World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "We should find cover," Ander said.

  Berig scanned his surroundings. "I don't mean to be negative, but we're kind of out in the open."

  Ander nodded, his face lined with worry.

  "Maybe it won't notice us," Danica said.

  "Let's hope so," Ander said. "We should stop moving. That gives it less of a chance of seeing us. We'll wait until it's far enough away, then start walking again."

  They froze, looking up toward the sky. Some of the others prayed, but Berig didn't. Why bother? Soon a creature appeared, larger than any Berig had ever seen. With long, leathery wings and scaled skin, it looked a lot like he'd imagined a dragon.

  But dragons were just myths, weren't they?

  It had long talons at the end of its feet, talons large enough to grab a person. Then there was its mouth. Filled with teeth like long swords, it was large enough to swallow a man whole.

  The flapping grew louder as the monster descended. It didn't breathe fire, so maybe it wasn't a dragon.

  The beast swooped lower, approaching with blinding speed. They all ducked low to the ground and covered their heads as though that could stop the monster. Despite his panic, Berig looked up.

  It flew toward him, its talons skimming the rocky hill. Those talons opened up, and Berig's stomach lurched. Seconds later, the talons closed around him, digging gouges into his skin. He screamed as it lifted him into the air, but he didn't expect any help.

  The beast flew swiftly above the dazzling red plateau. Berig watched with dismay as the party faded into the distance. He'd never expected it to end this way.

  Of course, this was how Graig had died. It had only taken Berig a few more days.

  The monster flew lower, toward an area where the rocks rose in jumbled towers. In the center of this area was a ring of large stones, just visible through the grip of the talons. The monster dropped Berig into the spot between these stones.

  He hit the ground with a heavy thud that knocked the wind out of him. Though everything hurt, it didn't feel like he'd broken any bones. Gingerly, slowly recovering his breath, he clambered to his feet and took a good look at where he'd landed.

  Around him stood oval stones at least a foot taller than Berig. They had an odd texture, surprisingly smooth, like no rock Berig had ever touched. From inside the stone came a faint scuttling sound and small movements. His stomach sank. These weren't stones.

  They were eggs. And Berig would be the babies' first meal.

  Chapter 43: A Desperate Effort

  Ander watched the monster fade into the distance, his chest so tight he could barely breathe. He would not let another person die on this journey. Losing Graig had been bad enough. Not to mention, he'd come to like Berig, for he saw a good man beneath the rough exterior.

  "We need to go after him," Danica said. "He could still be alive."

  Captain Davis frowned. "What makes you think that?"

  "It didn't eat him right away," Danica said. "Maybe it has other plans."

  Aric put a hand on Danica's shoulder. "I agree. Berig deserves our help, even if it's an extreme long shot."

  "Then there's no point waiting around," Ander said.

  Aric looked at Ander with wide eyes. "I wasn't expecting you to agree that easily. I was sure you'd say something about how the journey to Mountainside is most important."

  Ander hesitated. His logical side did say just that, but he'd taken on the leadership of this journey. Every person here was his responsibility. "Aric, you'll remain behind with Danica and Farah," he said. "Talia and the captain will come with me."

  Aric opened his mouth to protest.

  "The poison is weakening you," Ander said. "You need to conserve your energy."

  "I can help," Aric said. "I still have that much strength."

  "You will help," Ander said. "Someone needs to protect Danica and Farah. Neither one of them is particularly skilled at defending themselves just yet. Please, Aric, obey me this once."

  "All right, I understand."

  Ander nodded, then motioned for Talia and Captain Davis to follow him. They started up the uneven slope to the left of their path, moving carefully but quickly.

  "How far do you think it went?" the captain asked.

  Ander continued up the slope. "No idea. Not too far, I hope."

  "How're we gonna fight that thing?" Talia asked.

  Ander couldn't look her in the eye. "I wish I knew. Maybe it won't be there. Who knows? This could get us all killed, but it's my duty to protect everyone."

