“Well, no, not like me. But there are others who wish to help the Krigers. Your father is one of them. Having him work in the mines has significantly aided our cause.”
He knew my father? Why had Papa kept all of this a secret from me?
Anders pushed open a door, entering a small room. Soft light glowed from oil lamps hanging on the walls. Two men sat on chairs playing a game of cards. One jumped up and opened another door for us. Anders carried me into the second room, this one much larger and filled with over a dozen men talking animatedly with each other. When they saw us, silence fell.
“I need a healer,” Anders said. “Immediately.”
One man nodded and left.
“Over here,” someone said. “Lay her on this cot.”
Anders gently lowered me onto the hay mattress. “Back up and give her room.” He carefully pulled the fabric off my head.
“She’s covered in blood,” one of the men said.
“Get me a basin of water and a washcloth,” Anders said.
“What happened to her?” someone else asked.
The pain became unbearable, and I passed out.
***
Peeling my eyelids open, my father sat on a chair next to me. Was I dreaming? I blinked.
“Oh thank the moons!” Papa cried. “I thought I’d lost you. You’ve been asleep since yesterday.” Tears glistened in his eyes.
“Where am I?” Pain seared my throat.
“You’re safe,” he answered. “You’ve been badly injured. There’s a large gouge on your head that the healer had to stitch together. You also have several broken ribs, and you’re covered in bruises.” His voice broke, and he clutched my hand. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me I’m a Kriger?” I croaked.
“Shh, we can talk about that later. Right now, you need to rest.” He lifted a cup to my lips, and warm liquid dribbled down my throat. The steeped listerblossom soothed me, and I closed my eyes, falling fast asleep.
“Kaia?” Morlet asked, his voice desperate.
“I … can’t … ” I didn’t have the strength to answer—to tell him that I was so injured, I couldn’t even lift my head.
“I’m sorry Skog Heks did that to you.”
“No … you’re … not. You … could have … stopped … her.”
“Open your eyes,” he prodded. “I’m in my bedchamber. Let me help you.”
I didn’t want to accept anything from him. However, if I didn’t let Morlet help me, it could take months for my body to heal, and I needed to flee the capital and reach the safety of the forest as soon as possible.
Opening my eyes, I found myself lying on Morlet’s bed with him sitting at my side.
“There isn’t much time,” he said. Raising his hands above me, he moved them in a circular motion while speaking softly. A blue light shone below his fingertips, and then he pointed at my stomach. The light flashed, shot out of his hands, and plummeted into me. I wanted to scream except my body was paralyzed. The light moved through me, cold liquid slithering to my limbs, healing my injuries. My strength gradually increased. Once the light extended to my head, healing my laceration, it shot out of me and returned to Morlet.
He collapsed on the bed, motionless, exhausted from using so much of his magic to heal me. I easily sat up, rejuvenated. It was time to return to my consciousness so I could escape out of the capital.
Except I couldn’t stop staring at the king.
It seemed as if there were two personalities trapped inside his body—Morlet, the evil man who tortured innocent people, killed children, and had no mercy; and Espen, the man who made a mistake and had been suffering a century for it, the man who healed me, the man who had compassion. However, it didn’t matter that there was good in him because there was also evil, and I had to defeat that evil in order to restore peace to the kingdom of Nelebek. I couldn’t afford to feel anything but disgust and hatred for him.
So why was I still sitting here next to him? I leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Thank you,” I whispered before standing and concentrating on returning to my body in the underground room.
My eyes opened, and several men I didn’t know stood near me.
“You were talking in your sleep,” one of them said.
“What did I say?”
“Don’t know,” another answered. “Couldn’t make out any of the words. Your father told us to keep an eye on you, so that’s what we’ve been doing.”
Blood was crusted all over the pillow near my head. “Where is my father?”
“Out with Anders. They went to make sure the soldats aren’t looking in this area for you.”
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I stood, and everyone’s eyes widened. “Maybe you should lie down,” a man said.
“I healed myself using my own power.” If I told them the truth, no one would understand.
The door opened and Vidar and Anders walked in. Vidar ran to me, a questioning look on his face.
“Healed myself.” I repeated the lie easily this time.
He whooped and picked me up, swinging me around in his arms. When he set me down, he kissed my cheek. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”
Anders’s eyes narrowed infinitesimally. Either he didn’t believe my lie, or he didn’t think Vidar should be so rough with me only moments after my miraculous recovery. “Thank you, Anders. I would have died if it wasn’t for your daring rescue.”
“Looks like you didn’t need me after all,” he mumbled as he turned and left the room.
Vidar grabbed my face and kissed my forehead. “I was so afraid we’d lost you—not because you’re a Kriger,” he said, sensing I was about to argue with him. “But because I would miss you.”
My father entered the room, and I bolted over to him, throwing my arms around his neck.
“You’re not coughing,” I said, relieved.
“No,” he replied, his voice filled with joy. He held me at arm’s length, observing me. “Anders gave me some more medicine. I’m doing much better. Looks like I’m not the only one, though.” He smiled, his face alight with wonder.
