The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "There are red levers on the right side of your chairs," he shouted over the roaring wind. "Push them forward, then pull them back, then push them forward again. Your chairs will be released, and then there will be a parachute to slow your fall."

  "What about you?" Nadia asked as wind whipped through her hair.

  "I'm a sorcerer. The crash won't kill me. But I can keep them pursuing me. It might give you a chance to escape."

  "But—"

  "Just do it," Daniel said. "Please."

  Nadia exchanged a quick look with Markus, Berig, and Lara. They all nodded and pushed their levers forward, then backward, then forward again. A moment of terror passed before Nadia's chair flew upward. The ceiling above opened, and she soared high into the air above the city, feeling as if she might throw up everything she'd eaten in the last week.

  She looked down, and felt as if her heart had climbed into her stomach. But then, as the chair descended, a large object, similar to the kind of parasol she'd used before to protect herself from the rain, burst from the chair. As soon as it did, her descent slowed.

  She glanced up, noting that their pursuers had continued following Daniel. But how long would it be before more police arrived to pursue Nadia, Markus, Berig, and Lara?

  Nadia's chair hit the ground with a heavy thud. After a few moments of disorientation, she released the straps and toppled forward, feeling dizzy. The others did the same nearby, and then they all joined together in the middle of a large stretch of grass.

  It appeared they were still in the park.

  "What do we do now?" Berig asked.

  "We need to hide," Nadia said. "They'll be back for us."

  As if sensing her words, another police vehicle flew toward them, its blue and red lights swirling in the night sky. It came lower, landing perhaps fifty feet away.

  "Run!" Markus shouted, and they all took off.

  Chapter 45: What Lies Ahead

  Markus led the way as they sprinted across the park. Shouts came from behind, but he couldn't make out what the officers were saying. Back home, the darkness of night would have concealed them, but in this city, the electric lights glowed almost as bright as day.

  He glanced back. Their pursuers were closing in on them.

  Markus didn't want to hurt the officers, but he had no choice. He pointed his palm back toward their pursuers and unleashed a burst of lightning. The officers cursed but didn't give up. Already, Markus was short on breath.

  The party reached the edge of the park and raced across one of the city's many streets. Still, no one was out and about, which made it hard to melt into any kind of crowd.

  "Shields!" Nadia shouted. Markus glanced back to see the energy blast of a plasma rifle barreling toward them. He raised his palms in the air, conjuring a shield with his TW. The shield appeared just in time to absorb the blast.

  "Where do we go from here?" Markus asked breathlessly as they darted into an alley.

  Nadia kept running. "I-I have no idea."

  "Neither do I," Berig said. "I don't know this city at all."

  "Neither do we," Markus said as they rounded a corner, pressing deeper into the alleys. This looked vaguely like the part of the city containing the resistance headquarters, but he couldn't be sure. And even if it was, they stood no chance of finding the place.

  More plasma blasts came from behind them. Each time one struck the shield, Markus felt it growing weaker. With both Markus and Nadia maintaining the shield, they couldn't launch their own attacks at the officers. How the hell were they going to escape this?

  They came out the other end of the alley and stood now at the edge of a large street. There was still no traffic, so they sprinted across the street. But now they were out in the open. Easy targets. More and more plasma blasts came from behind them.

  At the other side of the street, they ducked into another alley. Then they followed it through countless twists and turns, plunging deeper into the most congested parts of the city. Markus glanced back. Their pursuers were closer. Too close.

  Markus wiped sweat from his brow as they ran. He had to think of something. Anything.

  "Got any ideas?" he asked Nadia.

  "No."

  "But you're supposed to have the answers."

  "Not this time," she said.

  "Wait, I've got an idea!" Berig pointed to the side of one of the buildings in the alley. A set of stairs led upward into the building. "Maybe we'll be able to hide in there."

  Nadia looked at the stairs. "Well, I don't have any better ideas."

