“Find what you’re looking for?” Anders asked.
“No. I just wanted to make sure my father didn’t hide something in there for me to find.” After closing the door, I knelt on the ground near Papa’s bed. “What I came for is in here.” As I ran my hand over the worn, uneven floorboards, images of running around the apartment playing tag floated through my mind. Curled up on my father’s lap while he read to me. Sharing a piece of bread at the table. Begging him not to go to work in the mines when he became ill.
Tracing the floorboard with my finger, I found the nick, and then used my nail to pry it up. Dust floated in the air. When was the last time this secret compartment had been opened? I reached in and pulled out a worn, brown leather book. It was only half a foot tall by four inches wide—small enough to fit in the pocket of my pants. The yellowed pages made a cracking noise when I peeled back the cover.
“Is that it?” Anders asked, sitting next to me.
“Yes. My father used to read this to me at bedtime.” I gently flipped through the pages.
“What’s it about?”
“A young girl who sneaks into a haunted forest. She meets an evil man disguised as a handsome prince. He tempts her with warm soup. The girl eats the food and becomes very ill. In order to live, she must kill the man.” I closed my eyes, remembering my father reading this book to me and the soft timbre of his voice.
“Does she?” Anders asked, pulling me back to the present.
“I don’t remember.”
“Why did your father keep the book hidden?”
A good question, and it was one I had been trying to answer. Perhaps the book explained why my family was tied to the curse in the first place.
I scanned the pages, looking for the name Morlet had used, ignoring Anders’s question. There it was—Linnea. I pointed to it. “It’s the same name.” I glanced at Anders’s brown eyes. “Morlet mentioned this name once.”
“It has to be a coincidence,” he assured me.
“A coincidence that I’m the only female Kriger, that my father has a book he kept hidden about a girl named Linnea, and that Morlet was in love with a girl by that very same name? No, that is not a coincidence.” Certainty filled me, and I knew I was right.
Anders held out his hand, so I gave him the book. He ran his fingers over the cover before opening it up. “This poem on the inside is interesting.”
“What poem? The story starts on the first page.”
“On the inside of the cover, there is a poem. It’s difficult to see because the writing is faded from time.” He scooted closer to me. “Take a look.”
Sure enough, there were a few words inscribed on it. It read:
Lying beyond
In the valley of Berg
Next to the blue anemones
Near where the lakes converge
Every answer will be had
At the foot of the rock
A chill slid down my spine. “It can’t be.”
“What is it?” Anders asked.
“That’s not a poem.” I took the book from him.
“Then what is it?”
“Vidar found a note in Grei Heks’s hut after she died. It had these very words on it.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to remember if Papa ever read these lines to me. I recalled him reading the story, but not this part.
“Is this a clue for something?” he asked.
“I think so.” Standing, I slid the book into my pants pocket. “Let’s go.”
Anders replaced the floorboard and snuffed out the candle. “Is there anything else you wish to take while we’re here? We won’t be able to come back again.”
“No.” The only thing this apartment held was memories, and I’d made a pact with Damaris not to dwell on those.
✧
Once back in the safety of the woods, shielded by the towering pine trees, I pulled Anders to a stop. “I want to speak with Morlet before we return to the cave.” It had to be close to dawn by now.
“Why?” he carefully asked, folding his arms.
“I’d like to ask him about Linnea.”
Anders stood watching me for a moment before he said, “Is this information important to you?”
“It is.” I had to know more about the girl Morlet loved and wanted to marry. The book, tucked safely in my pocket, was a constant reminder that I needed to learn my family’s connection to the curse.
“You have ten minutes,” Anders said, holding out his hand for the medallion.
I removed it and gave it to him. “That’s all I need. As soon as ten minutes are up, put the medallion on me.”
I sat on the forest floor, resting my head on my knees. Closing my eyes, I called on my power and reached out to Morlet.
Instead of a tent in the middle of an army camp, I stood in the king’s bedchamber back at the castle. He lay curled up on his four-poster bed; his black cape was draped over the nearby red velvet chair. One candle burned low, barely illuminating the room. I took a step toward Morlet. His shirt hung loose around his neck, his short, black hair was disheveled, and a sheen of sweat covered his forehead.
Not having much time, I sat next to him on the bed and gently touched his shoulder. “Are you awake?”
“Why are you here?” he whispered, his eyes remaining closed.
“I want to talk to you.”
He bitterly laughed. “It’s always about what you want,” he spat. “I’m lying here, the poison is eating away at me, and you don’t even ask if I’m okay. That’s a bit rude, don’t you think? Especially since I’m in this situation because of you.”
“Is this from the fugl?” I asked, shocked. He should be fully recovered by now.
“Yes.” He opened his piercing blue eyes and looked at me. “My magic couldn’t cure your body from the poison, so I siphoned it out of you and put it into me.”
“Why would you do that?” Just to keep me alive so he could kill me when the time came? Or was there more to it than that?
A small smile spread across his lips. “Be careful. It almost sounds as if you care about me.”
