Burning Shadows

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  “How did you know I was in trouble?” I asked, wanting an explanation.

  Henrik and Stein exchanged a brief glance. Stein shrugged and said, “I can’t rationalize it. I was walking and then a tingly sensation passed over my skin.”

  “My head pounded,” Henrik added.

  Whenever Morlet searched for me, I experienced those exact sensations.

  “We both had the same notion that you needed us,” Stein finished.

  Were the three of us forming some sort of a connection? Would I be able to communicate with them as I did with Morlet?

  “Sorry to cut the reunion short,” Anders gently said, “but we need to get out of here. Morlet has probably sent men into the forest to search for us.”

  “You look like you’ve been through the wringer,” Henrik said to Anders, clapping him on his back.

  “I’m good now, thanks to Kaia.”

  “She is a surprisingly unique one,” Stein said. “I’m glad she’s on our side.”

  “Me too.” Henrik chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder.

  Standing atop the platform overlooking the tree houses and the network of bridges connecting them, I finally allowed myself to relax.

  Anders stepped onto the platform next to me. “My promise to deliver you safe and sound is complete.” He patted my shoulder and ran across the bridge to where Vidar stood waving at us. Henrik and Stein joined me a moment later.

  “Men ain’t supposed to be in trees like fugls,” Henrik muttered.

  I thought Vidar’s tree houses were genius. Three separate bridges were attached to the platform on which the three of us stood. Each led to a different tree. Those trees had additional bridges connecting to more trees. Built around each trunk were small, wooden structures complete with windows and chimneys.

  “Let’s go,” Stein said, pulling Henrik across the bridge. “Are you coming, Kaia?” he called over his shoulder.

  “Hurry up,” Vidar shouted. “Everyone is waiting for you!”

  I smiled, feeling at home. The sky turned pink as the sun set. I ran across the swaying bridge, my hand hovering above the rope railing in case I needed it. A bird flew below me—I had to be at least five stories in the air. When I reached the other platform, Vidar wrapped me in his arms.

  “You truly are amazing,” he whispered in my ear.

  Anders stood behind him, watching us, his expression unreadable.

  “Come. Everyone is inside.” Vidar guided me into the house where the sitting room and kitchen were located. When I entered, everyone started clapping. The Krigers were assembled on the ground, hearth, and sofas. I squeezed into the quaint room, embarrassed all the attention was on me. Damaris stood in the corner, smiling.

  “Quiet down,” Vidar loudly said. “Much better. Now, I’m sure you all want to hear what Kaia has to say about Anders’s daring rescue.”

  Several people nodded in agreement.

  I removed my bo staff and sat down between Marius and Gunner, telling everyone what happened from the moment I left the cave until now, leaving out the personal details. When I finished, I spent the next hour or so answering questions. Finally, one by one, the men turned in for the night. Besides me, the only ones left in the room were Vidar and Anders.

  “Since we’re short on beds,” Vidar said to me, “you’ll need to share a room with Damaris. I hope you don’t mind.”

  “Not at all.” I was grateful he didn’t insist I sleep in his room. I stood and stretched, eager to sleep on a soft mattress.

  “Before you go to bed, I have… a question… for you,” Vidar stammered. “Were you, uh, successful in your endeavors with Morlet?” The tips of his ears turned red. He suddenly focused on his hands and not on me.

  “No. I already told you everything that happened.” I glanced at Anders, but he purposefully ignored me too.

  Vidar absently nodded. “You’re staying in the same room as before.”

  I hugged him and Anders, and then went to my room. Damaris was already sprawled on the bed, fast asleep. I went over to the dresser; the book Vidar had given me about the Order of the Krigers still remained on top, right where I had left it. After changing into my sleep clothes, I climbed into bed and blew out the candle on the nightstand.

  Damaris mumbled something, startling me. I glanced over at her, but she was still asleep.

  “Lctoy viteyo sabe lo,” she muttered.

  My blood ran cold—I had heard those words before… when Morlet spoke them. They were words from the old language. Words known and used by Heks.

