World in Chains- The Complete Series Read online

  Contents

  Prologue: A Vision in the Night

  Chapter 1: Four Years Later

  Chapter 2: An Insane Quest

  Chapter 3: Money Trouble

  Chapter 4: A Lack of Evidence

  Chapter 5: Into the Ruins

  Chapter 6: A Daring Plan

  Chapter 7: New Information

  Chapter 8: The Smuggler

  Chapter 9: A New Life

  Chapter 10: At the Gathering

  Chapter 11: To the Mountains

  Chapter 12: The Warning

  Chapter 13: The Escape Attempt

  Chapter 14: Captured

  Chapter 15: The Raid

  Chapter 16: The First Battle

  Chapter 17: A Bittersweet Return

  Chapter 18: Prisoner

  Chapter 19: The Suitor

  Chapter 20: Seeking Refuge

  Chapter 21: The Search Party

  Chapter 22: The Dagger in the Forest

  Chapter 23: Dangerous Plans

  Chapter 24: The Attack

  Chapter 25: The Inferno

  Chapter 26: The Fire Approaches

  Chapter 27: The Aftermath

  Chapter 28: Preparations

  Chapter 29: The Ruins of Woodsville

  Chapter 30: The Search for the Scroll

  Chapter 31: Death Speaker

  Chapter 32: The Journey Begins

  Chapter 33: On the Road

  Chapter 34: The Black Swamp

  Chapter 35: Searching for a Miracle

  Chapter 36: A Strange New Beginning

  Chapter 37: The Swamp's Dangers

  Chapter 38: Empire of Chains

  Chapter 39: The Swamp's Price

  Chapter 40: The Plain of Storms

  Chapter 41: The Hunters

  Chapter 42: The Red Plateau

  Chapter 43: A Desperate Effort

  Chapter 44: Outsiders

  Chapter 45: Secrets from the Past

  Chapter 46: Prisoners

  Chapter 47: The Desert

  Chapter 48: Sandstorm

  Chapter 49: The River

  Chapter 50: The Cave of Many Paths

  Chapter 51: The Underground City

  Chapter 52: The Forest of Darkness

  Chapter 53: The Monster

  Chapter 54: The Battle in Bradenton

  Chapter 55: A Time for Difficult Choices

  Chapter 56: Imperia

  Chapter 57: The Point of No Return

  Chapter 58: The Power of the Scroll

  Chapter 59: Passage to Freedom

  Chapter 60: Regret

  Chapter 61: Flight from Danger

  Chapter 62: The Way Things Should Have Been

  Chapter 1: The Shadowed Land

  Chapter 2: A Dangerous New World

  Chapter 3: The Perils of Freedom

  Chapter 4: The Sunset Army

  Chapter 5: Dwindling Hopes

  Chapter 6: Clan Mountain Eagle

  Chapter 7: The Battle of Millersville

  Chapter 8: The Mountain Passage

  Chapter 9: Tales of a Cure

  Chapter 10: The Clan War

  Chapter 11: The New Mission

  Chapter 12: A Strange Revelation

  Chapter 13: Back into the Empire

  Chapter 14: Unfamiliar Paths

  Chapter 15: No Family of Mine

  Chapter 16: The Right Decision

  Chapter 17: Lure of the Wisp

  Chapter 18: The Path Out

  Chapter 19: The Fire Mountains

  Chapter 20: The Dragon's Lair

  Chapter 21: Separate Paths

  Chapter 22: The Dragon

  Chapter 23: Prisoners

  Chapter 24: Eyes of the Serpent

  Chapter 25: Danger in the Mountains

  Chapter 26: The Secret Passage

  Chapter 27: Creatures of the Forest

  Chapter 28: The Wanderer

  Chapter 29: The Battle of Sierra City

  Chapter 30: The Sorcerer

  Chapter 31: An Attempted Rescue

  Chapter 32: The Goblin Lair

  Chapter 33: Flight from Danger

  Chapter 34: No Rest

  Chapter 35: Flight to the Land of Storms

  Chapter 36: Not the Same

  Chapter 37: Into the Ruins

  Chapter 38: The Great Challenge

  Chapter 39: New Companions

  Chapter 40: Beneath the Ruins

  Chapter 41: The Journey to Taylorville

  Chapter 42: The Prison City

  Chapter 43: Faces from the Past

  Chapter 44: Prison Break

  Chapter 45: The Cure

  Chapter 46: The Coming War

  Chapter 47: The End of a Quest

  Chapter 48: In the Tunnels

  Chapter 49: The Journey Begins

  Chapter 50: Clan Blue Fish

  Chapter 51: A Dangerous New Companion

