The Shadowed Land

by Ryan W. Mueller

  "Maybe it isn't so simple. We have to think of something." Nadia hated the desperation in her voice, but she couldn't help it. Markus grew closer to death with every second they delayed. He could be dead already. Her insides felt suddenly cold.

  She paced at the edge of the discolored tiles, amazed that Rik had noticed the difference in color. They were only a little darker gray than the rest.

  "I'm going to try something," she said, and placed her foot on the darker tiles. Something clicked in the wall, and she backed away moments before dozens of arrows flew across the corridor from the left to the right. When she placed her foot there again, the same thing happened, but this time the arrows came from her right.

  "I have a feeling the supply of arrows never runs out," Rik said.

  Nadia resumed her pacing. "There has to be a solution here."

  "I think I might have one," Rik said. "These tiles are obviously meant to go down when the weight of a person is on them. But what if there's a way we can spread out that weight? If I cover the tiles in water and then freeze it, the ice should spread out our weight."

  Nadia smiled. "That sounds crazy, but it just might work."

  "I'll get to work." Rik grinned as he sent jets of water from his staff. It took a while to cover the floor in perhaps an inch of water. Once he managed that, he touched his staff to the water, creating an ice bridge like they had while crossing the river.

  He stepped onto the ice bridge first, then slid across its surface. Her breath caught in her throat, but no arrows flew from the wall. Once he reached the other side, he kept the tip of his staff against the ice bridge.

  Nadia stepped onto the bridge. She slipped a few times as she crossed, but the arrows did not release. When she reached the other side, she collapsed against the wall for a few moments.

  Then they followed the branching corridors, using the intuitive map Nadia had in her head. It was a good thing she had it, for otherwise they would have been lost.

  Soon they came to an open chamber in which there were four giant statues, one at each corner. Red light came from the eyes of each statue, directed toward the corners. There was no door at the other side of the room, only a place that looked like it might hold one.

  "What the hell are we supposed to do in here?" Rik asked.

  "I have no idea."

  Rik stepped over to the left, toward where one of the statues was gazing. He stopped just beyond the edge of its vision, then shuffled his right foot as if he wanted to step into its sight.

  "Rik, I wouldn't do that. You have no idea what will happen."

  "Maybe it's what we need to do. How can we know?"

  "Please, Rik. I don't like the look of these statues."

  Rik stepped into the statue's line of sight. The statue's eyes glowed a brighter red, and a low vibration filled the room. Rik backed away, suddenly pale as the red glow became so bright Nadia had to shield her eyes.

  Rik inadvertently looked into the statue's eyes. He opened his mouth as if screaming, but no sound came out.

  Then he vanished.

  It happened in the blink of an eye. Nadia couldn't believe it. She almost raced toward the spot where Rik had disappeared, but then she stopped herself. For all she knew, the statue had killed him, and she couldn't take that chance.

  Still, it reminded her too much of Kara. There one second. Gone the next.

  Her thoughts ran in chaotic circles. How could she hope to brave this place on her own? Her visions and intuitions were useless in a place like this. What if she encountered another obstacle like the one they'd already faced?

  Even worse, what if Rik was dead? How could she go back to Markus and tell him she'd lost his best friend?

  No. She couldn't think like that. There was no proof Rik was dead.

  Deep breaths, Nadia. This isn't over yet.

  She returned her attention to the statues, trying to determine what she should do. This was only a puzzle, and she had a logical mind. She could work through this, and then she'd worry about Rik's fate.

  She stepped around to the other side of the statue that had made Rik vanish, and then she ran her hands along the statue, testing its surface for any inconsistencies. There were none. As she touched it, though, it swiveled. At first, she thought it was turning to face her. But, no, her touch had made it move.

  How was that possible? This statue had to weigh ten times as much as a person. She touched it again, and it turned with ease. Maybe she had to turn the statues a certain direction.

