The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "I think it's gone," he said in a low voice.

  "I wouldn't count on that."

  As it turned out, whatever had caused the disturbance didn't threaten them again. They rested for another hour or so before setting out again. Dirk informed Rik that they were close to the settlement. They'd reach it in perhaps a few hours.

  Twice on the way, Rik felt the vibrations again, but the mist was so thick he couldn't see anything. He glanced around every few seconds, expecting to glimpse a shadow in the mist. Or perhaps he wouldn't spot anything until it was too late.

  The mist grew thicker than ever, and they couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. The vibrations started again, more pronounced this time. Rik felt the monster approaching from their right. Acting on instinct, he sent a surge of fire in that direction. To his relief, Dirk did the same. As the fire burned, it seemed to clear the mist.

  In the gap it had created, there stood a beast perhaps eight feet tall and covered head-to-toe in spikes. It stood upright like a human, but there was nothing human in its red eyes.

  Rik focused on turning the monster's blood to ice, as he'd done when he'd first found himself in the Shadowed Land, but it didn't work this time. The monster's spikes repelled his magic, and Rik had to stop quickly, before he turned his own blood to ice.

  The monster showed no response to their attack. It lumbered toward them as if it weren't all that eager to devour them. Rik wondered if they could outrun it.

  They both tried fire again, but the monster walked through it as though it didn't feel the heat at all. Rik doubted he could use wind to knock the monster down. His spells were strong, but they weren't strong enough to topple a beast that size.

  The monster staggered toward them, letting out a low growl, its red eyes glowing.

  Bursts of lightning accomplished nothing, but then Rik realized that the bottoms of its feet couldn't be covered in the same spikes. He directed his staff at the ground beneath the monster and focused on raising a spike from the rocks. A stalagmite shot out of the ground, piercing the monster's foot.

  The monster shrieked and fell back, and Rik and Dirk moved forward, taking advantage. Rik sent shards of ice at the monster's exposed feet, while Dirk hit the feet with bursts of lightning. The magic dazed the monster, giving them just the chance they needed.

  Before it could get back to its feet, Rik rushed forward with his axe in hand. He swung the axe hard, right at the monster's right foot. The blade of the axe sank a few inches into the tough flesh. It didn't cut clean through, but it was enough to cripple the beast.

  The creature shrieked again as it struggled to get up. It appeared that all those large spikes weighed it down. Rik took advantage of the opportunity and hacked at its other foot. Now, even if it did get back on its feet, it couldn't pursue them.

  "Good job," Dirk said. "Let's get moving."

  Rik couldn't hide his smile. That had to be the first time Dirk had ever praised him.

  They left the monster behind and heard no evidence of pursuit. Soon the mist thickened, and Rik felt suffocated once more. The two of them didn't speak much as they traveled. Dirk seemed a man of few words, and Rik was intimidated by him.

  "I still don't understand why you threw everything away to help me."

  "Because you could be important," Dirk said.

  "That's quite a gamble, don't you think?"

  Dirk walked a few steps. "I was growing tired of waiting there. You're the first real opportunity I've had to make a difference." He turned his staff over in his hands. "You have to understand that we're just channelers. People like you and me don't make much of a difference in the eyes of sorcerers. Our magic is simple. Ordinary. It's nothing like theirs."

  "I've never really seen what sorcerers can do," Rik said.

  "Their magic doesn't flow as quickly as ours, but once they gather their strength, they make our staffs look like toys. Well, some of them do. It takes a great deal of training to become a master sorcerer, but the sorcerers here in the Shadowed Land have had centuries."

  "So these friends of yours?" Rik asked. "Are they all sorcerers?"

  "Most of them, yes. But there are also a few channelers. Even some ordinary soldiers. I bet they feel even more out of place than I do."

  Rik chuckled. "I've felt out of place my whole time here."

  After perhaps another hour or two of walking, they reached the settlement. It was a small village, its houses constructed of rock. It had no walls and hardly looked like the kind of place that a secret resistance group would call home.

