Berig looked down at the ground. "I just wish I could see him again. Couldn't you teleport there and let me see him?"
"It's not that simple," Warrick said. "The Webs have told me that I can't bring you to Luminia. It's difficult to explain, but you'd be in great danger if you went there. I'm sure you've felt the way the Webs have been tugging on you."
"How'd you know about that?" Berig asked.
Brandin entered the conversation. "Because that's the way time works. The past is set in stone. It does not change. This rescue attempt of yours—well, you could say it has happened over and over again."
Berig scratched his head. "I don't understand how that's possible. How could I go back in time to save myself when I didn't save myself in the first place?"
"It's difficult to explain," Brandin said, twigs crunching beneath his shoes. "Time is not exactly linear. What has happened has always happened. Only the future can be changed. That is why we read the Webs of Fate. And why some of us manipulate them," he added with a pointed glance at Warrick.
"That's what worries me most," Nadia said. "How can we stop Krinir when he can just look into the Webs and see what we're planning?"
"I have no answer for you," Brandin said.
Warrick's expression was brave. "Neither do I. I have wrestled with the same problem ever since I broke free from Krinir's influence. He has made so many strands go dark that I think there is a way to defeat him. Otherwise, he wouldn't go to such effort. Altering the Webs like that takes a lot of energy. I know because lately I've been doing it myself, trying to hide some of your doings from Krinir. I have no idea if I've succeeded."
"Why do you think he knew about our actions just now?" Nadia asked.
"I don't know. Perhaps the stone you touched in the Library of Luminia didn't shield you from his view. Or perhaps it's because I found you in the Webs of Fate, and even though I thought I was free from him, he still holds some link to my thoughts."
Nadia glared at him. "You're not helping."
"I would help if I could."
Her glare became fiercer. "You don't actually expect me to believe that?"
"I don't care what you believe. I know I'm telling the truth."
Nadia turned away from him, her steps heavier than usual. Berig didn't know what to make of any of this. He had trouble trusting Warrick, but he did see how Warrick had protected him in his own strange way. Recently, everything had become so tangled that Berig didn't know how they'd ever find the paths they needed to take.
"The Fortress of Time is just ahead," Brandin said, disturbing Berig's thoughts.
They stepped through a few more rows of trees, and a large stone building appeared before them. Trees and vines grew around it, but they'd been trimmed back, providing the space to enter the fortress.
"You think Krinir will be here?" Klint asked.
"Yes, I'm expecting him," Warrick said.
They approached the Fortress of Time as footsteps sounded from inside the opening. A man stepped out of the shadows—the last man any of them wanted to see.
Krinir.
He leaned against the vine-covered wall, his stance casual, dismissive. "Ah, I've been waiting for you. It certainly took you long enough."
Nadia stepped forward, fire in her gaze. "What have you done with Markus?"
"Oh, he's unharmed. For now." Krinir rubbed his hands together, then took a few steps toward the party. "Darien, it seems you just keep fighting against me. You know how much I hate it when you go against my will."
"I will fight you to my dying breath," Warrick said.
Berig believed Warrick's words
"You can try," Krinir said, "but I've learned from my mistakes. This time, you will not break free from my control."
Warrick turned to the rest of the party. "Go inside. I will handle Krinir."
Krinir laughed loudly. "Handle me? Is that what you think?"
Berig hesitated for a moment, then followed the others inside. He expected Krinir to stop them, but the insane god did nothing, standing outside with Warrick instead. Berig felt sick at the thought that Warrick would be under Krinir's control, but there was nothing Berig could do about it. The others looked pale and concerned as well, walking in grim silence.
They made their way through branching stone corridors, arriving eventually in a small square chamber. Brandin motioned for them to take seats in the center of the chamber.
"Berig, you'll have to stay in the corner here," Brandin said, and Berig obeyed. From there, he watched Nadia and Klint settle down alone on the stone floor.
Klint forced a smile. "Well, it's been nice knowing you, Berig?"
Berig felt as if he could barely speak. "Yeah."
"Can't you come with us?" Nadia asked Brandin.
"That's now how my magic works. I can only send other people through time. In fact, Krinir is the only person I know of who can send himself through time."
"How can the two of us ever hope to succeed?" she asked.
Brandin frowned. "You'll have to find a way."
"I've lived this long," Klint said. "We all have. Whatever problems we might face, we are survivors. Krinir is underestimating us."
Berig remained silent, wishing he could believe that. But all he could think was that he was not the only person heading for death at the moment.
Brandin took a seat between Nadia and Klint and closed his eyes. At first nothing happened, but then the room began to glow a soft blue. The hairs on Berig's arms stood on end, but he kept his eyes open, watching the magic gather and strengthen. The glow became brighter and brighter, so blinding Berig had to close his eyes.
Then it all stopped. He opened his eyes. "Are they gone?"
"They are," Brandin said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
"Did they end up in this same place in the future, or did they go somewhere else?"