  Acting on instinct, she pointed the statue's gaze toward the statue in the opposite corner of the room. Nothing happened. She had thought the other statue might vanish, but maybe that happened only to people caught in the line of sight.

  She raced to the statue on the right, close to the entrance of the room, and made her way to its other side, keeping out of all the statues' lines of sight. Feeling sick to her stomach, she turned the statue so that its gaze went to the statue in the far corner. She made sure to stay behind the statue at all times. Something about what she was doing felt right, but she couldn't be sure.

  Had the Spirit of Malavia planted more than a map in her head?

  She skirted the wall of the chamber, remaining as far as possible from the statues' gazes. Thankfully, their field of vision was narrow and clearly defined by the red light. When she reached the next statue, she realized she had a problem.

  This statue gazed into the corner of the room. The first statue gazed at the back of this statue. So she couldn't cross in front of the statue, and she couldn't stand behind it.

  How was she going to turn the statue? It was impossible.

  She couldn't duck beneath their gazes, couldn't jump over them. For what felt like hours, she stood there, trying in vain to think of a solution. At last, she gave up. There was only one option. She had to see where the statues would send her if she stood within their gazes.

  Taking a deep breath, she stepped behind the statue closest to her, directly in the first statue's line of sight. She expected something to happen, but nothing did.

  Then she realized the answer.

  Rik hadn't disappeared until he'd looked the statue in the eyes.

  She turned the closest statue until its gaze could lock with that of the first statue she'd turned. Both statues vanished. Why had it taken her so long to think of this? She prided herself on her intellect, and it had failed her.

  No. It hadn't failed her. It had simply taken longer than she would have liked.

  She trotted to the other statue and carefully moved it into position. Both statues vanished once again, and the room became eerily still. Had she done the wrong thing?

  A low rumble came from the wall next to her, and the wall opened like a door. Exhaling with relief, she stepped through. There was no sign of Rik on the other side.

  Please, God, let Rik be safe. Do something for me, just this once.

  But she felt as if there were no one up there to answer her prayers. Dispirited, she walked through the corridor beyond the statue chamber. She remained alert for any traps, but everything around her looked the same in the magical torchlight.

  There were many paths, so she let the strange map guide her way. At last, she came to a large stone door, which rumbled open as she approached.

  She stepped into the next room. It was a large rectangular chamber with a raised platform in the center. She approached the platform, but then a wall of flame burst to life ahead of her. Recoiling from the heat, she looked for a way out. She could return the way she'd come, but that would do her no good.

  A figure appeared in front of her. Markus.

  "What are you doing here?" Nadia asked.

  "Oh, I'm not actually here. I'm not even the Markus you know. I'm a magical projection meant to test you. The magic of these ruins has conjured me from your thoughts."

  Nadia's chest felt tight. "And how are you testing me?"

  "You must make a decision in this chamber."

  "What kind of decision?"
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  "The right one, of course."

  "That doesn't help me very much," she said.

  "Don't worry. We'll help you make that decision."

  "We?"

  "I'm not the only projection here." He stepped down from the platform and reached out to touch Nadia. She was surprised to feel his touch on her shoulder. Smiling, he said, "I am real in a physical sense."

  Nadia took a step away from him. "I still don't know what you want."

  "In this room, you must make a sacrifice. You must choose the right person from your life to send down the hole in the center of that platform." He pointed toward a black opening. "It won't be an easy decision."

  "And if I make the wrong decision?"

  "Then you can't advance to the potion recipe you seek. You can't save me." He stepped toward her. "But don't worry so much. I think you know the right decision, deep down. You have to sacrifice me. I am the great love of your life. A place like this would require you to make the greatest sacrifice, at least in a symbolic sense."

  The magical projection flickered a few times, and Markus's image was replaced by Rik's.

  "You should sacrifice me," he said. "You've already left me for dead before. Why not actually kill me this time. Besides, you don't really need me. In fact, you're jealous of the time I spend with Markus, the time he doesn't spend with you."

