"You wanna go talk to Markus?" Rik asked.
Tomas glanced toward where Markus was talking with his parents. Rik did the same, and his heart sank into his stomach. Berig was standing there, a pale and ghostly figure.
Before Rik knew it, his steps were carrying him over there. Tomas followed.
"Yeah, I'm dead," Berig said, and explained how it had happened. The explanation made little sense to Rik, but he didn't care. All he could see was another dead friend.
Markus stepped toward Tomas. "It's been a long time."
"I should have gotten out of Crayden before it all happened," Tomas said. "I would have liked to be part of this adventure with you two. My friend Kara, she told me something bad was gonna happen. The Order had found out. But I didn't think it could be that bad."
"Well, we were all unprepared for that fire," Markus said.
Rik shook his head. "And now we're fighting on the same side as Warrick—at least when he's not under Krinir's control. What has this world come to?"
Tomas laughed. "Yeah, nothing much makes sense anymore. But, hey, if anyone can find a way to defeat this Krinir guy, it's you two. You always came up with the craziest plans back home."
"That was mostly Rik," Markus said, with a smile.
"And most of my plans were idiotic," Rik said.
Tomas laughed again. "But they were all great fun."
"Well, there's nothing fun in what we have to do now," Rik said. "I always wanted adventure, but I never realized it would be like this. When I think about the task we have to accomplish, it's enough to make me feel like I'm crumbling under the pressure of it all."
"You're not crumbling," Tomas said. "You wouldn't even know how."
Markus grinned at Rik. "He's right. You've been through more torture than the rest of us combined, and you've pulled through it all. We'll find a way to defeat Krinir. Together."
"Yeah, I know," Rik said. "Friends stick together."
Markus wrapped an arm around Rik. "And we always will."
* * * * *
Tylen stood before his ghostly parents, wondering what he was supposed to say to them. He'd never been on good terms with them, and though he'd changed in the last half year, he wasn't sure if he was ready to apologize to them for the man he'd been.
"I know what you're thinking about," his mother said. "You want to apologize."
"But it's difficult for you," his father said. "You were always too proud, Tylen."
Tylen's voice came out softly. "I'm trying to change."
"And you've done a great job," his mother said.
"It doesn't feel that way. Every day, I feel like the old me is trying to come back. I don't want to be that man again. I don't think I could even be that person now. I know too much. Back then, I was ignorant. My life was comfortable and safe, and I didn't care about anything else." He suppressed a sudden upwelling of tears. "But now I understand that my life was never either of those. Taking me out of that life has made me into a better person."
"It has," said his father, "and we're proud of the man you're trying to become."
"Do you think I might fail to change completely?"
"It's possible," his mother said. "But I think you'll be fine if you use your powers of persuasion on yourself. You can make yourself change."
"I always thought I was simply a good speaker," Tylen said. "I never thought there was magic behind my persuasion, but Warrick told me otherwise." He looked down at the ground, trying to collect his thoughts. "I still don't know if it will do any good in the end."
"Are you set on your path?" his mother asked. "Do you want to see Krinir dead?"
Tylen had to consider that for a while. A part of him still wanted to find a comfortable and secure life. Would it be so bad if he let a little bit of the old Tylen return? Or did he have to continue on this suicidal path he had begun? Opposing Krinir was surely suicide.
But Tylen couldn't let Krinir destroy the world either. Once, Tylen had been happy in his ignorance, but that ignorance was gone. He had no idea if he could aid in Krinir's defeat, but he didn't think he could ignore the threat either.
After all, defeating Krinir could give him the secure life he wanted.
But could someone else accomplish it without him?
No. He didn't trust anyone else that much. Warrick had placed confidence in him for a reason. The emperor had seen Tylen's potential, and even if Tylen didn't know what he was supposed to do, he had to do something.
"I think I am ready to make a decision," Tylen said. "I want Krinir dead."
"Good decision."
Tylen glanced to his left to see that Farah had joined his parents. He recalled how casually Krinir had killed her, and anger surged within him. Krinir would pay for his crimes no matter what the cost was for Tylen.
"I wish we'd had more of a chance to love each other," Tylen said.
"As do I," Farah said, "but you can honor me by defeating Krinir."
Strange. Somehow, Tylen had found different motives. Where once he would have considered only his safety, now he found love and hate both surging within him, leading him toward the same goal: Krinir's death.
He glanced over to see Markus and Nadia standing together, talking to some of the other ghosts. They had wrapped arms around each other and looked happy. Tylen had been on his way to finding that happiness with Farah. He never would have found it with Nadia, and though a part of him still ached for her, he no longer desired her as he had before.
He didn't deserve her anyways. After what he'd done to her, he'd forfeited his right to her love. Their marriage would have been loveless and lifeless, and Tylen never would have been happy even with all the power that came with being Crayden's high lord.
In this moment, as he watched them smiling at each other and laughing together, he felt as if a knot unraveled within him. He was happy for them, happy that they'd found love even if he'd lost the woman he loved. Now he understood how it felt to care for a person like that. When Krinir had killed Farah, Tylen had felt as if a part of him had been ripped away.
