The word monster screamed in my head. Morlet was a monster, a murderer. He deserved to die for his crimes. Yet, something told me there was more to it than that.
A hand fumbled for my ankle, and I yelped. “Relax,” Vidar said, his voice close by. “Here’s a blanket.” He found my hand and pulled it toward the wool fabric.
“Thank you.” I took the rough material and situated myself on the blanket, wrapping it around my body.
***
We set out early the next morning, traveling along the edge of the unusually quiet forest. Thick fog coated the land, concealing entire trees and boulders.
Anders suddenly froze, and I almost bumped into him. He slowly unsheathed his dagger and resumed walking at a snail’s pace. I wanted to ask what spooked him, but knew not to speak if danger lurked.
After traveling another mile, the fog started to thin, allowing me to see about ten feet away. A twig snapped, and I jumped. Vidar chuckled from behind me. I glared at him, and he shook his head, amused. “If there was an issue,” he said, not even attempting to be quiet, “your hands would give us sufficient warning.”
I’d been so focused on my surroundings that I hadn’t noticed the gentle throbbing in my palms. “They’ve been hurting since we left the cave,” I admitted.
Anders spun around to face me. “Explain,” he demanded, his voice low and deadly.
“I thought it was from being so cold,” I whispered.
“We’re being followed.” His eyes darted all around us, searching for the threat.
“By what?” Vidar asked.
“I don’t know, but something is out there.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Kaia, if the pain increases, let me know.” I nodded. “For now, let’s keep moving.”
We continued, all of my senses on high alert. I mimicked everything Anders did as he slunk through the forest, trying to ensure each step was silent.
A deep growling reverberated through the air. Anders immediately took a step back toward me, Vidar doing the same so we were standing in a triangle, our backs touching while we searched for whatever animal prowled unseen in the fog.
Sharp shooting pains coursed through my hands, radiating up my arms and to my shoulders. I almost screamed but instead, bit my lip, drawing blood. The pain was so intense I fell to the ground. Grabbing moist dirt, I clutched the cool earth, trying in earnest to seek relief.
“Kaia,” Anders whispered, “no jerky movements. Understand?” His voice was soft, but there was a hint of panic to it.
I glanced up and saw his eyes focused on something in front of me. Following his line of sight, there were two bright blue eyes glowing in the fog, only fifteen feet away. The mist swirled, revealing a snow-white animal that looked like a large dog. It stalked forward, revealing a dozen more creatures behind it.
“Ulvs,” Vidar hissed.
I remained crouched on the ground. Without my weapon, I didn’t have access to my full power. Yet, there was still something in me. I slowly raised my hands, closed my eyes, and willed that force from my core down my arms and out through my fingers. A tingly sensation, as if a leg or an arm had fallen asleep, spread throughout my body.
Opening my eyes, the ulvs now stood ten feet away.
“My darts are loaded and ready,” Anders quietly mumbled. “I can easily take down eight. That leaves five more.”
“I have four throwing knives,” Vidar said. “I can probably kill three ulvs. That leaves two to contend with.”
“Kaia, stay behind us,” Anders said. “On my count.”
I slowly stood.
“What are you doing?” Anders demanded.
With my hands still out in front of me, I pulled on my power, once again forcing it down my arms and out through my fingers. Only, this time, I unleashed it. Fire rippled through my body, and I screamed. The ulvs turned and ran away as I collapsed on the ground, everything going black.
***
It felt as if my body floated on water, rhythmically rocking up and down.
“Are you sure she’s okay?” Anders’s voice rumbled through my right ear. He must be carrying me. I wanted to jump from his arms but couldn’t gather enough strength to even open my eyes.
“Kaia is fine,” Vidar answered, his voice a few feet away. “She just needs to rest.” He chuckled. “It was amazing to see her in action. The fact that she managed to use what little power she has without her weapon is astounding.”
“I still can’t believe the twelfth Kriger is a girl,” Anders muttered.
“Does it matter?”
He sighed. “Not really so long as she can stomach killing Morlet, especially since he’s communicating with her. You know how manipulating he can be. Will she be able to murder someone she knows?”
My cheek rubbed against his rough shirt.
“Of course she will,” Vidar said.
“I sincerely hope you’re right.” It felt as if he climbed up something. He stopped and gently set me on the ground. “There’s something different about her.” Their voices trailed off, and warmth embraced me.
***
Peeling my heavy eyelids open, I found myself lying on a large boulder, the sun high above me. Vidar sat near my feet.
“Hungry?” he asked.
My stomach growled. “Yes.” He handed me a water sack, and I gulped down the liquid until there was nothing left. Vidar gave me a loaf of bread along with some cooked meat. I greedily ate both.
“We need to get moving,” Anders said as he approached the boulder. “We’ve lost a lot of time.” He grabbed his bag off the ground, shouldered it, and started walking. Vidar and I slid off the rock and hurried after him.
The fog had completely disappeared and scattered clouds shone in the sky. I moved between the tall pine and redwood trees, breathing in their heavy scents. A large falcon flew above me.
