“I’m scared, furious, confused, determined… and… content.”
He laughed. “That’s a lot of feelings to experience all at once.” He shifted, and I could just make out his body’s outline in the moonlight. “I understand them all except for the part about being content.”
“I can’t lose sight of what’s right in front of me.” My father’s death had taught me that. “I’m here with you, a friend, and I’m safe.” I wasn’t being tortured, nor was I rotting in the dungeon. “Everything else is so overwhelming that I’m trying not to think about it too much.” I wished for the millionth time that my mother were alive to guide me. Lise had been kind and offered me a room to stay in for as long as I wished. When this was over, I planned to return there to be reunited with the rest of my family. For now, I needed to stay on course.
“Years ago, I was hired to seduce a young maiden. Once she fell in love with me, I stabbed her in the stomach. As she died, the man who hired me came in to watch the life drain from her body. He paid me and rejoiced in her painful death.”
“That’s horrible.” Why was he sharing such a depressing story?
“I can’t remember all the people I’ve killed through the years. However, that one haunts me.”
“Because it was a girl?”
He shook his head. “I’ve killed plenty of women. Normally, I sneak in and kill my target without interacting with him or her. I never know them personally. With this particular person, I was hired to form a connection with her.”
“Are you worried about what I have to do?” I was nervous and questioning my ability to see this through. For some reason, I assumed Anders would believe in me as he always did. If he doubted me, it would only inspire more uncertainty on my part.
“Sleeping with Morlet, conceiving his child, and then murdering him is a lot to ask of anyone, especially someone like you. Someone who is good and kind.”
Maybe that was why this deed fell to me. I recalled Morlet telling me he wanted to die, that he didn’t want to live in this world where everyone he loved was gone. I begged him to let the Krigers kill him so we could end the curse. He explained that the magic coursing through him wouldn’t allow him to sit idly by, that he would fight. I understood him. Perhaps, I could end his life compassionately. It was all I had to cling to at this point.
“Killing is never easy,” Anders said.
“Does Vidar still send you on missions?” I knew he did, but I wanted to hear Anders confirm it.
“Occasionally. It’s always someone who is committing a crime though. He had me kill a landowner who kept slaves. I had no trouble with that assignment.”
“Do you plan to quit assassinating people once Vidar is on the throne?” Maybe Vidar could grant Anders a piece of land. He could build a home, tend to the land.
“He’ll need me more than ever.”
“But you don’t have to kill people. You can arrest them instead.”
“Oh, Kaia. I love how you view life, but I’ve been around a lot longer than you—some people are too dangerous to leave alive.”
I curled my hands into fists. That wasn’t his decision to make. All life was precious. “As soon as this is over, I’m never killing another person.”
“I hope you have no need to.”
“I wish the same for you.”
“Ready?” Anders asked.
We stood behind the waterfall, about to enter the tunnel that stretched through the mountain. I hated the idea of going back in there for a week. “You have the supplies for the torches?”
“Lighting one now.”
Looking out through the water, I took in the valley one last time. The vibrant colors were astounding, the trees lush and exotic. I would miss this place. The only consolation for leaving was that my power and heightened senses were back in full force.
Based on my calculations, Anders and I had been gone for about three weeks. Vidar would be livid the journey had taken so long. However, given the information we gained, the trip had been worth it.
We entered the tunnel and started the last leg of our trip. The light from the torch made our bodies appear elongated on the walls. After traveling for several hours, my eyes started to grow heavy. “Should we stop for the night?”
“I’d like to go another mile or so.”
I hoisted my sack up higher and kept on walking. A dull pain pulsed in my palms, quickly growing in intensity. “Anders,” I hissed. He froze. The pain strengthened, and I withdrew my bo staff, pulling on my power and sending it to my weapon, prepared to unleash it if necessary.
