The Winds of Time Page 7

  Footsteps sounded to the right, and Kara turned to see a middle-aged, bearded man.

  "It's good to see you again, Farah," he said.

  She nodded, looking uncomfortable. After a few moments, Kara recognized the man as Theo, Markus's uncle. She gestured for him to take a seat.

  "Have you been discussing our plans without me?" he asked. He glanced around as if to check that no one was listening, but there was too much ambient noise in the large dining chamber for anyone to overhear their conversation.

  "There isn't much to discuss," Farah said.

  Theo had a strange look in his eyes. "It's still strange to think of you as my daughter."

  "I don't feel like I'm your daughter either. My father in Crayden raised me as his own."

  "I could have been a good father," Theo said. "I raised Markus after all." At these words, pain flashed behind his eyes, and Kara couldn't blame him. He didn't know Markus's fate, just as she didn't know Nadia's. After a few moments, Theo said, "And now he might be dead."

  "He isn't dead," Kara told him. "Warrick can't find him in the Webs, but he would know if he'd died."

  Theo nodded, but he didn't look relieved. "Still wish I could see him."

  "I know," Kara said. "He and Nadia are setting out to do something very dangerous. I don't see how they can hope to rescue Lionar from Krinir. Krinir's a god after all. How can any of us stand against a god? I don't think even Warrick could do it."

  Theo ran a hand through his brown beard. "Warrick's the best hope we have."

  "That's what terrifies me," Kara said.

  Chapter 11: The Founders

  Nadia lay shivering on the rocky beach. She couldn't believe she'd survived after killing the sea monster, though it looked right now as if she had only postponed her death. Surely no one lived on this island. Why would anyone live in such a remote place?

  Darius took a seat beside their fire. "This island's confusing me."

  "Why?" Nadia asked, feeling as if the cold were in her bones.

  "I've sailed this route many times. I've never seen any sign of this island before."

  Berig barked a laugh. "Somehow, that don't surprise me."

  A couple of the sailors neared their fire, and one of them said, "Captain, there are people approaching."

  Darius rose. Nadia, Markus, Berig, and Klint followed, heading toward a path leading up to the top of a short cliff. People were coming the other direction down this path. Nadia's hand drifted toward her sheathed sword. Somehow, she hadn't lost her weapons through all the chaos of the battle and the grueling swim afterward.

  The people approaching did not brandish weapons, though. A good sign.

  "Please put down your weapons," said a dark-skinned man at the front of the group. He looked to be about forty years old, but his face had that ageless quality Nadia had come to associate with sorcerers.

  The sailors reluctantly sheathed their swords.

  "I am Andre Darlington," said the dark-skinned man. "Welcome to the Founders' Island." He held out a hand, and Darius shook it, but the man's gaze was on Markus, Nadia, and Berig. "You must be the Weavers I've heard so much about. It's nice to meet you at last."

  "I mean no offense," Markus said, "but who the hell are you?"

  "We are what's left of the Founders: the first people who made the journey from our old world of Earth to the new world of Terra. Six of us remain." He gestured toward two men and three women who stood behind him. "We were the first sorcerers, chosen by Rador, Lionar, and Krinir themselves to bear this gift. Every sorcerer in the world is descended from us."

  "What about channelers?" Klint asked, gesturing toward his staff.

  "The oldest channelers are long dead now."

  Nadia met Andre's gaze. "Are you the leader here?"

  "I suppose you could say that."

  "How old are you?" Berig asked.

  "We've lived on this world for just short of one thousand years," Andre said. "We are the oldest people here, the oldest humans who have ever lived."

  Nadia couldn't believe she was hearing this. She'd always been fascinated by the destruction of the Old World. Every account she'd read had been vague, but now she was standing before people who'd witnessed that destruction firsthand.

  "Why don't you come into our house?" Andre asked. "It'll warm you up a bit."