  “Taleyz lednova paleo,” she murmured.

  I recalled Damaris climbing the cliff and hurting her hand. I’d thought the blue blood on her finger was a trick of the light—now I knew it wasn’t. “Damaris,” I said, touching her shoulder and rousing her awake.

  “Yes?” she slurred.

  “Are you …” There was no easy way to say this. “Are you a Heks?”

  In the dark room, I couldn’t see her eyes, but I felt her look at me.

  “Does it matter?” she asked.

  “No, I suppose not. However, if you are, why would you keep that from us?” From me? Today was full of surprises. First, discovering Anders had been raised by a Heks, and now that Damaris was one. What else didn’t I know?

  Damaris rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. “I am a Grei Heks,” she admitted. “I was sucked into this kingdom against my will. Now I am stuck here, powerless.”

  “What about Cyrill?” She had told us he was her relative.

  “When I entered Nelebek, I found myself in the middle of the capital. I had no idea what to do. Soldats approached me, knocking me to my knees. Cyrill came to my aid. He took responsibility for me, brought me to his home, clothed and fed me. He knew what I was and told me about Vidar. He snuck me out of the capital, so I could find him.”

  “Is that when you came to us?” I asked.

  “No. After I met Vidar, I stayed with Cyrill because I trusted him. When he was arrested, I fled the capital to seek Vidar’s help. That’s when I met the Krigers. Everything fell into place as I learned about what happened so many years ago. Gradually, the previous Grei Heks’s memories became my own since I assumed her role here.”

  That was why Damaris always appeared so knowledgeable.

  “I’m sorry for your part in the curse,” she said, turning to face me. The clouds must have moved because the moonlight shone through the window, illuminating Damaris’s face. “It can’t be changed. However, I can guide you.”

  I didn’t know what to say. She seemed human… normal… so unlike the previous Grei Heks. I needed some time to process everything she’d revealed.

  “Now that you know the truth,” she continued, “are you afraid of me? Do you wish me gone?”

  “Why would I want that?” I’d never felt fear toward her or the previous Grei Heks. If anything, I was hurt she hadn’t told me sooner. That she didn’t trust me enough.

  “Most humans despise Heks—whether we’re good or evil.”

  “You’re here to help me and the Krigers, right?”

  She propped her head up on her arm, watching me. “I support the previous Grei Heks and her quest to create a new race of Heks. I think she was right in doing so. I will do everything in my power to ensure you survive.”

  One thing bothered me—why did she and Norill come into Nelebek at different times? Shouldn’t they have come together? And why was there a jordskjelv for one and not the other? What kingdom did she come from? What was that kingdom like? Did she know Norill?

  “I’m sure you have a lot of questions,” Damaris said. “But it is rather late. We’ll talk more tomorrow once you’re well rested.”

  I nodded, pulling the sheets up around me.

  “Thank you for understanding and always treating me as your equal,” she whispered, laying her head back on the pillow.

  ✧

  The next morning, I quietly slid out of bed, not wanting to wake Damaris. How had I ever
thought she was human? Her hair practically glowed, and her skin had an odd sheen of gray to it. I’d always assumed she was frightened or not feeling well. I’d never attributed it to her being a Heks.

  After dressing, I left the room and crossed the bridge. A few Krigers sparred with one another below in the forest. I knocked on the door to Vidar’s room.

  “Come in!”

  I opened the door. His room was just as I remembered it. One wall had massive shelves filled with hundreds of books, statues, and rocks. Another wall had several swords, daggers, and bows hanging on it. Area rugs littered the floor while a massive desk piled high with papers took up an entire corner of the room. Maps and diagrams were strewn all over his bed. A small fireplace was situated near the bed, although it wasn’t lit.

  “Good morning.” I closed the door and sat on the end of his bed, careful not to disturb anything.

  He fidgeted around with a few pieces of paper on his desk. “I’m sorry you were unsuccessful in conceiving a child.” He came and sat next to me on the bed. “It’ll all work out.”

