“I didn’t feel a thing. You directed all of your power to Kaia.” Seeing that my hands looked fine, he resumed his position in the circle.
“Sorry,” Henrik said, awkwardly patting my shoulder.
“I’m fine. I just hadn’t expected that. Let’s try it again.” I wiped my palms on my pants. “This time, focus on my weapon. I’ll go first.” I released a bit of power to Stein, and then to Henrik. “Stein, your turn.” I felt my bo staff warm. “Now you, Henrik.”
“Okay,” he muttered. “But I’m doing Stein first this time.” His brow creased, his face turning red.
Stein cried out, dropping his bow and uttering a string of curses.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
He nodded and picked up his dropped weapon.
Henrik growled and chucked his ax at the nearest tree. It landed with a bang, the handle shaking. “Why can’t I do this?”
“You are releasing too much power,” Stein said. “I don’t think you realize how much muscle you have.”
I remembered Grei Heks telling me that each of us had a mark on our weapons that meant something. “What’s the mark on your ax?” I asked Henrik.
“Power,” he replied, going over and pulling his weapon free.
“And yours?” I asked Stein.
“Speed.”
“My mark means choice. Perhaps the markings not only play a role in our final battle with Morlet, but also signal our part within the group.”
“That very well may be,” Henrik said, scratching his chin. “But how is that going to help us learn to connect together?”
“Maybe we shouldn’t be practicing in small groups. This might only work when the twelve of us are together,” I suggested.
Henrik rested his weapon on his shoulder. “There’s only one way to test your theory.”
“I know.” And convincing the Krigers to use their power on one another would be difficult.
“I suggest you speak to Marius,” Stein offered.
“Why?”
“The mark on his weapon means leadership. If anyone can rally the Krigers to your idea, it’s him.”
✧
During supper, everyone sat around the fire in the cave eating what Anders had managed to hunt and cook for us. I made a point of sitting next to Marius. We didn’t speak often since he was one of the older Krigers.
After swallowing a bite of rabbit, I casually asked, “How is your group doing?”
“We’ve managed to link two of us together, but whenever we try to add in the third person, we lose the connection. What about your group?”
“Same with us.”
“It’s frustrating,” he said, taking a bite of food. “I thought linking together would be easy.” Marius’s dark, wavy hair reached his broad shoulders, reminding me of my father.
“So did I, which leads me to believe we’re doing something wrong.”
“I’m open to suggestions.” He finished his food and set his plate down, giving me his full attention.
“I’m wondering if our marks play a factor in linking together. Since yours is leadership, maybe you’re the one who needs to lead us in order to forge that connection.”
“Why do you think this?” he asked.
I quickly explained that the mark on Henrik’s ax meant power, and he had difficulty forming a connection because he was too powerful.
“That’s an interesting theory,” Marius mused, folding his arms across his chest. “My only reservation is that if we attempt to link with all twelve of us at the same time, what’s to prevent everyone from being hurt? At least when only three or four practice together, the chances of someone sustaining an injury is much lower.”
“I understand. But I’m thinking it may be impossible for only some of us to link and maintain that connection. I believe that if we all work together, with you leading us, it will come naturally.” I noticed Anders sitting across from me on the other side of the fire. When I’d told him my theory earlier today, he thought it was a good possibility.
“I’ll sleep on it,” Marius said. Standing, he patted the top of my head and went over to speak with Reidar and Gunner, the men he’d been working with earlier today.
After I finished eating, I headed over to my cot and laid down, my back facing the interior of the cave, so everyone would assume I’d fallen asleep. I went over various forms in my mind while I stared at the rocky wall, trying to stay awake. After a while, the noises in the cave ceased, save for a few snores here and there, as the Krigers turned in for the night.
Still pretending to be asleep, I rolled over. Eleven men lay on the ground—ten Krigers and Anders, who slept only a few feet away from me. One Kriger was supposed to be on watch just outside the cave’s entrance. Everyone was accounted for.
The fire had almost died out, and only a few logs glowed a deep red. In the dim light, I could just make out Anders’s back slowly moving up and down as he slept. Perhaps I was overthinking matters, and he had truly gone to relieve himself last night as he’d said. Yet, a nagging suspicion suggested otherwise. Did Vidar leave him a secret mission? And if so, what was it?
My eyelids grew heavy. Anders silently sat up, and I was instantly wide awake. Not making a sound, he stood and snuck to the entrance, sheathing his sword and strapping several daggers to his legs before departing the cave.
I shoved the blankets off me, fumbling with my boots. Once they were laced, I grabbed my bo staff and dashed over to the cave’s exit. I hesitated. If Anders saw me following him, he’d stop and confront me. Then there would be no chance of discovering what he was up to at this late hour. However, if he had too far of a head start, I’d never be able to track him.
I peered outside the cave; Reidar was on watch. I stepped out onto the ledge. “I need a moment to myself,” I said by way of greeting.
“Anders specifically told me you’re not allowed to go anywhere alone,” Reidar said, his voice deep and throaty. He held his weapon at his side—a long, thin pole with a wicked point at one end.