  Chapter 52: Where the Road Leads

  Chapter 53: On the Open Sea

  Chapter 54: The Pirates

  Chapter 55: A Deadly Path

  Chapter 56: The Labyrinth

  Chapter 57: The Bridge

  Chapter 58: The Nexus

  Chapter 59: City of Light

  Chapter 60: Captive

  Epilogue: Two More to the Shadowed Land

  Prologue: A Long Road Ahead

  Chapter 1: Departure

  Chapter 2: A New Path

  Chapter 3: Out to Sea

  Chapter 4: The New Earth Empire

  Chapter 5: The Border

  Chapter 6: The President

  Chapter 7: An Unexpected Visitor

  Chapter 8: A Traveler in Time

  Chapter 9: A Comfortable Prison

  Chapter 10: The Secret Path

  Chapter 11: The Defender

  Chapter 12: A Potential Ally

  Chapter 13: The Machine

  Chapter 14: The Journey South

  Chapter 15: Traveling with the Enemy

  Chapter 16: The Sorcerer's Offer

  Chapter 17: The Fortress

  Chapter 18: Entering the Wastelands

  Chapter 19: The Perils of Desertion

  Chapter 20: The Dark God

  Chapter 21: The Dark and the Light

  Chapter 22: The Tunnels

  Chapter 23: The Cold Wind

  Chapter 24: The God's Demands

  Chapter 25: The Lost Messages

  Chapter 26: The Truth

  Chapter 27: A Tyrant and a Healer

  Chapter 28: The Sun Room

  Chapter 29: A Cruel Test

  Chapter 30: The Scroll's Secret

  Chapter 31: The Battle of the Cavern

  Chapter 32: The Price

  Chapter 33: Dark Consequences

  Chapter 34: A New World

  Chapter 35: The Spread of Darkness

  Chapter 36: The Clan War

  Chapter 37: Clan Black Wolf

  Chapter 38: Many Paths

  Chapter 39: Captive

  Chapter 40: The Underground City

  Chapter 41: Breaking the Barrier

  Chapter 42: The Meeting in the Tent

  Chapter 43: The Gilded Empire

  Chapter 44: The Chase

  Chapter 45: What Lies Ahead

  Chapter 46: Eastwatch

  Chapter 47: To the Fortress

  Chapter 48: Rebellion in the Sands

  Chapter 49: The Earth Temple

  Chapter 50: The Power of Magic

  Chapter 51: The Way Home

  Chapter 52: The Battle of Bradenton

  Chapter 53: Path of Destruction

  Chapter 54: The Machine

  Chapter 55: The Coming Battle

 
Chapter 56: The Battle of Luminia

  Chapter 57: The Library of Luminia

  Epilogue: A Land of Ruin

  Chapter 1: The New High Sorcerer

  Chapter 2: An Old Acquaintance

  Chapter 3: Healers of the Jungle

  Chapter 4: The War Inside

  Chapter 5: The Voyage North

  Chapter 6: The Sea Monster

  Chapter 7: The Island

  Chapter 8: The Search

  Chapter 9: The High Mystic

  Chapter 10: Unlocking the Magic

  Chapter 11: The Founders

  Chapter 12: The Fire Kingdom

  Chapter 13: The Resistance

  Chapter 14: The Continent of Ice

  Chapter 15: Through the Skies

  Chapter 16: After the Battle

  Chapter 17: The Fire Wastes

  Chapter 18: What Lies Ahead

  Chapter 19: The Breezelands

  Chapter 20: The Fire Temple

  Chapter 21: An Unexpected Quest

  Chapter 22: Wind's Edge

  Chapter 23: Deeper Secrets

  Chapter 24: Where the Tunnels Lead

  Chapter 25: Malavia

  Chapter 26: The God Realm

  Chapter 27: Windhaven

  Chapter 28: Escape from Windhaven

  Chapter 29: Flight

  Chapter 30: The Winds of Time

  Chapter 31: Prisoner

  Chapter 32: The Future

  Chapter 33: Through the Jungle

  Chapter 34: The Cold Wastes

  Chapter 35: The Restorers

  Chapter 36: The Temple

  Chapter 37: The Temple's Secrets

  Chapter 38: The Journey to Crayden

  Chapter 39: The Stone of Restoration

  Chapter 40: Storming the Fortress

  Chapter 41: The Battle of the Future

  Chapter 42: The Floating Fortress

  Chapter 43: The Decision

  Chapter 44: Back in Time

  Chapter 45: From Light to Darkness

  Chapter 46: The Evil Beneath

  Chapter 47: Caught in the Webs

  Chapter 48: A Lack of Guidance

  Chapter 49: Two Scrolls

