Rise

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  “What did you say to her?” Anders’s voice drifted out to me.

  “I told her what Grei Heks foretold,” Vidar answered.

  There was a long pause before Anders asked, “About the two of you marrying?” There was an odd hitch to his voice.

  “Yes. I’m sorry.”

  It had been a long day, and I didn’t want to deal with this right now. The idea of marrying Vidar and having a child with him seemed ludicrous. We were just friends, and I wasn’t ready to marry.

  “She has to retrieve her weapon tomorrow,” Anders said. “You should’ve kept your mouth shut until afterward.”

  Yes, Vidar should have. I wanted to applaud Anders.

  “I couldn’t wait. I needed to do it now, before she develops feelings for someone else.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Anders bitterly asked.

  “If we have an agreement in place, it will prevent problems from arising.”

  Anders said something that I couldn’t hear.

  “Why are you so mad?” Vidar asked. “You knew this was coming.”

  “I’m going to go and find Kaia before she is captured again.”

  Anders walked out of the cave and immediately spotted me leaning against the rocky mountainside.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice low.

  “I’m fine.” I felt like there was a brick wall between us—a wall that arose from my lie. I very much wanted to tear down that wall and to explain what really happened. But would he understand? Or would he belittle and chide me?

  “You should go back in and get some sleep.”

  “Just a few more minutes,” I whispered. How could I explain my relationship with Morlet when it didn’t make sense to me?

  “What did you tell him?”

  “Don’t worry, I didn’t tell him anything about you or Vidar.”

  “What?” Anders’s eyebrows pulled together.

  “When Morlet demanded to know who’s been helping me, I refused to tell him. Skog Heks tortured me because of it.”

  He ran his hands through his hair, leaning against the rocks next to me. “You met Skog Heks? And she tortured you?” I nodded. His fingers curled into a fist. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice ragged. “I knew you’d been severely injured. It never crossed my mind that you were tortured because of me.”

  I didn’t want to tell him about being locked in the coffin, or strapped to the table, or the water being forced down my throat. I especially didn’t want to remember Morlet paralyzing me so Skog Heks could beat me to the brink of death.

  “If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. I … I know what it’s like to be tortured.” His words were like a knife sliding over my skin. I wanted to ask him about it. However, if I didn’t want to talk about my own experience, he probably didn’t want to relive his either. “What I meant was, did you give Vidar an answer?”

  “No.” Was it really even a marriage proposal? The chilly air whipped around me, and I folded my arms across my body, trying to stay warm.

  “Why did you assume I meant Morlet?”

  “All you care about is freeing the Krigers and killing the king. I assumed you’d be more concerned about what happened to me while imprisoned than my response to Vidar’s odd proposal.”

  “You think his proposal is odd?” The corners of his mouth rose as he fought a smile.

  I rolled my eyes. “I hardly think now is the time to get engaged, even if Grei Heks foretold it.”

  Anders kicked a loose rock, sending it flying off the mountain. “Is something else the matter?” He reached out and took my hand, squeezing it.

  “I didn’t heal myself,” I blurted, staring at our joined hands.

  “I figured as much.”

  The wall between us crumbled. Anders’s calm presence, his fierce determination, and his steady disposition empowered me. His hand was a lifeline. An owl hooted in the distance. The treetops below swayed in the wind.

  “Did Morlet heal you?”

  “Yes.” Admitting it lifted a huge weight that had been crushing me.

  “I don’t understand. Why did he torture you, then turn around and heal you? Especially after you had already escaped? To make sure you didn’t die? Or is there another reason?”

  “I’m not sure.” While running through the forest today, I’d gone over and over it, trying to figure Morlet out. He healed me knowing the physical toll it would take on his body. There was only one reasonable explanation: to ensure my survival so he could kill me with the other Krigers.

  “What sort of a man did you find Morlet to be?” Anders asked.

  The king was a man of contradictions. Nice one minute, evil the next. I didn’t know how to answer.

  Anders peered into my eyes. “Be careful,” he said. “Morlet is a conniving man. Don’t be fooled by an act of kindness. I’m sure it was simply a means to an end—serving only to further his agenda, not yours.”

  He was right. Even though my heart felt torn, I needed to be logical about this and not let my emotions get in the way of common sense. I’d made that mistake once; it wouldn’t happen again.

  ***

  Taking another bite of cooked rabbit meat, my temper got the better of me. “There better be something hanging from my chin,” I snapped. Because having Anders and Vidar sit there watching me like I was about to explode was annoying.

  “I’m just nervous for you, that’s all,” Vidar said, exasperated.

  “Staring at me is not helping.”

  Anders shook his head, grinning at my outburst while Vidar stood and started pacing. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any more talk about getting married. For now, I was going to pretend the conversation didn’t happen.

  “The other Krigers never talked about what they encountered in there,” Vidar said.

  “I’d rather not know.” Either I was worthy of being a Kriger, or I wasn’t. Knowing the challenges ahead of time wouldn’t help.

  “What if something bad happens?” Vidar squatted before me, pursing his lips.

  “She’ll be fine,” Anders insisted, speaking for the first time since our conversation last night.

