Markus shoved those thoughts aside, though. He didn't need to worry about Rik right now. Rik was strong. Surely he'd survived this long in the Shadowed Land.
They delved deeper into the temple, Daniel leading the way. He'd made the Pilgrimage, so he knew his way around the temple. At first, Markus could hear only the rhythmic tapping of their own feet. But then it came to him, a whisper in the air.
The soldiers.
Markus's chest tightened, but he continued forward. If they ran into the soldiers, they'd have to handle them, whatever that required. These men were probably just doing their jobs. Did they deserve to die for that?
Markus looked down at his hands, almost as if he could see the blood that would stain them. After all, if they succeeded in disabling the Machine, it would bring untold devastation to the New Earth Empire. Countless people would die.
How many people had already died in their series of insane quests? Jakob in the Forest of Darkness. Alana in Warrick's palace. Karin at the hands of the Defender. There were probably others he'd forgotten, or that he'd never known. All this blood stained his hands, their hands. Was this what it took to save the world? Were they even on the path to doing that?
No matter what all these sorcerers said, Markus couldn't put complete faith in them, or in their Webs of Fate. Why did these Webs choose him, or Nadia, or Berig? What made them different from the millions of other people who would suffer if Krinir destroyed the world?
Was it nothing but random chance?
Berig tensed suddenly. "They're up ahead," he whispered. "Just around the corner."
No one questioned him. Berig had told them of his powerful senses, the ability his magical nature had given him. Markus's mouth felt dry as they inched forward, nearing the corner. The soldiers were close. He could almost feel their presence, heavy and threatening.
Could he truly bring himself to kill them?
They rounded the corner. The soldiers stood within view, blocking the entrance to a much larger chamber. That entrance was open, revealing a strange glow. It was brown but bright at the same time, almost impossible for Markus to describe.
The soldiers raised their plasma rifles, and one of them shouted, "Stop right there!"
Daniel stepped forward, casting a shield around himself.
"Don't come any closer."
"I'm an immortal sorcerer," Daniel said. "Your plasma rifles can't harm me."
"You're right," said one of the soldiers. "But we can trap you." He pulled a lever on the wall, and the floor fell away beneath Daniel, who tried to find a grip. But there was nothing for him to grab. He plummeted into the hole below, and the floor slammed shut behind him.
Markus exchanged an anxious glance with Nadia, Berig, and Lara. "What now?"
"We still have our TWs," Nadia said.
"Lay down your weapons," said one of the soldiers.
Markus had no intention of doing that. "I'll shield you three. You need to attack them."
Nadia and Berig both nodded, though Berig looked a little sick at the thought. Lara stared straight ahead, determination in her gaze. Drawing on the power within him, Markus conjured a shield. They raced forward, sending bursts of lightning at the soldiers, who scuttled backward, eyes wide.
Markus, Nadia, Berig, and Lara raced through the gap in the soldiers' line. The soldiers got back to their feet quickly, but not quickly enough. By the time they fired their plasma rifles, Markus was past them, Nadia and Berig a few steps ahead of him, Lara in the lead. Markus kept the shield around all four of them, and the rifle bursts dissipated against it.
At the center of the chamber they'd entered, there was a large, elevated platform. The strange brown glow came from the top of this platform, from some kind of orb.
They raced up the steps, Markus maintaining the shield around them.
"What do we do?" he asked, once they stood at the top of the platform. The soldiers approached, firing shot after shot at them. None of them penetrated Markus's shield, but that advantage wouldn't last forever.
"Let's grab the orb," Nadia said, and all four of them placed hands on it.
A few tense moments passed, and then Markus felt the power humming through him. It seemed as if the entire world were trembling. He had no idea if the shield held around them, or if the guards were still firing at them. All that mattered was the magic of the Earth Temple.
Then it stopped.
The soldiers stood at the bottom of the platform, rifles still aimed at the party. Markus felt alive with power, as if he could crush these soldiers with no effort. He waved an arm, and the ground opened beneath the soldiers. Their eyes went wide as they plummeted, screaming.
Pain spiked into Markus's head, and he collapsed, drenched in sweat.
Nadia wrapped her arms around him. "Markus! Are you all right?"
He lay on the ground, trembling. When he tried to get up, his muscles gave way beneath him. Had he exerted himself too much too soon?
"I'll be fine," he said through gritted teeth. The sharp pain continued stabbing the side of his head, worse than any headache he'd ever had.
After perhaps a minute, he felt his strength returning. He got to his feet on wobbly legs, the world spinning around him. The pain in his head had faded to a dull ache.
"I guess I did overexert myself," he said. "I just felt so powerful all of a sudden."
"I know what you mean," Nadia said. "I think I was about to do the same thing."
Markus glanced toward the hole he'd created. "You think they're dead?"
"Probably," Lara said. "But you shouldn't feel bad about it. They were going to kill us."
Markus shuffled closer to the hole, looking down into the blackness beneath. He couldn't see the soldiers below. "I wish I could cast aside my guilt like that."