  Berig led the way as they raced up the stairs, which groaned and swayed. This didn't seem like the greatest idea. What if the stairs collapsed beneath them?

  Shouts came from below. Their pursuers. Markus glanced down to see them aiming their plasma rifles at the stairs, but not at the party.

  "We have to get off these stairs!" he shouted. A moment later, bursts of energy struck the stairs. The metal grew weaker, and the stairs groaned alarmingly. One section of the stairs broke free from the building, and the stairs began to swing.

  Markus's stomach lurched, and he clung to the railing, praying he wouldn't fall.

  Nadia pointed her palm at a nearby window and sent a shard of ice at the glass. The glass shattered, and she raced inside. Berig and Lara followed, with Markus close behind. The stairs swayed more fiercely and groaned again. Markus leapt at the last moment. Another couple of rifle bursts struck the stairs, and they fell away, hitting the ground with a terrible noise.

  They stood now in what looked like a small home. Noises came from a nearby room, but Markus ignored them, racing across the main living area, which contained a few chairs and tables, as well as many electrical devices he couldn't identify.

  Nadia reached the door first and stared at it for a few moments.

  "It's just a lock," Berig said, rushing forward. He studied the lock for a moment, then unlocked the door with a lockpick he'd somehow stashed away. As he opened the door, though, his lockpick broke, and he swore under his breath.

  They raced into the corridor beyond this dwelling.

  "Where now?" Lara asked.

  "They know we're in this building," Berig said. "They'll probably have it surrounded."

  "Then what should we do?" Markus asked.

  Berig glanced from side to side. "It's probably insane, but we should go to the roof. The buildings here are close together. We should be able to jump from one to another."

  "Sounds better than any plan I have," Markus said. "Rik would hate it, though."

  Nadia's face was pale. "But how do we reach the roof?"

  "We'll just have to look for more stairs," Berig said.

  They raced along the corridor, eventually finding a stairwell. From there, they raced up the stairs. Markus ignored his growing exhaustion. At any second, their pursuers could appear again. The destruction of the stairs outside had bought them some time, some space, but would it be enough? Their pursuers knew the city much better than they did.

  Soon they reached the top level of the building, where they found a locked door. It was not one of those handprint locks, though.

  Berig frowned at the lock. "Anyone got something I can use to pick it?"

  They all shook their heads.

  "Get out of the way," Nadia said. She pointed her palms at the door and sent fire surging toward the lock. She kept the fire going for a while, then let it die. "See if I've melted the lock."

  Markus tried to open the door, but it didn't budge. Then he took a few steps back, ran toward the door, and delivered a forceful kick. With a horrible cracking and crunching sound, the door flew open. They raced through the opening, finding another set of stairs, which they climbed. At the top of those stairs, they pushed through another door.

  Now they stood atop the building. Berig was right. The buildings here were only a few feet apart. They could easily jump from one building to another.

  "Which way?" Nadia asked, glancing around, her eyes wide.

 
"No idea." Berig pointed to their left. "That way seems good."

  No one argued, so they took off running, leaping from one building to another. Then another, and another. Markus thought they might have lost their pursuers, but then he heard a sound from above. He glanced up and back to see one of the police vehicles closing in on them. Blue energy gathered in front of the vehicle as it prepared to fire.

  "Get behind cover!" Markus shouted.

  They found a bunch of metallic crates nearby and leapt behind them moments before the energy blast would have struck them. Instead, it hit the crates, partially melting them. Another attack would probably strike the party.

  Markus wiped sweat from his face. "We can't stay here."

  "We can't escape them at all," Nadia said.

  A voice came from the vehicle as it hovered above them. "Lay down your weapons and put your hands in the air. If you don’t comply within ten seconds, we will shoot you."

  They all exchanged nervous glances.

  "We have no choice," Lara said. "Maybe we can find another way to escape."