  “Plenty has happened to me, and I’ve managed to survive,” I assured Vidar. “This will be no different.”

  He reached for my hand, so I jumped up, pretending not to notice. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded. If anything, it would have been welcome. However, knowing he thought we were supposed to marry—even though we didn’t care for one another that way—I didn’t want to encourage him or show I agreed in any way.

  “Do I need to take anything?” I asked Anders, swinging my arms and stretching.

  “No. Just go through that archway. With any luck, you’ll be back in a few hours.” He smiled encouragingly at me. The simple gesture stirred something inside me that I didn’t recognize or understand.

  “Okay,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ears. “I’m ready.”

  “Good luck.” Vidar forced a grin on his face. He had waited so long for this moment. Once I had my weapon, the Order of the Krigers could rise.

  Turning to Anders I asked, “Any last instructions?”

  “Trust your instincts and you’ll do fine. Now get going—we have a kingdom to save.” His eyes were bright, shining with excitement. I couldn’t help but smile.

  Walking into the dark tunnel, unable to see, I stuck my hands out before me to make sure I didn’t smack into a rocky wall. After a dozen feet, a soft glow emanated ahead of me. Nearing the light, it got brighter and morphed into a ball, floating in front of me. The center of it was white, the outer portion a soft blue. The ball rose above me and then circled my body before drifting down the corridor.

  I followed it, knowing it was leading me to my first challenge.

  The floor abruptly ended. The ball of light zoomed down thirty feet, hovering above a pool of green water. The light glowed brighter, beckoning me. What if the water was too shallow? P
erhaps my courage was being tested. Steeling my resolve, I took a big breath and jumped. Falling through air, my stomach did a somersault before I crashed into the frigid water.

  Kicking, I rose to the surface, relieved.

  The light circled above me and then plunged into the water. Not wanting to overthink it, I took a deep breath and went under, following the ball as it sank lower and lower. Then it shot into an underwater tunnel. Swimming as fast as possible, I followed it. Leaving the tunnel, it bolted upwards.

  I broke the surface and gasped for air, my heart beating wildly. The light flew to the shoreline and disappeared. I swam over, my arms weak and shaking, and climbed out of the water. This was a small cavern. The walls glowed a soft gold, giving the illusion of sunlight. Lying on the ground, I basked in the warmth. Had I passed my first challenge?

  The ground beneath me rumbled as part of the rocky wall slid open. Scrambling to my feet, I tentatively headed over and peered inside. It was a room filled with half a dozen soldats. My father was kneeling in the center of the room, a sword pointed at his neck.

  “Kaia!” my father yelled. “Get out of here!”

  I ran straight for the man who held the sword to my father. He prepared to strike me, so I slid on the ground, ramming my feet into his shins. He fell backward, his head hitting the ground. I rolled and reached for his dropped sword, springing to my feet. Another soldat lunged at me, and I swung the sword up, blocking his strike. When he came at me again, I grabbed his shoulders and thrust my knee into his groin. He fell to the ground.

  My father engaged two men in combat. Another one came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my torso. I flung my head back, banging his face. He released me, and I spun around, punching him. He dropped to the ground. Another one came at me and I ducked, missing his blow. Flipping my sword around, I flung the hilt toward the man’s head, rendering him unconscious. My father managed to knock the remaining two men out.

  There were six men on the ground—not a single one dead. My heart pounded and adrenaline coursed through me. As I turned to my father, his body vanished, and the blue light appeared in his place. Had that been my challenge? It felt real, even if it wasn’t entirely logical that soldats would have been here with my father.

  The light moved to the opposite wall, and the rocks parted, revealing yet another room. Keeping a firm grip on the hilt of my sword, I followed the light, wondering what was next. The blue light disappeared, and the entire room glowed pinkish red. The room contained twelve alcoves, eleven of them empty. My eyes landed on the twelfth one where my bo staff rested. Mesmerized, I moved toward it.

  A laugh echoed behind me. “You’ll never get it,” Morlet said.

  I spun around to face him.

  “Surprised to see me?” he asked. “I always show up for this part of the trials.” He pushed his hood back and folded his arms, intently watching me.

  He couldn’t be real. He had to be a figment of my imagination, like my father in my last challenge. “What do I have to do? Kill you?” I gripped the hilt, ready to wield the sword if necessary.

  “Yes,” he murmured, “if you can.”

  “Put your hood back on.” He needed to look like Morlet, not a normal person.

  He shook his head, his blue eyes sparkling with amusement. “You have to look me in the eyes when you stab me in the heart.”

  Beads of sweat covered my forehead. He made no indication he was going to defend himself as I neared. “Do you plan on using magic?”

  He shook his head. Raising the sword, I prepared to strike.

  “Kill me,” Morlet said, his voice gentle, almost pleading.

  I swung the sword toward him; he didn’t block me. I pulled back at the last second, barely missing him.

  A smile spread across his face. “Can’t do it?”

  I lowered the sword. “I want to. Especially after all you’ve done. You’ve killed innocent people, you tortured me. You deserve to die.”

  “But I also healed you.” He took a step toward me.

  “Only to keep me alive so you can kill me when it benefits you.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “It’s the only reason that makes sense.”

