World in Chains- The Complete Series

by Ryan W. Mueller

  A low rumble came from above them, and Nadia looked up to see something sleek, metallic, and shiny darting through the sky.

  "What the hell was that?" Markus asked.

  "An aircraft," said a nearby sailor. "They allow us to fly to any destination within the empire in a matter of hours."

  "Then why do you need a ship like this?" Nadia asked.

  "No one's told you? There's a magical barrier around the empire. Our technology can't cross that barrier. Even our own knowledge of that technology goes away out here. We get it back as soon as we cross the barrier. Kind of odd, but you get used to it."

  "So have we crossed the barrier then?" Nadia asked.

  "Yeah, about fifteen minutes ago."

  "But why do you need a barrier like that?" she asked.

  "Keeps our technology from spreading to people who don't deserve it."

  She wanted to see this technology for herself. "Do you have computers here?"

  "All over the place. It's probably a good thing we forget so much when we go out to sea. Otherwise, we'd never stay away long. We'd want to go back home."

  She thought of the tough time she'd had with the computer beneath the Ruins of Sandersburg. It was strange to think that such things could be so common in this place. Strange and exhilarating. There had to be all kinds of possibilities here.

  Could the technology here hold the key to accessing the Shadowed Land and finding Kara and Rik? Yes, the sorcerers of Luminia might not know a way, but if knowledge of this technology was truly contained within the barrier around the empire, then there was no telling what that technology might be able to do.

  "Nadia, you look excited about something," Markus said.

  "I was just thinking. This technology might hold the key to rescuing Kara and Rik."

  His eyes widened. "Didn't think of that. This could be just the opportunity we need."

  As the ship neared shore, Nadia could barely contain her excitement, and she almost forgot that she was a prisoner. For the first time in a while, she felt optimistic. There had to be some reason the president had sent soldiers after them. Perhaps the people here could also read the Webs of Fate.

  At last, the ship docked. Before Nadia could even think of making a run for it, more soldiers boarded the ship. Two of them pointed long, metallic objects at Markus and Nadia. Blue light burst forth from the openings at the end of the objects.

  Nadia and Markus recoiled and covered their heads, though Nadia knew that wouldn't protect them. She expected to feel pain when the light hit her, but instead the blue light hit her with a slight tingle. A moment later, it formed into a mostly transparent cylinder around her.

  Captain Cress approached from their right. "We call it a force field. Try reaching out to touch it."

  When Nadia's hand touched the light, she felt that tingle again, and she couldn't move her hand any farther.

  "The force field can only move at the will of the person who created it," said Captain Cress. "So there's no way you can escape it."

  "Then we are prisoners?" Nadia said.

  Captain Cress nodded. "For the moment."

  The soldiers led them off the deck. As long as Nadia and Markus maintained the same pace as the soldiers who'd created the force field, they didn't run into the fields' edges.

  Up close, the lights of the city looked even more amazing. The city's buildings also towered higher than any Nadia had ever seen. Some looked almost as tall as a small mountain. On the sides of buildings were glowing signs featuring images that changed perhaps every thirty seconds. More aircraft rumbled overhead.

  The docks were the only part of the city that looked anything like the world back home. Even here, though, there was ample evidence of the empire's technology. People pointed devices at stacks of crates, and the crates lifted off the ground as if they weighed nothing.

  Soon the group left the docks behind. Now they stood at the edge of what looked like a road, but it wasn't made of dirt or cobblestones. Instead, it was made of some kind of hard gray material. She reached down to touch it.

  "Why are we waiting here?" she asked Captain Cress.

  "We're waiting for our car."

  Nadia frowned at him. "Car? I've never heard that word before."

  "There it is," said Captain Cress, pointing as a large, silvery, metallic object with smooth curves raced toward them from their left. It came to a smooth stop right in front of them. A strange door flipped open vertically, emitting a low hiss.