We stood still for several minutes, not hearing anything. Anders started creeping along at a slow pace. I inched behind him, glancing over my shoulder to ensure we weren’t attacked from behind. The last thing we needed was to encounter an ulv or a soldat. The pain in my hands deepened, making it feel like they were on fire. I stumbled, stifling a scream.
An ear-piercing wail echoed through the tunnel. Something lunged at Anders. He dropped the torch, cursing as he fought with a brown-and-white animal the size of a dog. I scooted out of the way and stood, pointing my bo staff at the creature, trying to get a clear shot at it.
“Grevlings,” Anders said, his voice strained as he wrestled with the badger-like creature. “Watch out—they travel in small groups.”
I spun around, searching for more grevlings, but didn’t see any.
Anders grunted as the animal’s long claws swiped at him, ripping his tunic and slicing his chest. I desperately wanted to strike the animal, but feared harming Anders in the process. With my bo staff raised, I waited. Anders rolled, and I had a clean shot. My power struck the grevling. The animal fell to the ground, unmoving. I dropped to my knees with relief.
“Don’t make any sudden movements,” Anders whispered.
I glanced up and saw a couple more grevlings standing just beyond the still burning torchlight, staring at Anders. “Stay still,” I ordered. I only had seconds until the animals attacked. I swung my weapon toward the grevlings, while simultaneously unleashing a jolt of power, killing them.
It had been weeks since I used my power, and my body swayed from the strain of using so much of it at once.
“Are you hurt?” Anders asked, blood oozing from his cuts. He pushed himself up and stood.
“No.” Placing a hand against the rocky wall, I got to my feet and lowered my weapon, reattaching it to my sack.
Anders would never tell me how badly injured he was. Before he could protest, I stepped closer to him and inspected the three deep gouges across his chest. He tried to push me away, but I refused to move. Each cut was at least an inch wide, but not too deep. “You need stitches.” We didn’t have the necessary first aid supplies. “And sage so it doesn’t become infected.” I took out the waterskin.
“Don’t you dare waste water on me,” he said.
“Your cuts need to be rinsed off.” I removed the cork. “I won’t drink a drop of this unless you let me use it on you.”
“Fine. But only a little bit.”
I poured enough water over his injures to remove the dirt that had gotten wedged in when he grappled with the grevling on the ground. The cuts were an angry shade of red. Thankfully, no bones were visible.
“Let’s change your shirt,” I suggested. Anders agreed and unsheathed a dagger. His hands were shaking, so I took the knife from him and cut his shirt the rest of the way off. He removed his sack, and I rifled through it, pulling out a clean shirt.
Anders had to be okay. He’d managed to live for over a hundred years. He couldn’t die now because of some stupid animal. I helped him put his clean shirt on.
“Pick up the torch before it goes out,” Anders said, his voice strained.
“Did the grevling get you anywhere else?” His pants had a rip, but I couldn’t see if his skin was torn open as well.
“No.”
“Let’s go back. We can be out of the tunnel within hours.”
“No,” he said. “We need to continue
. If we go back, the village is too far away to be of any help. I’ll be fine.”
“Are you sure?”
He smiled and nodded. “It’s just a little cut,” he assured me.
“Promise?” I needed Anders. He had to be okay. He just had to.
“I promise.” He bent down and retrieved his sack.
“Let me take the lead in case we run into another group of grevlings.”
He took the torch from me. “I’m not injured so badly that I’ve lost my common sense.” He pushed past me and started walking. “I’ll take the lead.”
I rolled my eyes and followed him. The next time my hands hurt, I’d shove him out of the way and defend him.
✧
Each day, Anders moved a little slower. He started limping, his hands shaking. A thin sheen of sweat coated his face. Terror set in—his cuts were infected. I needed to get him to the cave as quickly as possible. There, I could properly clean and tend to his wounds. Anders was always so strong and stoic. It was strange to see him in pain. Any time I asked how he was faring, he claimed to be fine and refused to let me carry his sack.