  A guard stood at the edge of the settlement, watching them approach. At first, the man's expression was stern, but then it lightened. "Dirk, you made it!" His eyes landed on Rik. "Is this the young man you were sent to retrieve?"

  "Yes," Dirk said. "I need to speak to Selene."

  "Of course. She'll be happy to see you."

  The guard led them across the rocky ground, toward a small stone structure that had seen better days. In truth, this village looked as if a good wind gust could knock it down. It was probably a good thing that there was little to no wind in the Shadowed Land.

  The guard pushed aside a frayed tapestry and announced their presence.

  "Send them in," said a curt female voice.

  Rik followed Dirk into the small house. The only chairs available were made of stone and had no cushions. The tables were cracked in places, and the interior walls looked even less sturdy than the exterior. Rik felt as if he were in the wrong place.

  "Please sit," said the woman. She had turned in her stone chair to face them. Her skin held that ageless quality Rik had seen in other sorcerers, but the years seemed to have worn on her. The lines on her face suggested that she didn't smile often.

  Rik and Dirk took seats in two of the hard chairs.

  "I am Selene," she said to Rik, before turning to Dirk. "Is this the Weaver?"

  Dirk nodded. "I'm sorry that we had to rush things. He is an impulsive young man, and he was fooled by Mathew."

  Her expression twitched in disgust. "It was a distinct possibility. There is nothing wrong with moving things a bit faster. In fact, it gives us more room for error."

  Rik didn't know if he was supposed to speak, and he hated that they were talking about him as if he weren't there. He was more than whatever the Webs of Fate said about him, but he had the feeling Selene saw him as a pawn in her games.

  He cleared his throat. "Dirk hasn't told me what I'm supposed to do. All I really want is to go home. I understand that you have your war to fight, but it's not for me."

  "It is not our war," she said. "It is everyone's war. You don't understand the danger Krinir poses. He has shown it before. His ultimate goal is the destruction of Terra, the world you call home. If you don't help us defeat Krinir, you will have no home to return to."

  "With all due respect," Rik said, "I only have your word for that."

  Dirk glared at him. "Don't you question Selene in front of me."

  "It's all right," Selene said. "We all have our doubts."

  "Do you trust me?" Dirk asked, keeping his gaze stern.

  "Yes." Rik had to trust Dirk. The man had risked his own life to get Rik out of a dangerous situation. In the time they'd spent together, he'd done nothing to arouse Rik's suspicion. In truth, Rik should have suspected Mathew's true motives right from the beginning. It had all been too convenient, and Mathew had done nothing to gain Rik's trust.

  How could Rik have been so foolish? Markus always joked that Rik didn't think before acting, but Rik had never been that stupid before. Well, maybe he had, but not about something as important as his own life, his chances to return home, and perhaps the fate of the entire world.

  It was enough to make him feel sick.

  "If you trust me," Dirk said, "then you have to believe I'm telling the truth. And I trust that Selene has told me the truth. That should be enough for you."

  "I know," Rik said, "but I did just have my trust betrayed by Mathew."

 
Selene's expression was thoughtful. "I promise we won't betray your trust."

  "Thank you," Rik said, but he wasn't quite sure he believed her. For now, he had the feeling she'd stick to that promise. But what did promises mean to a sorcerer who'd lived for hundreds of years? She could crush him with little effort if he ever opposed her.

  "Good," she said. "Now that we have that settled, we need to discuss your future." She leaned forward in her chair. "The Webs have told me a great deal about what lies ahead for us. We must cross the Wastelands. That's a difficult journey, even for a sorcerer like me." She hesitated a moment, as if collecting her thoughts. "Four of us must go, and only four."

  Dirk frowned. "Who else is coming?"

  She took in a long, deep breath. "You're not going to like it."

  "It's Eliza, isn't it?"

  "I'm afraid so," Selene said. "She is the strongest healer we have, and she has trained to use weapons as well. We'll need her on this journey."

  "But she can't channel," Dirk said. "She'll be defenseless in this place."