"Guilt is not a practical emotion," Lara said. "Not when you're in danger at least." She stepped closer to Markus and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're engaged in a war whether the world knows it or not. In war, there will always be casualties. You have to remember the rightness of the goal you're fighting for, and that is saving the entire world."
"You make it sound so dramatic," Markus said, "but it doesn't feel that way."
"Not yet," she said, "but I think we'll all come to understand in time."
Berig patted Markus on the back. "Don't worry. She's always like this."
"We should get out of this place," Nadia said.
Markus was about to walk toward the exit, but then he stopped. "Don't you think we should find Daniel first? After all, we might need him."
Berig scratched his head. "Yeah, I'd feel bad about leaving him here."
Lara nodded. "We'll try to find him."
"But how can we even know the way?" Nadia asked.
Berig shrugged. "We'll just have to follow our instincts."
He took the lead as they surveyed the rest of the chamber where they'd gained their magic. Markus still felt weak, but he could feel the magic blossoming within him once again. He had no idea how strong it was, but it felt like it had the potential to be much stronger than anything he could do with a TW.
"Does anyone else feel like there magic's fading a bit?" Berig asked as they walked.
"I know what you mean," Nadia said. "I think we got a brief surge of extra magic when we first touched that stone. Now I think we've returned to a more normal amount of magic."
That made sense to Markus, but he didn't want to think about it at the moment. His head still throbbed with every step they took.
They found a passage on the chamber's far side. Berig led them into this passage, as if following some instincts the rest of them couldn't feel. Nadia was close behind him, perhaps relying on her strange intuitions. Markus followed along, hoping they were going the right direction. He sure couldn't find any magical sense of direction within himself.
The passage led downward. A good sign. Soon they reached a large stone door, which was closed for the moment. However, outside the door was a giant lever. Working to
gether, they pulled the lever, and the door rumbled open.
On the other side were three people. Daniel stood at the far end of the room. The two soldiers stood closer to the entrance, their faces pale. They didn't have their plasma rifles, both of which were strapped across Daniel's back.
"I used a whirlwind to stop their fall," Daniel said. "No sense in unnecessary killing." He smiled. "Of course, I had to take their weapons. Can't have them attacking us."
"You are in violation of countless laws," said one of the soldiers.
"You should be grateful," Daniel said. "I could've let you die. So why don't we pretend none of this ever happened? That way, we don't have to kill you, and you don't have to make a report to your superiors about this. In the end, we all win."
"And if we don't agree?" asked the other soldier.
"Then it's well within my power to kill you where you stand."
"Let's just do what they say," said the first soldier. The second nodded, reluctantly.
"Good," Daniel said. "Now that we've settled that, we can leave this place like civilized human beings." He paused a moment, smiling at them. "I think I'll keep the weapons, though, just to be safe. You simply can't trust some people these days."
The soldiers glared at him, but there was nothing they could do.
"I trust you have the power of the temple now," Daniel said.
"It felt strange," Berig said.
Daniel nodded. "It does at first. You'll get used to it after a while."
They retreated through the door, then followed the corridors back up to the chamber containing the orb. The soldiers said nothing, but Markus could feel their icy glares. He wondered if the scene outside had calmed at all.
Soon they stood at the temple's exit. Through the large stone door, Markus could hear shouts coming from outside. Great. The riot was still going on.
"What now?" Berig asked. "I don't wanna go back out there."
The soldiers' faces looked pale, and Markus couldn't blame them for being afraid. The crowd out there wanted to tear them apart. Once a crowd like that got going, there was no stopping them. As if realizing this, the soldiers backed a few steps away.
"You mind if we stay in here?" asked one of the soldiers.
"Not at all," Daniel said. "It's probably safer for you that way." He pulled on the nearby lever, and the door came open a little, creating a space large enough for them to crawl. "I don't want to open it any farther. Can't have the crowd rushing in."
"Are you sure it's wise to leave the soldiers free?" Nadia asked. "They could pull that lever as we crawl through and crush us."
"You have our word that we won't do that," said one of them, but Markus wasn't sure he could trust their word. They'd been trying to kill them not that long ago. Sure, Daniel had saved their lives with his whirlwind, but that didn't mean they'd act with honor.
"Forgive me if I can't trust your word," Daniel said. "It's a good thing I brought one of these." He held up the device that other soldiers had used before to erect force field around Markus and Nadia. A moment later, blue force fields came to life around these two soldiers. "I'll let the force fields die once we're through. You have my word on that."
The soldiers nodded. They had no choice but to trust him.
"I'll even leave your weapons here," Daniel said, dropping the plasma rifles on the brown stone floor. Then he motioned for everyone to crawl through the opening.
Nadia, Berig, and Lara went first, fitting through with ease. Markus's chest felt tight as he watched, and he took deep breaths, trying to ignore what he was about to do. He remembered all too well the way he'd felt crawling through those tunnels in the Fire Mountains. Thankfully, this door was only about five feet wide, but it still bothered him.
"Go on," Daniel said. "I'll go through behind you."
Markus took another deep breath, then hit the floor. He kept low to the ground, crawling beneath the open door. As soon as he passed beneath it, panic tightened its grip on him. Deep breaths, he told himself. Deep breaths.