Anyone who had that kind of love deserved to hold on to it.
* * * * *
Klint didn't have as many ghosts as the others, and he hadn't expected to. He'd lived a solitary life, mostly by choice, preferring to remain apart from people. People had always disappointed him, and only recently had he realized he needed them.
He still wasn't sure if he belonged to this group, if he deserved a chance to kill Krinir. Could a few good deeds later in life make up for the evil he'd done as a younger man? However much the others tried to assure him he couldn't have been that bad, he knew the truth. If he'd been caught for even half his crimes, he'd have been hanged dozens of times.
But that was the great thing about the people he was traveling with. They were the kind of people who forgave, who believed that a person could always change for the better. And maybe Klint had done just that.
Now he stood before his sister, the only person he cared about from his old life.
"It's good to see you again," she said.
"Yeah, good to see you too."
"Is that all you have to say?"
"You know I've never had much of a way with words."
"No, you preferred to go out and kill everyone who wronged you."
"Not everyone," Klint said. "You know I had to do it to the people who'd kill you. I did it for you, Dana. You know that, don't you?"
"I didn't want you to wipe out an entire gang just for me."
"They were scum. They deserved it."
"And were you any better?"
"I would not have attacked an innocent woman like that," he said. "You know that. Everyone I killed that day died because they fought me. I only intended to kill the person who killed you and the man who ordered it."
"But then your plan went awry," she said. "As they always did."
"You saying they didn't deserve it?"
"Most of them were people like you, Klint. What did you expect th
em to do when you attacked their leader? They were scraping by, and this was the man who gave them food and a roof over their heads. You were the bad guy in their eyes."
"Why're you doing this to me?" Klint asked, fighting a rising tide of anger. "I already torture myself enough over some of the things I did."
"That's fine. But don't say you did it for me. You did it for yourself."
Klint considered her words. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"You were a good brother to me. I won't deny that. But you've always been selfish."
"I don't think that's true," he said. "Not anymore. I'm fighting for something different now. Something better. I'm fighting to save the world."
"And I wish you luck," she said. "I really do."
From some, that last comment might have been sarcastic, but he could see the truth in her pale, ghostly eyes. She did wish him well despite the way she'd treated him just now. He wasn't sure that any amount of wishes would help, however. They were rushing blindly into a battle they had no idea how to win.
But that was how Klint's plans always worked. He found comfort in unpredictability.
* * * * *
Lara had always expected Berig to be dead, but now that he stood before her, the reality of it hit her like a stone thrown at her stomach. She felt as if she couldn't breathe as she looked into his eyes, wishing she could change the past.
"It's okay," Berig said. "I don't mind being dead."
"But I'll never see you again."
He took a step toward her. "Don't say that. You can always come back here."
"If I survive."
He scratched his head. "Well, there is that, I guess."
"And the path here isn't safe," she said.
"And that too, I guess."
She paused for a moment, sad thoughts consuming her. At last, she said, "Whatever else might have happened during your life, you were quite possibly the bravest man I've ever known. To do what you did at the end, that takes a lot of courage."
"I don't know. It felt like the right thing to do at the time."
"That's what courage is," she said. "Doing the right thing even when it's difficult."
He scratched his head again. "Yeah, I guess I never thought of it that way."
Lara wished she could be as brave as Berig, but in truth she was terrified. Every passing second brought them closer to a final showdown with Krinir. By destroying the Webs of Fate, Berig had given them an advantage, but they still had to face off against Krinir's sheer power. She had no idea how they could defeat him, or even come close.
* * * * *
Nadia stood at the edge of the clearing as the entire party came together. They all looked as if they'd been through a rough time emotionally. There'd been tearful reunions and last goodbyes and so many emotions she couldn't keep track of them.
They'd met everyone they'd lost along the way. Most had stayed for only a few moments, and now all the ghosts had gone, but they had explained that the Darkness Temple was at the other side of this clearing. That was where the party had to go.
Nadia didn't feel ready.
Chapter 59: The Protectors
Kara and Theo followed Marlon into a large stone chamber illuminated by blue magical torches. Dozens of people filled the room, all of them wearing the ageless faces of sorcerers. Kara recognized some of them from the Tower of Light. She'd thought they'd all died in the battle, Marlon included. With him alive, maybe there was still hope.
"Who are all these people?" she asked, taking a seat on a stone bench.
"We call ourselves the Protectors," Marlon said. "We're the last line of defense against Krinir and the destruction of the world. We were formed back during the Great War—or should I say the First Great War."
Because this is the Second Great War, Kara added silently, praying they could end it before devastation swept across the world.
"You think we can stop him?" Kara asked.
Marlon's expression sank. "I'm not sure. With the destruction of the Webs of Fate, all possibilities have closed to our view. The same thing has happened for Krinir, which makes him more vulnerable. But make no mistake: he is still immensely powerful. His talents far surpassed Lionar's during the Great War."
"If the Webs are gone," Kara said, "then how did you know where to find us?"