  Markus hated it, but she was right. He and Nadia both laid their TWs on the roof of the building, then put their hands in the air. The police vehicle lowered slowly to the roof. As soon as it touched the rooftop, half a dozen officers emerged, pointing rifles at the party.

  "Well, it was nice to see you again, Berig," Markus said. He stood close to the edge of the roof, looking down at least fifty feet to the ground below.

  And that was how he saw the flying vehicle. Its roof opened.

  "Jump!" It was Daniel.

  They didn't hesitate. The officers were just about to place force fields around them when they all leapt off the side of the building. The drop into the car was almost ten feet, but they landed inside without incident. Daniel closed the roof and maneuvered the car higher into the air, soaring above the buildings.

  "Great," Markus muttered. "Now we're right back where we started."

  "Don't worry," Daniel said. "I still have another trick up my sleeve." He worked on one of the vehicle's computers for a few moments, then turned back to them. "I'm going to fly low, and we're going to drop out of the bottom of the car. I've programmed the auto-guidance system to have the car fly higher into the air. Hopefully, they'll see that and follow the car."

  He flew the car low, then pressed a button, which opened panel in the floor. Although the car was still moving, they dropped to the ground perhaps five feet below. Markus hit the ground and fell into a roll, skinning his knees on the street.

  The others were right there with him, and Daniel joined them a few moments later, landing a bit farther along the alley. As soon as they were on the ground, the car flew higher. As if on cue, a police vehicle raced through the air, following the unmanned vehicle.

  "They'll realize what I did eventually," Daniel said, "but I think I got us enough time to get back to headquarters. We're only a couple of blocks away."

  To Markus's surprise, they reached headquarters without incident. As soon as they entered the main room, they all sank into some of the comfortable chairs scattered about. Markus wondered if he'd ever felt more exhausted. He had no idea how they'd escaped. It was time to rest and recover.

  But he didn't get his chance.

  "Yasmin wants to see all four of you," Daniel said.

  Markus groaned, sitting up in his chair. "Does it have to be right now?"

  "Yes, she was quite insistent."

  With another groan, Markus got to his feet. Once the others all rose, Daniel led them to Yasmin's office. At the door, Daniel faced them. "I don't blame you for wanting a chance to rest, but Yasmin has a way of getting what she wants."

  The four of them stepped into the room. Yasmin sat behind her desk, watching them with a curious expression. "I'm glad you're all here," she said. "Now let's get down to business."

  Markus wasn't sure he liked this woman. There didn't seem to be a soft bone in her body. Nadia was hard in some of the same ways, but there was a softness underneath that rough exterior that made her so attractive.

  "Sit down," Yasmin said, and they all took seats without hesitation. "Now that we have the four of you together, we have a great chance to save the world. All four of you are Weavers, and very powerful ones at that. There may be great things in your future."

  "I don't know about anyone else," Berig said, "but I'm tired of being a Weaver."

  Yasmin glared at him. "Allow me to explain your next steps before you decide to opt out." She put down the pen she was holding. "I've been reading the Webs of Fate a great deal in recent days, and they've led me to the conclusion that you must travel to the northeast, to the Great Desert. Out there, you'll find a region of the empire close to outright rebellion, and you'll also find the Earth Temple, the first step for you on the Pilgrimage."

  "And if we decide we don't want to do that?" Nadia asked.

  "That's your decision, but can you turn away when you've seen what Krinir can do? Can you allow him to destroy the world?"

  Markus hated it when people put things in terms like that. How could they refuse when the outcome was the destruction of the world? He had his doubts about how likely that was, but he didn't think he could take the chance of ignoring the Webs of Fate.

  "All right, what do we have to do?" he asked, surprised at his boldness.

  "To be clear," Yasmin said, "you don't have to do anything. Whatever you do in life is your own choice. I can merely guide you on paths that I think would be most beneficial to the world. If you don't trust me, feel free to ignore my advice." She closed her eyes for a moment. "The Webs have shown me that you'll need the powers of the Earth Temple before we can hope to disable the Machine. They also show us a chance to get the rebellion going in the desert."