  "My duty as well," Captain Davis said.

  The slope gradually flattened, but the climb remained arduous. And slow. Too slow.

  When they reached the top of the slope, they stood atop the flat plateau, looking down to their former path hundreds of feet below. They could no longer see the others. Ander's stomach lurched. What if the monster came back for them?

  Doubt clung to him like a spider to its web. Wouldn't it be easier to leave Berig for dead? After all, Berig offered little to the Order—no skills apart from those of a thief. And did the Order need people like that?

  In this case, though, emotion achieved a rare win over logic. He hadn't even thrown logic aside for Nadia, whom he still thought about every day. Her determination. Her strength.

  She would rescue Berig. It was the right thing to do.

  "How will we know where the monster went?" Talia asked.

  "We know which way it was going," Ander said. "Beyond that, we'll have to guess."

  "We'll find him," the captain said.

  Ander wished he could believe that, wished they could find something other than their own deaths in the monster's lair, but he continued forward with grim determination. If he kept a strong front, maybe he could convince the others that he was confident.

  They walked through the afternoon, crossing the desolate plateau. All around them stood formations of rock carved out by countless years of dry wind. The red rocks, which had once looked beautiful to Ander, now made him think of blood. Berig's blood. Blood on his hands. Maybe he could have told the party to run, or even fight back, instead of being easy prey.

  Early that evening, they came across the monster's nest. Here, the rocks were taller than anywhere else, and the giant monster lay among these rocks, apparently asleep.

  Captain Davis kept his voice low. "Don't see Berig anywhere."

  "We aren't close enough yet," Talia said. "We can't give up on him."

  Ander fixed his eyes on the creature. "It's asleep. This is our best chance."

  "I really don't like this," said the captain.

  "We're going to do this," Ander said, motioning them forward. They followed slowly. Silently. With every step, Ander feared the beast would wake up. They reached the first set of rocks at the edge of the nest, perhaps a hundred feet from the beast.

  Off to their right, the tallest rocks of all formed an almost perfect circle. Unnatural. They approached these rocks in silence, and Ander touched the rough surface.

  "I don't see Berig anywhere," Captain Davis whispered. "It ate him already."

  Ander kept his voice low. "We have no proof of that."

  "If he was still alive, we'd have seen him," the captain said, a little more loudly.

  A soft voice came from within the rocks. "Hey, is that you?"

  Ander's heart leapt. "Berig, you're alive."

  "Not sure how long that'll last."

  "Keep your voice down," Ander said. "The monster's sleeping nearby."

  "It ain't the monster I'm worried about," Berig said, more quietly. "Its eggs are in here, and I think they're about to hatch. You gotta get me outta here."

  Ander stopped to consider. There were a few gaps in the rocks, but the rocks were far too large to move. Maybe he could use his staff to blast the rocks apart. A good jet of water perhaps? He had refrained from using his staff in the battles in the swamp, fearing that he might accidentally strike his friends.

  "I'll try using my staff," he said, feeling sick. "You ne
ed to step back, Berig."

  A few moments later, Berig said, "Okay, I think I'm outta the way."

  Ander took a deep breath, worried that using the staff would wake the monster, then launched a jet of water that struck the rocks with a loud roar. Bits of rock flaked off, but slowly, so slowly. Please, God, let this work.

  Gradually, the rocks crumbled, revealing a larger and larger hole. Ander's strength had begun to wane, but he gritted his teeth against the coming weakness.

  A deafening roar sounded behind him, and his stomach churned.

  "Ander, you need to hurry," Talia said.

  He didn't respond, redoubling his efforts as the roar sounded again. Closer. The ground trembled more violently with every passing second. He ignored it, though. He needed only a few more moments.

  "It's getting too close!" Captain Davis said, but Ander didn't turn.

  "Ander, you have to go faster!" Talia said, but he ignored her.

  "I'm gonna distract it," Captain Davis said. "Give you the chance to escape."