  "No, I’m not. You're one of my closest friends, Rik."

  He barked a laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Nadia. If it weren't for Markus, you wouldn't have a thing to do with me, and that's why you should sacrifice me. This place isn't some test of your deepest character. It's a test of making the sacrifice that helps you the most."

  "You're wrong. I couldn't have gotten this far without Rik. I could never sacrifice him."

  He shrugged. "Then you'll never save Markus."

  A moment later, he flickered, and Kara replaced him. Nadia felt as if a sudden pressure squeezed her entire body. Tears welled in her eyes. She didn't need this reminder of how much she missed Kara, of how she'd abandoned Kara in the ruins of Woodsville.

  "You should sacrifice me," Kara said. "You already left me in the Shadowed Land, so I obviously don't matter to you anymore." She shook her head. "I thought we were friends, Nadia. But a friend would never leave me to suffer in that unspeakable place."

  "I'm sorry." Nadia struggled to speak through tears. "I didn't know how to save you."

  Kara narrowed her eyes. "You didn't even try. All you could think about was your silly vengeance. I told you it would fail. I was right, wasn't I? Admit it, Nadia. You're a failure. You're selfish. You couldn't care less about anyone else. You disgust me."

  Even though Nadia knew it was her own doubts speaking to her, she still felt as if she'd crumble beneath Kara's words.

  Kara vanished, and Nadia's father replaced her. Nadia still felt anger toward her father, but she also knew that he'd endured agony to protect her from the Imperial Guards. How could that be the same man who'd betrayed his wife to Warrick?

  "I deserve to be sacrificed," said her father. "I failed you in so many ways, Nadia. I was supposed to love you and your mother. I was supposed to protect you. Instead, I let my own fear guide my actions. Deep down, I think I understood how you felt, but I couldn't admit it to myself. Not until those last moments when I refused to give in to their torture." He ran a hand through his dark hair, looking weary. "You want to sacrifice me. I can tell. Just do it."

  Now Avia appeared before her. Again, Nadia couldn't stop her tears. This place was cruel, reminding her of all the people she'd lost or still might lose.

  "You've done well, Nadia," Avia said. "I was always hesitant to support your ideas about killing Warrick, but I can see now how important it is to you. I was wrong, and that is why you should sacrifice me. On the other hand, maybe I wasn't strong enough to guide you. I feel like I could have spared you so much pain and suffering. I'm sorry, Nadia."

  The image shifted, showing her Varek, dressed in his castle guard uniform. By now, Nadia didn't bother to hide her tears. At some point, she'd fallen to a squat. Lost in her emotions, she hadn't even begun to consider this task from a logical standpoint.

  How was she supposed to know whom to sacrifice?

  "I tried to dissuade you from this path," he said. "Look at what it's brought you. Are you happier now than you were in Crayden? Has everything you've endured been worth it?"

  Nadia wiped away a tear and faced him defiantly. "Yes, it has been. I've finally found the freedom I wanted for so long. I've found a man I love, a man I want to spend the rest of my life with. I've made other friends, people who will stand by me through anything."

  "You mean the friends you've deserted and left behind?"

  "That's not fair! I've done the best I could."

  He frowned. "Then I suppose your best just isn't good enough."

  "Why do you have to torture me like this?"

  "We're not torturing you," he said. "You're torturing yourself. We are simply drawing on the thoughts you've buried deep inside your mind. The human mind is a convenient place, isn't it? It lets you pretend that everything's all right when you're really falling apart inside."

  She shoved him. "I am not falling apart! Shut up!"

  "With all due respect, Nadia, you've got tears running down your face. You've just shoved one of your closest friends, a man who died to protect you. You are falling apart. You just haven't admitted it yet. As long as you have a mission, you can pretend you're all right. What are you going to do when you no longer have a mission?"

  "I still intend to kill Warrick. I'll find a way."

