The Gilded Empire

by Ryan W. Mueller

  For the next few minutes, she was forced to go the same direction as the crowd. She tried to make her way around the thickest parts, but whenever she thought she'd found an opening, it closed quickly. She cursed under her breath, continuing to fight against the current.

  Then she heard it.

  "Nadia!"

  "Markus, I'm here."

  "Nadia!"

  She shouted for him again and again, but she'd never had all that strong of a voice. There was no way he could hear her over the crowd, and if she screamed for him, it would fade into the multitude of screams and shouts floating through the air.

  "Nadia!"

  She jumped and waved her hands, but she was too short to see over the crowd. Fighting down panic, she shoved through the crowd with all the determination she could muster. She maintained her shield as plasma rifle bursts whizzed through the air all around her.

  Markus kept shouting for her, and she forced her way toward his voice. Then, at last, she saw him, waving his arms above the crowd. But he didn't see her. He was looking in another direction. She had to do something, and quickly.

  It came to her in a flash of insight. She pointed her right palm straight up and unleashed a burst of lightning. It crackled in the sky, showing her position.

  And sending the crowd into a panic.

  Well, more of a panic.

  Immediately, she hit the ground. People trampled her, terrified of the magic they'd just seen. She curled up again, covering her head and trying to be as small as possible. Some of the people stepped on her. Others missed her. She didn't see how she could get back up again. Every time she tried, the force of the crowd sent her back to the ground.

  Somebody's foot collided with her nose, and she heard bones crack, accompanied by sharp pain. Blood flowed from her nose, landing on the pavement. She tried to stand again when she saw a break in the crowd, but now she felt woozy.

  Another person's foot slammed against the side of her head, and she blacked out for a moment. When she came back to her senses, her head was screaming with pain. She tried to push herself to her feet, but a wave of dizziness washed over her.

  She was going to die here, trampled to death by the crowd.

  No. She could not fail like this, so senselessly. Trying to ignore the pain in her head, she focused on channeling magic through her TW. A great gust of wind came from her palms, scattering the crowd directly in front of her. She staggered to her feet.

  Where were the others?

  She kept the wind spell going, clearing a space around her. A few people hit the ground hard, but she didn't spare any time thinking about them. They'd become part of this chaotic mess, and if they got hurt in the process that was their fault. Her mission was too important to die here. She might regret her actions later, but right now she had to survive.

  Markus appeared in front of her, and she raced toward him, nearly losing her balance when she was struck by another dizzy spell.

  "Nadia, you look terrible," he said, offering his arm for support.

  "That's not what you're supposed to say to the woman you love."

  He smiled nervously. "It's good to see you still have your sense of humor."

  "Where are the others?"

  "In an alley up this way. Stay close to me."

  Nadia clung to Markus's arm as they pushed through the crowd. It had grown a bit thinner, but the city was still a scene of utter chaos. Police were interspersed among the crowd, trying to rein them in, but they only succeeded in getting themselves hurt.

  Nadia and Markus reached the alley and leaned against the sandy wall there, trying to catch their breath. The others looked as if they'd accumulated a few injuries themselves. Blood clung to their clothing. Whether it was theirs, she had no idea.

  "This rebellion has gotten out of control," Nadia said, pinching her nose shut.

  Markus put a hand on her face. "Let me see if I can heal that."

  A few moments later, she felt her nose snap back into place. The pain there subsided, along with the pain on the side of her head.

  "Thank you," she said. Blood still covered her face, but it was no longer flowing.

  Daniel led them deeper into the alley. "We're almost there, but we've gotta wait till the army goes out to stop the crowd."

  Markus shook his head slowly. "How many people are dying today so that we can get into this temple? It seems wrong to have them sacrifice so much for us."

  "It isn't for us," Daniel said. "It's for the entire world."

  Markus glared at him. "That doesn't matter. I still find it hard to stomach. Does our end goal justify the sacrifice of all these people?"