“Anders, if you’re from a neighboring kingdom, and Nelebek’s borders are closed, you must have entered before Morlet took over.”
His back stiffened, but he kept walking as if he hadn’t heard me. “Were you here on an assignment? Is that how you became cursed?”
He didn’t answer. I was about to ask him something else when Vidar grabbed my arm, stopping me.
“Leave him be,” he whispered.
“I have a right to know.”
“When he’s ready, he’ll tell you.” Anders had opened up a few times. I thought we were past this. “Besides,” Vidar continued, “he gets moody when he’s nervous.”
“What’s he nervous about?”
“He’s worried about you facing the trials.” Vidar headed in the direction Anders had gone.
Were the challenges a greater risk than either of them were letting on? “What happens if I don’t pass?”
He stopped walking and turned to face me. “If the magic within the cave doesn’t find you worthy, it will either tell you to come back later, or kill you.”
Chapter Eleven
Kill me? That didn’t make any sense. Not ready was understandable, but not unworthy. Otherwise, the women in my family wouldn’t have been chosen to be Krigers.
“This is why I tried not to tell you too much.” Vidar pinched the bridge of his nose. “I thought it would be easier if I kept my distance, let you retrieve your weapon, and then told you everything.”
“Easier?” I repeated, my fury building. “How many Krigers have died during the trials?”
“I don’t know,” he mumbled, diligently avoiding eye contact.
“One? Two? A dozen?” He had to have a general idea.
“Most have passed,” he answered, attempting a smile to placate me. “But over the hundred or so years that I’ve been doing this, there have been half a dozen who were told to return when they were worthy and a handful who never exited the cave.” He reached for my shoulders, squeezing them. “Anders is worried because you’re young. He’s afraid you’ll be told to come back, and then we won’t be able to free th
e Krigers.”
“And end your curse,” I muttered.
“That’s not it,” he insisted. “Those eleven men sitting in the dungeon being tortured are our friends.” His eyes became glassy.
Shame filled me for doubting Anders. “I’ll do my best to rescue them.”
“That’s all we ask.”
“But … what if I die trying to retrieve it? Since the twelfth Kriger is a female from my bloodline, how does it work if I’m the last one?”
“I’m not sure.” He released me and started walking away.
He was hiding something. “Tell me what you know,” I said, jogging after him. He didn’t respond. I was sick and tired of him keeping things from me. Reaching for his wrist, I grabbed him. “Tell me.”
Vidar tried pulling away. “I don’t know.”
I squeezed his arm tighter. “Tell me.”
He chuckled. “Luckily, I’m wearing the medallion, or your anger would strike me down.”
I released him but held my ground. “Please tell me.”
“I asked that very question of Grei Heks,” he said, rubbing his arm. “She laughed and said, ‘She is not the end, but the beginning, of that I am certain.’ Then she proceeded to tell me that you and I—”
A scream pierced the air. Vidar’s eyes widened, and he took off running. I sprinted after him as he crashed through the forest searching for Anders.
At a small clearing, Vidar spun in a circle, frantically searching the area. “I don’t see any trace of him,” he said. “His trail just ends.”
There weren’t any signs of a scuffle, no animal footprints in the soft dirt, and no arrows lodged in the nearby trees. Anders couldn’t have just disappeared. Then I remembered falling through a small hole in the ground and landing in the dark cavern below ground.
Kneeling, I started pushing the leaves aside, searching for a hole. Usually Anders was so careful and aware of his surroundings that it was hard to believe he could have fallen into a cavern. The possibility of him being hurt or dead was terrifying. Crawling, I retraced the footprints to a section where there were two sets of prints. Following the one that wasn’t as pronounced, they veered off to the side by the rocks. My hands started to tingle.
“Vidar,” I called. “Over here.”
“What is it?” he asked, joining me.
“He fell through a hole in the ground right around here.” We both shoved leaves and pine needles aside, searching the area. A small, black section hidden in the shadow of a tall redwood tree caught my attention. Lying flat on my stomach, I reached forward. As my hand slid into the shadow, the ground beneath disappeared.
“Anders?” I hesitantly called out. A moan sounded from below.
Vidar knelt next to me. “Are you okay?” he yelled down.
There was no response. “Do you have any rope?” I asked Vidar.
“No.”
“Vidar? Kaia?” a voice called out.
“We’re here!” I hollered down to Anders.
“My leg is stuck,” he yelled. “But I’m okay.”
Relief flooded through me. “How far down are you?”
“About twenty feet.”
Searching the area, I found what I was looking for. “Give me your knife.” Vidar slid his dagger from its sheath and handed it to me. I ran over to the base of a cliff where long vines hung all over it and started hacking them off, throwing them to the ground. Once there was enough, I tied the vines together, making a rope.
“Excellent idea,” Vidar said, taking the vines from me. “I’ll lower myself, free Anders, and climb back up.”
I rolled my eyes. “And how do you propose I hold your weight?”
Vidar shrugged. “I’ll tie it around that tree.”
“It’s not long enough to make it around the trunk, be tied to you, and then reach down twenty feet.” I folded my arms. “Besides, I made it for me.”
