“So you’re a laundress.” He gracefully ducked under a low branch. “Is that who you are and what defines your life?”
“No.” I barely had to lower my head to clear the branch.
“Exactly,” he replied.
Washing clothes didn’t harm other people. How could Anders justify murdering for money? Did he feel any sort of remorse for the lives he stole?
“What about the people you murdered yesterday?” I asked. “You weren’t hired to kill them, so why did you?”
“I did what needed to be done to escape from the capital,” he replied.
“You could have rendered them unconscious,” I offered. “You didn’t have to kill them.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” Anders responded. “If they lived, they would have been able to identify us.”
“It’s still wrong to kill.”
“I hardly think you’re one to judge when you benefited from it.” He spun around to face me, his eyes alight with challenge.
Not wanting to make him any more upset, I held up my hands in surrender. “All I’m saying is that there are other options. You didn’t have to murder innocent people.”
“They were soldats!” he exclaimed, his face turning red.
“Maybe they were forced into that position.” Like my father, I silently added.
“You’re a naive sixteen-year-old girl.”
My temper flared. I didn’t have to be here with him—especially if he intended to belittle me. “Yes. I am only sixteen, and I am a girl. However, you need me, since I’m a Kriger.”
“I don’t need you,” he said, pointing at me. “The kingdom does. If it were up to me, I’d have left you back in the capital to fend for yourself. But I’m required to assist you.”
Now we were getting somewhere. “Did the man you’re taking me to, Vidar, hire you to help me?”
“I’m not explaining anything to you right now.” He rubbed his hands over his face, sighing. “We have a long journey ahead of us. Let’s stop talking and get moving.”
There was only one way this was going to work. “I want you to promise me something.”
“No.”
“Please?”
He didn’t respond. Instead, he remained there, staring at me.
I didn’t want him to berate me any longer, but there was only so far I could push him. “Promise me you won’t kill anyone else unless our lives are in immediate danger.”
He laughed and folded his arms across his chest. “So if a soldat comes running at you, you want me to let him capture you?”
“No.” This man was utterly infuriating. Why didn’t he understand what I was saying? “Just don’t kill unless it’s absolutely necessary. You can wound or injure instead.”
“You’re delusional,” he mumbled. “I don’t go around killing everyone I come into contact with. I only take a life when it’s unavoidable.” Leaning closer to me, his eyes pulled tight, making him look furious. “And just so you know, I don’t enjoy killing people.” He turned and stormed away, not looking back.
“Does that mean you won’t kill unless you have to?”
He threw his arms up in the air and kept walking. Chuckling, I bent down to retie my boot. Straightening up, I headed in the direction Anders had gone. Twenty feet in front of me, he stood still as a building, spooked by something.
My hands pulsed with severe pain. A heavy breathing came from my right. I slowly turned and scanned the area, looking for the source of the threat. Between the trees only fifteen feet away, an enormous brunbjorn was moving directly toward me. It walked on all fours, smelling the air as it neared. The bear-like creature was easily five times my size.
I gradually started to back up, trying to keep a good amount of space between us. It breathed out, making a strange grunting noise. All of a sudden, it charged at me. I turned and ran. The animal pounded on the forest flooring as it neared, swiftly gaining ground. Its hot breath skimmed my neck. It roared a deafening sound and swiped its paw, slamming me to the ground. I rolled over as the brunbjorn went up on its hind feet, smelling the air. It dropped to all four paws, the ground jolting under me from the impact. I lay there, motionless, trying to decide if I should kick the animal and run or play dead.
The brunbjorn stood over me and roared, the sound vibrating through my body. I shoved myself forward, between the animal’s legs, so it couldn’t see me. Trying not to make a sound, I scrambled to stand behind it. It huffed and turned around, foam clinging to its mouth. Its eyes were two black coals that promised death. My hands pulsed, and a sharp, stinging sensation shot through me. I fell to my knees, crying out in pain. The animal circled me, observing its prey.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Anders noiselessly stalking up behind the brunbjorn. It raised its massive paw, its black nails longer than my foot. I leaned back as it viciously swung, narrowly missing my face.
Anders slid a long dagger from his sleeve, clutching the weapon in his hand as he moved to the side of the animal. When the brunbjorn swiped at me again, the assassin darted in and embedded the knife in the animal’s side.
It savagely roared in pain and staggered back. I crawled to the tree behind me, wanting something solid to cling to. The animal whipped its head in Anders’s direction. When it caught sight of him, it charged. Instead of running away, Anders stood his ground. The massive brunbjorn tackled him to the ground.
Anders grabbed the dagger sticking out of the animal and yanked it free. The brunbjorn stood above the assassin and swayed. Without hesitating, he thrust the knife into the animal’s stomach. It reared its head back, howling in agony. He grabbed the blade strapped to his thigh and with quick and lethal efficiency plunged it into the animal’s neck.
It wobbled and collapsed on top of Anders. The assassin shimmied his body out from under the brunbjorn and came to me.
“Are you hurt?” he asked, breathing heavily, fresh blood coating his clothes.
“No.” Besides a few scratches, I was unharmed.