  "Now is not the time for a philosophical discussion," Daniel said. "We need to move."

  Markus opened his mouth as if to continue arguing, then decided against it. They made their way through the alley, growing farther from the worst of the riot. When they emerged on the next street, though, it had grown almost as packed with people.

  In the distance, however, was the largest stone structure Nadia had ever seen. It was made entirely of sandy stone. A wide set of steps led up to its entrance, which was flanked by dozens of columns. Two cliffs stood on either side of the massive structure, making the stairs the only access route.

  And those stairs were guarded. Dozens of black-clad soldiers stood there, hands resting on their plasma rifles as they watched the rioting crowd warily. Thus far, the crowd had not engaged them. Perhaps they were more terrified of the army than the police.

  "We can't get past that many," Lara said.

  "I'll handle that," Daniel said. He pointed his own plasma rifle toward the soldiers, waiting for a break in the crowd. As soon as one appeared, he fired. His blast struck one of the soldiers, and the man fell.

  Lara glared at him. "I can't believe you just did that."

  "These people are our enemies. They're Krinir's allies. They deserve it." Daniel glanced toward the soldiers. "We don't have time to argue right now."

  A few of the soldiers retaliated, firing on the crowd, and that was the exact wrong thing to do. The rioters went into a rage, charging on the soldiers. Some of them kept firing. Others scattered. Nadia's party moved with the crowd, holding shields around themselves to absorb those rifle blasts that did strike them.

  Soon they reached the steps. Only three soldiers remained, their eyes wide with fear. One of them kept firing and was overtaken by the crowd. The other two fled into the temple.

  Using wind magic to make their way through the crowd, Nadia's party reached the entrance before the rest of the people. They darted inside, and then Daniel pulled a nearby lever. The stone entrance came crashing down. A few people barely backed out of the way in time.

  Daniel smiled. "That worked about as well as we could have expected."

  "If this is your idea of a plan going right," Berig said, "then I don't want to know what happens when your plans go wrong."

  "Let's pray we never find out."

  Chapter 50: The Power of Magic

  Markus felt as if the walls of the Earth Temple were closing in on him, just like the crowd outside. He had no idea how he hadn't succumbed to panic, especially when they'd lost Nadia. And now two soldiers were somewhere in the temple. Would they attack Markus's party?

  The corridors branched along for what felt like an eternity. Every time they rounded a corner, Markus's heart climbed into his throat. Step by step, he was headed toward something big—magic or death. The air smelled of dust and disuse, tickling his nostrils.

  "Are there any kinds of monsters in this place?" he asked. "Or traps, or anything like that?" He shuddered at the thought. They'd endured enough already.

  "No," Daniel said.

  Nadia's face was pale. "But there are soldiers in here. Somewhere."

  "We'll worry about them when the time comes," Lara said.

  Markus was surprised at how easily Lara maintained a positive attitude, keeping her thoughts on the present concern. In some ways, she reminded him of the way Rik
used to be.

  Markus shoved those thoughts aside, though. He didn't need to worry about Rik right now. Rik was strong. Surely he'd survived this long in the Shadowed Land.

  They delved deeper into the temple, Daniel leading the way. He'd made the Pilgrimage, so he knew his way around the temple. At first, Markus could hear only the rhythmic tapping of their own feet. But then it came to him, a whisper in the air.

  The soldiers.

  Markus's chest tightened, but he continued forward. If they ran into the soldiers, they'd have to handle them, whatever that required. These men were probably just doing their jobs. Did they deserve to die for that?

  Markus looked down at his hands, almost as if he could see the blood that would stain them. After all, if they succeeded in disabling the Machine, it would bring untold devastation to the New Earth Empire. Countless people would die.

  How many people had already died in their series of insane quests? Jakob in the Forest of Darkness. Alana in Warrick's palace. Karin at the hands of the Defender. There were probably others he'd forgotten, or that he'd never known. All this blood stained his hands, their hands. Was this what it took to save the world? Were they even on the path to doing that?

