rumored to have constructed weapons that could level a building.”
“That’s more than just a rumor,” Markus said. “The Empire has at least six of them - though I’ve only ever seen one.”
“What did it look like?” asked Ethan.
“It’s a long green crystal tube about three feet long and a foot in diameter. They have it mounted on a wooden frame. Looks kind of like an old cannon.” Now it was Jonas’ turn to look confused. Only Ethan understood the reference.
“Have you seen one being used?” Jonas asked.
Markus shook his head. “All but two are at the Emperor’s palace. The others are used more for intimidation than anything else. There’s one that sits at the gates of Kytain. The other gets moved around from city to city. Scares the hell out of the locals whenever it shows up.”
“To rule by terror is a sign of weakness,” Jonas remarked.
Markus chuckled. “It works though. Only those fools in Ralmaria are stupid enough to defy Shinzan. And all they do is raid Imperial caravans, then run away into the hills.”
“At least there is some resistance,” said Jonas.
“From time to time you’ll see bands of rebels springing up, especially lately with the drought. But the Empire is quick to crush them. If you’re thinking about looking for help, I wouldn’t be looking there.”
“I don’t know what or who we’ll be looking for,” Jonas responded. “But it is good to know that someone might be willing to fight with us if needed.”
Markus gave a hollow laugh. “If you go up against Shinzan, you’d better hope they’re willing to get slaughtered. In the years I’ve been here I only know of one time the Emperor ventured out of The Eternal Palace. The King of Traxis was having difficulty putting down a rebellion and finally had to ask the Emperor for aid. By the time Shinzan arrived the rebels had grown to an army of almost twenty thousand men. Not that their numbers counted for much. From what I hear, he didn’t take a single soldier with him when he went to fight them.”
His expression darkened. “That was twenty years ago. I was in Traxis last summer. The field where Shinzan destroyed the rebellion is still in ruins. The ground is just soot and ash. Nothing grows for miles around. And incidentally, he also killed the king and his entire family for their failure.”
“How can one man take on an entire army?” mused Ethan.
“The Emperor is powerful,” said Jonas. “Though such a feat is more than I would have thought possible. It would have taken the entire Council of Volnar to manage such a thing.”
“But didn’t the Emperor destroy the Council?” asked Kat.
Jonas cocked his head. “So you’ve heard the story.”
She nodded. “When I was a little girl. They say the whole of Lumnia trembled during the battle. All the mages of the world aligned themselves against the Emperor. But he was too strong for them and sent all of their souls into oblivion.”
“The world did shake,” agreed Jonas. “I remember the day it happened very well.” Kat looked at him in wonder. “And I remember when word came of the Council’s defeat.” He turned to Ethan. “That was the day I fled with you and your mother.”
“If he’s so powerful, how do we fight him?” Ethan asked.
“Who says we will?” Jonas replied. “I have no idea what we will do after we reach the dwarves. We’ll figure that out when the time comes.”
Ethan tried to imagine what could kill so many men. He had seen what bombs and artillery could do. But that was the concerted efforts of soldiers, tanks, and aircraft. What Shinzan had achieved alone was almost impossible to comprehend. The only magic he had witnessed up until now was Jonas lighting small fires, and even that tiny feat had hugely impressed him.
Markus had said that Masi was only a few days away. Once there, they would be able to purchase supplies and mounts – though it was unclear how long they would be able to stay mounted once reaching north of Tulia. From there they would need to leave the roads completely, and the rocky terrain was not suited for riding.
Each night before bed, Ethan asked Kat to show him how she managed to vanish. Unfortunately, she was not fully aware of how she achieved it herself. And there were times when she was completely unable to do it at all.
“It helps when I’m excited or afraid,” she told him. “But if someone is