He squatted next to me. “I hope you consider that an acceptable murder.”
“Yes,” I said. “That was definitely an appropriate time to kill.”
Standing, he pulled me up. “We need to leave before more brunbjorns come.”
I nodded and said, “Kaia.”
“What?”
“My name,” I replied. “It’s Kaia.”
Chapter Four
Dropping to my knees alongside the stream, I scooped the frigid water with my hands, drinking it. After traveling hard all day, I was desperate to quench my thirst.
“How much farther?” I asked between gulps.
“At the rate you walk, it’ll take us another day to get there.”
Ignoring Anders’s jab, I rubbed water on my forehead, attempting to clean my wound. “Are you related to Vidar?” I stood and dried my hands on my pants.
“No,” he replied, rinsing his bloody hands in the water. “Although he is my closest friend.”
It was hard to believe Anders had any friends at all. Stretching my stiff back, I asked, “Is Vidar your age?”
His eyes narrowed. “Why do you care?”
“Just curious to know something about the person you’re taking me to.” Was he a wise, elderly man? Or young and hotheaded like Anders?
“Let’s get moving.”
“It’s almost dark,” I pointed out, not wanting to run into another brunbjorn, especially at night. Every time the leaves rustled or a branch snapped, I tensed, anticipating another attack.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark, little girl,” Anders taunted.
It would feel so good to punch his jaw. “It’s not like you’re that much older than me. And no, I’m not scared of the dark. I’d just prefer not to be eaten by some predator I can’t see.”
He smiled sardonically before turning and walking away. “So if you can see the animal, you don’t mind being its supper?”
Rolling my eyes at his back, I hurried to catch up with him. “That’s not what I meant.” After walking in silence for several minutes, I hesitantly asked, “Can you tell me why my hands hurt?”
He stilled. “Do they hurt right now?” His voice was tight with concern.
“No,” I answered, almost running into him.
“When’s the last time they bothered you?”
“Right before the brunbjorn attacked.” I thought back to the incident. The pain had become intense during the encounter. However, I’d been so concerned with not being the animal’s next meal that there hadn’t been time to dwell on it.
The assassin continued walking, not saying another word.
“Are you ignoring me?” I kicked a small rock, sending it flying to a nearby tree.
Anders glanced over his shoulder, raising his eyebrows and pointedly looking from me to the tree before saying, “I just figured the answer was rather obvious and you’d be able to figure it out on your own.”
“I get that it has something to do with being a Kriger.” Bending, I plucked a rock small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.
Anders spun around and grabbed my arm. “If you throw that at me, I’ll gut you.”
I yanked away. “I just wanted something to hold on to.”
“Oh.” He turned and started walking again. “Well, don’t assault anymore trees either.” I rolled my eyes. “And don’t roll your eyes at me. It’s rude.”
“How did—”
“The pain you feel occurs when you’re in danger,” he said, cutting off my retort. “The power within you is seeking its weapon.”
Again, at the mere mention of my weapon, my body hummed. “How do you know so much about all of this?” I rolled the rock between my fingers, easing my nerves.
Anders sighed. “Can we please travel in silence? All of your questions will be answered when we arrive.”
“Why can’t you just tell me what’s going on?” I asked, squeezing the rock. It started to warm.
He halted and turned to face me. “Do you ever stop talking?” He pointed his finger at me. “You’re impossible.”
His dark eyes and the fury lines in his forehead should have frightened me. Yet, the rock somehow sapped the panic from my bones. “Why? Because I ask a few simple questions trying to understand what’s happening to me? I’m not the impossible one. You are.” I pushed around him and continued walking, hurling the rock as far as I could into the trees. I’d never met anyone who grated on my nerves as much as Anders did. It was infuriating, annoying, and exasperating.
“Kaia,” Anders said from behind me. It was the first time he’d used my name.
“What?”
“You’re going the wrong way.”
Surveying the surrounding area, there weren’t any trails. “Well, which direction are we headed?” I folded my arms against my chest.
“That way.” He motioned to the left, the corners of his lips pulling up ever so slightly. “There’s a cave thirty feet ahead. It’s small, but it’ll offer us some protection for the night. And seeing as how I haven’t slept in two days, I’m rather tired.”
I trudged off in the direction he pointed, navigating between several trees to a cluster of boulders covered with bright green moss. Anders went around the side to a narrow, dark crevice between two of the boulders. Turning sideways, he shoved his way into the darkness.
“That’s a cave?” I asked, reminding myself that the assassin wouldn’t kill or harm the last Kriger. After all, he needed me.
“Sort of,” he called out. “Before you come in, grab some branches and pine needles so I can light a fire.”
Within five minutes, I’d managed to pick up an armful of fallen branches. After shoving them through the opening, I crawled on the ground and collected two handfuls of pine needles and squeezed inside the cave.
“Here.” I stuck out my hands, not able to see a single thing since my eyes hadn’t adjusted. Anders’s fingers touched my stomach, and I squealed with surprise.
“Sorry,” he murmured. His fingers fumbled down my arms to my hands. He took the pine needles and quickly withdrew. “Can you move away from the opening so I can see?”