"There's a random element to the magic," Brandin said. "At least when I send people to the future. The future is not set in stone, so neither is the magic. In your case, however, I can send you exactly where you need to go."
Berig took a deep breath. "All right, let's get it over with."
Brandin nodded. "Take a seat."
Berig settled down on the cold stone, his heart pounding a sudden drumbeat. This was the point of no return. He recalled the images of his own death. Back then, he'd hoped he could find a way around it. Now he understood that such a hope was useless.
The room began to glow again. The warmth of it washed over Berig. The magic encircled him, caressed him. He closed his eyes, feeling sick to his stomach.
Then the stone disappeared beneath him. When he opened his eyes, he sat on the ground in a much warmer forest. He recognized the trees. This was the forest just north of the prison where he, Lara, and Aric had been imprisoned.
Berig had returned. Now it was time to walk willingly to his death.
I will not cry, he told himself. I will be strong.
He started toward the prison, but then it felt as if a voice were telling him to take another path, and he entered a nearby town, where he found a shop selling clothing. His skills as a thief came back to him in a sudden rush. They'd never truly left.
He entered the store and grabbed a leather bag off a rack. Since he was alone and toward the back of the store, nobody saw him. Then he found a few outfits and shoved them into the bag. For a moment, he thought about leaving through the front, but then there was another faint suggestion in his head, telling him to step through a nearby door.
He entered a storage room that contained more merchandise. His steps carried him through the room without thought, and soon he found another door.
When he opened the door, an alarm blared, but that calm voice within him told him not to worry about it. They wouldn't pursue him. He had no idea how he knew this. The knowledge felt as if it had always been a part of him.
Leaving the store behind, he made his way toward the immense prison, a building surrounded by fences that would kill him if he to
uched them. Electric fences, if he recalled correctly. His memories of the prison escape unfolded in his mind, and he felt suddenly as if some force were leading him forward.
He could not change what was coming. That much was clear.
Two guards flanked the gate at the entrance to the prison. Berig's stomach churned as he approached them, but his intuition told him it was the right thing to do. Once he was a few feet away, the guard on the right held up a hand to halt his progress.
"What business do you have here?" the guard asked.
The words came out without thought. "I'm here to visit some prisoners."
"The prisoners' names?"
Again, Berig didn't think about what he was saying. It was the strangest experience of his life. "Berig, Aric, and Lara. They were recently arrested for crossing the border."
"I believe they're seeing the judge right now," said the guard on the left. "Can't say there's much hope for them. The laws are clear." He narrowed his eyes at Berig. "Who're you?"
"The brother of one of the prisoners."
"You look like you've been through a lot," said the guard on the right.
"I've done some traveling on foot. That's all." Berig was glad he'd acquired different clothes. In fact, he realized now that he'd picked out the same outfit he'd seen himself wearing. That surely wasn't a coincidence.
The guard on the left frowned. "We'll be keeping an eye on you."
Berig nodded and strode past the guards, entering a bright lobby that hardly looked like it belonged in a prison. There were gleaming sculptures and red carpets and walls of polished wood. At the other end of the room, a woman sat behind a desk, watching him with a frown.
"You need something?" she asked as he approached.
"Yes, I'm here to see some prisoners. I was told they're seeing the judge right now."
"You might be a bit late, but you can see if they're still there." She pointed to Berig's right. "Take the elevator up to the fifth floor."
"Thanks," Berig said, shuffling in that direction. He pressed one of the buttons on the elevator, glad he could at least recognize numbers, even if he couldn't read much of anything else. The elevator doors opened after a while, and he stepped inside.
His heart climbed into his throat. He didn't care to relive this particular bit of his life, and he wondered suddenly if he could find a way to change the past and save Aric.
No. Brandin had been clear. There was no changing the past.
Berig had to accept that Aric was dead.
Then he thought about seeing Lara again. He didn't know if she had died in the library, but he didn't see how she could have escaped. Because of that, none of this time travel made sense. If all three of them died, what point was there in rescuing himself?
Don't question it, he told himself. Just do what you need to.
The elevator reached its destination, and the doors opened. In the corridor ahead, Berig saw himself, saw the stunned reaction in his own eyes. Everyone glanced around as if they'd seen the strangest thing ever, which they probably had.
From that moment on, Berig felt as if some unseen force took control of him. Everything played out exactly as he remembered it. Whenever he tried to fight against this force, he failed. All this time, he'd felt as if others were in control, but now he truly could not change his destiny. It had never been clearer, never more terrifying.
They raced through the prison, through the storage room where Aric died. Berig tried to do something to save Aric, shout some warning. Anything. But fate had taken control of him, guiding his every step and action.
It felt almost as if he didn't have to do anything. He simply reacted to the suggestions that strange force whispered in his mind.
Before he knew it, they had disabled the power, scaled the fence, and escaped into the nearby forest. That escape had felt much longer the first time. Now it passed all too quickly, and he didn't want it to end, didn't want to face his bizarre death.
