Markus suddenly felt the oppressive weight of his situation. Krinir had treated him well enough so far, but the man was beyond insane. There was no word to describe him. As soon as he no longer needed Markus, Markus would die. It was that simple.
"Why do you need us?" Markus asked.
"That is a secret I will not share."
They stepped through the gate leading into the former castle. Inside, they were greeted by the dim light of blue magical torches. The red carpets were gone. The stone floors had seen better days, but Markus still recognized this place as the castle where he'd once been given a tour.
That seemed like a lifetime ago, but it had only been a few months.
Krinir guided Markus up the tower that used to lead to Nadia's bedroom. They did not enter any of the bedrooms, though, turning toward the storage room across the hall instead. Would that room be Markus's prison? He shuddered at the thought.
But, no, this was where some of the fortress's modifications had occurred. The storage room had another exit. Beyond it, the corridor they entered was much brighter and warmer. The torches still glowed an eerie blue, but there were more of them. Here, the stone floor was well-maintained and adorned with a runner of red carpet.
Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, their warm light battling the blue of the torches.
"Why does this place look so much better?" Markus asked.
"Because it is my home here in this future. I haven't been able to travel here for hundreds of years in my time, but in this time, only a few hours have passed."
Markus didn't want to think about things like that. They made his head swim.
The two of them made a number of turns through the branching corridors. After a while, Markus stopped trying to remember the path. He'd be a prisoner here for the rest of his life, so there was no point in remembering an escape route. Once again, he felt the crushing weight of hopelessness, a feeling that reminded him too much of his time in Warrick's dungeons.
But maybe that was a good thing. Markus and Nadia had escaped back then.
Maybe they could do it again.
Soon Krinir led Markus into a darker chamber that reminded him of their initial surroundings when they'd entered the fortress. A few widely spaced torches cast their blue light upon the chamber, revealing a series of barred doors.
"Welcome to your new home," Krinir said. He opened one of the doors and shoved Markus through it. The door slammed closed behind him almost immediately.
Brushing off his clothes, Markus got to his feet.
"Looks like I'm going to get some company," said a man in the cell with Markus.
Markus looked at his cellmate. The man struck him as familiar, and it only took Markus a few moments to remember. He'd seen this man in the recording Karin had shown him and Nadia back in the palace in New Washington.
This man was Lionar.
"You're Lionar, aren't you?"
"Yes, and I believe your name is Markus."
Markus chuckled without humor. "Guess we don't need any introductions."
"I'm sure we'll get to know each other quite well. There is no way to escape this cell. Krinir has placed special wards around it. The only magic I can do in here is reading the Webs of Fate. But that's useless. I can't manipulate them after all, and that's the only reason to read them."
"I am starting to hate the Webs of Fate," Markus said.
"A wise approach. The Webs have brought the world nothing but disaster."
Chapter 32: The Future
The Fortress of Time looked like a hollow shell. As Nadia climbed to her feet, recovering from the dizziness that had accompanied her journey through time, she glanced at the place she had left hundreds of years earlier.
A giant hole had been opened in the ceiling. Bits of rubble littered the floor. In places, giant columns had collapsed, cracking the stone floors beneath them. Through the hole in the ceiling, snow was falling. Nadia wrapped herself tighter in the thick cloak she'd been wearing tin he Breezelands, but she still shivered.
Klint stood a few feet away, his eyes wide as he took in the destruction. "I knew the future would be bad, but this looks terrible."
Nadia glanced up at the sky. It appeared to be daytime, but the clouds were so thick and dark it seemed like night. She shivered again, and it wasn't just the cold.
No, she was terrified. This was the future she had to prevent, the future where Markus had been taken prisoner. But she had no idea how she was going to accomplish any of what she'd set out to do. Krinir was too powerful, and if he wanted her to rescue Markus, then there were ulterior motives behind it. Could Nadia's actions lead to the very destruction she was seeing?
She wanted a chance to plan, but life had taken such chances from her. Every day felt like a mad race from one catastrophe to the next. Any plans she did make were flimsy and useless compared to the plans she'd made before Crayden's destruction.
"We should get moving," Klint said, standing a few feet away.
Nadia glanced at the dark gray sky, feeling empty inside. "But where are we going?"
"I don't know. No one told us where Krinir would make his home in this future. I guess Brandin didn't know that." He stared at the debris-covered floor. "I hate these Webs of Fate."
"You aren't alone in that."
Klint stepped a few paces away. "Luminia?"
"What?"
"Luminia. It seems like the obvious choice. It's a major center of magical power."
"You could be right," Nadia said. "And if you are, it's a long journey ahead of us."
Klint shrugged. "Won't be my first."
"Nor mine."
They made their way across the rubble littering the floor, finding the entrance. The immense door had cracked with age and looked as though it might collapse at any moment. Once they stepped through the opening, they caught sight of the world beyond.
It was bleaker than Nadia could have imagined.
In their time, there had been a forest surrounding the Fortress of Time. Now only a few of the trees remained, and they were bare and skeletal. Dead. It looked as if a good wind gust could topple what was left of the forest.