  No matter what all these sorcerers said, Markus couldn't put complete faith in them, or in their Webs of Fate. Why did these Webs choose him, or Nadia, or Berig? What made them different from the millions of other people who would suffer if Krinir destroyed the world?

  Was it nothing but random chance?

  Berig tensed suddenly. "They're up ahead," he whispered. "Just around the corner."

  No one questioned him. Berig had told them of his powerful senses, the ability his magical nature had given him. Markus's mouth felt dry as they inched forward, nearing the corner. The soldiers were close. He could almost feel their presence, heavy and threatening.

  Could he truly bring himself to kill them?

  They rounded the corner. The soldiers stood within view, blocking the entrance to a much larger chamber. That entrance was open, revealing a strange glow. It was brown but bright at the same time, almost impossible for Markus to describe.

  The soldiers raised their plasma rifles, and one of them shouted, "Stop right there!"

  Daniel stepped forward, casting a shield around himself.

  "Don't come any closer."

  "I'm an immortal sorcerer," Daniel said. "Your plasma rifles can't harm me."

  "You're right," said one of the soldiers. "But we can trap you." He pulled a lever on the wall, and the floor fell away beneath Daniel, who tried to find a grip. But there was nothing for him to grab. He plummeted into the hole below, and the floor slammed shut behind him.

  Markus exchanged an anxious glance with Nadia, Berig, and Lara. "What now?"

  "We still have our TWs," Nadia said.

  "Lay down your weapons," said one of the soldiers.

  Markus had no intention of doing that. "I'll shield you three. You need to attack them."

  Nadia and Berig both nodded, though Berig looked a little sick at the thought. Lara stared straight ahead, determination in her gaze. Drawing on the power within him, Markus conjured a shield. They raced forward, sending bursts of lightning at the soldiers, who scuttled backward, eyes wide.

  Markus, Nadia, Berig, and Lara raced through the gap in the soldiers' line. The soldiers got back to their feet quickly, but not quickly enough. By the time they fired their plasma rifles, Markus was past them, Nadia and Berig a few steps ahead of him, Lara in the lead. Markus kept the shield around all four of them, and the rifle bursts dissipated against it.

  At the center of the chamber they'd entered, there was a large, elevated platform. The strange brown glow came from the top of this platform, from some kind of orb.

  They raced up the steps, Markus maintaining the shield around them.

  "What do we do?" he asked, once they stood at the top of the platform. The soldiers approached, firing shot after shot at them. None of them penetrated Markus's shield, but that advantage wouldn't last forever.

  "Let's grab the orb," Nadia said, and all four of them placed hands on it.

  A few tense moments passed, and then Markus felt the power humming through him. It seemed as if the entire world were trembling. He had no idea if the shield held around them, or if the guards were still firing at them. All that mattered was the magic of the Earth Temple.

  Then it stopped.

  The soldiers stood at the bottom of the platform, rifles still aimed at the party. Markus felt alive with power, as if he could crush these soldiers with no effort. He waved an arm, and the ground opened beneath the soldiers. Their eyes went wide as they plummeted, screaming.

  Pain spiked into Markus's head, and he collapsed, drenched in sweat.

  Nadia wrapped her arms around him. "Markus! Are you all right?"

  He lay on the ground, trembling. When he tried to get up, his muscles gave way beneath him. Had he exerted himself too much too soon?

  "I'll be fine," he said through gritted teeth. The sharp pain continued stabbing the side of his head, worse than any headache he'd ever had.

  After perhaps a minute, he felt his strength returning. He got to his feet on wobbly legs, the world spinning around him. The pain in his head had faded to a dull ache.

  "I guess I did overexert myself," he said. "I just felt so powerful all of a sudden."

  "I know what you mean," Nadia said. "I think I was about to do the same thing."

  Markus glanced toward the hole he'd created. "You think they're dead?"