The next conversation passed exactly as he remembered it. The feeling was chilling. With every second that passed, he felt himself growing weaker, felt the embrace of death closing in on him. He didn't know if he should be afraid or if he should accept his death willingly.
More than anything, he felt numb. Detached.
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" the other Berig asked.
"I'm afraid not," Berig said. "My time has come."
He'd told himself he wouldn't cry, and he held to that promise even as cold seeped into his bones. He stared into the eyes of his past self, remembering how he'd felt in this moment, how he'd thought he would never be able to do this.
But life had changed him, even in such a short time.
If only he didn't have to die.
Searing pain coursed through his entire body, feeling as if it would rip him apart. But he didn't scream, didn't cry. He had to be strong and show his past self that death wouldn't be that bad. It was a lie, but it was necessary.
The pain burned hotter than ever, and then it stopped.
Berig felt bitterly cold, felt darkness closing in around him, felt the world fading around him.
Then he felt nothing at all.
Part II
A Future Bleak and Cold
Chapter 31: Prisoner
The future was bleak, cold, and dark. Markus stood at Krinir's side beneath a dull gray sky. Light snow was falling, and though Markus had dressed warmly back in the Breezelands, he shivered. The place where they stood appeared as if it had once been a forest, but now the trees were bare and skeletal, pale reminders of what they used to be.
Markus thought about running, but there was no escaping Krinir. There never had been.
"You probably don't even recognize this place," Krinir said.
Markus shook his head.
"This is where you grew up."
Markus glanced at the trees again, but nothing about this place seemed familiar. He believed Krinir. This must have been the Crayden Forest, but it was nothing anymore.
"Why would you do this to the world?" Markus asked, feeling hollow.
Krinir grasped his arm. "It is my nature."
"And you've never thought of fighting against that nature?"
"It would be a useless fight." Krinir pointed to their left. "Come with me."
"What do you intend to do to me?"
Krinir didn't meet his eyes. "For the moment? Nothing. You will be my prisoner. You will draw Nadia and others to this place. That's what I need to happen."
"So you can destroy the world?"
"Yes."
Markus didn't know which was more terrifying: the fact that Krinir was clearly crazy, or the fact that he sounded perfectly sane when he spoke. The man looked ordinary, with a short and neatly groomed beard, but he exuded power and danger.
He didn't have to threaten Markus. The threat was always there, however much his appearance might hide it. For the moment, Markus had to play along with Krinir's wishes. The god didn't want him dead, and that was good enough for now. Markus didn't know if he wanted Nadia to come and rescue him, but he did know she would not let anything stop her.
But what would happen when she showed up? How did they fit into Krinir's plans?
Krinir led the way, trudging through a light blanket of snow. Soon they left the trees behind and found the small stream separating the forest from Crayden. The bridge had been destroyed at some point, but Krinir simply created an ice bridge, which they crossed carefully.
On the other side stood the remnants of Crayden. Bits of rubble littered the ground, partially buried by the snow. Most of it had deteriorated so much that the place was barely recognizable as a city.
Krinir led him to the south, toward where the castle used to be. The castle remained standing, but it had grown much larger and had taken on a much more imposing look. A giant fence of black spikes surrounded the castle—more of a fortress now, Markus guessed. The castle itself was fashioned of the same dark and spiky stone.
As if it had be
en carved from the bones of some giant monster.
Beneath the terrifying additions, though, he could still see the castle's old shape. Some of the towers remained gray, though the stone had cracked with age. The gardens were gone, however, as nothing could grow for long in a world of perpetual cold.
"How did this all happen?" Markus asked. "How did you destroy the world?"
"That's the interesting part," Krinir said. "I don't have to do much of the work myself. You humans are surprisingly good at destroying yourselves. All I had to do was point you in the right direction, give you the right secrets. You did the rest yourselves."
"You're horrible," Markus said.
"I am a force of nature, nothing more. I will make the world into this image. It will be the crowning achievement of everything I was meant to be."
"All right, maybe you're just insane."
Krinir's expression darkened. "You should speak to me more civilly."
"But you are insane."
Krinir gave Markus a chilling smile. "Perhaps I am."
They did not talk as they walked toward the massive wall. Krinir touched the large gate, and it swung open immediately. They walked through, and it closed behind them. Now the magnificent and terrifying fortress stood ahead of them. Statues of grotesque monsters flanked the cracked cobblestone path leading toward the main gate, which stood open, waiting for them.
That opening looked like the gaping mouth of some hideous creature. Within, Markus could see nothing but darkness.
"Are there two of you in this future?" Markus asked.
Krinir continued toward the gate. "No, this is a future in which I succeeded in destroying the world but somehow died. I am no fool. I understand the dangers of interacting with yourself when you've traveled in time. Even gods have to obey some rules."
"Is this the future you intend to bring about?"
"I don't know. There are so many different ways to destroy the world." He grinned wickedly. "It can be fun to think of all the possibilities."
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 154