  Chapter 50: The Greater Evil

  Chapter 51: The Gateway

  Chapter 52: Reunion

  Chapter 53: The Crucial Task

  Chapter 55: A Time to Recover

  Chapter 56: After the Severing

  Chapter 57: The Ghost Forest

  Chapter 58: People from the Past

  Chapter 59: The Protectors

  Chapter 60: The Darkness Temple

  Chapter 61: The Challenge of Fire

  Chapter 62: A Challenge Interrupted

  Chapter 63: Fallen

  Chapter 64: Warrick's Memories

  Chapter 65: Attaining Godhood

  Chapter 66: Immortality

  Chapter 67: The Final Battle

  Chapter 68: Beneath the Fortress

  Chapter 69: The Power of the Source

  Chapter 70: The End of Everything

  Chapter 71: One Last Hope

  Author's Note

  Sunweaver Preview

  Prologue: A Vision in the Night

  The night Nadia lost her mother started like any other.

  She and her mother were practicing their swordplay in the castle's courtyard, evening sunlight glinting off their blunted blades. Nadia tried to ignore the sweat dripping into her eyes, focus on her footwork, and follow her instincts.

  Her mother scored a hit on her chest. "You aren't defending yourself well enough."

  "The sword is starting to feel heavy. I need a chance to rest."

  "Warrick isn't resting."

  "I know, but—"

  "I don't want to hear your arguments," her mother said. "If Warrick finds out what we're planning, he will not hesitate to kill us." She gripped Nadia's shoulders, her touch firm but loving. "Both of us."

  Nadia had no response for that. She was only twelve, but she wasn't stupid. She understood the dangers involved in opposing the emperor. They all did.

  She hid her anger, though. Her mother had taught her to conceal her emotions. As nobility, they often had to speak with Emperor Warrick, and Nadia couldn't let slip that she intended to kill the tyrant.

  "I know I sound angry," her mother said, "but you've done well today. Perhaps we should wash up and join your father for dinner."

  After bathing, they joined Nadia's father in the castle's dining chamber, at a long wooden table draped in a red tablecloth. Magical torches cast blue light upon him as he sat alone, poking thoughtfully at some chicken with his fork.

  "Is everything all right?" asked Nadia's mother, taking a seat next to him.

  "Oh, yes, everything's fine." He went back to his food, avoiding both their gazes.

  "Father, are you sure nothing is wrong?"

  He laid his silverware aside, leaving half his plate uneaten. His abrupt departure from the table caught Nadia by surprise. She tried to catch his attention, but he left the chamber, looking like a defeated man.

  "What's bothering him?" Nadia asked her mother.

  "I don't know. I've never seen him like this before. Perhaps Warrick is making his life difficult again."

  "Warrick makes all our lives difficult."

  Nadia finished the rest of her meal and retreated to her room, where she felt more at peace. It was a simple room, without the lavish decorations of the rest of the castle, leaving more space for weapons and for the many books scattered about the tables, the floor, and even the bed.

  She settled down on her bed, not caring that she disturbed the sheets, and read from a historical text her mother had assigned her. Nadia enjoyed learning history, especially history from before Warrick rose to power five hundred years ago.

  This book described the Great War, a time when the world was almost destroyed. Two great leaders had faced off in this war: Lionar and Krinir. In the end, Lionar had won and exiled Krinir to a place known as the Shadowed Land. The book spoke of these two as if they were gods, but Nadia wasn't sure about that, for she only knew of the one true God.