  “You should kill me because when I get the chance, I won’t hesitate to take your life. There is nothing worth saving nor is there anything redeeming about me.”

  “I think there is,” I whispered. At least a sliver of who he used to be before Skog Heks’s evil magic consumed him. If only there was a way to help him, to save that part of him, instead of killing him.

  “My dear Kaia.” He removed his cape, the black fabric puddling on the ground around his feet like water. He reached out to me, resting his palm on my chest, directly over my heart. “Never change.”

  His face contorted in pain as his body turned into smoke, melting into thin air. I dropped the sword, and it clanged to the ground.

  What had just happened? Had I failed the challenge since I couldn’t kill him? The blue light reappeared in front of me. It slowly drifted over to the bo staff. Before I could get too close to my weapon, the light darted away and went to the wall on my right.

  A wooden door slowly opened, revealing yet another room. The light went inside, so I followed. Stepping through the archway, an elderly woman was sitting on a rocking chair, mashing leaves in a bowl with the handle of a wooden spoon. This was Grei Heks’s hut.

  She looked up at me. “Hello, dear. Have a seat.” She pointed to the chair at the table.

  I sat down. “I failed.” My shoulders slumped forward. She kept mashing the leaves, not answering. “I’m not well suited to being a Kriger, seeing as how the one thing Krigers are supposed to do is the one thing I can’t.”

  Grei Heks put the bowl aside and looked at me. “My dear child, you did not fail.”

  “I didn’t?”

  “No.”

  “But I didn’t kill him.”

  Grei Heks slowly stood and walked over to me, placing her hand on my shoulder. “The only way to regain balance is with Morlet’s death. I sense your feelings are torn on the matter. I’m sorry—it wasn’t supposed to be like this. I had envisioned another way, a better way. But Skog Heks destroyed her and changed everything.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  She pulled me up, and we headed toward the other room, our arms linked together.

  “You don’t need to worry about Morlet right now. Nothing can be changed. The spell is cast, the curse is underway.” We stood in front of my bo staff. “All the other Krigers have a small seedling of Heks power deep within them. When a Kriger dies, the seed moves on to the next male human child born so that there are always eleven Krigers. The only way for each of them to access their power is with their individual weapon.”

  “Is it magical?”

  “It is infused with Heks power. It only works with the right Kriger. You’re different. The Heks power inside of you is stronger. None of the other Krigers can use their power without their weapon like you can.” She pointed to my bo staff. “Yours is also more powerful than the others. Before you can even think of going up against Morlet, you must learn to control both so they do not control you.”

  My bo staff was made from a beautiful, dark red wood. I reached out and took hold of it. It was taller than me by about a fist and felt perfectly balanced between my hands. Toward the top, there was a strange marking.

  “That means choice. All of them have a different saying engraved on them.”

  “Did you create them?” I asked.

  “Yes. Once things fell out of balance, my magic increased so I could cast spells in order to undo the evil done.”

  I slid my hands up and down the smooth wood. Power pulsed through it, and my hands tingled with energy.

  “You must go,” Grei Heks said. “You have much to do.”

  “Thank you,” I said, wrapping her in a hug.

  She placed her soft hands on my arms. “You are
the twelfth Kriger for a reason. You passed the trials not only because you showed compassion where it was due, but also because you thought for yourself. You didn’t fight or kill blindly.”

  “When we kill Morlet and the evil magic returns to Skog Heks, will everything be as it should?”

  “Skog Heks’s power won’t return to her. It will die with Morlet.”

  “Won’t the kingdom be out of balance?”

  She smiled, the look grim instead of happy. “The spell I cast all those years ago ensures that once Morlet dies, both Skog Heks and I die as well.”

  “Why?” And how was that even possible?

  She kissed my forehead. “Some things you are not meant to understand. But know this: you are special, and I expect great things to come from you.”

  Overwhelmed, I had no idea how to respond. She motioned for me to leave the room. She waved goodbye and the door slid shut.

  There had been so much more that I wanted to ask her, that I wanted to say. Her words echoed in my mind: You are special, and I expect great things from you. Holding my bo staff, a sense of calm spread over me. This was my destiny, and I would end the reign of terror and save Nelebek.

  The blue light appeared before me. Instead of going into the water as I feared it would, the light went over to the other side of the cavern, revealing a wooden ladder built onto the side of the rocky wall. The light shot upward, so I started climbing. My arms and legs felt like mush, but I kept at it until I reached the top, coming to a small room.

  The light disappeared, and a door opened, leading to Anders and Vidar who were sitting in the cave waiting for me. I entered, and both men glanced up. Relief washed over Vidar’s face, and a slow smile spread across Anders’s.

  “Congratulations,” Anders said. “You did it.”

  “Was there ever any doubt?” I asked.

  “Never.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Spread your feet shoulder width apart,” Anders instructed.

  I huffed, annoyed that he insisted on telling me what to do. My father had trained me to fight since the day I could walk. If Anders bothered to look at my feet, he’d see they were already in the correct position, my weight balanced. It was insulting he thought otherwise. Gripping the bo staff with both hands, I felt the smooth wood hum with power.