  Everyone liked that suggestion, so they followed the Founders up the sloping path. At the top, they spotted a large house that looked more like a fortress. It lacked guards, though, and had no wall. Still, it was made of stone and looked as if it could hold up in an attack.

  The inside of the house was much warmer, with rich red carpets and polished hardwood floors. Dozens of paintings and portraits lined the walls. The Founders led them to a large room containing plenty of chairs. Everyone settled down in that room—except for Nadia, Markus, Berig, and Klint. Andre motioned for them to follow him into a nearby office.

  The rest of the Founders remained outside, tending to the remainder of the crew. Inside the office, Andre motioned for Nadia and the others to take seats in red-cushioned chairs. There were four of these chairs, as if the Founders had known they would arrive.

  Andre took a seat behind a polished desk of dark wood. "I imagine you have a lot of questions for me."

  "How did you know we were coming?" Nadia asked. "Are you that good at reading the Webs of Fate? We all touched a stone that blocks us from being viewed in the Webs."

  Andre leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. "We saw your arrival well ahead of time, at least in vague terms. But even now, not all of you are shielded from being seen in the Webs." His gaze settled on Klint.

  "Of course," Klint said. "I didn't touch that same stone."

  Nadia's stomach churned. "Does that mean Krinir could see us through Klint?"

  "I don't know. The strands have become so chaotic recently that it's difficult to read much of anything in the Webs. I can tell we're headed toward a pivotal time in world history."

  Markus cleared his throat. "If Krinir could watch us, he would have killed us by now."

  "That is highly likely," Andre said, "but I can't claim to know Krinir's motives."

  "Do you know how we can defeat him?" Nadia asked.

  "Yes, I do."

  Nadia felt as if her heart had skipped a beat. Would these people have the answers they'd been looking for all this time? It would have been unbelievable if she hadn't already experienced so many strange occurrences due to her status as a Weaver.

  "Or at least I hope I do," he said.

  Nadia's excitement turned suddenly to terror.

  "It isn't easy to explain. It all starts with the fact that Krinir is a god, more specifically the god of Destruction. In order to defeat a god, you need another god."

  "Lionar," Nadia said.

  "Lionar is powerful, yes, but he isn't powerful enough. Not alone."

  "What are you saying, then?" Nadia asked.

  "Lionar is the Restorer. Krinir is the Destroyer. Do you know the identity of the Creator?"

  "Darien Warrick," Nadia said. She didn't like where this was going. "I still don't understand why Rador gave up his status as Creator. It doesn't make sense."

  "Well, maybe I can explain it to you," Andre said. "As far as I know, I'm the only person alive who has ever spoken to Rador."

  "What about God?" Nadia asked. "Does He exist?"

  Andre remained silent a long time. At last, he said, "I don't know. If He exists, He is a distant being. He left us in the care of Lionar, Rador, and Krinir."

  Nadia was leaning so far forward in her chair that it almost tipped forward. She had never been more interested in a conversation in her life. "Can you answer my question? Why did Rador give up his status as the Creator?"

  "From what I gathered," Andre said, "he felt exhausted by the role he had to play."

  "So he simply didn't want to do his job?"

  "I wish I had the answers for you. I'm sorry."

  Nadia shouldn't have
expected clarity. Andre was a Founder, but that didn't mean he knew everything. Some answers belonged to the gods alone.

  Andre gave her a sympathetic smile. "When Krinir was only the Destroyer, he had a clear role to play. He destroyed things in the world, but never to the extent that he does now. After all, destruction is a natural part of the world. The cold of winter destroys plant life. The wind from storms destroys trees that have stood for hundreds of years. Over many years, the rain from storms washes away entire mountains. It's the natural order of things, and it would have continued like this if Krinir had remained the Destroyer alone. But something about the duality in him—Creator and Destroyer—led him to misunderstand his nature, and that misunderstanding lingers to this day."

  "Is there some way we could make him understand?" Nadia asked. This conversation was fascinating, but she had to consider their more practical mission.

