Conquering Fate

by Jennifer Anne Davis

  “Who were you with earlier?” he asked.

  “No one.”

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  I laughed bitterly. “Release Anders and I’ll tell you.”

  He leaned down and whispered in my ear. “No. He will remain in the dungeon until this is over.”

  “I want to see him.”

  “He’s asleep. He wouldn’t even know you’re there.”

  “I don’t care,” I said. “I want to see him to make sure he’s still alive.”

  “No,” Morlet whispered. “You’re my wife. Not his.”

  The word wife made my skin itch. Just because we were married didn’t mean Morlet owned me. It didn’t mean he could control me. “As my husband, you should honor my wishes. And I wish for Anders to be freed from his magical state.” Morlet released my hand, and I hoped the Krigers were far enough away with the sapphire.

  “As my wife, you shouldn’t pine after another man.”

  I wrapped my arms around his shoulders in a half hug, wanting to touch him just to be sure he didn’t react to the sapphire. I had to give the Krigers enough time to get away. “I agree,” I said. “And since my connection to you has been growing, I’ve come to terms with my feelings for Anders. I consider him my friend, nothing more.” Morlet and I were close enough that I could feel his breath on my face.

  “What am I? Your friend? Or your enemy?” he asked.

  Both. “You’re my husband.”

  His hands slid to my back, holding me close. “What does that even mean, Kaia?”

  Nothing. Everything.

  Trying to decide how to answer, I noticed several of the soldats intently observing us. Even though I couldn’t see anyone from the nearby apartments spying on us, I felt as if we were being watched. What message did I want to send to the citizens of Nelebek? What did I want them to see? What about the soldats?

  They had to believe I was capable of controlling Morlet. They needed to know that once he was dead, I could rule Nelebek and keep the other kingdoms in check. That I was strong, capable, and powerful. That I could control the army and this kingdom. I needed to ensure we didn’t have civil unrest. Even if Vidar took over, which I hoped he did, I still had to ensure a peaceful transition of power.

  I almost missed physically fighting with Morlet. That was what I knew and understood. Talking, negotiating, playing games—that was for politicians, not me.

  “Why are you hanging on to me?” Morlet whispered in my ear. “It can’t be because you’re happy to see me or plan to kiss me. So out with it.”

  Damaris had told me not to seduce the king. She told me it wouldn’t work and insisted I just be myself around him. I took a deep breath and said, “I ran into a messenger. The last piece of the sapphire has been found. We need to have the binding ceremony so we can destroy it.” I let go and took a step back, pulling my eyebrows together in confusion. “Now that we’re close to the end, I’m uncertain.” I shrugged. “My feelings for you are complicated. You’re all I can think about. When I came out here tonight, I needed to put distance between us. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

  He inhaled sharply. “What are you saying?”

  I needed to stun him so I would be seen leading him away, not the other way around. I had to be the one in control. “I might be falling in love with you.” I made sure no one could hear me except for Morlet. Assuming he was too shocked to speak, I stepped around him and raised my voice. “We are returning to the castle. About-face.”

  The soldats didn’t miss a beat. They turned around and started marching in the direction from which they came. I glanced back at Morlet. He was still facing the other way. “Let’s go.” I didn’t wait to hear his response. I started marching with the army, needing to be the one in charge. That was more than enough time for the Krigers to seek shelter elsewhere. Hopefully the sapphire was far enough away that it wouldn’t affect Morlet now that I wasn’t sharing the medallion’s protection with him.

  A moment later, the king joined me at my side. “When we get home,” I said, choosing my words carefully, “I’d like to be alone with you so we can talk.” He didn’t utter a single word. I wasn’t sure he was buying my act, but I didn’t need him to so long as the soldats and citizens watching us did. Strong, capable, and in control. I kept repeating the words over and over, willing them to be true.

  25

  Walking to the castle, Morlet remained by my side. He didn’t say anything until we crossed the drawbridge.

  “I feared for you tonight,” he admitted.

  “Nothing happened. I’m fine.”

  “I felt you. Something was wrong.”

  “It was my body reacting to the magic in the world. Nothing more.”

  “I’ve never been afraid to use my magic before,” he said. “I’m so used to having it at my fingertips. The thought of having to rely on my army to save you…that was more frightening than anything. I wanted to be the one to save you.”

  He’d saved me more times than I cared to think about. But I didn’t want to talk about it right now. We entered the castle and went up the grand staircase. At the top, I hesitated a moment, not sure if I should follow Morlet or return to my bedchamber.

  “Come with me,” he said, holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me into his room, closing the door. “You wanted to talk.”

  With the medallion around my neck and Morlet unable to freely use his magic without consequences, I sat on the sofa, unafraid. He removed his cape and sat next to me. For several minutes, he didn’t speak, only stared at the ceiling.

  “What is it?” I asked. It was late and my eyelids were growing heavy.

  “I don’t want to go through with it.”

  “The binding ceremony?” I asked. I knew it was risky and that it wouldn’t be easy. However, we needed to mix our magic in order to destroy the sapphire. It was the only way.