Sliding my bo staff to my back, I secured it with my belt so my hands were free. “You can’t accompany me and abandon your post.”
“Wait here,” he said. “I’ll go and rouse one of the men.” In the moonlight, his face looked particularly gaunt and angular.
Not having time to argue, I started climbing down the mountainside before he could object. “That’s okay,” I said. “Anders is only a few feet below me. I’ll ask him to accompany me while I relieve myself.”
“Are you certain?”
“He just waved at me,” I lied, quickly descending.
At the bottom of the mountain, I surveyed the area, looking for Anders in the dark forest. There was no sign of him anywhere. His skills as an assassin practically made him a ghost when it came to traveling through the woods.
Anders had taught me how to push my power out in order to warn predators away. Maybe I could somehow use it to sense him instead. It was a long shot. However, I was the only Kriger who had a tiny bit of Heks magic inside of me. It allowed me to use my power without my weapon, although it wasn’t nearly as strong.
Heks magic came from within the world, and Heks were born with it. When Skog Heks lost her magic, she convinced Morlet to build the mines, forcing citizens to dig deep into the ground to search for the Heks source of power. He told me she thought she could unearth a tiny bit of it and use it to get her magic back.
Putting my hands out on either side of me, I closed my eyes and willed the power within me to connect to the magic in the world. I sensed the magic hidden within me give a little flutter. I willed it to grow, sending it down my arms and to my hands. When it responded, I imagined it connecting with the Heks magic hidden in the ground. My power fizzled out.
I tried again. Once my power pulsed in my hands, ready to be used, I coaxed it out to the surrounding area, telling it to find Anders. The power dissolved. Aggravated, I kicked a nearby rock, sending it flying into the trees. If this took much longer, I’d
never be able to catch up to him.
I unstrapped my bo staff and held it in my hands. Connecting my internal power with my weapon, I felt it hum in response. I pushed my power out into the forest while picturing Anders. An intense pull came from the right. I hastily tied my bo staff to my back so I could follow the pull. The second my hands let go of my weapon, the pull vanished. Unstrapping it again so I could hold it, I gathered my power once more, again sending it out while picturing Anders. Like before, a pull emanated from the right.
While holding my weapon, I took off running, but the feeling disappeared. Exasperated, I stopped and amassed my power again, irritation and enthusiasm warring inside of me. As soon as I felt the pull, I ran in that direction, while concentrating on maintaining an image of Anders and continuing to push my power out in order to follow him. My body shook from the strenuous effort.
I ran for a half an hour before the pull slowed, and I almost caught up to it. Sweat dripped down my forehead. I crept toward what I assumed to be Anders. A soft thunk sounded in the distance. Shock rolled through me, and I lost control of my power. The pull vanished, and my body violently shook, my vision blurring. I’d used too much power, and I swayed on my feet. Suddenly, a large hand covered my mouth, and a strong arm wrapped around my body, pinning my arms and weapon down. Fear exploded inside of me.
“I almost killed you,” Anders whispered in my ear, holding me tightly.
I relaxed, utterly relieved a soldat hadn’t just captured me.
“Luckily, I saw your bo staff in the moonlight. What are you doing here?” He removed his hand from my mouth.
“Thought you might need help,” I whispered, resting my head on his shoulder, waiting for my body to recover.
“Why do I have a feeling you were spying on me?” he asked.
Because I am. “Why are you running through the forest in the dead of night?” I countered.
“Fifty feet away is a camp full of soldats who are searching for the Krigers.”
He released me, not saying anything else. Did he plan to murder the lot of them? There had to be a way to throw these men off our trail without killing them.
“Either help me, or go back to the cave.”
My vision gradually cleared, and my strength returned. “This is your solution? Killing a camp full of men?”
“We don’t have time for a philosophical debate,” he snapped. “At any moment, one of the soldats could wake up and raise the alarm.” He moved closer to me. He had on a solid black outfit similar to the one he wore when he rescued me from Morlet’s tower. “These are the king’s personal guards,” he said. “They’ve been sent to capture the Krigers and kill every citizen they come into contact with along the way.” He pointed toward the group of sleeping men just beyond the trees. “They’re responsible for burning two villages and killing hundreds of people. They deserve to die. I’ve made my choice. It’s time for you to make yours.”
When I was a child, one of my neighbors was dragged away by a group of soldats. He returned days later with his hands gone. They’d been chopped off—the punishment for stealing. Papa explained that the man took bread from a bakery without paying for it.
“Why did he steal if he knew the punishment was so severe?” I asked.
My father hesitated before answering. “His family is starving. He did what he had to do to save them.”
“But now he can’t work,” I pointed out. “Aren’t they worse off than before?”
Papa nodded. “His family will most certainly starve to death.”
“Can we help them?”
“I wish we could,” he answered. “But, sometimes, our choices are not that simple. If we aid them, the soldats will arrest us for interfering.”
“Just for feeding them?” How could that be? Assisting another person shouldn’t be a crime.
