Vidar chuckled. After a few minutes of silence, he said, “I want you to keep your distance from her.”
I dropped my rock. The sun had set, and the sky was turning dark.
“You and I have been friends for quite some time,” Anders said. “Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?”
“No.”
“You have my word. I will maintain an appropriate relationship with Kaia. You are my best friend, and I would never do anything to jeopardize that.”
I lined up three rocks in a row, wondering why I didn’t have any say in this conversation. After all, it was about me.
“I’m sorry,” Vidar said. “I just want to make sure we do everything right. If that means I have to marry Kaia, so be it.”
His words were like a kick to my stomach.
“Since Grei Heks said the two of you are destined to be together, then it must happen.”
“I think I know why,” Vidar admitted. “Morlet is in love with Kaia.” Anders didn’t respond. “She is the key to defeating him. If we can use those feelings against him, it might give us the advantage we need.”
“I must be missing something,” Anders said, his voice low and deadly. “Why would Morlet be in love with her? He captured her, tortured her, and nearly killed her.”
“Trust me when I say he loves her.”
“Did Grei Heks really say you and Kaia are destined to be together? Or did you make that up so you could use her against him?”
“Grei Heks told me I’m destined to be with her. It must be because of Morlet’s feelings for her.”
His reasoning didn’t make any sense to me, but Anders wasn’t questioning it. There was a long pause. I stood, about to enter when Anders spoke. “He can’t possibly love her.”
“I assure you, he does. And we will exploit that weakness.”
Making noise so they’d hear me and stop talking, I walked into the cave, pretending I hadn’t heard a word of their conversation.
***
It felt as if a feather lightly brushed against my arms. I rolled over, hoping the sensation would go away. My head started to pound. Was it too much to ask for a few hours of sleep?
“Something wrong?” Vidar mumbled from the other side of the dying fire.
“No.”
He peered over at me. “Morlet is trying to find you, isn’t he?” I nodded. “Come closer to the medallion.”
I couldn’t face Morlet right now. Usually, being in the same vicinity as the medallion was enough to protect me. Morlet must be using a tremendous amount of his magic to attempt to contact me. I placed my bedroll a couple feet away from Vidar. His hand shot out, and he pulled it right next to him.
“Vidar,” I started to protest.
“Humor me,” he replied. “I won’t be able to sleep worrying about that monster trying to reach you. I don’t want him anywhere near you—not even in a dream.”
Anders was sound asleep. Lying down, I pulled the blankets over me and closed my eyes, thankful the closer proximity to the medallion was already working.
Vidar slid his arm around my torso, and I stiffened. “Humor me,” he mumbled again, drifting back to sleep.
After a few minutes, I lifted his arm off me and scooted a couple of feet away, not wanting Anders to get the wrong idea when he woke up.
***
Anders ducked behind a large boulder. “Okay,” he yelled. “Pick up your weapon.”
The beautiful bo staff rested on the ground waiting for me to use it. However, I didn’t want to accidentally hurt someone. My father’s words came back to me: Fear—although real and valid—can only hold you back. Take all your fears and insecurities and lock them away. Focus on your strengths. You can, and you will, do this. All you have to do is believe. Taking a deep breath, I picked it up and radiated calmness just as Anders had instructed.
“Are you okay?” he asked from behind the boulder.
“Yes.”
“Good. Now go through your forms.”
Pretending it was the stick I’d been practicing with, I started moving it, surprised at how strong and solid it was.
“Set anything on fire?” Anders hollered.
“Not yet.” I twisted the bo staff over my head, brought it down, spun it on the side of me, and then crossed it over my body. “Why don’t you come out from behind there?”
“I’ll stay here for a little bit longer. Just keep running through your forms.”
I rolled my eyes, but did as he said, knowing he was right. I crossed the weapon over my head and brought it down to a shoulder strike. When I finished the last form, Anders was standing right in front of me.
“Impressive,” he said, folding his arms across his chest. “Now it’s time to use your power.”
Taking a deep breath, I waited for him to tell me what to do. He didn’t say anything. “Well?”
“Well what?”
“How do I use my power without killing you or setting a tree on fire?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Didn’t he want me to radiate calmness? Because right now, I wanted to punch him. “You don’t know?” I said, taking a step toward him.
He raised his hands. “Take it easy.” His eyes darted from me to my bo staff. “All I’m saying is that you need to do what you’ve been doing with your hands, except with the weapon. I think.”
“If you don’t know how to use its magic, then why are you even here?”
“Moral support.” He smiled wryly.
I shook my head in disbelief. “How about I use you as a target?”
His smile vanished. “I’ll take cover behind that boulder while you figure it out.”
A wise decision. Once he was out of sight, I pointed at a small rock near my feet. Focusing on my inner power, I projected it out, through my hands, and to the bo staff. It began to vibrate. I imagined power shooting out of the end and hitting the rock. Instantly, a blue light burst out, obliterating the stone into a thousand pieces. The force threw me backward onto the ground.
Anders was immediately at my side. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.” He pulled me to my feet. “That was a lot more powerful than I’d expected.” I brushed the pine needles and dirt off my clothes.