  “No.” He peered over at me. “I don’t want to go through with killing the Krigers.”

  Elation filled me. Would he let us kill him to end this?

  “I want to stay married to you,” he revealed. “I want a life with you.”

  Panic, horror, and sadness all warred inside of me.

  “Kaia, I’ve never known a normal life. You’re the closest I’ve come. I want to experience that before I die.”

  I shook my head. He couldn’t do this to me now. Not when we were so close to the end.

  He took my hand, holding it between his. “I want a family. I want joy and laughter. I want to see our child be born.”

  “It’s not possible. And you know it.” The evil Heks magic controlled him. I pulled my hand free and rubbed my temples. He was just confused. He didn’t really love me. Morlet loved the idea of me. Or maybe it had something to do with me being a descendant of Linnea. Whatever the case, he couldn’t love me for me.

  “Why can’t we wait five years?” he asked. “Give me the chance to see our child live and grow. We’ll experience life together. Then we can end the curse after that.”

  “It’ll be even harder in five years. Can you imagine killing me then? After you’ve shared so much with me?”

  His eyes flashed with anger. “We’ll just have to do it on a day when we’re mad at one another for something.”

  Was that supposed to be a joke? “This isn’t funny.”

  “I know. It’s not. I’ve lived a hundred years in darkness. Forgive me for wanting a few years of peace.”

  “Is peace even possible?” I found myself wanting to give in to him. He had to be using his magic on me to skew my thoughts. Only, he couldn’t use magic on me when I had the medallion’s protection. Which meant…what? It had to be me feeling sorry for Espen. Because Morlet was a monster.

  “Can’t we try?” he pleaded.

  “What if something happens to one of the Krigers? Then we’d have to wait even longer.”

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I can’t ask those eleven men to put their lives on hold so you ca
n attempt to live one. And how are you going to control your magic? Assuming we can destroy the sapphire, how do you plan to keep your magic from doing something horrible? Like killing more people? Or harming our child? I don’t trust that part of you.”

  He stood and went to the hearth, throwing another log into the fire. His shoulders hunched forward. “I’m sorry for asking. I just thought we could try. It was stupid of me.”

  “You seem in control of yourself right now.” Almost normal.

  “Without using my magic, it is easier to control my actions.” He stood and faced me again. “Maybe easier isn’t the right word. I am trying very hard to keep the evil thoughts at bay right now. Being near you makes it doable. Without you, it’s nearly impossible.”

  It felt as if he’d just reached into my chest, pulled my heart out, and broken it into two pieces. I closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry. “I wish there was a way to save you, Espen.”

  When I opened my eyes, he’d turned away from me again. “So do I,” he said softly. “But Kaia, no matter what happens, you have to understand that you have saved me. You have given me hope. A kind of hope I never dared wish for. And even if the evil overtakes me again, I will always know that there is a part of me, no matter how small, that is good. You gave me that.”

  I had to leave before I agreed to everything he said. Before it became impossible to kill him. I had to leave in order to save myself.

  Even though Damaris had gone over it countless times, my nerves were still on edge as we entered the mines. Not only was the task before me dangerous, but going into the mines reminded me of my father’s death. I couldn’t be in here without remembering his body splayed on the ground, holding his head on my lap as I promised to end this curse.

  Dawn was a good thirty minutes away. A soldat led us along the tunnel sloping downward, deeper into the mines. Damaris and I followed behind him as we wove our way through various tunnels until we came to the large open cavern I’d seen before. Clutching the medallion, I stepped into the area, thankful it was empty of workers. The soldat took his leave, and Damaris and I were all alone in the cavern.

  “Where are the others?” I asked. Last night when I’d told Norill to meet us here, she expressed her concern that destroying the sapphire wasn’t the best course of action. I hoped she showed up today and cooperated.

  “Everyone will be here in a moment.” Damaris put the books she’d been carrying on the ground. She pulled out a small bag filled with black sand. Scooping up a handful, she walked in a circle around the crack in the cavern where I saw the Heks magic seeping from the world. Damaris dropped the sand as she went, forming a solid, curved line.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Creating the binding area,” she mumbled. When finished, the circle was approximately six feet in diameter. Then she drew a symbol in the center.

  “Where did you get that black sand?”

  “This isn’t sand.”

  I hoped it wasn’t the ashes from human bodies.

  Damaris formed four mounds evenly spaced on the perimeter of the circle. “I want to ask you a question.” She wiped her hands off on her dress. “I’ve discovered something. When the curse ends, Norill and I won’t get our magic back. In fact, we both will die. Did you know that?”

  When I earned my bo staff, Grei Heks had told me that. She cast the curse so the only Heks would be my child. “Yes.”

  “Your child will have both good and bad Heks magic, making him or her both the Grei Heks and the Skog Heks.”

  I hoped she didn’t change her mind about helping us. I’d withheld the information for that very reason. “If Norill finds out, she won’t help, will she?” What I really wanted to ask was if this changed Damaris’s decision to aid in our cause.

  She closed her bag and looked at me, her eyes heavy and sad. “No. She won’t.”