  Andre stroked his short black beard. "I'm afraid not. Whatever insanity this situation instilled in Krinir, he can't fight it. It might be possible for him to overcome it, but I don't think he wants to. He's happy doing what he's doing now."

  "But why would God let Krinir become this insane shell of what he used to be?" Nadia asked.

  "As I said, I don't even know if God exists. If He does, perhaps he is simply disgusted with us. After all, we didn't need Krinir to destroy ourselves before. We did it all on our own."

  Nadia understood that on an intellectual level, but it still bothered her. There was something here that even Andre didn't understand. There had to be. She couldn't believe in a God who would leave the world to suffer like this.

  Was Andre right? Had God never existed? Had Nadia spent her entire life praying to no one? It was hard to stomach, but after seeing so many horrors, she had to consider the possibility.

  "All right," she said, "where does Warrick play into all of this?" She still wanted to ask about God, but Andre didn't have the answers, so there was no point.

  "The only chance we stand against Krinir is to put the power of two gods up against him. When he was Creator and Destroyer, it enhanced his powers, made him more powerful permanently. Only the combined power of the Creator and the Restorer can stand against him."

  "So we need to get Warrick and Lionar to fight him together?" Markus asked.

  "That's the best chance we have," Andre said. "But there's still a problem. A god can't try to kill another god. It's a contradiction, and the magic of our world doesn't handle contradictions very well." He shook his head. "But that's a conversation for another time. At the very least, Lionar and Warrick can weaken him so that someone else can finish the job."

  Nadia took a breath, dreading what lay ahead. "Then how do we rescue Lionar?"

  "It won't be easy. Krinir has already gone to the future, and he's waiting for you. He won't kill Lionar because he can't, but he must have some motivation for imprisoning Lionar there."

  "But you aren't sure about that motivation?" Markus asked.

  "I can't be sure about anything where Krinir's involved."

  "But if he's waiting for us," Nadia said, "then how can we hope to get past him?"

  "I wish I had an answer for you."

  "Guess we'll just have to improvise," Berig said. He looked almost eager at the prospect.

  Nadia gave him an impatient look. "Improvising when this concerns the fate of the world seems like the wrong thing to do. We have to make a plan of some kind."

  "I've looked for one many times," Andre said, "but it's difficult."

  Nadia tried to keep her anxiety out of her voice. The others didn't need to know how terrified she truly was. She had to set an example as their leader. "But haven't you seen something in the Webs, some clue as to what we should do?"

  "As I said, there are many dark strands. Krinir made them himself, which suggests there is a chance to succeed. Despite his immense powers, he does fear you."

  Nadia held back a laugh. It was hard to believe Krinir could fear them. She'd seen, back in the library, the immense powers Krinir possessed. However much she tried to convince herself they could succeed, she knew deep down that they stood no chance against him.

  But what choice did they have? They'd taken on the fate of the world, and they'd succeed or die trying. Once, her goals had been simple. Kill Warrick. Save the Empire. Avenge her mother. Now her life had taken on something much greater.

  Could she be remembered as one of the greatest heroes in history?

  "Then do you have any suggestions for us?" Markus asked, startling Nadia out of thought.

  "The stone you touched in the library is your best protection," Andre said. "Krinir will still be waiting for you, but he won't know with any certainty what you're going to do. The only way to free Lionar is to surprise Krinir. You can't stand against him, even with Lionar's help."

  Nadia didn't want to think about that. She'd done a lot of crazy things since setting out to kill Warrick, but this was a different level of insanity. Despite the time that had passed since their last meeting with Krinir, she remembered the chaos. The terror.

  "Could you at least guide us on the right path?" she asked, thrusting aside her anxious thoughts.

  "Your path is of your own choosing," Andre said. "I wouldn't want to interfere and inadvertently set you on a path leading to disaster. Your current plan of going to the two temples and then going to the future is a good plan. I'd love to tell you everything that will happen in between, but there are too many dark strands."