He squatted down so we were eye level. “Kaia, you have to do everything possible to survive, so you can save the kingdom. There will be times in your life when you have to do something you don’t want to do, something that feels wrong, but it is good in the long run. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
I nodded, although I didn’t know how we could allow a neighboring family to die.
The memory faded away, and I came back to the present. Papa’s words were still fresh in my mind. Although killing sickened me, it had to be done to save countless, innocent lives. “I’ll help.”
Anders gave a curt nod. “I already killed their lookout guard. Head east. I’ll go the other way.” He pointed up ahead. “We’ll attack from opposite directions. I’ll dart as many as I can with my poison.”
“I’ll kill as many as possible with my power.” I headed the way Anders told me to go.
“Kaia,” he loudly whispered. I glanced back at him. “We don’t want a hand-to-hand fight in the dark. Use enough power to ensure they’re dead.”
I nodded and left. Moving silently over the fallen leaves, I connected my power to my bo staff, ready to use it. The faint sound of snoring reached my ears. I came to a clearing where approximately two dozen men lay sleeping on the ground. Movement caught my attention, and I saw Anders on the other side. He left the cover of the trees and neared the men, his blow dart at his lips.
Taking a deep breath, I did the same. When I was ten feet away from the nearest soldat, I lifted my weapon. I needed to kill him, so he didn’t murder any more citizens. My hands shook. I glanced over at Anders; he silently moved between the men, darting them as he went.
This is for the greater good, I reminded myself. I released a jolt of power, striking the sleeping man. His chest no longer rose and fell. I moved to the next one. His eyes flew open, his hand grabbed my ankle, and I fell backward, landing with an umph. Terror rolled through me. Luckily, I hadn’t dropped my bo staff, so I swung it around and released a chunk of power. It hit him just as he lunged for me, killing him. I jumped to my feet, but three soldats were already rushing toward me.
“She’s a Kriger!” one of them yelled. “Don’t kill her.”
I angled my weapon, released my power out of the end of it, and killed the man. Another one neared me, and I kicked him. As he stumbled back, I raised my bo staff and allowed my power to flow from it, striking him down. A man came up behind me, wrapping his arms around my body. I flung my head back, but he avoided the hit and squeezed me harder. He slid his arm up my body until it reached my neck. Breathing became difficult, and panic set it.
“Just need you to pass out,” he mumbled in my ear.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anders running toward me. He threw a dagger. There was a sick crunching sound, and then the man holding me slumped to the ground, dead.
Anders’s warm hands gripped my shoulders. “Kaia,” he said, voice rumbling beside me. “Are you okay?”
I dropped my weapon, gasping for air. Anders moved us away from the dead bodies, and then he stood before me, his eyes searching for any sign of injury.
“Are there any more soldats?” I asked.
“No. They’ve all been neutralized.”
I threw my arms around his neck, holding him tightly.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have asked you to help. He rubbed my back.
I could still feel the soldat’s strong arm wrapped around my neck. I’d never felt so helpless before. How had he managed to sneak up behind me like that?
“You’re shaking,” Anders said. “Are you certain you’re okay?”
“My neck is a little sore, but that’s all.” I would need to practice more so this situation didn’t repeat itself. I should have been able to handle three men, especially with my bo staff and the power it wielded. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked.
“For killing that man and saving me.” I was suddenly aware of how close we were and the fact that he wasn’t letting go, so I rested my head on his chest, leaning into him.
Anders jerked back. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t hug you.”
“Why
?”
He focused on his boots, fidgeting with the hilt of his sword. “It’s not appropriate.” His eyes darted to mine, and then away. “You agreed to marry Vidar,” he said, his voice cold, hard.
“Vidar asked my father’s permission. Papa agreed.” No one asked me what I wanted. Not that it mattered. If I had to conceive Vidar’s child to end the curse, there was little to discuss.
He clutched the hilt of his sword, the veins in his hand protruding. “Even though you didn’t specifically agree to marry him, you didn’t raise any objections.”
“I’m sorry.” For what, I wasn’t sure. For being engaged to Vidar? For agreeing to have his child? For caring for Anders more than I should?
“Your father knew Vidar’s true identity,” he said. “He knew you’d be well cared for.” He shook his head and turned away from me, heading back the way we’d come. I wanted to yell after him that I had no choice—that the curse determined the course of my life. But that wasn’t true. I did have a choice.
✧
The Krigers and I gathered around Anders. The sun shone brightly overhead, and several birds chirped from the trees surrounding the perimeter of the small clearing.
“We’re going to do something different today,” Anders explained. “Instead of breaking up into smaller groups, we’re going to work together on physical conditioning. Many of you have very low stamina from your time in the dungeon. We need to change that.” He glanced briefly at me.
I hadn’t spent any time in the dungeon; however, I was malnourished from not having enough food to eat growing up. Since I’d been with Vidar and Anders, they made sure I ate large portions to strengthen me.
“We’re going to run a few miles,” Anders said. “Any questions?”
No one said a word. After sprinting through the forest after Anders the other night, the last thing I felt like doing was running more.
“We stick together as a group,” he said. “Follow me!” He started jogging, and the Krigers fell in line behind him.
Burning Shadows Page 4