  "I understand your concerns, but the Webs tell me that she gives us the best chance."

  "Who's Eliza?" Rik asked.

  Dirk's expression was pained. "She's my daughter."

  "I know," Selene said, "but she's old enough to make her own decisions, and she has agreed to come with us. You'll have to accept that. She knows how to protect herself."

  Dirk massaged his temples. "If you think it's best."

  Rik had never seen Dirk give in to someone else's authority like that. That told Rik one of two things. Either Selene was worthy of his trust and respect or she was too dangerous to cross. Maybe it was a little of both.

  "She should be here by now," Selene said. She glanced toward the doorway, then made a beckoning gesture. "Your father knows. You may come in."

  A young woman stepped into the room. She looked maybe a year or two younger than Rik. Her hair was a pale blond, unlike her father's dark hair. Though she carried a sword and a bow, she didn't look comfortable with them. There was a certain dreamlike quality about her as she approached with tentative steps.

  Rik was drawn to her immediately.

  "You sure about this?" Dirk asked her.

  She nodded. "I trust Selene. Besides, I'm ready for a bit of adventure."

  Rik felt like telling her that adventure wasn't all that fun, but at the moment, he couldn't form any words. She wasn't classically beautiful by any means, but there was grace in the way she walked, the way she carried herself. Was this how it felt to experience love at first sight? Rik had always thought such things were silly. No one fell in love that quickly.

  "You must be Rik," she said, looking at him with deep blue eyes. "Selene has told me about you. I am glad to finally meet you." She smiled. "By the way, I like your beard."

  Had she just complimented him? Rik's face burned, and he hoped no one would notice how red it had become. "Um, thank you. I haven't gotten many compliments about it."

  "It makes you look like an adventurer," she said. "And adventurers are interesting."

  Rik was beginning to understand why Dirk felt so apprehensive about taking her along. Back home, Rik had met girls like her. Some of them became so lost in their dreams that they barely noticed the world around them. He wasn't sure if she was that bad about it, but her father was right to be concerned about her.

  "We should leave immediately," Selene said. "We can get to know each other on the road."

  "Do we really have to go so soon?" Rik asked. He'd been looking forward to the chance to rest his feet. Of course, it didn't surprise him. If he'd learned anything in the last few months, it was that the world didn't care what he wanted. In fact, it seemed as if it had set out to give him the exact opposite. He had no idea how he'd survived it all.

  The guard stepped inside. "I'm afraid you'll have to go right now."

  Selene narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

  "The Sunset Army is here, and Mathew is leading them. They want the Weaver."

  Chapter 22: The Tunnels

  Rik's heart pounded. He couldn't let the Dark have him.

  Selene turned to the guard. "You need to distract them, even if it means giving up your own lives. The Weaver is too important."

  The guard nodded solemnly. "I understand."

  "And how's a distraction gonna help me?" Rik asked.

  "There's a reason we picked this settlement to be our hideout." She started toward the far right corner of the room. "There are secret tunnels out of here."

  "Let me guess," Rik said. "They're infested with monsters."

  Selene nodded. "But it's nothing we can't handle."

  Rik, Dirk, and Eliza followed Selene to that corner of the room, where she used a brief burst of fire that caused the floor to shift. The space beyond looked dark and foreboding, but Rik swallowed his fear and ducked inside.

  Selene led the way, using some kind of light she held in her palm. The opening closed behind them, and Rik experienced a sudden wave of nausea. He'd never been as claustrophobic as Markus, but he still felt trapped.

  They wound their way through the darkness. The air was cold and damp and smelled as if no one had been here in years. Spider webs crisscrossed the passage and stuck to Rik's face. Good thing spiders had never bothered him much.

  After a while, the passage opened up into a wider chamber. Here, magical torches glowed, so Selene put out her light. At the far side of the chamber was a huge gate.

  "What kind of place is this?" Rik asked.

  Selene frowned. "We've never actually explored it."