  "Step inside," said one of the soldiers maintaining the force fields. Nadia and Markus obeyed. The inside of the car featured seats with some of the softest cushions Nadia had ever felt, and she'd grown up living a life of luxury, so she knew soft.

  Markus's eyes were wide as he gazed around the car. Another soldier sat toward what Nadia guessed was the front of the car. In front of him were countless glowing images that reminded Nadia of the computer beneath Sandersburg. There were so many interesting things she felt as if she couldn't take them all in.

  The car began to move, startling Nadia, who was pressed into the back of her seat by the sudden acceleration. They raced through the streets, gliding smoothly. Nadia didn't feel the road as she would in a carriage.

  "Is this thing even touching the road?" she asked.

  Sitting in the row of seats behind her, Captain Cress said, "No, it hovers a few inches off the ground. Antigravity technology."

  Nadia couldn't help but smile. "It's the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen."

  Outside the car's windows, the city rushed by them. They were moving so fast she never got a good look at anything, but what she did see made her wonder why the empire had kept all this technology from the rest of the world. Though everything was seemingly perfect here, she was beginning to see what Kris had meant. Any place with technology like this should share it. People throughout the world were suffering, and the empire lived in luxury.

  That was wrong.

  It seemed like only a few moments later when the car came to a stop. Maintaining the force fields, the soldiers directed Nadia and Markus out of the car. They stepped onto a path made of light gray stone. On the nearby road, vehicles flashed by so fast Nadia could barely see them. Some kind of walkway had been constructed over the street, and many people were walking through it, visible through the clear glass walls.

  "There'll be time for sightseeing later," said Captain Cress. "We've gotta visit the president."

  Nadia turned her attention to what stood ahead of them. All she could see was a massive wall that glowed with the same blue light that surrounded Markus and Nadia. Probably a force field around the entire wall. That was impressive, and more than a little unsettling.

  Wherever they were taking Nadia and Markus, it looked like a prison.

  They marched to a gate manned by two guards in the same crisp military uniforms. The guards saluted Captain Cress, then stepped aside to let the party enter. They must have been expected. Nadia took deep breaths, praying this would turn out well.

  Beyond the gate were gardens that dwarfed those that had surrounded her castle back home, and they were all beautifully maintained. She spotted a worker off to their right, but there was something strange about the way the person moved.

  When the worker looked up, Nadia recoiled so quickly she hit the back of her force field. The uncomfortable tingling ran through her until she moved back to the center.

  But she still couldn't believe her eyes.

  The worker wasn't a man or a woman. It had a metallic head. Its movements were a bit jerky, and instead of eyes, a ring of red light circled its head.

  "Would you mind telling me what that is?" she said to no one in particular.

  "That's a robot," said Captain Cress. "They're mechanical and electrical beings. They ain't actually alive, but we've designed 'em to closely mimic life."

  Nadia had read of electricity in her library back home, but she'd only come across a few mentions of it and hadn’t understood it. She wanted to ask about
it, but it didn't seem the time. With every step they took, she felt more and more tense.

  They marched through the rest of the garden, eventually emerging before the grandest palace Nadia had ever seen. It wasn't made of gold like Warrick's palace, but it was even more magnificent in its own way. Its surface gleamed, and parts of it seemed to hang over nothing, as if this palace could disobey the physical laws of the world.

  The palace stood perhaps a hundred feet tall and was so wide she couldn't even see how far it stretched. Brilliant blue lights hung from the walls, casting the palace in a glow that was both beautiful and a little eerie. The walls were not flat; instead, they made all kinds of smooth curves. Intricate designs had been carved above each level of the palace. Some parts of the palace ended in what she could best describe as swirling pyramids.

  Captain Cress smiled as if he detected her awe. "It's a beautiful sight, ain't it?"

  Beautiful, yes, but Nadia had no idea what was in store for them beyond the palace walls.

