The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  Then she turned her attention to the ship's crew. The uniforms they wore were unlike any she'd ever seen. No chain mail. No plate armor. Instead, they wore black uniforms that looked crisp and clean, as if a master tailor had created them. All kinds of buttons and pins decorated the uniforms. The crew also wore unusual hats with a flat, semi-circular piece jutting out at the front.

  The captain remained nearby, looking at them curiously. He was a handsome man, dark-haired and clean-shaven, close to forty years old. Not at all what she expected of a terrible enemy. Of course, Tylen was also handsome, and she knew what kind of man he was.

  Nadia tried to keep her tone civil. "What do you want from us?"

  The captain stepped toward her. "No idea. The president ordered us to retrieve you, so that's what we did."

  A president. Nadia felt a strange thrill. She remembered her time in the castle library, when she'd read about the form of government known as the democratic republic. Many of those governments featured a president as the leader. Perhaps Kris was wrong about the New Earth Empire. Surely any place that adopted such a fair form of government couldn't represent everything that was wrong with the world.

  "And what were your orders about our treatment?" Markus asked.

  "You are to be treated as guests aboard our ship," the captain said. "As long as you behave yourselves. Don't try anything stupid. Don't even think about jumping into the sea."

  Nadia glanced toward the visible shoreline. The thought of jumping into the sea had crossed her mind.

  "If you do," the captain continued, "we'll destroy the ship you were on."

  Nadia believed him. He was treating them civilly, but something in his gaze told her he was the kind of man who'd do anything if it served his cause. Perhaps there was something dangerous about those handsome, dark-haired men.

  "We understand," Markus said, and Nadia jerked her head in agreement.

  "Good," the captain said. "One of my men will show you to your cabin."

  A nearby sailor beckoned them forward. He didn't speak to them and kept a brisk pace, leading them across the open deck, past countless crates and barrels, and toward the center of the ship. They stepped through a wooden door that creaked on its hinges and into a brightly lit corridor. The man led them to the right, then opened a nearby door.

  "This is your cabin," he said. "You should spend most of your time here. You're welcome to join us in the mess hall, but try not to get in our way." The man turned and left.

  Nadia and Markus stepped into the cabin, which was much larger than Nadia had expected. There were two beds, and the room looked as if it had been cleaned recently. Nadia and Markus had only those supplies that were strapped to them, but somebody had provided some clothes and towels for them to use.

  "A comfortable prison is still a prison," Nadia said.

  "Yeah," Markus said, "but I'd take this over Warrick's dungeon any day." He plopped down on one of the beds. "What do you think they really want?"

  "I don't know. I think the captain was telling the truth. He doesn't know any more than he told us. He's just a soldier carrying out his orders."

  "Then it's a good thing he didn't have orders to kill us."

  They checked through the clothes provided for them. None of them were a perfect fit, but they were close enough. The clothes were also quite unusual. Blue pants made out of a sturdy material Nadia had never seen before. Lightweight, collarless shirts made of a soft, flexible material. The clothes were plain but well-made.

  "I think I'll keep the clothes on my back," Markus said.

  "We might as well try out these new clothes," Nadia said. "What could it hurt?"

  They both slipped into some of the new clothing. At first, Markus had trouble figuring out how to put the pants on. He fumbled with the zipper, at which time Nadia had to zip it for him. She'd encountered similar devices on some of her dresses back home.

  "We look ridiculous," Markus said, once they were dressed.

  "We'll probably look just like everybody else in the New Earth Empire."

  "Maybe, but we can't talk like them. Their accents are strange."

  There wasn't much to do in their cabin, so Nadia led Markus out into the corridor. To her surprise, there were no guards at their door. Did the captain trust them that much, or did he figure his threat was enough to control them?

  They got lost as they tried to find the mess hall. Once, one of the sailors had to direct them away from a place called the engine room. The same sailor also gave them directions to the mess hall, and they found it a few minutes later.

  Nadia still couldn't decide how to feel about their captors. They all behaved courteously enough, but were they only doing so because of orders?

  In the mess hall, Nadia and Markus grabbed plates of food and found seats in a secluded corner of the room. The sailors ignored them for the most part. Nadia hoped their voyage wouldn't take long because she feared she'd grow bored and restless rather quickly.

  Halfway through their meal, Nadia looked up to see the captain approaching them.

  "How do you find your accommodations?" he asked. His tone seemed much friendlier now, but was it all an act?

  "It's certainly the most comfortable prison I've seen," Nadia said. She probably shouldn't have said it, but she wanted to see how the captain would react.

  His expression remained neutral. "I can see how you might view this is a prison, and perhaps it is. After all, I don't know what the president intends for you. Though if he wanted to harm you, I think he would have given us different orders." He held out a hand to Nadia. "I never introduced myself. I'm Captain Tomas Cress."

  She shook his hand. His grip was firm.

  "Would you really have killed the entire crew of the other ship?" she asked.

  "Yes."

  "And you wouldn't have felt at all bad about it?"

  He shrugged. "They wouldn't have been the first crew I've killed. I'm a soldier. That's my job, my duty. I might regret taking lives, but if it's necessary, I'll do it. Believe me, I'm glad you two didn't make me resort to anything unnecessary."

  Again, she believed him. He reminded her of some of Warrick's Imperial Guards. For the most part, they didn't kill if they didn't have to, but when Warrick ordered it, they killed without remorse. She'd always had trouble understanding that mindset. After all, she still thought of the people they'd killed in the last months.

  "How long till we reach our destination," Markus asked.

  "A few days," said Captain Cress.

  "And what if we try to escape there?" Markus asked.

  "You won't be able to." The captain turned and left. Nadia had no doubt that he was telling the truth. He didn't need to specify how they'd be restrained. Surely she'd find out once they reached shore. Were all the stories of the New Earth Empire's technology true?

  Nadia and Markus spent the next few days trying to entertain themselves. They talked to the sailors, but most of them didn't say much. In a strange way, Nadia looked forward to reaching shore. At least she'd be on solid ground again. She didn't suffer from seasickness, but being out on the open sea made her feel trapped.

  All that water. Nothing but water as far as the eye could see.

  They were standing on deck when the shore first came into view. The ship's powerful engines propelled it toward the shore. Nadia's stomach churned as her mind raced with terrible thoughts of what would happen now. Would they still be prisoners? Would the president expect them to do something for him? Why else would he go to all this effort?

  Night fell before they reached their destination, but there was no doubt where they were headed. To the southeast was the brightest glow Nadia had ever seen. It wasn't orange like the typical glow of a city back home. It was a combination of all kind of colors. Blues. Whites. Reds. Oranges. Yellows. Even pinks and purples. It was beautiful, and terrifying.

  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, eventua
lly 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.