Strangely, there was little wind. Perhaps the destruction of the world had destroyed the Wind Temple as well. It certainly seemed as if this world might be devoid of the magical wonders of their past.
The dark day closed in on them like a suffocating blanket. These weren't normal clouds. They were almost black, and it felt as if they were sucking all the life out of the world.
There was no grass, only a rocky path covered with a light dusting of snow. No animals called out. Did anyone or anything still live in this world?
"It's so horrible," Nadia said, knowing it was a useless comment.
"What're we gonna do for food?"
"I don't know. I was thinking the same thing."
With no immediate answers, they continued through the dead forest. Cold wind whipped at their faces, and soon the heavy chill penetrated their cloaks. Nadia and Klint huddled close together as they walked, and Nadia wished it were Markus so close to her.
A wave of panic hit her. What if she'd never see Markus alive again?
No. She couldn't let these negative thoughts consume her. Survival was hard enough at the moment. She had to focus on that. Anything beyond survival was a luxury she didn't have.
Step by step, they made their way through an unchanging landscape. They kept looking around for signs of life, but nothing stirred. Nothing made a sound. All they could hear was the soft whistle of the wind through the dead branches surrounding them. Rocks and twigs shifted at their steps, each sound echoing eerily.
The dark sky was an ever-present companion. The longer Nadia walked beneath it, the more she feared she'd never see the sun again. She had an idea how Kara had felt in the Shadowed Land.
But she couldn't think about Kara right now. Their reunion hadn't lasted long enough, hadn't been worthy of the long and beautiful friendship they'd shared.
; Kara was alive, and that was enough for now. Maybe they'd even see each other again.
As far as Nadia knew, Klint was the only person she'd see for the rest of her life. She didn't dislike the smuggler, but she'd never felt much of a connection to him.
As they walked, she turned to him. "I feel like I don't truly know you."
"What is there to know?"
"Why are you still with us, after all we've been through?"
"I don't know. All my life, I've lived just for myself. There were lines I wouldn't cross, but those lines depended on how much my clients were willing to pay me." His expression darkened. "I'm not sure this is the best conversation to be having."
"Why not?" she asked.
"If you knew some of the things I've done, you wouldn't trust me."
"That doesn't matter," she said. "I do trust you. After all the things you've done for us, you'd have to do a lot to lose my trust." She looked him in the eyes. "Whatever you might have done in the past, you are not a bad man. Not anymore."
Nadia didn't know where this was coming from. She'd always been so focused on her goals, and she'd never been all that interested in other people. But these months of hardship had shown her there was more to the world than her plans.
In fact, she detested most of the intricate planners she'd met. People like Warrick, like Krinir, like most of the sorcerers who had influenced so much from behind the scenes.
"I know you want to think I'm better than I am," Klint said. "But a man is defined by the deeds he's done, both good and bad. And let's just say my bad deeds far outweigh my good."
"Are you so sure about that?"
He walked a few steps in silence, avoiding her gaze. Then he turned to her, his gaze hard. "Have you ever killed a man just because you were discovered stealing from him? Have you ever killed a guard because they happened to catch you in an illegal act? Have you ever—"
Nadia held up a hand to stop him. "At this point, we all have blood on our hands. I don't even know how many people I've killed. But it's all been about acting in the moment. I don't intend for any of it to happen, and I'm sure you didn't either."
"There's a difference between what we're doing now, and what I used to do. Now it's about saving the world. For me, it was all about the money." He looked away again. "Sometimes, I wonder if I just went with you so I could do bad things and still feel good about it."
"But we aren't doing bad things," Nadia said. "At least I don't think—"
"You told me what you did in the New Earth Empire. You destroyed the source of their technology. How many people do you think have died because of that?"
Nadia shuddered. "I try not to think about it."
"But you believed you were doing the right thing. Does that make it better? Does that make those people suffer any less?"
"I don't know," she said, pushing through a few thin branches that blocked her path. The branches snapped off at her touch. "In the end, it's about saving more people, isn't it?"
"Yeah, I guess it is. And that's the difference between you and me. You have always had goals meant to benefit the world. I've always thought of myself."
"But you can recognize that," she said. "That's a sign that you're trying to improve." She took a deep breath. "Besides, my goals may not have always been as selfless as you might think. For me, killing Warrick was about getting revenge for my mother. Sure, I thought about how it would benefit other people, but that was more of an afterthought for me. I didn't care as long as I achieved my goal. I didn't care how many people would suffer without Warrick."
Klint smiled weakly. "Then perhaps we aren't so different after all."
Nadia didn't know how to respond that, so they walked in silence awhile.
"You're not the only one to seek revenge," he said at last. "After one of the other guilds of thieves in Marion killed my sister—well, let's just say they regretted it."
Nadia sensed that this conversation was heading into dangerous territory. The look in Klint's dark eyes unnerved her. In truth, she didn't feel comfortable around him, however much he'd done for them. Perhaps she'd told him he was a good man only because she wanted it to be true. There was light within him, but there was also darkness.