  "All right," Nadia said. "How do we get to the Earth Temple?"

  "That's where we have a problem. Our government has blocked access to the temple. They believe that they can limit the power of sorcerers throughout the world by preventing people from completing the Pilgrimage."

  Nadia leaned forward in her chair. "Then how do we get in?"

  "Simple," Yasmin said. "We need a distraction."

  "What kind of distraction?" Markus asked, feeling sick.

  "We start a war."

  Chapter 46: Eastwatch

  Kara and her party approached the walls of Eastwatch. She staggered across the rocky terrain, sore in so many spots after the battle in the cavern.

  "How'd you know the teleportation stone would work?" she asked Rik.

  Rik looked down at the stone, turning it over in his hands. "It had to work. It was the only chance we had. If it had taken any longer to recharge . . ."

  The stone looked a dull blue now, as if it had lost all its energy.

  "I don't think it'll work again," Kara said.

  "Neither do I." Rik tossed it to the side.

  A barred gate blocked the entrance to Eastwatch, flanked by two guards who scrutinized Kara's party.

  "Let me do the talking," Eliza said. She stepped forward. "I am Eliza, daughter of Dirk, once a resident of Eastwatch. I have returned to the city with friends who mean no harm."

  Kara's chest felt tight as she waited for the guards' responses, unable to read anything from their expressions. What if the guards turned them away? As far as she knew, there was nothing else around for miles and miles. It was impossible to tell through the thick mist.

  One of the guards stepped forward. "Welcome home, Eliza. Haven't seen you since you were maybe seven years old. How's your father doing?"

  Eliza shook her head. "He just died."

  "I-I’m sorry," the guard said. He was a young man, maybe twenty-five years old, with a thin beard. "I don't know what to say."

  "He died to save us," Eliza said, maintaining a calm expression. "To save me."

  The other guard cast her gaze up and down, as if examining the party. At last, she said, "It looks like you've been through a lot."

  "We battled Krinir himself," Eliz
a said.

  Both guards' eyes widened, and the woman said, "I think the Elders would like to hear this story. Let's get you inside so you can rest a bit."

  "Thank you," Eliza said as the guards called to their comrades on the other side, who cranked the gate open. It came open slowly, making horrible clunking sounds. Once it stopped moving, the guards ushered them through.

  The woman joined them. She looked about the same age as Kara and Eliza.

  Eliza stared at the guard. "I feel like I recognize you."

  "Bella," the guard said. "We used to play hide-and-seek together."

  Eliza smiled faintly. "I remember you now. You've grown up a lot."

  "So have you. And you've been doing much more interesting things. Fighting against Krinir himself—if I didn't know you so well, I'd say you were lying. But I can see it in your eyes. You really did face off with him. How'd you survive?"

  "We used a teleportation stone to escape," Eliza said. "We couldn't hope to fight him."

  Bella's gaze became downcast. "I know that feeling. Here in Eastwatch, all we do is plan. We never actually take action because the Elders know we can't truly stand against Krinir. He is simply too powerful. We only survive because we've concealed our existence from him."

  "How'd you manage that?" Rik asked as they walked along the wide stone streets, passing buildings constructed of light-colored stone. A few skeletal trees lined the streets, but otherwise it looked like the rest of the Shadowed Land. Bleak and cold.

  Kara could barely remember the feeling of the sun on her skin, the smell of flowers, the incessant chirping of birds and squirrels—all things she'd once taken for granted.

  And now she feared they'd never return. Krinir wanted to kill them, and he was the only path they had home. He wouldn't send them home, and they lacked the power to kill him, so what was the point in going to his fortress?

  "It hasn't been easy concealing our presence," Bella said. "But we have some of the world's most powerful sorcerers here. They altered the Webs of Fate to cause dark strands whenever anybody tries to observe this place."

  "It still sounds like somebody might get suspicious," Kara said.