  “How do you feel about this?” Was she still willing to help us knowing it meant her end? “I can’t ask you to sacrifice yourself for the kingdom.”

  “Why not? Isn’t that what you’re doing?” she asked.

  “Yes. But I’ve lived here my entire life. My family is affected by the curse. It makes sense for me to go through with it.”

  She sat next to the books she’d brought, staring at me, her emotions impossible to decipher. “I’ve been around for decades. In all my life, I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Self-sacrificing. Wanting to help others. No ulterior motives.”

  I chuckled. “I’m fueled by my promise to my father to end this. I want to save future generations. If that’s not a good motivation, I don’t know what is.”

  “Again, it’s self-sacrificing. You do things for the greater good, and I admire that.”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “I believe in your cause. I’ve already promised to help end the curse. I will do so, even if it means my death.”

  “Why?” Not that I wasn’t thrilled she was helping, I just didn’t understand how she could, knowing it meant her death. Didn’t she have people she cared for? Could she leave them behind?

  “Since I have Grei Heks’s memories, I understand why she cast the curse. It makes sense to me in a way I can’t explain. It’s for the betterment of the Heks. I see that now. Your child will save us all.”

  “I’m glad I’m not going through this alone and that there is someone else willing to make the sacrifice for the greater good. Thank you.” It didn’t seem like enough, but I didn’t know what else to say.

  “Heks rarely form relationships with others. We’ve always considered it a frail human trait. After spending time with you and Vidar, I am beginning to understand.”

  Norill slunk into the cavern. “Let’s get on with it before I change my mind.”

  “Where’s Morlet?” Damaris asked. “You were supposed to bring him.”

  “He was right behind me.” She remained near the edge of the room, as if afraid to touch the circle Damaris had created.

  The king entered the cavern, his cape floating behind him making him look menacing. He instructed his guards to remain in the tunnel and not to step foot in the cavern unless he told them to do so. He removed his cape and tossed it to the ground. After rolling up his sleeves, he tugged on his collar. “Well,” he drawled, “what are we waiting for?” A sheen of sweat coated his forehead.

  “Once it’s time,” Damaris said, “we need to bring Vidar in with the sapphires.”

  “What do we need to do?” I asked.

  Damaris picked up one of her books, opening it. “It has been a while since I’ve seen the ceremony performed. Luckily, everything is recorded here.” She flipped through the pages until she found the one she had marked.

  “You need to hurry,” Norill said. “Dawn’s first light is almost upon us.”

  “And I feel the magic pulling me. I don’t know how much longer I can resist.” Morlet kept his focus on something above my head.

  “Both of you need to stand in the circle,” Damaris instructed us.

  I took a step inside, Morlet doing the same so that we stood facing one another. His hands began to shake. I held onto the medallion, thankful it protected me from whatever Morlet felt.

  “Norill, go and tell Vidar it’s time.” When she left, Damaris continued, “Once the sapphires are in this cavern, the magic will take over. It will call to your magic which will then come together. Since you’re human, I’m assuming the magic within the world will not create a Grei Heks and Skog Heks before our very eyes.”

  I tried to repress a shudder at the idea of Heks breeding this way.

  “Whatever you do,” Damaris said, “stay inside the circle. If you step outside, the bond is broken, and you will no longer be protected.”

  “When do we direct our magic to the sapphire pieces to destroy them?” I asked.

  “When the magic is at its strongest. That will be when a new Heks is supposed to be created. I’ll let
you know when we reach that point.”

  I stared at Damaris. This seemed to be a big deal for Heks, something humans had no business meddling with.

  “Remember, don’t step out of the circle,” Damaris said. “If you do, the Heks magic will consume you.”

  Vidar, Henrik, and Stein entered the cavern each carrying a piece of the sapphire. I removed the medallion and tossed it to Damaris. Jubilation filled me, and my legs became heavy.

  “Drop the sapphires and leave,” Morlet commanded, sweat pouring down the sides of his cheeks.

  Damaris instructed them to place the sapphires on the mounds she’d created with the black sand. Then she took the medallion and removed the small sapphire, putting it on the last empty mound.

  Norill hissed. “That is part of it?” The veins below her eyes darkened as she slunk around the perimeter of the cavern like a lethal cat.

  Instead of answering, Damaris said, “I’m going to say the binding words, and we’ll see what happens. The magic should guide Morlet and Kaia.”

  “I want everyone else out of here,” Morlet said.

  It felt as if I’d sunk into quicksand. My feet were so heavy I couldn’t pull them up.

  “I need them to stay,” Damaris said. “If something goes wrong, they’ll be able to help.” She glanced at Norill who stood behind me, her body shaking. Norill must be able to feel the magic even though she no longer had any of her own.

  “Agreed,” Norill hissed. “We need the humans. I’m not sure how much I’ll be able to help.” She stretched her neck from side to side. The veins under her skin darkened.

  “This is not something that anyone else should witness,” Morlet said, wiping the sweat from his face.

  I realized that Henrik and Stein were seeing Morlet’s face for the first time. Henrik shifted from foot to foot and folded his arms, looking uncomfortable around the king.