My face warmed, and I glanced away. I didn’t care about him. Sure, I felt bad for him and his predicament, but having any sort of feelings for him was insane. He was evil and hurt hundreds of people.
“Poison doesn’t affect Heks the same way it does humans.”
“But you’re not a Heks.” How could his human body handle the poison? It had paralyzed me within minutes.
He shrugged. “I suppose that’s why my body is having such a hard time recovering. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for the Heks magic running through my veins. Ironic, isn’t it?” He pushed himself to a sitting position, leaning against his pillows. His loose shirt exposed the upper portion of his chest. Sitting on his bed no longer felt appropriate, but it seemed silly to move now.
“Why are you here?” Morlet asked, folding his hands together on top of the sheets.
“I’d like to talk to you about Linnea.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why?”
I couldn’t tell him about the book in my pocket. “I’d like to know more about her and what happened.”
“First, let’s discuss your engagement to my brother, Vidar,” he said, his voice instantly harsh.
“There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Do you love him?” he demanded.
“That’s none of your business.” I was only going to marry Vidar because I had to have his child before I killed Morlet to end the curse. It had nothing to do with love.
“Yet, it’s your business to know about Linnea? Is that fair?” Morlet leaned forward.
I was about to respond when my arm started to fade away. He shook his head, disappointed or disgusted with me—I couldn’t be sure.
When I opened my eyes, Anders knelt before me, placing the medallion around my neck. “How did it go?” he asked, pulling me to my feet.
“I didn’t learn anything of value.” As we headed through the forest, an owl hooted and the cry of a
n ulv echoed in the distance.
“There’s a cave not far from here,” Anders said. “We can rest there for a few hours.”
Patting my pocket, I felt the book and knew there was a connection between Morlet and it. When I glanced at Anders, he was carefully watching me.
“You sure you don’t want to tell me anything?” he asked.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Gray clouds hid the sun, and a light mist coated the land. Pulling my sleeves over my hands, I tried to stay warm to no avail. The end of my nose turned red and sore from the chilly air.
“I thought we’d be back by now.” I wiped the end of my nose, my sleeve catching on the medallion. I unclasped it, freeing it from the fabric. The medallion slipped through my freezing hands, landing on the ground.
Anders stilled and held a finger to his lips. I searched the area for danger. My hands didn’t hurt, so I glanced at Anders, waiting for him to explain.
“Something is wrong,” he muttered.
Several birds took flight, and a deer darted past us. An odd rumbling resounded through the forest, and the ground began to shake. I’d heard stories of jordskjelvs before, but never experienced one. The intensity increased, knocking me off my feet.
Anders fell and crawled over to me. “Stay put,” he said, holding my hand. The shaking stopped. Anders let go, and I sat up.
My surroundings felt… different. The trees were clearer, crisper. Each leaf on the ground was now a distinct color. The pebbles and rocks strewn throughout were unique shapes. The forest life—bugs, rabbits, squirrels—was everywhere. The wind whistled through the trees.
“Kaia?” Anders asked. “Are you okay?”
I looked at him. His eyes contained at least ten different shades of gold, tan, and brown. Light scars flecked the skin on his face.
“Kaia?” he asked. His husky voice sounded throaty, sending a chill through my body. It was too much—the sights, sounds, and even the smell of the damp earth were magnified.
Anders placed his hands on either side of my face, forcing me to look at him. “What’s the matter?” he asked. His fingers had callouses on the tips, rough and hard on my skin. “You seem scared.”
It was as if I’d had a veil over my eyes my entire life, and someone had just ripped it away, allowing me to see clearly for the first time. “Do the surroundings look different to you?” My voice sounded loud and articulate to my sensitive ears.
“What do you mean?” His brows pinched together.
I picked up the medallion and scrambled to my feet. “Since the jordskjelv, I can see, smell, and hear things acutely.”
Anders stood next to me, glancing at the trees surrounding us.
“Do you know what’s going on?” I asked, my head spinning from my senses being overloaded.
“No. I’m wondering if the jordskjelv was a natural one, or caused by magic.”
Dread, as cold as snow, slid down my spine.
“Let’s hurry and return to the others. I want to see if the jordskjelv affected any of them.”
I had a sinking suspicion that things had just drastically changed.
✧
Anders and I came across the Krigers practicing in the small clearing near the base of the mountain.
They stood in groups of three or four, sparring with one another. Vidar left the group he’d been working with and came over to us.
“Welcome back.” He wrapped me in a hug. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Yes.”
“Did you guys feel the jordskjelv?” Anders asked.
“Sure did. Haven’t felt one of those in decades.” He pursed his lips, and I knew he was holding something back.
“I’d like to talk to you about that.” Anders folded his arms.
Vidar nodded. “Kaia, Anders and I need to speak privately. Please join the other Krigers. We’ll be back shortly.”
What could they possibly have to discuss that I couldn’t hear? Or did they specifically not want me to know something? Did it have to do with my heightened senses?
“Oh, Kaia,” Vidar said. “Can I borrow the medallion for a moment?”