He crawled as fast as he could, reaching the other side in almost no time. When he hopped to his feet, the others stood nearby. The riot appeared to have moved a few streets over. Only a few people milled about near the temple. Some looked injured, others merely dazed.
Daniel crawled out from beneath the gate, then pressed a button on his force field generator. It was only a few moments before the soldiers closed the door behind them.
"Cowards," Daniel said.
"So what do we do now?" Berig asked.
"It's time to leave this city and return to New Washington. We have a Machine to destroy."
Chapter 51: The Way Home
Kara's stomach churned as she watched the gate of Krinir's fortress come open. She had thought he'd expect their arrival, but she hadn't expected such a welcoming gesture. Something told her there was a mystery here, but she couldn't decipher it.
Eliza frowned at the gate. "I know they said the fortress would respond to me, but I didn't expect it to be this easy."
"I guess we're just gonna walk through," Rik said. "What's the worst that could happen?"
Eliza put a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps he realizes now that I'm his daughter, and he wishes to see me. I have no other explanation."
"I wish I could believe that," Kara said, "but this is the same man—or god, whatever you want to call him—who tried to kill us not that long ago."
Eliza nodded. "And that's why I'm confused."
"I think we're all a bit confused," Rik said.
"Well, we might as well see if we can enter through the front gate," Kara said. "We know nothing of this place, so it's the only option we have."
The others nodded their agreement, and they started forward. The closer they grew to the fortress, the more imposing and evil it looked. The mist seemed colder than ever, as if it were seeping into Kara's bones.
It also reminded Kara that this was the end of her journey, one way or another. Either they'd find a way home or Krinir would kill them.
As they walked up the black stone steps leading toward the entrance, the enormous double doors swung open, revealing a bright chamber beyond. Kara's heart climbed into her throat, but she kept putting one foot in front of the other.
This was the most foolish thing she'd ever done. How could they hope to survive this?
Krinir stood a few feet beyond the entrance, watching them approach. He made no threatening gestures, but Kara was on edge. He could kill them with little effort.
"I've been expecting you," he said. "Come inside."
Kara exchanged a nervous glance with Eliza and Rik. They both nodded, and then all three of them stepped through the doors, entering the bright chamber beyond. There was no choice, really. If Krinir wanted to kill them, he would. It was best to follow his commands.
Two other people were already seated in the chamber, on cushioned chairs. One of them was a young woman Kara thought looked vaguely familiar. The other was Warrick.
"This is Danica," Krinir said, gesturing to the woman.
Kara felt another flicker of recognition. "Danica? You're from Crayden, aren't you?"
"I am. I remember seeing you in the forest after it burned." Danica cast a dark look at Warrick, then shook her head. Kara understood all too well the thoughts running through Danica's head. It had taken a long time for Kara to accept what Warrick had done. In truth, she wasn't sure she had. She doubted she could ever forgive him.
And yet she'd seen the good man he could be.
But had Krinir already destroyed that side of Warrick?
Krinir studied them with a slight frown. At last, he said, "My daughter. I've been waiting a long time to meet you."
"We met once before," Eliza said. "You tried to kill me."
Krinir chuckled. "Oh, did you think I was trying to kill you back in those caves? Believe me, if I'd wanted to kill you, you'd be dead."
"Then what were your intentions?" Eliza demanded, shocking Kara with her boldness.
"Not if we stop you first," Kara said.
Krinir chuckled again. "I appreciate your boldness, but there's a point when bravery is simply stupidity. What I did in those caves—that was nothing compared to my true power. I will return to Terra, and you can't stop me."
Though Kara hated to admit it, she knew he was telling the truth.
"Then why bother with us at all?" Kara asked.
"Oh, I have my reasons, but I'm afraid I can't share them." He turned to Danica. "It's time."
Danica's face turned a ghostly white. "I don't think I'm ready."
"You have no choice. You remember our deal. If you don't do it, I'll kill these people. Now go to the room with the machine. Warrick and I will follow you shortly." His gaze became stern. "And don't even think of trying anything without me. I'll know."
"But aren't they coming with us?" Danica asked.
"I said I'd spare them. I never said I'd let them come home with us."
"But they'll be stuck here," Danica said. "That's just as cruel."
"This fortress is comfortable enough. My servants will take good care of them."
Danica shot him a venomous look. "You're a monster."
"No, I'm a god, and an impatient one. Go on. Do as I told you."
Danica opened her mouth as if to continue arguing, but then she shook her head and marched out of the room, entering a nearby corridor. Kara felt as if a hand had tightened around her throat. She couldn't fail to get home, not when she was this close.
Once Danica was gone, Krinir turned to Warrick. "Kill them."
"But you promised Danica you wouldn't hurt us!" Rik shouted.
Krinir smiled. "I never said anything about Warrick."
He marched out of the room, leaving them alone with Warrick. The emperor wasn't as powerful as Krinir, but they stood no chance against him either. For the moment, he was looking at them, conflicting emotions raging behind his eyes.
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