  "Probably," Lara said. "But you shouldn't feel bad about it. They were going to kill us."

  Markus shuffled closer to the hole, looking down into the blackness beneath. He couldn't see the soldiers below. "I wish I could cast aside my guilt like that."

  "Guilt is not a practical emotion," Lara said. "Not when you're in danger at least." She stepped closer to Markus and put a hand on his shoulder. "We're engaged in a war whether the world knows it or not. In war, there will always be casualties. You have to remember the rightness of the goal you're fighting for, and that is saving the entire world."

  "You make it sound so dramatic," Markus said, "but it doesn't feel that way."

  "Not yet," she said, "but I think we'll all come to understand in time."

  Berig patted Markus on the back. "Don't worry. She's always like this."

  "We should get out of this place," Nadia said.

  Markus was about to walk toward the exit, but then he stopped. "Don't you think we should find Daniel first? After all, we might need him."

  Berig scratched his head. "Yeah, I'd feel bad about leaving him here."

  Lara nodded. "We'll try to find him."

  "But how can we even know the way?" Nadia asked.

  Berig shrugged. "We'll just have to follow our instincts."

  He took the lead as they surveyed the rest of the chamber where they'd gained their magic. Markus still felt weak, but he could feel the magic blossoming within him once again. He had no idea how strong it was, but it felt like it had the potential to be much stronger than anything he could do with a TW.

  "Does anyone else feel like there magic's fading a bit?" Berig asked as they walked.

  "I know what you mean," Nadia said. "I think we got a brief surge of extra magic when we first touched that stone. Now I think we've returned to a more normal amount of magic."

  That made sense to Markus, but he didn't want to think about it at the moment. His head still throbbed with every step they took.

  They found a passage on the chamber's far side. Berig led them into this passage, as if following some instincts the rest of them couldn't feel. Nadia was close behind him, perhaps relying on her strange intuitions. Markus followed along, hoping they were going the right direction. He sure couldn't find any magical sense of direction within himself.

  The passage led downward. A good sign. Soon they reached a large stone door, which was closed for the moment. However, outside the door was a giant lever.
Working together, they pulled the lever, and the door rumbled open.

  On the other side were three people. Daniel stood at the far end of the room. The two soldiers stood closer to the entrance, their faces pale. They didn't have their plasma rifles, both of which were strapped across Daniel's back.

  "I used a whirlwind to stop their fall," Daniel said. "No sense in unnecessary killing." He smiled. "Of course, I had to take their weapons. Can't have them attacking us."

  "You are in violation of countless laws," said one of the soldiers.

  "You should be grateful," Daniel said. "I could've let you die. So why don't we pretend none of this ever happened? That way, we don't have to kill you, and you don't have to make a report to your superiors about this. In the end, we all win."

  "And if we don't agree?" asked the other soldier.

  "Then it's well within my power to kill you where you stand."

  "Let's just do what they say," said the first soldier. The second nodded, reluctantly.

  "Good," Daniel said. "Now that we've settled that, we can leave this place like civilized human beings." He paused a moment, smiling at them. "I think I'll keep the weapons, though, just to be safe. You simply can't trust some people these days."

  The soldiers glared at him, but there was nothing they could do.

  "I trust you have the power of the temple now," Daniel said.

  "It felt strange," Berig said.

  Daniel nodded. "It does at first. You'll get used to it after a while."

  They retreated through the door, then followed the corridors back up to the chamber containing the orb. The soldiers said nothing, but Markus could feel their icy glares. He wondered if the scene outside had calmed at all.

  Soon they stood at the temple's exit. Through the large stone door, Markus could hear shouts coming from outside. Great. The riot was still going on.

  "What now?" Berig asked. "I don't wanna go back out there."

  The soldiers' faces looked pale, and Markus couldn't blame them for being afraid. The crowd out there wanted to tear them apart. Once a crowd like that got going, there was no stopping them. As if realizing this, the soldiers backed a few steps away.