  I didn’t come here to discuss sleeping with Morlet. “Did you know Damaris is the new Grei Heks of Nelebek?”

  “Yes,” he admitted.

  Shock rolled through me. He knew? And yet, he didn’t say anything?

  “Damaris asked me not to say anything,” he admitted.

  “Why did you agree to that?”

  “To give her time to get to know the Krigers.” He rubbed the back of his neck. His eyes had dark circles under them, as if he hadn’t slept in days.

  “Did she tell you?” I asked.

  “No. The moment I met her, I just knew.”

  Speaking of which, there was something I needed to discuss with Vidar. I turned and sat cross-legged on the bed, facing him. “I want to talk to you.”

  He furrowed his eyebrows. “Does it have to do with our engagement?”

  “No, but now that you’ve brought it up, we should discuss that too.”

  A cocky grin spread across his face. “You don’t want to marry me, do you?”

  The first time I saw him, he’d been diving off a cliff into the lake below. I thought he was the most beautiful person I’d ever laid eyes on. He still was. But now that I knew him, my only feelings toward him were that of friendship. “I don’t want to marry anyone right now. I’m not ready.”

  He nodded. “What about once you are with child?”

  I fidgeted with the edge of my tunic. So far, when I did what my intuition told me, things worked out. However, when I didn’t, there was always some disaster. So while I understood his reasoning for wanting a union between us, I couldn’t agree to it.

  He took my hands in his. “Is it Anders?”

  My face warmed at the mention of his name. “No.” There was no future for Anders and me, no matter how much I might want there to be. He’d made that perfectly clear when he practically begged me to marry Vidar. My gut told me he was trying to protect me, and that he did care for me the way I cared for him, but he wasn’t willing to try to have a relationship with me. He was too scared of the demons from his past.

  Vidar hesitated a moment before asking, “Is it Morlet?”

  I shook my head. “I feel such a strong mixture of hatred and infatuation for him. It’s confusing,” I whispered. Admitting that to him felt liberating.

  “It’s probably your role in the curse that is causing your feelings to become muddled.” He released my hands.

  “Which actually brings me to what I want to talk to you about—Morlet.”

  Vidar rubbed his temple, a sour expression on his face. “Is this a plea to help him? Even though he’s my brother, I don’t have a soft spot for him like you do.”

  “No.” There was nothing that could be done to help Morlet. His fate, like mine, was already set in stone. Neither of us could alter the curse.

  Vidar lay back on his bed, propping his head up on a pillow. “Fine. Out with it.”

  I collected several of the maps so I wouldn’t wrinkle them and set them on the ground. I stretched out alongside Vidar. “When I fought Norill in the forest that first time, she was physically stronger and overpowered me. I didn’t want to die, so Morlet helped me.”

  Vidar snorted. “He helped you?”

  I wanted to punch him. He had no idea how many times Morlet came to my rescue.

  “You never told me he was there when you fought the evil witch.”

  “He wasn’t. I connected to him, told him what was happening, and he loaned me a portion of his dark magic.” Vidar didn’t respond, so I forged on. “It was frightening. The hatred and destruction that is embedded in his magic. It would make any sane, decent person evil.”

  “I don’t want you to justify Morlet’s actions to me.”

  “Don’t you get it? Espen is consumed with dark magic, but he still manages to show kindness every once in a while. He’s helped me countless times. The fact that he can even do so proves how strong and how good your brother is. He’s still in there, fighting.”

  Vidar blanched at my use of Morlet’s true name—Espen—the name of his brother and not the monster. He turned his head away from me.

  “Look at me,” I demanded. When he did, his eyes glistened with tears. “I know it doesn’t change anything, and that we still have to kill him, but I wanted you to know the evil that consumes him isn’t from him, it’s from Skog Heks.”

  “Thank you,” he said in a soft voice. “I’d like a few minutes to myself.”

  “Of course.” I leaned down and kissed his forehead before leaving his room.

  “You’re a Grei Heks?” Henrik asked, folding his arms across his chest.