“I healed myself with my own power.”
He kissed my cheek. “Just like your mother.”
“I’ll give you two a moment alone,” Vidar said. He left the room.
My father and I sat on the cot away from everyone else. “There are soldats everywhere,” he said, squeezing my hands. “It’s only a matter of time before they start interrogating citizens. You need to leave, and we must make sure they know you’re gone.”
“Of course. I’m strong enough to go right now.”
He smiled, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. Papa looked older than I remembered. “It has been decided that Vidar and Anders will take you to the cavern. You need to retrieve your bo staff so you can access your full power. We can’t do anything else until you have it.”
I didn’t want to leave my father again, but he’d never be able to travel in the forest with his failing health. I hugged him. “Thank you.”
“For what?” he asked, squeezing me back.
“For everything.” The training, keeping me safe, and the tunnels.
Vidar came back into the room. “We need to go. It’s almost dawn.”
My father kissed my forehead. “Be safe. Remember everything I taught you.”
“I will.”
“Most of all,” he said, tapping a finger to my heart, “remember who you are, and always believe in yourself. You will bring peace to our kingdom. You will save us all.”
Tears swelled in my eyes. I stood, blinking them away.
The other men in the room looked like they were ready to leave too. One wore Anders’s black outfit and hood. The man noticed me staring at him. “We’ll lead the soldats in the opposite direction.”
“Thank you.”
Vidar grabbed my hand, pulling me to the other room where
Anders waited for us. “Are you sure you’re well enough to travel?” he asked, releasing me.
“Yes. I’m completely healed.”
“That is one miraculous recovery,” Anders observed. “You were only asleep one day. I’m surprised you didn’t deplete yourself for a full week using your power like that.”
A week? Would Morlet be bedridden that long while he recovered? If so, it should make our escape a lot easier. When I didn’t respond, Anders tossed a bag to me. “Put the commoner clothing on first, the soldat uniform on top.”
After we all changed, Anders led us up several flights of stairs to a small room. “When we leave this place,” he said, “there will be absolutely no talking. Walk with purpose, head up, and shoulders back. Don’t shy away from anyone. Understood?”
He opened the door, stepping into a narrow alleyway, Vidar and I close behind him. We walked down the center of the streets in the early morning light. Although there weren’t any citizens out at this hour, there were several dozen men from the King’s Army roaming the streets. Luckily, they didn’t pay us any heed. Anders maintained a fast pace as we traveled across the capital.
The sound of dogs barking echoed in the distance, making the hair on my arms rise. I stepped closer to Anders. “They’ll be able to smell me. We can’t outsmart dogs.”
“Didn’t you notice the man wearing your black outfit? The smell of your blood on the fabric will attract the dogs. He’s leading them away from us.”
“What about once the animals catch up to him? The decoy isn’t a girl. The soldats will know they’ve been tricked.”
Anderson tugged at the collar of his snug-fitting tunic. “We better be on the other side of the capital’s wall and in the forest by then.”
“Stop talking,” Vidar ordered. “We’re being followed.”
I wanted to glace back but knew not to. We continued walking as if nothing had changed. The dogs stopped barking, and an eerie silence fell over the capital. Footsteps pounded behind us, and Anders spun around, a small tube between his lips. The soldat who had been following us lay on the ground, a dart protruding from his neck.
“Run,” Anders commanded. I sprinted as fast as I could, right behind Vidar, while Anders followed me in order to protect my back. “Go straight. The wall is just ahead.”
The dogs started barking again, this time much closer. Without warning, a blast rocked the ground, making everything shake. A plume of smoke rose in the sky a couple of blocks away.
“What happened?” I asked, slowing my pace.
“An explosion,” Vidar answered, pulling me along.
“It was a planned distraction,” Anders added, a grin on his face. “Now get moving.”
Chapter Seventeen
The wall was only fifty feet away. Thrilled, I sprinted with an extra burst of energy. When we reached it, Anders felt around the stones until he located a loose one. Then he pushed four stone blocks through, just as he’d done the night we escaped out of the capital. After I climbed to the other side, Anders and Vidar joined me, shoving the stones back into place.
“Go!” Anders yelled, pushing me forward.
I ran toward the trees, eager to conceal myself among them. About a hundred feet into the forest, Anders stopped and stripped off his uniform, revealing his plain brown clothing underneath. Vidar and I quickly did the same. Anders dug a shallow hole with his hands and then buried our uniforms. When he was done, we headed north.
“How far is the cavern from here?” I asked.
“If we don’t stop, we should reach it tonight,” Anders replied.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Vidar asked. “You don’t need to rest?”
“I’m fine.” Better than fine. I wasn’t even winded after all that running.
Anders glanced over his shoulder at me, his eyes lifeless. A pang of guilt hit me for lying to him about healing myself. Somehow, he knew what really happened. I was sure of it.
“If we want to make it there before nightfall,” he said, “I suggest we pick up the pace.” He started running.