  Rik gave her a sharp look. "And you thought it would be a good idea to use it as an escape route? Who knows what we might find here?"

  "It's better than certain death," Selene said. "You should be happy."

  "You know, I'm finding it hard to feel happy about anything."

  "Maybe you should change that attitude," Eliza said, startling him. "You're still alive, aren't you? That seems like reason enough to be happy."

  Rik let out a low chuckle. It was a miracle that he was alive after everything he'd been through. "Can't argue there."

  "See? You're already doing better."

  Once she stepped away from him, Dirk came close and whispered in his ear. "It takes a while to get used to her, but she's not as crazy as she seems."

  "She doesn't seem crazy at all."

  "Then maybe you're crazy, too."

  Rik didn't know what to say, so he surveyed his surroundings. The chamber stretched farther than he could see side-to-side. Magical torches were positioned at intervals of fifteen or twenty feet. The walls were made of smooth stone, indicating that humans had constructed this place, whatever it was.

  Selene led them toward the gate. They examined the area but couldn't find any means of opening the gate.

  Rik's stomach felt unsettled. "I'm not sure I want to know what's on the other side of that gate."

  "Well, we have no choice," Selene said. "It's the only way to go on."

  "Perhaps we could hide here until they leave," Dirk said.

  Selene gave him a stern look. "You know they won't do that."

  "We just have to figure out how to open the gate," Eliza said. "It shouldn't be too hard. There must be some clues around here." She looked around the chamber as if those clues would come to her. "We should explore this place."

  "Let's stick together," Selene said, her face pale in the blue magical torchlight. "This chamber looks deserted, but I don't trust it."

  "Agreed," Dirk said. Rik nodded his agreement, and then they started off to their left. At first, nothing changed about the place, but then they found three pedestals against the stone wall. Each pedestal had a small circular indentation in the shape of a stone.

  Selene frowned as she examined the pedestals. "Looks like we need to find the stones that go into these pedestals."

  "But how're we supposed to find them?" Rik asked. "Seems like we're stuck in this chamber."

  "We have to go the oth
er way, of course," Eliza said.

  "Yeah, and let's hope we don't find the same thing over there," Rik said.

  Eliza smiled. "We won't. They wouldn't design the place like that."

  Rik felt like arguing, but there was no point. He'd let her retain her optimism. He remembered a time when he'd looked at adventure like that, but that time felt as if it belonged to a different life now. He couldn't recall the last time he'd had a chance to rest.

  They made their way to the other side of the chamber, where they found three smaller gates. Only one gate was open, and there were no locks on the others.

  "Can't we use magic to open these gates?" Rik asked.

  Selene shook her head. "There are protections around them. If I try to force my way with magic, those protections could kill us. We can't take the chance."

  "Of course," Rik muttered. "Nobody would ever think of making things easy."

  "We should go through the gate," Eliza said, looking delighted at the prospect. Rik should have been annoyed by her, but he found her outlook on life refreshing. He wished he could reclaim that side of his personality.

  They all stepped through the gate. Dirk was the last to step through, and as soon as he did, the gate slammed closed behind him. Dirk, Eliza, and Selene all jumped in surprise, but Rik had been waiting for it. Whatever this place was, it would choose to torment them in the worst ways possible. If they didn't succeed in finding the stone they needed in here, they'd never leave.

  "Don't worry," Eliza said. "I'm sure it will open again."

  The place they'd entered was a wide corridor filled with magical torches. They started walking, then rounded a corner after perhaps thirty paces. Now a larger chamber stood ahead of them. Rik's stomach swirled as he worried about what might lurk beyond.

  They stepped into the chamber, where the ceiling was so far above them that they could barely see it. The stone floor of the chamber was flat and nondescript, but at the chamber's far end, sets of stairs zigzagged upward.

  "Guess we'll climb," Dirk said.

  The stairs went up for hundreds of feet, and soon Rik's legs ached. He grew more and more winded by the second. The higher they went, the sicker he felt. This was not the time for his fear of heights to show up again.