Late at night, when he fell asleep, I held his hand and tried to force my power into his body to heal his wounds. However, my power wouldn’t do as I wanted. Maybe it only worked on Krigers.
It had been a grueling week, and I couldn’t wait to be free from this never-ending darkness. Finally, the tunnel narrowed, and we crawled on our hands and knees for the last quarter mile or so. When Anders and I exited, I wanted to cry for joy that we’d made it—until I saw there wasn’t a path on this side of the mountain, and we had to climb down. Before I could ask Anders if he needed my help, he started descending, so I climbed down after him.
At the bottom, he bent over. I wrapped my arm around his shoulders. “Are you—”
He snapped upright, putting a finger to my lips. My hands weren’t hurting to alert me to danger. I strained to listen for anything out of the ordinary. The faint sound of people screaming echoed in the forest, and the distinct smell of burning wood tinged the air.
“Morlet!” I would not let him destroy another village and burn more people to death. I took off running toward the screams, jumping over a fallen tree and dodging several boulders. Smoke billowed in the air directly ahead of me.
“Kaia.” Anders panted from behind me. “We must have a plan. You can’t storm in there and face a squad of soldats on your own.”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re with me.” The two of us had managed to fight about fifty men from the King’s Army before. This would be no different. Except for the fact that Anders was injured.
“You’ll need to unleash your power from the get-go,” he said. “Try to kill as many soldats as you can. I’ll use my darts on those closest to me.”
“Got it.” I untied my bo staff from my sack while Anders withdrew his blow dart and loaded it.
“Do not engage Morlet. Promise me.”
Unable to promise him something like that, I didn’t answer. The screaming intensified, making my skin prickle and putting my senses on high alert.
“I’m going to swing out wide,” he said. “I’ll come in from the side and take them by surprise.”
“Be careful,” I replied. His face was unusually red, and his clothes were damp from running a fever. I hoped his injuries didn’t impede his fighting.
“You too.” He ran to the right, melting into the forest and out of sight.
I sprinted into a wall of smoke, making me cough. People ran every which way, frantically trying to escape. No soldats were present. Grabbing one of the men, I asked, “Where’s the king?”
He looked at me with horror-ridden eyes, ash covering his face and clothes. “It’s not the king,” he said. “It’s something not of this world. It has come to kill us all!”
He had to be mistaken. This was the work of Morlet—it had to be. “Where is it?” I demanded.
He pointed behind him. My hands tingled with acute pain. Releasing him, I clutched my bo staff tighter as I slowly walked in the direction he pointed. The smoke thickened, making my eyes water and my lungs burn. I couldn’t see more than three feet in any direction. The overwhelming need to save the people of this village stifled my fear.
An eerie laugh echoed through the forest, and I froze.
“He said you’d come if I started killing people,” Norill purred. The smoke shifted, revealing the evil witch standing a few feet in front of me.
The last time we faced one another, I didn’t have the strength to fight her on my own. I had to borrow magic from Morlet in order to survive. Even though she didn’t have magic, she was still powerful—her muscles and reflexes stronger than the average human’s.
“What do you want?” I asked, letting my power flow to my bo staff.
“My magic,” she said, leering. In a long dress, she almost looked like a commoner except her hair was unnaturally black, matching the veins underneath her snow-white skin. Her eyes sparkled, and the root-like veins below them darkened.
“Morlet has your magic, not me.” I scanned the area, searching for Anders. He was nowhere in sight.
“He’s the king. The treaty prevents me from killing him.”
A ripple of fear shot through me. “Killing a Kriger won’t help.”
“Oh, I know.” The corners of her mouth rose as she took a step closer, towering over me. “I have to capture the twelve of you. Morlet explained everything.” She licked her lips.
Trepidation consumed me. Where was Anders? Could I fight Norill without Morlet’s magic? Would my bo staff’s power be enough? I readjusted my hands on my weapon, preparing to use it. “You destroyed this village with the hope of luring us here?” Fortunately, I hadn’t seen any of the Krigers.