  "No, you can't!" Talia said.

  "I should've died back in Crayden," the captain said. "It's only fitting. Berig saved my life back in the swamp. Now it's time I saved his, time I made up for my wrong decisions."

  Talia sounded almost hysterical. "No, there has to be another way!"

  "There is no other way. Just take the chance to escape. Please."

  Ander wanted to say something, but he couldn't take his focus off the spell. Now the gap had widened almost enough for Berig to step through. Just a few more seconds.

  At last, the gap was wide enough, and Ander felt so weak he could barely stand. Berig scooted through, then used his small body to support Ander. Slowly, Ander recovered some strength. He turned.

  Across the nest, Captain Davis was running from the monster, which had focused its attention on him. He was a dead man already.

  Talia tugged at Ander's arm. "We have to do something."

  "There's nothing we can do," Ander said, leaning on Berig. "We have to run."

  Talia took one last look at the captain, then nodded weakly. They'd be foolish to waste his sacrifice. With a heavy heart, Ander began running. At first, he needed support from Berig and Talia, but his physical energy returned before his mental energy.

  He scrambled over the uneven rocks. His legs felt on the verge of collapsing. He ignored the sharpness of his breathing, but he couldn't ignore the captain's scream.

  The monster took Captain Davis in its jaws, tossed him in the air, then swallowed him whole—armor and all.

  Ander's knees buckled, but Talia caught him and pulled him along. He ran in a haze of emotion. No matter what the captain had said, he'd chosen to die a courageous death. Ander doubted he could ever do anything so brave, so selfless.

  After a few minutes, they stopped, gasping for air. The monster hadn't followed. Maybe it had found enough of a meal. Maybe it didn't know it had lost the meal it had gathered for its children.

  They walked in a tense and somber mood, in silence, too stunned to speak.

  "It's all my fault," Berig said at last, looking down at the ground.

  Talia put a hand on his shoulder. "No, it's not."

  "We would've done the same for anyone," Ander said. "Don't blame yourself."

  "I shouldn't have been caught in the first place," Berig said.

  "It was out of your control," Ander said. "Even knowing what I know now, I would make the decision again. You don't leave people behind when you might be able to save them. You saved his life back in the swamp. Now he returned the favor."

  "It don't matter," Berig said, in tears.

  Ander moved closer to Berig, put his hand on the man's shoulder. "He died the way he would have wanted. I'm sure you noticed how he was this whole time. He was a lot like you Berig, blaming himself. He wanted to protect everyone. He died protecting us, making up for what he saw as his failures. He wouldn't want us to be upset. I know that much."

  Berig shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe you're right."

  Night fell as they walked back toward the main path, barely speaking. When they reached the bottom of the slope, they found the others waiting. At first, they all rushed over with cheers of relief, but then they looked around, shaking their heads.

  "What happened to Captain Davis?" Aric asked.

  Ander could barely speak. "He's dead."

  "How did it happen?" Danica asked softly, tears in her eyes.

  Ander took a few deep breaths, then went over the evening's events. To his surprise, he managed not to choke up again, not until he finished.

  "He died a hero," Danica said. "It's what he would've wanted."

  "Yes, it is," Ander said through tears. "He's in a better place now."

  * * * * *

  Berig woke early the next morning, while Talia stood the night's last watch. He felt numb over the captain's death. The rational side of his mind could agree that it hadn't been his fault, but he'd never been able to think that way consistently.

  The rest of the party remained, all except Farah. Where was she?

  Berig approached Talia. "You seen Farah?"

  "She said she had to relieve herself."

  "How long ago?"

  "Quite a while. I wonder if she's in trouble."

  "I'll go check." Berig started in the direction Talia indicated. The moonlight cast an eerie, silver light upon the rocky depression in which they rested. He glanced occasionally to the sky, afraid he might see that monster again. Could it have captured Farah?