  Chapter 5: The Border

  The journey south from Luminia was largely uneventful. Berig, Lara, and Aric stayed on the warded roads, and no monsters threatened them. The smaller towns to the south of Luminia were not as prosperous as the City of Light, but they seemed safe places.

  From time to time, the party passed guards who kept the roads safe. In the nation of Luminia, there were rarely bandit attacks. Still, the party remained alert.

  It was an odd change after spending so much time in danger crossing the Clanlands. Berig kept expecting attacks, but nothing ever appeared to challenge them.

  After a few weeks of traveling, they reached the border between Luminia and the New Earth Empire. They stopped to rest in a town right at the border, where they'd look for a smuggler to get them across. First, they examined the border.

  It wasn't visible at all, but when they reached out their hands, they hit an invisible barrier that felt as solid as stone.

  The town they'd reached looked much like towns back home, with wooden buildings whose materials were taken from the nearby forest. The place was well-maintained. A few parts of the town looked less respectable, but were still better than the worst parts of Bradenton.

  Berig thought back to his time growing up there. Those days felt like a mere ghost of a memory, as if they belonged to another lifetime. Was he the same person who'd struggled to survive on the streets of Bradenton? Or had leaving the Empire changed him as Danica had always suggested.

  Danica. He thought of how her smile could lift everyone's spirits, how her words could convince him he was capable of anything. If anyone could survive the Shadowed Land, it was Danica. But would he ever see her again, or would she become like his memories of home?

  In their time on the road, he'd grown closer to Lara. But she was clearly too beautiful to feel anything for him. He'd cleaned up his appearance a bit back in Luminia, but now his beard had grown unruly again. He was too rough for her, too dumb, too ordinary.

  They stopped at a well-kept inn. Friendly chatter filled the common room, and most of the people looked as if they weren't dangerous. A few questionable people sat in the corners, but everyone ignored them, and they seemed to ignore everyone else in return.

  "How're we gonna go about this?" Berig asked as they stood near the inn's entrance. A thin layer of smoke filled the room, but it smelled clean otherwise.

  Aric ran a hand through his reddish beard. "Not really sure."

  "Shouldn't we just ask somebody?" Lara said.

  Berig appreciated that side of Lara. She was the kind of person who took a direct approach, so she knew how to get things done. Berig wished he could do the same.

  "I'm not sure that's wise," Aric said. "We're talking about breaking a law."

  "Not a Luminian law," Lara said. She strode forward and stopped at the bar, behind which the innkeeper was working, handing out drinks and serving food.

  The man looked up at her. "You need something?"

  She kept her voice low. "We need to get across the border."

  Berig's entire body tensed as he awaited the innkeeper's response.

  "I know a man who can help you," said the innkeeper. "Follow me."

  Berig couldn't quite let go of his tension, and now he suspected the innkeeper had agreed too readily. Berig had always been suspicious by nature, and the last few months hadn't changed a thing. Then again, he'd never found any reason to distrust the citizens of Luminia. They were quite different from anyone he'd ever met. Very few of them had been unpleasant in any way.

  The innkeeper led them across the crowded common room, weaving between wooden tables, most of which were occupied. The smell of various drinks hung in the air, and Berig thought briefly of returning to his old ways, but he pushed those thoughts aside. That was a side of himself he never wanted to see again.

  They approached one of the more questionable types seated in a corner of the room, at a table that looked more weathered than the others. The man was large and muscular with a short brown beard. Scars crisscrossed his face.

  "What do you want?" he asked, looking up from a plate of meat and vegetables.

  Lara stepped toward him, showing no fear. "We need to cross the border."

  "You got money?"

  "How much do you want?" Lara asked.

  "How much you got?"

  "I'm not going to let you overcharge us," Lara said. "Name your price."

  "You know how to play this game." He tapped his fingers on the wooden table. "Ten gold coins."

  They had enough money to meet that price, but it still seemed excessive.

  "Five," Lara said.