***
When we neared the clearing where Morlet’s men had captured me, we skirted around it in case anyone lingered there. After traveling several miles, not once stopping to rest, eat, or drink, we reached the base of the rocky mountain range where the cavern was located. Vidar said the entrance wasn’t too high up, but we had to climb in order to reach it. Anders led the way, and Vidar brought up the rear. The climb wasn’t completely vertical, yet I still avoided looking down. We were higher than I cared to be.
As we ascended, my mind wandered. What would happen when I entered the cavern to retrieve my weapon? How would I be challenged? Would the trials be mental? Physical? Would I be deemed worthy and pass? Had others in my family faced the challenges? Had they passed?
Clutching the rock above me, I hoisted myself up. The rock came loose, and my hand slipped. I lost my footing and slid down, pebbles and stones tumbling with me. My stomach dropped as my hands frantically tried to grab hold, to no avail.
Vidar caught me, pulling me against his body. “Are you okay?” he asked, breathing hard.
“Yes.” My hands were scratched and bleeding, but considering all I’d endured lately, it was nothing. Vidar held onto me until I took hold and started to climb once again, ignoring my sore hands and knees. Anders was perched twenty feet above, watching me. When our eyes met, he quickly turned away and continued his ascent.
The sun set, and the sky began to darken. Anders glanced over his shoulder. “We’re here.” He reached down and pulled me up onto the ten-foot by ten-foot ledge. Turning so my back was to the cave, the view before me was astonishing. The mountain range extended to either side as far as the eye could see. In front of me, the vast forest was below, the ledge I stood on only feet above the treetops. “Come on,” Anders said as he entered the cave.
I followed him inside where the temperature dropped. He fumbled with some kindling, and then lit a torch on fire. “We keep supplies here, just in case.” He walked around the cave lighting several other torches that hung on the walls. The area was quite spacious—the ceiling a good twenty feet above me. The walls formed a circular space, and there was an archway revealing a dark tunnel toward the back.
“You should sleep for a few hours,” he said. “Once you’re well rested, you’ll enter the tunnel and begin the trials.”
Vidar joined us. “Do you want to do a perimeter check to make sure there aren’t any soldats nearby?”
Anders agreed and ducked out of the cave. I watched him go, feeling an odd tension between us. Ever since I’d lied about healing myself, he’d distanced himself from me.
“He’s not much of a talker,” Vidar said as he took a couple of logs from the woodpile. He tossed them in a fire ring that had been constructed in the center of the cave.
“Yes, but he certainly notices a great deal.” More than I wished he did. Shame washed over me for having lied to him.
After lighting the wood on fire, Vidar grabbed two bedrolls from the supplies stacked against the side of the cave and handed one to me.
I unfolded mine, laid it on the ground, and crawled on top of it, glad to rest after running all day.
“I need to talk to you about something.” Vidar placed his bedroll next to mine and sat on it. He fidgeted with his hands, not looking at me.
“What is it?”
“First, let me say that I’m glad you’re alive and healed. And not because you’re a Kriger, but because I’ve come to consider you a friend.”
“Thank you,” I said, pulling a blanket over my body and yawning.
Vidar cleared his throat. “I want to ask you a question.”
“Sure,” I mumbled, my eyelids growing heavy.
“Have you ever been in love?”
“No.” He knew I’d never been courted or kissed, so why was he asking me about love?
“I have,” he said in a soft voice. “I’ve be
en in love a few times. I know the difference between love and friendship.”
“Not to be rude, but it’s late and I’m tired. What are you getting at?”
“The spell that was cast which created the Krigers is the same one that cursed Anders and me.” He dropped his head onto his hands, rubbing his eyes. “I’m not sure how to say this … but Grei Heks told me something.” He hesitated. “She said your blood and my blood are destined to be together.”
“What are you saying?” I asked, suddenly wide awake.
“Grei Heks told me that when Morlet is killed, if our blood hasn’t mixed to produce an offspring, all will be lost.”
“What does that mean?” I sat up and faced Vidar.
“We’re meant to marry one another and bear a child together.”
“Are you certain?” Why would Grei Heks cast such a spell? “Is this why it’s always a female from my family?”
“I believe so.” He scooted closer to me. “I know we’re only friends, and there is nothing romantic between us. However, we must marry and have a child, as Grei Heks foretold, so we can ensure the curse will end along with Morlet and his tyranny.”
I sat there stunned. Marry? Have a child?
Anders ducked inside the cave. “All clear.” His eyes darted between Vidar and me. “Did I interrupt something?”
“We’re just discussing our future.” Vidar seemed unsettled and not his usual confident self.
“I … uh … ” I stumbled, trying to find the right words.
Vidar reached out and took hold of my hands. The gesture felt awkward, so I pulled free. “I need some fresh air.” I scrambled to my feet.
“You shouldn’t be out there alone,” Vidar said. “We can’t let Morlet kidnap you again.”
“I won’t go far.” I shouldered past Anders and ran outside the cave to the ledge. Not wanting to climb down the mountain in the dark, I leaned against the rocks next to the opening, inhaling the cool air.
Rise Page 17