  Berig wandered for a few minutes. The farther he walked, the more his stomach churned, the more he feared she'd been eaten. He hadn't felt much of a connection to her, but she was a human being, and no one deserved to die like that.

  At last, he gave up. No way she'd have gone this far. He turned around and traipsed back toward camp. How would he break this news to the rest of them?

  When he reached camp, though, he saw Farah talking to Talia.

  "How'd you end up back here?" he asked, dumbfounded.

  Farah turned. "Oh, you must have just missed me."

  "How could I have missed you, unless you went way off the path?"

  "It's dark," Farah said. "It's easy to miss things in the dark."

  "Yeah, I guess so." But Berig wasn't convinced. He remembered Captain Davis's suspicions about Farah.

  Still, what could she do stranded in the middle of nowhere?

  They walked through the next morning, stopping occasionally so that Aric could rest. Maybe they'd find some way to cure him in Mountainside. For now, though, Berig couldn't think that far ahead, couldn't stop thinking about the captain's death.

  Red canyon walls towered over them again. Around midday, they reached the entrance to a cave, and after a brief debate, they entered it

  Ander lit the tip of his staff, casting dim light about their surroundings. The cave was narrower than the canyon, and the dark passage twisted along, offering one path. Their surroundings were empty and silent, like the plateau in general.

  Eventually, they came to a place where there were strange holes in the walls. Berig peered into one of these holes. Something seemed to be stirring in there. A firm hand yanked him back as a giant, snakelike head emerged from the hole, snapping at the air where Berig had been.

  He tried in vain to calm his pounding heart.

  "A little more caution please," Ander said. "We've lost enough people already."

  "Sorry. Guess I was just curious."

  Ander released Berig and stepped forward. The snake head emerged from the hole again, but this time Ander sent a jet of fire at it. It recoiled, diving back into the hole.

  Ander motioned the others forward. "I think it should be safe now. Follow me, okay?"

  There were six of these holes. Whenever they approached one, a giant head emerged, but Ander made all these creatures think better of attacking them.

  A few minutes later, natural light seeped into the cave. They arrived at the cave's exit and stood a
gain in a wide canyon, the walls rising vertically on both sides. Berig had never been all that scared of enclosed spaces, even those that were also dark, but he was glad to see sunlight again. He also had the strange feeling they had almost reached the end of the plateau.

  A feeling that shortly proved correct.

  Berig's heart leapt with joy when the red walls came to an end. The rest of the group hastened their paces, smiling for the first time since the captain's death. They'd given up so much on this quest, but it did matter. Mountainside awaited them.

  As soon as they stepped out of the canyon, though, a commanding voice rang out. "Put down your weapons."

  Berig looked to the right, where more than a dozen Imperial Guards had aimed their bows at the party.

  * * * * *

  Darien didn't know if he could take much more of this. With all the time he spent reading the Webs and worrying about the pair of quests, he barely had time to sleep. Yes, he was immortal, but he still needed sleep, and the lack of it was wearing on him.

  He had come far too close to losing Berig. This time, it had been only chance that saved the future. Try as he might, Darien could not control the creature that took Berig.

  Sending Farah with the party had helped them through some of the worst. Without her healing powers, Berig would be dead now. Without her interference, Darien wouldn't have known when to send Imperial Guards to wait for the party.

  It was a shame to waste everything they'd lost on that quest, but they needed to be captured. Otherwise, events would not play out properly.

  "Farah is here to see you," said Darien's steward, startling him out of thought.

  Darien leaned forward on his throne. "Send her in."

  A short time later, Farah stepped into his presence and gave him a deep bow. "Have I done well, Your Majesty?"

  "Yes, you played your part perfectly. I apologize for putting you in such danger."

  "I know you don't want to hear this," she said, "but I feel bad about betraying them. They were kind to me, and they had every reason not to be."

  "I understand how you feel, because I feel the same way myself. If it helps you to feel better, you didn't truly betray them. I do not wish them dead. I have other plans for them."