"How many did you kill?" she asked, dreading the answer.
"I don't know. I only set out to kill two: the man who killed my sister and the guild master who ordered it. The rest of the guild got in the way. It didn't happen for a while because my guild would not let me do it or they'd kill me. But once I got into smuggling and got my hands on a staff—well, they weren't much of a match for my magic."
His expression darkened again, and his eyes were glossy.
"You loved your sister, didn't you?"
"More than anything."
"Have you ever loved anyone else?" she asked, hoping to move the conversation in a more positive direction. "Like the way Markus and I love each other."
"In bed, yes. Beyond that, no. I've lived the life of a smuggler. I don't stay in one place very long. Forming attachments makes no sense." He sighed deeply. "And after losing my sister, I think I was afraid to care about anyone. Now this life is all I've ever known."
"There was never a lady thief?"
"Oh, no. Most of them scared me to death. It takes a special kind of woman to survive in that world. The kind who'd slit your throat without hesitation."
Another silence fell as they traversed the desolate landscape. The dark sky remained as ominous and oppressive as ever. The world around them did not change, did not show any signs of life. Nadia was beginning to fear that they'd gone to the wrong future.
Or perhaps it was the right future—a future Krinir had destroyed.
"It's special, you know," Klint said.
Nadia stared at him.
"What you and Markus have. It's special. You two have been through hell since you've met each other, and you have your occasional little arguments, but you never really get into fights with each other. You're always there for each other. Just look at what we're doing now."
"I know," Nadia said. "How can we hope to rescue him?"
"Crazier things have happened."
* * * * *
Markus sat the edge of a stone bed in the cell he shared with Lionar. The bed had no cushioning of any kind, but it was covered in many thick blankets, so at least they wouldn't be cold. Krinir probably wasn't thinking about their comfort, though. He simply wanted them to survive. Then again, Krinir didn't seem like one to mistreat his prisoners.
The man was insane, but perhaps not needlessly cruel.
"Is there any way out of this cell?" Markus asked.
Lionar chuckled gravely. "If there were, I would have found it by now."
"But you're a god," Markus said. "Why can't you challenge him?"
"I'm the Restorer. He's the Destroyer. If it came to a battle, I hate to say it, but he's much more powerful than I. My powers are of a different kind, a better kind, but ill-suited to the current situation."
"But it took both Krinir and Warrick to capture you," Markus said.
"Of course it did. It's much harder to capture a god than kill him. In a true battle, Krinir could blast me into pieces with little trouble."
Heavy pressure was building in Markus's chest. "Then, even if we do escape, you won't be able to help us? That's the reason we wanted to go to the future. We needed you to fight at our side. And now you're telling us that you can't help us?"
Markus should have had a more civil tongue. He was speaking to a god after all. But he didn't care. He was tired and frustrated and ready to lash out at anyone.
"I don't blame you for being angry," Lionar said. He ran a hand through the scraggly beard he'd grown as a prisoner. "In the end, it's all about deception. Krinir is the master of deception, and the master of reading the Webs of Fate. It doesn't matter what we do. It all plays into his hands in some way, even when it seems we've outsmarted him."
"Then you've accepted defeat?"
"Perhaps I have."
<
br /> "But there has to be something we can do," Markus said.
"I've looked into the Webs countless times. I haven't seen any course of action that leads to our victory. Anyone who has told you otherwise was lying to you."
"Why would they do that?"
"Because they wanted it to be true. Or because they only see the vaguest of possibilities in the Webs. You may have felt like people were controlling your fate up to this point, but in truth, only Krinir, Warrick, and I can read the Webs with any useful degree of certainty."
Markus leaned forward on the stone bed. "Did you know that Warrick is the Creator now?"
"I do. I knew it from the time Krinir transferred that power to him."
"This is all so confusing. How do all these things fit together?"
Lionar stroked his chin. "It's difficult to explain. Those of us who are gods—we came from a different world. Once, we were normal humans. This world still exists, but we no longer call it home, for it was destroyed in a terrible war. Since then, we've focused on guiding the many worlds in the universe."
"I don't understand."
"There are many worlds, Markus. Together, we populated these worlds. You could say that you are all descended from gods, very distantly. But we are not truly gods. We are merely humans with great abilities, including immortality."
"Sounds like being a god to me."
"And that is why we have taken the label," Lionar said. "But we do not provide salvation. We do not determine an afterlife, if one even exists. We are simply powerful, and we have let people believe what they want to believe."
"Then there is no God?" Markus asked.
"I don't know the answer to your question. If there is a God, He does not speak to me."
"I've been told that Rador was the Creator. What's happened to him?"
Markus was sitting so far forward he was almost tumbling forward off the bed. He'd never been all that interested in the world's deeper mysteries, but now he had a chance to speak to one of the gods—or whatever Lionar wanted to call himself. Markus couldn't waste that chance. With a smile, he thought of how much Nadia would enjoy a conversation like this.
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 155