“The key is learning to control the amount of power you release,” Anders said. “Try it again, but think of the power in quantities and only allow a small thread out. Does that make sense?”
“Why didn’t you say that before?” I muttered.
“No one has managed to do it the first time. Besides, I didn’t realize someone so small could unleash so much power.”
I whacked his arm. “Go hide again before I zap you.”
Once he was out of sight, I did as he suggested and pulled my power through my hands and to my bo staff. When it responded, I imagined a large bowl of grain, releasing only a tiny portion of it, and then I closed the bowl, keeping the remaining grain inside. Suddenly, the weapon felt contained, and I knew beyond a doubt it would do what I commanded. Not far away, there was a moss-covered rock the size of my foot. Aiming at it, I released a small tendril of power. The rock blasted into several pieces, but much gentler than before.
Anders peered out from behind the boulder. “Unbelievable,” he said as he came over and patted me on my back. “I’ve never seen a Kriger do that so easily before.”
“Watch this.” I pointed to a single leaf hanging from a branch. Like before, I pushed a small amount of my power to the weapon, connecting to its magic. The leaf burst into flames and then died out, leaving nothing but white ashes.
Turning to Anders, I couldn’t hide my smile. He stood there staring at me, his eyebrows pulled together. His reaction caught me off guard. “What?” I asked, my smile fading.
“Nothing. It’s just that … you’re amazing.” Before I had time to respond, he said, “Now that you can accurately strike an inanimate object, let’s see how you perform in a c
ombat situation.”
Although I enjoyed sparring with him, I wasn’t ready to do so with my bo staff. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally injure my friend. My hands started sweating when someone approached from behind.
“Ready for me?” Vidar asked.
“She is,” Anders responded.
“Why is Vidar here?”
“He is wearing the medallion, so you can’t harm him.”
Vidar picked up a stick and casually stood in front of me with a wicked grin.
“Are you sure I won’t hurt you?” I asked him.
“I’ll feel a small sting or jolt, but that’s all.”
Anders moved to a nearby boulder and climbed on top where he sat watching us. Vidar started to circle me. “Let’s see how well Anders trained you,” he taunted. He swung the makeshift sword toward my feet, trying to knock me over.
I stepped back, swung my bo staff in his direction, and shot a wisp of magic out toward his stomach. Vidar doubled over.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he said, righting himself. “Just didn’t expect you to get in a hit so quickly.”
“You’re sure it doesn’t hurt?”
“It’s only a small sting,” he said. “My pride hurts more than my stomach.”
I glanced over at Anders, who had a smug expression on his face.
Vidar came at me again, this time more aggressive. I parried his blows, trying to find a way to use my power on him. However, he never let me point either end at him. Running out of options, I pretended Vidar hurt my arm. I grabbed it as if in pain, crying out. The second he stopped his attack, I lifted my bo staff, pointed it straight at his thigh, and shot him with a jolt of power.
“I win.”
Anders started laughing. “That was brilliant.”
Vidar blinked. “What just happened?” he asked, looking down at his leg. “You weren’t hurt?”
“No. I simply exposed your weakness.”
“Apparently Anders taught you well,” he huffed. “I don’t think you need me.”
Confidence swelled inside of me. Controlling the weapon and its power was exhilarating. However, if there was one thing my father drilled in me, it was that one could never train enough. “I’d like to keep practicing. After all, we leave tomorrow morning for the capital.”
Vidar smiled. “Excellent. More opportunities for a sixteen-year-old girl to make me look incompetent.”
Anders burst out laughing.
Chapter Nineteen
“You have got to be kidding,” I said, staring into the black hole.
“It’ll be fine,” Vidar assured me. He sat on the ground and slid his legs inside. “I’ll be there to catch you. I promise.” He dropped down and disappeared. “Ready!” he called up.
“I’ve gone in this way hundreds of times,” Anders said. “We’ll only be in the tunnel for two miles. It leads directly to the back end of the mines where we’re meeting up with some men who are helping us.”
We’d already been traveling all day, and night was quickly approaching. However, the forest seemed safer than the dark, rocky underground tunnels. “Can’t we go in the same way we exited the capital last time? Through the loose blocks in the wall?”
“Let’s go!” Vidar yelled up.
“This way is safer,” Anders said. “Trust me.”
I nodded and sat at the edge of the hole. Turning on my stomach, I slid my legs down. Anders grabbed my wrists and lowered me until Vidar had hold of my ankles. When Anders released me, Vidar set me on the ground. After my bo staff was handed to me and Anders joined us, Vidar lit a small torch. Anders led the way through the narrow tunnel. He warned me when the ground raised, lowered, or veered one direction or the other. He’d traveled this route so many times, he had its nuances memorized.
Being belowground made me anxious, and my hands began to sweat. It was hard to relax and trust that everything would be okay. That the ground wouldn’t cave in and crush us. That we wouldn’t get lost. The sound of our footsteps echoed off the rocky walls along with my labored breathing.
After thirty minutes or so, we stopped. Anders went on ahead to let the others know we were there and to make sure it was safe for us to enter into the main section of the mines.