  "Can you at least help us reach the Continent of Ice?" she asked. "You are full sorcerers, aren't you? Doesn't that mean you can teleport us there?"

  "Sorcerers actually do not have the ability to send others through teleportation."

  Markus shook his head. "But Warrick did it. He took me with him."

  "Warrick is a special case. I believe Krinir may have granted him that power. But even such powers have their limits. A teleportation spell can take up to an hour to set up, depending on the strength of the sorcerer. Some can do it much faster. Still that's why many sorcerers prefer teleportation chambers, which have all but disappeared outside Warrick's Empire, or teleportation stones, which are very rare. A teleportation stone has only two uses, and they have to recharge between uses. Oh, and once you've used one, you have to wait at least a couple of hours before you can use another."

  Nadia was glad to hear that explanation. She'd always wondered how teleportation worked and why sorcerers couldn't use it to escape any battle.

  "Fortunately," Andre said, "we do have a teleportation stone you can use."

  "Can you do anything for the sailors?" Berig asked. "I feel bad about 'em."

  "We'll figure something out. Don't worry about them."

  "I had a few more questions for you," Nadia said.

  "Go ahead."

  "Why are you hiding here on this island?" she asked. "Why aren't you out there helping the world? You're sorcerers after all. You could do a lot of good."

  Andre stroked his chin. "You've heard the secrets we've told you. We hold many such secrets in our minds, including secrets from the Old World that should remain hidden. If we engaged with the world, we'd run the risk of that knowledge reaching the wrong hands. What we did in helping you is rare. We haven't interacted with the world for hundreds of years."

  "If it comes to a final battle with Krinir," Nadia said, "will you help us?"

  "We'll make that decision when the time comes."

  Nadia shook her head. "But if the fate of the world is at stake, don't you feel the need to help? What good does it do to protect your secrets if the world is destroyed anyways?"

  "We are a small number of sorcerers," Andre said. "We have had more time to practice our magic than others, but we are not significantly stronger. In fact, we are nothing compared to Warrick and Krinir. But we may help, if we decide it's worth the risk."

  Nadia would get no more answers out of him.

  "Thank you for your help," she said.

  "You're welcome. Now why d
on't you take a chance to rest a bit? You can leave for the city of Temple View in the morning. That's as close as you can get to the Ice Temple. None of the temples allow you to teleport directly into them."

  "And what should we expect to find there?" Markus asked. Nadia remembered that Darius had told them of tyrannical sorcerers.

  "You'll find resistance," Andre said. "I believe you can convince the sorcerers there to let you into the temple, but it won't be easy."

  Klint laughed softly. "Nothing ever is."

  Chapter 12: The Fire Kingdom

  Rik sat at the side of Eliza's bed, staring at her pale face. She hadn't stirred, hadn't given any sign that she'd recover. But now Rik had hope. It seemed too convenient, but he'd learned long ago not to question these things. They were involved in the fate of the world, and the people guiding them could read potential futures.

  In truth, they'd been controlled for a long time, probably their entire lives. First, it was Warrick. Then it was all the other sorcerers both on Terra and in the Shadowed Land.

  By now, Rik was used to being controlled.

  "I'm gonna find a cure for you," he said, brushing his hand across Eliza's face and fighting against tears. "I never got a chance to tell you how much I love you."

  And he feared he never would. Then, even if she did recover, what were the chances they'd both survive what lay ahead? Markus and Nadia were half a world away, possibly in the future by now, but he would find a way to help them. That had to be his path. He still believed in what he'd told Markus all those months ago.

  Friends stick together. Always.

  For the longest time, he'd never tested that statement, but then the dangers of all his adventures had assaulted him, changing him into a person he hadn't liked. Now he'd recovered. He'd spent so much time apart from Markus, constantly worrying about him, feeling useless.

  But Rik wasn't useless. He had a purpose, just as the others did.

  If only he knew the nature of that purpose.