  “For the tenth time, yes,” Damaris said, exasperated.

  On the forest floor below the tree houses, my fellow Krigers stood in a loose circle around her. I joined them, relieved Damaris had revealed her true identity. “Personally, I’m thrilled she’s here with us,” I said. “She’ll be able to help us defeat Morlet.” The cool wind whipped through the trees, rustling the leaves. The sun shone bright overhead.

  “Are there any other questions?” Damaris asked, folding her hands, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.

  The Krigers looked at Marius. He cleared his throat. “Can you explain why we can link powers, but not maintain that link when we move or fight?” He was testing her. The last Grei Heks looked old and withered. They’d known her for years. This Grei Heks was young, energetic, and had yet to gain their trust.

  Her eyes narrowed. “It has to do with the markings on your weapons,” she said. “And you need to be in the tower room at the castle.”

  Shock flittered across Marius’s face. “I don’t understand,” he said.

  At the mention of the tower room, my body shivered. I hated that eerie room with its strange markings on the floor.

  “When the twelve of you are ready, you’ll go to the tower room at the castle to face Morlet.” Damaris glanced over at me and continued, “There, you will need to link together and direct your power to Kaia. She has to be the one to kill Morlet. It is up to the eleven of you to help her—not physically, but mentally. You must loan her your strength, perseverance, and willpower.”

  It felt as if someone had taken my bo staff and struck me across the head with it. I had to be the one to make the killing blow? It was cruel enough that I had to conceive Morlet’s child and help destroy him, but to force me to be the one to actually do it? It wasn’t fair.

  “Why Kaia?” Stein asked, his voice low, barely audible.

  “That is for Kaia to reveal,” Damaris replied, rocking back on her heels.

  I’d tried keeping this from the Krigers. Once they knew my secret, how would they treat me? I’d fought hard to gain their respect—would this revelation destroy it? Now I understood why Damaris had kept her identity from us. However, if she could come clean, so could I.

  “My great-great grandmother Linnea fell in love with Prince Espen.” Everyone went utterly silent, my w
ords echoing in the quiet forest. “They were the ones who started all of this.” I stood tall and raised my chin in the air, trying to maintain my dignity. “I’m to have Morlet’s child, and then kill him.” I left out the part about creating a new breed of Heks, not wanting to scare everyone or start a riot.

  Henrik opened his mouth several times to speak but didn’t say anything. Many of the Krigers’ faces filled with pity, and some wouldn’t look me in the eyes.

  “Is that what we’ve been waiting for?” Marius asked. “Kaia to conceive his child?”

  “It is,” Damaris answered for me.

  Vidar and Anders were standing behind me. I wasn’t sure at what point they’d joined us. Unable to handle everyone looking at me as if I’d sprouted an extra set of arms, I excused myself and ran to the lake, falling to my knees on the bank. I grabbed the dirt and squeezed it. Nothing about this curse was fair.

  Espen didn’t deserve his fate, nor did I deserve mine. Vidar… Anders… the Krigers… Hatred for Skog Heks bloomed inside me. If she hadn’t been greedy, if she hadn’t lured Espen and Linnea to her cabin, none of this would have happened. How could there be magic that was rooted in such evilness?

  I had forgotten to tell Vidar about what Roy and I saw in the mines. What did Morlet plan to do with the power source he unearthed? Did he intend to tell Norill? Did he plan to make more Heks? We had to act quickly before he executed his plan—whatever it was. We couldn’t allow more evilness to enter this world.

  Dry leaves crunched behind me as someone approached. “Don’t go through with it,” Anders said. “Live the rest of your life in peace. There will be another Kriger after you.”

  “I have to.” Releasing the dirt, I wiped my hands on my pants and blinked away my tears.

  “No,” he said, kneeling on the bank next to me. “You don’t.”

  If I shirked the responsibility, it would fall to another member of my family. Besides, I had made a promise to my father to end this, and I would. I wished I didn’t have to be the one to kill Morlet. “Why can’t one of the other Krigers kill him?”