  "Ten," said the smuggler. "Take it or leave it. I'm not lowering my price."

  Lara narrowed her eyes. "Seven."

  "Did you not hear me? Ten gold coins. Accept my offer or leave me alone."

  "Just give him ten," Aric said. "He knows he's in a position that he can charge us anything he wants."

  The smuggler chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't go that far. I have to keep my rates competitive with my rivals. Otherwise, I'd get no business."

  "It still seems like a lot," Lara said.

  "In case you haven't noticed, you're asking me to do something very dangerous. I require appropriate compensation for risking my life."

  With a sigh, Lara took ten gold coins from her pocket and handed them to the smuggler. He examined the coins for a few moments before slipping them into his own pocket.

  "It's best if we cross the border at night," he said. "But it'll still be dangerous."

  "We know," Aric said. "We've accepted the risk."

  The smuggler nodded. "Then meet me at midnight right here in the common room."

  He didn't ask for their names, and they didn't ask for his. They were only going to associate with each other for one night, and then they'd never see each other again.

  Still, Berig felt uneasy about their deal as they shared dinner in the common room. "You sure we should trust him?"

  "No," Aric said. "But we haven't got much choice."

  "As long as he gets us across the border," Lara said, "I don't care how I feel about him. He's a smuggler. He's not going to be the most decent human being, but smugglers are motivated by money, and we're paying him well."

  Berig swallowed a bite of soggy vegetables. "But that's the problem. What if someone else is paying him better?"

  "Paying him better to do what?" Lara asked.

  "I don’t know."

  Berig, Lara, and Aric retired to a room for the rest of the evening. They managed a few hours of sleep before midnight arrived, and then they made their way down to the common room, where they found the smuggler sitting at the same table in the corner.

  "You ready?" he asked, getting to his feet.

  They all nodded, though Berig felt even more uneasy now. Maybe it was the fact that they were doing something that could get them executed, but he still couldn't shake his distrust of the smuggler. This man was not like Klint. Berig caught no hints of a dece
nt man beneath the rough exterior. Instead, Berig thought he saw a man who'd do anything for the right price.

  Night was a dark shadow upon the city as they left the inn. A few torches glowed, casting dancing black shadows against the walls of buildings. There was a definite chill to the air, a reminder that summer was long behind them.

  The smuggler led them out of the city and to the east. As they traveled, he placed his hand against the invisible barrier every few minutes. Then he'd shake his head, and they'd start walking again. Berig didn't understand.

  "Don't you know where the weak spots are?" he asked.

  "It's not so easy," said the smuggler. "They move from day to day." He fell silent, running his hand along the invisible barrier. Berig caught no hint of anyone on the other side of the border, but he still worried that someone would catch them.

  At last, the smuggler stopped, and his hand pushed through the invisible barrier. "This is the spot," he said. "Now let's hurry across before anyone notices."

  Berig peered across the dark, tree-filled landscape beyond. "I don't see anyone."

  "For now," the smuggler said. "But they're alerted whenever someone crosses the barrier. Even what I just did is enough to alert them, so let's get moving."

  They crossed the barrier. Berig felt the same slight resistance he'd experienced back in the Empire. Lara hesitated, apparently noticing the same thing, but Aric stepped through as if nothing were there.

  "That all there is to it?" Berig asked.

  "Not quite. There are two barriers: an inner barrier and an outer barrier. We've crossed the outer barrier, but we've got a few miles to go before we can cross the inner barrier." The smuggler began waking. "The weak spots are more consistent on the inner barrier. Follow me and you should be fine."

  They walked through the darkness, skirting between trees. The only sound was that of leaves crunching beneath their feet. They did not talk, for any sound might carry enough to alert the empire's border guards. Berig's chest felt tighter and tighter as they traveled.

  The smuggler appeared to know where he was going, but there was no proof that he was leading them toward a weak spot in the barrier. Maybe he was leading them to the border guards.