I scooted over and gingerly sat down. A few moments later, there was a spark, and the fire took. Anders knelt on the other side of the flames, avoiding me. He wasn’t kidding when he said the cave was small. It was barely large enough for the two of us to sleep in. I removed my boots and rubbed my sore feet.
“Hungry?” he asked, his voice hoarse. I nodded. “I’ll find us something to eat. Stay here.”
After he hurried from the cave, I removed my knit cap and massaged my scalp. I wanted to arrive at our destination tomorrow so my questions could be answered. Who was Vidar, and how did he fit into all of this? How did Anders, an assassin, end up helping the Krigers? Why was I the only female Kriger, and how did I come into my powers early? And above all lingered the question I feared the answer to—did I have a nightmare about Morlet, or did he somehow communicate with me? The image of him standing before me in that eerie, black cloak was seared into my mind.
A short time later, Anders returned carrying a small jackrabbit. He’d already skinned and tied the animal to a stick. He sat across from me and began cooking it. The shadows from the flames flickered on his face, making him look foreboding and harsh—every bit the assassin he was.
“When I met you in the Town Square,” I said, “what was the black jar I gave you?”
He kept his focus on the jackrabbit. “Does it matter?”
“No, not really.” Was it poison? Medicine? Or something else?
“You didn’t give me anything,” he said. “You simply delivered something that was already mine.”
Why couldn’t he just answer a simple question? Why did everything have to be so complicated with him? Fine, if he didn’t want to converse civilly, I would ignore him.
Once the meat was cooked, he handed me my portion, and I devoured it. After licking my fingers clean, I turned my back to Anders and lay down. There wasn’t enough room for him to do the same unless he put the fire out and removed the ashes. At this point, I didn’t care. He could fend for himself. Why should I be polite to him when he was barely civil to me?
Anders sighed. “A sleeping potion.”
“Excuse me?” I didn’t bother to look at him. The wall of the cave was right in front of my face, making my voice echo in the small area.
“You asked what was in the black bottle, and the answer is a sleeping potion for my darts.”
I remembered seeing darts embedded in the soldats’ necks when Anders rescued me. “Deadly?”
He grunted as he kicked dirt onto the fire. The warm blaze on my back faded away. “It can be,” he answered.
“Is the apothecary involved with the secret organization that aids the Krigers?”
“No,” he replied. “He is simply my supplier. That is all.”
I kept perfectly still as Anders situated himself next to me. “How come—”
There was a small prick on my back. “I’m sorry,” the assassin whispered. “But I’m tired, and you enjoy talking far too much for my taste.”
My eyelids felt like lead, and then blackness engulfed me.
“Wake up,” a soothing voice whispered in my ear.
I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, pretending to still be asleep, too exhausted to walk again all day.
“I can feel you’re outside the capital’s walls, but where? The Forest of a Thousand Lakes is large, and I don’t want to spread my resources thin searching for you.”
My eyes flew open, and I bolted upright, finding myself on a soft, feather mattress, wrapped in silk sheets. Heavy fabric was draped above the bed and tied to each of the four posts. Soft wallpaper covered the walls, and several paintings framed in gold hung on them. A roaring fire in the hearth heated the room.
The mirror next to the bed revealed dirt and grime covering the side
of my face, and my hair stuck out in all directions. I still had on the same clothes. Standing behind me was a black-caped figure. Twisting around, I came face-to-face with Morlet holding a small tray laden with food. It seemed like such an odd thing for a king to do. Almost … ordinary.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot,” he pleasantly said. “Let’s start over, shall we?” He sounded calm and cordial.
“Are you really communicating with me in a dream?” I demanded, wondering how his magic worked.
He chuckled. “I bring you food because you appear to be starving and instead of thanks, you question me. You are an interesting one.” He sat on a plush, red velvet chair next to the bed and slid the tray of food toward me.
Unable to resist, I grabbed the spoon and devoured the stew. The meat melted in my mouth, and the vegetables tasted divine. After scarfing down every last morsel, I pushed the tray to the end of the bed and sat cross-legged, facing him.
“You have questions,” he mused.
“I do.” Even though it seemed impossible, I knew this dream was somehow real, that I was with the man I was supposed to defeat—a monster that set people on fire and murdered hundreds for his own pleasure. This was the reason I existed. And here we sat, facing one another in his bedchamber. If only he would remove his cloak so I could see the man underneath it.
“You’ll need to refrain from asking anything tonight,” he kindly said. “I brought you here, so I will ask the questions. If you cooperate, the next time we meet you may ask me anything you wish. Understand?”
“No.” There was no way I was going to play along with him. “I want to know—”
“I’m asking the questions, not you,” he said, his voice instantly harsh. He tilted his head to the side, and light illuminated his chin and nose, revealing a fraction of the man beneath the cape. When he realized I was staring at him, he moved his head, once again concealing himself in the shadow of his hood. “Where are you?” he demanded.
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm,” he said, drumming his slender fingers on the arms of the chair. “Do I need to torture a child in front of you in order for you to cooperate?”
Rise Page 5