“No,” she purred. “Just you. I’m sure all the Krigers will come running to your rescue. Until then, you’ll make a fun playmate.”
“I don’t play well with others.”
“Neither do I.” She sneered, bolting toward me.
I released my power. Norill moved so fast, it missed her. She grabbed my arms, tossing me to the ground. Pain seared through my back, and I rolled to my side, trying to get up. She kicked my ribs, and I fell on my stomach, gasping for air. I forced myself to stand. Norill circled me like a hunter observing its prey. I refused to be the prey. This was no different from a training session with my father. The witch may be stronger and larger than I was, but I had Heks power, and she didn’t. The only reason the previous Skog Heks managed to beat me near death was because Morlet held me down, rendering my power useless. That wouldn’t happen this time.
Norill stalked in front of me. Before she could strike again, I raised my bo staff and zapped her with a chunk of my power. She squealed and swung her arm toward me. I ducked and released my power, hitting her legs. She lunged for my weapon, and I swiveled to the side, narrowly avoiding her.
Anger flashed in her eyes. “You are a vile creature,” Norill said, her voice grating on my ears. “It will be a pleasure tearing you apart, piece by piece.”
Taking a step toward her, I executed a front kick. She barely moved.
“That’s all you got, you pathetic excuse for a human?” She kicked me, and I flew through the air, landing several feet away, dropping my bo staff. Anders always chided me about losing my weapon in a fight. I had to get ahold of it. Rolling over, I crawled to it, picking it up.
“Had enough yet?” Norill asked.
I angled my weapon and shot her with a jolt of power. When she cried out, I jumped to my feet and ran toward her, hitting her across her back with my bo staff and kicking her leg. She tumbled to the ground. I pounced on top of Norill, ramming my weapon against her neck. Her eyes bulged as she tried to shove it away.
She flung her legs up, wrapping them around my head and throwing me backward. She kicked my weapon away from my hands and laughed. “I thought you were a Kriger. A warrior. You’re nothing but a pathetic human who doesn’t deserve to wield Heks magic.”
/>
Lifting my shaking hands, I released as much of my power as I could. She stumbled backward. Scrambling to my feet, I punched her in the stomach. Norill grabbed a chunk of my hair and yanked it. I slammed my fist into her face, splitting her lip open. Blue blood sprayed from the cut.
She reached for me. I dropped to the ground and rolled, landing near my weapon. Clutching the bo staff, I released a killing blow. When it hit her, she flew to the ground, smoke coming out of her nose and ears. Blackness swam around the edges of my vision, and my stomach rolled with nausea from using so much power at once. I took several deep breaths, trying to regain my strength before staggering to my feet.
When I neared Norill, I saw that her chest slowly rose and fell. She wasn’t dead. I took a step back as her hand shot out, grabbing my ankle. I fell flat on my back, dropping my weapon. Turning over, I spotted Anders hiding behind a tree trunk with his blow dart in his mouth. Relief and dread filled me. The witch clutched my shirt, hauling me to my feet and releasing me. She backhanded me across the face. White light shot through my vision, and I struggled to remain upright.
Anders snuck up behind her, throwing a knife between her shoulder blades. She spun around to face him, and he shot a dart into her neck. She growled and grabbed him by the tunic, tossing him to the ground. He landed with a sickening crunch.
“No!” I screamed, rushing to his side. Norill raised her foot to stomp on him. I threw my body across his so she would strike me instead. The blow never came.
“What’s this?” she asked, laughing.
I lunged to my feet. “Leave him alone. This fight is between you and me. He has nothing to do with it.” Anders groaned. I would do whatever I could to keep him safe. Even if it meant sacrificing myself.
She tilted her head to the side, observing me. “I’ve never understood you humans or the need to care for one another. It only makes you weak.”
Raising my shaking hands out before me, I released my power. Norill darted to the side, and it missed her. My head started to pound as my energy swiftly depleted.
Burning Shadows Page 15