“Are you okay?” Vidar asked.
“I’m a bit nervous.”
“Me too,” he admitted. “But neither Anders nor I will let anything happen to you.”
Little did he know, getting hurt or captured was the last thing on my mind. I was worried about running into Morlet while trying to free the Krigers. The tip of my bo staff was engraved with the marking choice. I had to remind myself over and over again that I was in charge of my future—it was my choice to be here, to free the Krigers, to face Morlet, and to kill. My life, my choice.
Yet, sometimes I felt trapped, as if there really wasn’t a choice—at least, a good one. I didn’t want to kill, but it was the only way to defeat Morlet and undo the terror he created. My choice was to save the kingdom of Nelebek, no matter what. The people deserved a better life, and it was in my power to give it to them.
Anders returned and motioned for us to follow him. The tunnel curved and then opened to a cavern so large that neither the top nor the bottom was visible. Keeping close to the rocky wall, I inched my way along the narrow path etched into the side of it. Luckily, after twenty feet we went into another tunnel, which took us to a small cave-like room where a dozen men dressed as miners stood waiting for us.
No one spoke as the three of us were handed uniforms, which we put on over our clothes. The workers started leaving via a tunnel at the opposite end of the cave.
My bo staff stood out, since we were supposed to be miners and they never carried weapons. Vidar took it from me and slid it down the back of his shirt and down his pants, concealing it beneath his clothes. He raised his eyebrows at me, asking permission. I nodded; it was safer with him. We followed the workers, Vidar trying to walk as naturally as possible with a long stick against his leg and back.
When we started ascending, a soldat blocked our path. “Your group is working awfully late,” he said.
“Yeah,” one of the men responded. “But we’re done for the day. Finally met our quota.”
“You’re the last group,” the man replied. “Go ahead.”
I kept my head down as we passed him and went up the steep incline toward the exit. The slope leveled out and fresh, cool air greeted us. When we walked out of the mines, it was almost dark out and close to curfew. We didn’t have much time to seek shelter in order to avoid being arrested. The group quickly split up into smaller groups of two or three, everyone heading home for the night. Soldats stood on the street corners closely observing the citizens hurrying about. They were probably keeping an eye out for me, but they didn’t expect I would be dressed in a mining uniform. Anders’s plan was brilliant.
The three of us swiftly made our way along the streets, not talking. Anders stopped before a nondescript apartment building and opened the door. We went inside, down a dark hallway, and entered the last doorway on the right. It was an unfurnished, dimly lit room filled with a dozen men I didn’t recognize.
Everyone’s eyes immediately went to Vidar. He pulled my bo staff out from under his clothing and handed it to me. It felt good to have the wood between my hands again. He smiled and addressed everyone in the room. “Thank you for coming. It’s going to be a long night of planning. First, allow me to introduce Kaia, the twelfth Kriger.”
I nodded my head once, wondering who these men were.
“Please give me a moment, and then we’ll begin.” Vidar gingerly took my hand and led me to an adjacent room with a single cot and nothing else. He closed the door.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“The men out there are the leaders of our organization. We’re here to plan the Krigers’ rescue. Then they’ll pass the information down the line. This is the most effective
way since gathering in large numbers is dangerous.”
Vidar pulled off his uniform, tossing it in the corner. I did the same.
“You can come out and listen to us, or you can use this time to rest for a few hours.” He pointed to the bed. “It’s up to you.”
Exhaustion consumed me, but I wanted to hear what these men had to say. “I’ll go with you.”
We rejoined everyone, and Vidar took control of the meeting as if he’d done this a hundred times before. One man laid designs for the interior of the castle on the floor. Everyone gathered around the papers and started brainstorming ideas on how to sneak in and free the Krigers. Sitting on the outskirts, I watched as the men spoke passionately with one another.
Anders sat on the ground next to me, handing me a loaf of bread. “Sorry it’s a little hard. It’s all I have.”
“Thank you.” Leaning against the wall watching everyone, I yawned, trying to stay awake.
Anders’s leg nudged mine. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m fine.”
He studied me a moment before scooting closer and speaking in my ear. “Each of these men is in charge of a different section of the capital. Those two over there,” he pointed to two guys who had beards and were warmly dressed, “are from nearby cities. They snuck in for this. When we’re done, they’ll send runners back to their hometowns to report and gather forces if necessary.”
“You communicate with other cities in Nelebek?”
He nodded. “It’s one of the main reasons Vidar and I live where we do. We are only a few days’ journey to all the major cities in the kingdom.”
“Are the two of you the leaders?”
Anders grinned. “Vidar is. Like I’ve said before, I’m bound to him.”
“What does that mean?”
“That is a conversation for another time.” He reached out and squeezed my hand, sending a smidgeon of warmth through me. I turned my head toward him, and my breath caught—our faces were mere inches apart. I’d never wished to kiss a man before. However, sitting here next to Anders, I wanted to kiss him. My face warmed, and I leaned forward. One little kiss wouldn’t hurt … just the feel of his skin, his lips.
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