She deserved a break after losing so much.
"I'm sorry," he said, "but we'll find her. It might just take a while."
Nadia didn't look up. "Will she be alive when we do?"
"There's no use speculating," Ander said. "We'll have to keep Kara in mind and search her out where we can, but at the moment, we have nothing. We can't go chasing windmills."
Rik raised an eyebrow. "Windmills? I've always wondered where that phrase comes from."
"I don't know," Ander said. "I've just heard people use it. Any idea, Nadia?"
She shook her head. "I haven't come across it anywhere."
Hearing the pain in her voice, Markus wanted to comfort her, but it would feel awkward. There was something romantic brewing between Nadia and Ander, and though Ander didn't seem the jealous type, it would be best not to anger him.
"We should head back to the cabin," Ander said. "We have what we need."
If only it hadn't cost them so much.
They returned to the cabin late that night. Markus felt so exhausted that he collapsed into his bed immediately. Uncle Theo wanted to ask questions, but Markus was in no mood to answer. He'd do it tomorrow morning.
When he woke, it was almost midday. He yawned as he stepped out into the cabin's main room, where his uncle was sitting in his favorite wooden chair. The rest of the group that had gone to Woodsville filled the room as well.
"Sleep well?" Uncle Theo said, with a half-smile.
Markus yawned again. "I kind of wish I'd slept longer."
"Well, at least they've already told me everything that happened," his uncle said. "The only thing I'm curious about is how you spoke to those undead soldiers. I once saw Warrick do something similar, but I've never heard of anyone else able to do such a thing."
Markus didn't feel like talking about this again. "Well, I don't really know. It just came to me all of a sudden. They called me a Death Speaker, whatever that means." He met Nadia's eyes. "Any ideas?"
"No, I've never come across the term."
"I still think it had something to do with those skeletons," Markus said. "The closer those soldiers came, the more my arm burned."
"It makes sense to me," Rik said, sitting against the wall.
"Not that it really matters," Ander said. "We need to figure out who's going where now."
Nadia fidgeted in a wooden chair. "I'm going west. At some point, I'll have to go that way to kill Warrick, and the Oasis Outpost lies in the middle of the path."
"The Oasis Outpost?" Rik said.
"It's where Cyrus Middleton lives," she said. "He's a sorcerer as old as Warrick. If anyone knows where we can find the other two scrolls of White Fire, he will."
"He also goes to Mountainside," Ander said. "He can only travel between the two."
"Mountainside is the exact wrong way," she said. "A part of me would like to go there and help the Order somewhere that they can really make a difference, but I'm so close to killing Warrick now. I have to see this through."
"I'd like to come with you," Ander said, pacing. "Believe me, I would, but I still think you're trying to do the impossible. I can do a lot of good for the Order. I can't throw that chance away." He stopped. "I also know I can't convince you to change your mind."
"I understand," she said. "My path isn't for everyone."
Markus was still trying to determine what he wanted to do. With Imperial Guards looking for him, the smart choice was going to Mountainside. But what might happen to Nadia if she set out alone? There was also something that attracted him to her, though he couldn't say if he liked her or not, as she was too closed off, too narrowly focused.
Ander cleared his throat. "Besides, even if you do succeed, Nadia, there will be war. The Order will need good leaders to win that war. People like me."
She nodded weakly. "I understand. I know you'll do everything you can."
The sadness in her voice tore at Markus. She had probably expected that Kara would accompany her at the very least, that she wouldn't go alone.
He made up his mind. "I'm coming with you."
She furrowed her brow. "I thought you wanted to go to Mountainside."
"The Order will have enough help with people like Ander," Markus said, "but what you're doing is more important, even if it's a long shot."
Rik brok
e into a grin. "I'm coming, too. After all, friends stick together. Right?"
"Always," Markus said with a smile.
Tears glistened in Nadia's eyes. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me. For so long, I thought I'd do this alone, but you're right. I do need help."
Markus had to resist the temptation to put an arm around her shoulders and comfort her. She was a noble. Yes, commoners could rise to nobility, but he never intended to make that change.
"I'm still not sure what to do," Aric said, looking around the cabin. "My head tells me I should go with Ander. My heart tells me to go with you, Nadia." He scratched at his reddish-blond beard. At last, he said, "Sorry, Nadia, but I have to do what makes sense. Like it or not, your quest is an extreme long shot."
She wiped her eyes. "But it's the best chance we have."
"It's also something that requires secrecy," Aric said. "A party of three feels more suited to the task. You don't want to attract attention."
Markus could understand the logic in that. Warrick had spies everywhere, spies who wouldn't pay much attention to three young people. Certainly not as much attention as they'd give a large party of Order members.
"He makes a good point," Uncle Theo said, startling Markus.
Nadia reluctantly nodded agreement. Her tears had dried now, and she'd adopted a mask of determination. How could she control her emotions so well with everything she'd endured?
With everything still to come?
* * * * *
Darien massaged his temples, but nothing could relieve his headache. He had spent too much time looking at the Webs of Fate again. And why had he done it?
Woodsville was a place his magic could not reach, a place where he had no control. But he'd spent his time viewing the present through the Webs, as though he could change something. He hated to admit it, but he had come to care about Nadia and Markus, and not just as tools to achieve his goals. In a strange way, he had come to know them.
He leaned on the table in the chamber where he read the Webs, cursing himself for caring too much. Nadia, Markus, and all the others were tools, nothing more. If he came to care about them as people, he would lose sight of his goals. He could not let that happen.
Empire of Chains (World in Chains Book 1) Page 25