He wouldn’t look me in the eyes. I removed the medallion and handed it to him. He took it, his hand trembling ever so slightly, and turned, heading into the woods, Anders in tow.
“What’s that about?” Stein asked, joining me, his head nodding to Vidar and Anders’s retreating forms.
“I’m not sure.” The two men were no longer in sight.
“Something go wrong in the capital?”
“No.” I faced him. “Did you feel the jordskjelv?”
“Yes. Scared Henrik so bad he nearly crapped his pants.” He chuckled.
There were freckles on Stein’s nose that I hadn’t noticed before. “Do you… or any of the Krigers… notice a difference since the jordskjelv?” Surely, I wasn’t the only one. The other Krigers had to have experienced some sort of change.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
I rubbed my temples. “Does anything look or sound different to you?” Please say yes. I couldn’t be the only one.
He shook his head, and my heart sank. “Do you want to go lie down for a bit? You seem tired,” he said.
“No.” If the Krigers hadn’t noticed a change, perhaps Morlet did. At the very least, maybe he knew what was going on with me. “There’s something I need to do. I’ll be back.” Without waiting for Stein to respond, I headed into the forest, in the opposite direction Anders and Vidar had gone.
At a large boulder, I sat against it. I closed my eyes and reached out with my power, searching for Morlet.
I was standing in the middle of the king’s bedchamber. Morlet sat on the chair beside his bed, lacing his boots.
“Kaia,” he purred. “I was just about to come to see you.” He stood and picked up his cape, draping it over his shoulders. “You look well.”
“As do you.” His face had returned to its normal color. The poison must be out of his system. Although… I tilted my head and observed him. Dark shadows flickered over his exposed skin. “Is that from the poison?” I asked, pointing to the shadows. They were different from before. Instead of being under the skin, they seemed to float over it.
“You can see them?” he asked. I nodded. He stepped closer to me, and I backed up, terror taking root inside of me. The shadows felt menacing and wrong.
“They’re all around me,” he said. “The souls of those I’ve killed through the years.”
Why hadn’t I seen them before? Did the jordskjelv affect Morlet as well? Or was this because of my heightened senses? “If those are the souls of the people you’ve killed, this room would be filled.” I took another step back. “The shadows feel evil.” I shivered, wanting to run away. However, I forced myself to stay. There were too many questions I needed answers to.
“You’re different,” Morlet said. “More powerful than before.”
My senses were heightened, but I didn’t know about being more powerful. I hadn’t used my power since the jordskjelv to determine if it had somehow changed. The thought hadn’t crossed my mind.
He turned and went to the window, staring outside. “That’s why you’re here, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” He knew what was going on. Coming to him had been the right choice.
“I was wondering how you would be affected.”
“By the jordskjelv?”
He turned around to face me. “The last time the earth shook like that, Grei Heks cast a spell to create the Krigers.” His words hung in the air between us like lead.
“But Grei Heks is dead,” I whispered. The only person in Nelebek who could wield magic was Morlet. “Did you do something?”
“No,” he said, pushing off the window ledge and coming closer to me. “But magic was used—I am sure of it.”
I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to understand what was happening. “I don’t get why I’m affected, but the other Krigers aren’t.” Did something about the curs
e change? Could it even change?
“I think, perhaps, the magic in you… feels… that magic has been used. Not that you have been altered in some way.”
“So you feel it?” I asked.
“I do. And it’s strong, powerful magic.” He took another step toward me until our toes almost touched. He watched me a moment before asking, “Do you feel something… or someone calling you?” I shook my head, having no idea what he was getting at. “Close your eyes.” I did as he said. “Let your senses relax. Don’t focus on any one thing.”
I cleared my mind, and my power pulsed inside of me. I could feel it wanted something. “There’s a tug,” I mumbled. “It’s soft, but it’s there.”
“Where is it coming from?” he whispered in my ear.
The image of a cabin flashed in my mind. I’d seen that place before. Opening my eyes, I asked, “When you appeared to me in the cabin, where was that?”
“That was Skog Heks’s home,” he admitted. “After she died, I went there and burned all of her possessions.” He placed his hand on the bare skin of my neck, just above my shoulder. “Is that what you saw when you closed your eyes?”
I nodded.
“It’s calling me too.”
I stared into his brilliant blue eyes, and the desire to go there flooded into me. Was Morlet using his magic? Or were other forces at work?
“Whatever this is, whatever is happening, we can face it together.”
Howling wind gushed in from the fireplace, making the flames roar. The wind whipped around the bedchamber, the curtains fluttering, and Morlet’s cape billowing. The black shadows surrounding him danced in joy. He stilled, his hand digging into my skin. Shouts came from somewhere in the castle.
Hundreds of whispers assaulted me. I wanted to run from the room. The temperature plummeted, and my breath came out in white puffs. The fire died as if water had been thrown on it, sending the room into darkness. The pull I felt toward the cabin suddenly vanished. A piercing scream echoed from down the hallway, followed by a thump.
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