  "So you're still intent on suicide? I should have expected as much. You disappoint me. Did I die so that you could blindly pursue your own death?" He sighed deeply. "Well, if that's the case, you might as well kill me again. You obviously cared nothing for me."

  "That's not true," she said through tears. "I loved you like a father."

  He didn't respond. Instead, his image vanished, and Warrick appeared in his place. Nadia took a step back, thinking for a moment that Warrick had appeared before her. But, no, he was just another projection.

  "I see you still want to kill me," he said. "What will it take to make you see the futility of your quest?" He smiled. "Of course, I suppose you can kill me now, at least symbolically. All you have to do is send me down that hole. Maybe you'll feel better afterward."

  For a moment, Nadia considered it. Seeing Warrick's face stirred such anger that she started toward the hole, but then she stopped herself. She couldn't let her emotions guide this decision. That was what the magic wanted her to do. It was trying to keep her from seeing the logical answer.

  Tylen's image replaced Warrick's. He faced her with that arrogant smile of his. "I bet you didn't expect to see me here. You probably never expected to see me again. I'm sure that's what you hoped for. You deserted me after Crayden. You couldn't see that I was facing my own struggles, that I'd been forced out of my comfortable world."

  He shook his head. "No, all you could see was your own mission. I wouldn't have been that bad of a husband. You had to know that a lot of what I said was an act meant to make your father happy. I wouldn't have made your life hell."

  "I doubt that," Nadia said.

  "Are you so sure? Remember. I am speaking from your own thoughts. You've had your doubts about me. Deep down, you've wondered how your life might have been if you'd abandoned your quest to defeat Warrick and married me instead."

  "I never would have married you."

  "Perhaps not," he said. "Perhaps I never could have held a place in your life. You already made that clear once. Why not do so again? Sacrifice me."

  Nadia tried to make sense of this riddle but couldn't think of anything. How was she supposed to decide when she had so many options and they all made strong points? It was no wonder people couldn't get to this place's secrets.

  Tylen vanished, and the person who replaced him was the last person Nadia wanted to see. Her mother stood before he
r, smiling softly, looking at Nadia with deep affection.

  This was the woman whose death had guided Nadia's life. Nadia missed Kara, Varek, and Avia, but not the same way she missed her mother. Four years had passed, but that day still felt like yesterday. She saw, once again, her mother's head rolling on bloodstained cobblestones.

  A crippling wave of emotion washed over her. She hit the ground, tears streaming down her face as she wished there were a way to end this torture.

  "I know you've missed me," said her mother. "You've been so strong. You've carried on my mission admirably. I don't fault you for your failures, Nadia. You tried, and that's what matters. Even I knew that White Fire was a long shot."

  Nadia could barely speak. "I still failed. Warrick's still alive."

  "Perhaps it was always meant to be that way. We're talking about an immortal sorcerer. I never thought killing him would be a simple task. You had to feel the same way."

  "Maybe I did." Nadia was shaking on the cold stone floor. "I-I don't know."

  Her mother pulled her into a hug. Though Nadia knew the projection wasn't real, it was comforting to feel her mother's arms around her. The projection even smelled like her mother, and with that thought, more tears streamed down Nadia's face.

  "You should sacrifice me." Her mother pulled out of the hug. "My death is what started you on this path. It is only fitting that I die once more."

  Her mother disappeared, and Ander showed up in her place. She wiped away her tears and stood to face him. Strangely, she no longer felt as attracted to him as she had before. Now that she knew she loved Markus, she saw Ander as a friend. Nothing more.

  "I'm the last projection you'll see," he said. "Once I disappear, you'll have to make your choice. After that, the projection you choose will appear and go down the hole. Please choose wisely. I don't want to see you fail."

  "I miss you," she said. "I wish you had come with us."

  "I had my own mission. Besides, if I'd been along, you never would have found your love with Markus. You would have felt conflicted between the two of us. I'm happy that you've found love, that you finally let it into your life. You need love, Nadia. Everyone does."