“It’s not a good idea for you to go down there.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re … well … a girl.”
My eyes narrowed. “Then go right ahead. With any luck, you won’t fall and injure yourself.”
Vidar went to a nearby tree, tying the vines around it. There was only about six feet left. He scratched his head and then untied the rope. “I’ll hold it and lower you,” he mumbled.
I stood and brushed myself off. “What a great idea!” I sarcastically replied. He was lucky the other eleven Krigers weren’t girls. Otherwise, they would have killed him for his pigheadedness by now.
Vidar shook his head. “Be careful. We can’t afford for you to get hurt.” He wrapped one end around his hand several times and then threw the rest by my feet. “Tie the rope around your waist. Once you reach Anders and free his leg, I’ll pull you out. Then I’ll throw the rope down to him.”
Taking a deep breath, I tied the vines around my waist, went to the hole, and slid onto my stomach.
“Okay,” I said, lowering my legs.
Vidar sat on the ground, grabbed the rope so it was taut, and propped his feet against the nearby trunk. He released small portions of the rope, lowering me into darkness. I prayed the vines were strong enough to hold my weight. My body jerked downward until my feet finally touched solid ground.
“I’m at the bottom!” I hollered up, untying the vines from my waist.
Vidar’s head poked over the edge. “I’ll be right here,” he called out. “Let me know if you need my help.”
There was just enough light from the opening above to see a couple of feet in each direction. Anders lay on the ground, his foot wedged in a crevice. I knelt by his side. “Are you okay?”
“I am. Just wish you didn’t have to see me like this.”
“Oh please,” I said, moving to the other side of him so my body didn’t block the light. “Do you have feeling in your leg?” It was twisted at an awkward angle.
“Yes,” he replied. “I tried wiggling my foot loose, but it won’t budge.”
“Maybe if we untie your boot, your foot will slip out?” I suggested.
He sighed. “I’m hot, and my feet are slightly swollen from walking. Perhaps once it’s night, the cool air will allow me to yank it free.”
“How’s it going?” Vidar yelled down.
“He’s okay! But his foot is stuck. We’re going to wait until it cools and then try wiggling it free.”
There was a pause before Vidar asked, “Do you need anything? Food? Water?”
Anders’s face was hidden among the shadows. However, he was breathing heavily and had to be thirsty. “Water please!” A few seconds later, a water sack landed a foot away.
“I have an idea,” Vidar said. “I’ll be back in a bit. Hold tight, it shouldn’t take me more than an hour or two.”
I handed Anders the water sack and he took it, drinking several gulps. “Does anything else hurt?” I asked, sitting near his head.
“I’m sore from the fall, but other than that, I’m perfectly fine.” He handed the water sack back to me. “You didn’t have to come down here. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”
“I know. Regardless, I’m here if you need me.” My eyes gradually adjusted to the dark cavern. After several quiet and uncomfortable minutes, I spoke again. “You didn’t fall into the crevice, did you?”
His eyes sliced over to mine. “What are you saying?”
“You must have gotten yourself stuck after you fell.”
He sighed. “Maybe.”
“So you fell into the cavern and then what? Stumbled into this crevice?” I chuckled.
“It’s not funny,” Anders said, his jaw tight.
“I’m sorry,” I said, trying not to laugh.
“If you must know, when I went to stand, my foot went into the crevice and got wedged in.”
“You’re lucky you didn’t hit your head or break a leg.” I took a sip from the water sack. We sat in silence for several minutes, neither one of us s
peaking.
“Do you like him?” Anders asked, his voice softly echoing in the cavern.
“Do I like who?”
“Vidar,” Anders said, pushing himself to a sitting position.
I certainly enjoyed his company and felt an innate sense of trust with him. “Of course I like Vidar. He’s been nothing but kind to me.” Unlike Anders, who seemed to irritate me every chance he got.
The corners of Andres’s lips pulled up into a sly smile. “That’s not what I meant.”
I cocked my head. Was he asking if I had any sort of romantic feelings toward Vidar? “You can’t be serious. You must have hit your head when you fell.”
He held up his hands in surrender, laughing. “It’s just that wherever Vidar goes, he seems to acquire several female admirers. He is very good at flattery. I thought perhaps you’d fallen for his antics.”
Vidar certainly was appealing, and at first, I did think of him that way. But after I got to know him, all I felt for him was friendship. And I was certain, beyond a doubt, that was all he felt for me, too.
“Just because I’m young and haven’t been courted, doesn’t mean I’ll fall for the first man who flirts with me.”
“You’ve never been courted?” Anders raised his eyebrows. “I find that hard to believe.”
I whacked his arm. “Don’t tease me,” I said, desperate to change the subject. “Now that you know something personal about me, why don’t you tell me something about yourself?”
“There’s nothing to tell.” He looked away from me.
“In case you haven’t noticed,” I said, resting my arms on my knees, “we’re stuck here. You’re going to need my help to get your foot out of that crevice. I suggest you tell me something worthwhile for my trouble.”
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