  Then again, Warrick had taken away many of the Empire's historical texts. Nadia was grateful to have any material in their library.

  The first sign of trouble came to her while she was reading. At first, she thought her magical torch was dying. But, no, it was her eyes.

  She was having another vision.

  A dozen shadowy figures march up the cobblestone path leading toward the castle. They wear red surcoats marked with a black dragon emblem. Imperial Guards.

  Night is a bleak shadow upon the grassy landscape. The men do not talk. They're here on business; that much is clear. When they reach the castle gate, they bark orders at the guards stationed there. Nadia can't make out the words. She never can in her visions.

  The guards crank the gate open, and the Imperial Guards step through. Then the vision fades. Nadia expects to wake up, but instead she sees a dark tunnel.

  Her mother walks through the passage, holding a magical torch aloft. Her face looks pale in the blue light. Her expression is anxious.

  She reaches a place where moonlight filters into her surroundings. There are others with her, but Nadia can see only her mother. When her mother steps out into the moonlight, six men are waiting for her, brandishing their swords.

  Imperial Guards, again.

  The vision changes. Now Nadia sees the sundrenched city square. Thousands of people fill it, their gazes set on the center of the square, where an executioner's block has been set up. Two Imperial Guards march forward, leading Nadia's mother between them.

  It seems only a moment later when the executioner's axe chops through her neck. Her head rolls on bloodstained cobblestones.

  Nadia woke to a world that felt less real than what she'd seen in her vision. Heart pounding, she trembled on the soft mattress. She grabbed her sword from atop her dresser, raced out into the dark castle corridor, and darted past the guard at her
mother's door.

  Within the room, her mother lay upon the elegant bed, reading by the light of oil lamps.

  "What is it, Nadia?" She lowered the book. "Why do you have your sword? I told you not—"

  "They know. They're coming. We have to leave."

  "Who's coming? Slow down, Nadia."

  Nadia took a deep breath, teetering on the verge of tears. "I-I had another vision. Imperial Guards are coming to arrest you. Please, we have—"

  "I'm coming." Her mother bolted to her feet, took her own sword from a rack beside the bed, then put a hand on Nadia's shoulder. "How close?"

  "I-I'm not sure. I think I saw them on the path leading up to the castle, but I don't know. I feel so confused. I hate this."

  Now the tears did come, and with them her anger. She should have been past such things, but she couldn't banish the image of her mother's lifeless head.

  Nadia's visions had never been wrong before.

  As they rushed out of the room, she wiped away her tears, taking deep breath after deep breath. They could still survive this.

  "Come with us," Nadia's mother said to the guard at the door, a young man who followed without question. Fear twisted Nadia's insides as they ran along the gray stone corridor, then down the spiraling steps to the bottom of the tower. Halfway down, Nadia heard the castle gate clunking open, and she froze, heart hammering.

  "We can't stop, Nadia. We'll have to take the secret passage."

  They reached the stone foyer, then pivoted to the left, entering the dining chamber as the gate continued clunking behind them. Once they entered the empty kitchen, Nadia's mother and the guard pushed a large wooden cabinet to the side, exposing a lever, which Nadia's mother pulled. The wall swung open like a door, revealing a dusty passage full of spider webs, a place that sent shivers down Nadia's spine.

  "Get in, Nadia."

  Nadia slipped into a passage wide enough for the three of them to stand side by side. Her mother followed, carrying a magical torch from the kitchen, moving with grim determination.

  The clunking of the gate stopped, and Nadia's stomach clenched. Her mother pulled another lever, closing the passage and plunging them into darkness broken by eerie blue torchlight. Their shadows danced against the walls like black ghosts.

  This passage looked too much like the second part of Nadia's vision.

  God, please see us through this, she prayed, but she had little faith in the Old-World God, who'd abandoned the people of the Empire when they'd needed Him most.

  Nadia hung close to her mother as they navigated the twisting passage. The air was cold and filled with the smells of dust and disuse. Nadia brushed away a spider crawling on her arm.

  "We're going to make it through this," her mother said.

  "Do you think they'll hurt me?" Nadia asked.