"We saw a huge commotion and thought it was worth investigating."
That explanation made sense, so Kara decided to change the subject. "Did Nadia and the others succeed in rescuing Lionar?"
Marlon shook his head sadly. "I have no idea. The Webs are dark. I still don’t know how that happened. I did not see any possibility of such a thing ever happening."
Kara and Theo quickly explained how they'd destroyed the Webs of Fate. Marlon and the other sorcerers listened with rapt attention, their expressions concerned but also perhaps relieved. Kara couldn't blame them for feeling relief. In her mind, the Webs of Fate had brought nothing but destruction and tragedy to the world. Those who could read the Webs and manipulate them, people like Krinir and Warrick, were often too powerful to care about those below them.
Well, Warrick seemed to care sometimes. She still had trouble deciding what kind of person he was. Was he the man who had helped her so many times in the Shadowed Land? Or was he the man who could kill so many back in Crayden?
"It's good to know how the Webs were destroyed," Marlon said. "And as I said, that destruction gives us an opportunity." He began pacing across the stone floor, stroking his chin, deep in thought. "Ironically, I think the very thing that made Krinir so dangerous could also lead to his defeat." He stopped pacing, shaking his head furiously. "But it's very risky."
Kara's stomach clenched. "Do you mean you have a plan?"
"It starts with Krinir's insanity. He was driven insane because he was both Creator and Destroyer, two ideas which are a direct contradiction of one another. That combination also gave him his immense powers, which he did not lose when he gave up his status as Creator. We need to give someone else such powers. We need to make Darien Warrick both Creator and Restorer."
"But won't that make him insane?" Theo asked.
Marlon leaned against the nearby stone wall, blue light glowing against his ageless face. "No, I don't think so. Creation and Restoration are not opposed like Creation and Destruction. I don't think there will be any contradiction. By combining the two, I think we can make Warrick into what we might call another god: the Protector."
"But if he's also a god," Kara said, "then he can't kill Krinir."
Marlon let out a long sigh. "I know. That's part of the plan I have not yet figured out." He began pacing again. "You know, I think Warrick always viewed himself as a Protector, even when we were young. He was the strongest of our group of friends when we studied together at the Academy of Sandersburg. I was small back then and got picked on a great deal. But Warrick was always there to protect me. I loved him like a brother. I hate what he has become."
Kara saw the tears in Marlon's eyes, took a careful step toward him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. "That Darien Warrick is still there. He protected me countless times down in the Shadowed Land. He's protected us since then. I think he's a good man despite all the things he's done. I can't think of anyone better to serve as this new Protector."
Theo cleared his throat. "There's still one slight problem."
"I know," Kara said. "We can't make him the Protector unless we're sure he can remain free from Krinir's control." Her stomach twisted. "And I don't know how to do that. My magic breaks him out of the spell, but the effect is only temporary."
"Then what can we hope to do?" Theo asked.
Marlon took a few steps, leaning against a worn couch this time. Though he'd survived the Battle of Luminia, he looked like it had taken a toll on him. His normally ageless features almost seemed to have lost that quality.
Kara wondered suddenly how much she'd aged in recent months.
"There's another problem," Marlon said, his expression grave. "As far as
I know, Lionar is still trapped in the future, or he might even be dead. We have no means of finding the Restorer, and only the Restorer can transfer his powers to the Creator to make the Protector."
"In other words," Kara said, "we have a plan, but no hope of implementing it."
Marlon sighed wearily. "None that I can see."
"Then I'll have to think of something," Kara said. She paced near the gray stone wall, where the torches gave off their blue glow. "Maybe I can kill him myself."
"You tried just now when we were escaping from the tower," Theo said. "You don't have the strength or endurance with your strange magic."
Kara felt as if someone had punched her in the gut. She looked down. "I know."
Theo placed a hand under her chin, lifting it up. "Don't get discouraged. We may not have the answer right now, but as long as we're alive, we have to keep fighting."
"You're right," Kara said. "We'll think of something." But the words sounded hollow as she said them. She couldn't imagine any future in which they'd defeat Krinir. Then a thought came to her, though she had no idea if it would work. "When I met Rador in the God Realm, he told me I was a Traveler, a person who can travel between different worlds."
Theo ran a hand through his dark brown beard. "And how's that gonna help us?"
"Maybe we can find some way of defeating Krinir on one of these other worlds."
"I appreciate the gesture," Marlon said, "but I am not familiar with this Traveling at all, and it sounds like searching for a needle in a haystack." He looked at Kara sympathetically. "Tell me more about Rador. Do you know where is now?"
Kara told Marlon how Rador had become part of the Webs of Fate when he'd freed her and Berig from their grasp.
"Then he may still be out there somewhere," Marlon said.
Kara frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
"We've received scattered reports of people who were trapped in the Webs of Fate due to misguided time travel attempts. They have appeared all across the world after the destruction of the Webs, and they are alive and well, so Rador may be alive somewhere."
"But how can we find him?" Kara asked.
A voice came from behind her. "There will be no need for that."
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 175