Rise (27 page)

“You mean our engagement?” His eyes strayed to the beautiful girl once more.

“Yes,” I replied. “I’d like to speak to Grei Heks so she can sufficiently explain all of this to me.”

“When I talked to her, she told me that your blood is tied to all of this. When I asked her to explain, she patted my cheek and said that love is fickle and makes us do crazy things. She told me that when all of this is said and done, your line will carry on with mine.” He stared down at his full mug. “We don’t have a choice. Now that we have your father’s blessing, we’re officially engaged.”

He chugged his ale. “At first, I teased and flirted with you because I thought Anders liked you.” He slammed the empty mug on the table. “I thought if I showed an interest in you, it would force him to act on his feelings. He’s never taken notice of a woman before.” He glanced over at the blond girl at the next table and then back to me. “If you are to be my wife, I don’t want to see you with another man. I want our engagement announced. However, we can wait and have the ceremony after you’ve spoken with Grei Heks on the matter.”

My father’s face invaded my thoughts. He had looked so happy with the idea of Vidar marrying me. I folded my arms. “Fine. You can announce our engagement tomorrow. After we’ve rescued the Krigers.” He opened his mouth to argue, but I held my hand up. “This is not negotiable.”

He bit his lip. “No one argues with me like you do.” I wrapped my hands around my mug, waiting for him to agree. He scratched the back of his neck. “Okay. We’ll wait and announce it tomorrow.”

Two men walked into the tavern. One sat down at our table, and the other sat with the blond girl.

“This is a friend,” Vidar informed me. “He’s here to tell us what’s going on in the castle. The other man will help us navigate the tunnels. The girl will report to her father, so he can inform the others.”

It felt as if everyone in the tavern was watching us. It had to be my imagination playing tricks on me. I kept thinking
soldats
would storm in at any moment and arrest us. I’d be taken before Morlet, tortured, and killed.

The man cleared his throat. “Reports indicate that the king hasn’t left the castle,” he said. “There are rumors he’s sick. He has men scouring the capital for the last Kriger. Whoever captures her will be rewarded a bag of gold.”

I knew Morlet wasn’t sick—he was recovering from healing me.

Vidar’s eyes narrowed. “Have patrols been going door-to-door?”

“No.”

“Something’s not right,” he mumbled.

“I agree,” the man said. “The king should be tearing the capital apart searching for her, and he’s not.”

“Regardless,” Vidar said, leaning forward on his elbows, “we’re still on for tonight.”

“Very well,” the man answered. “I’ll give the word.” He stood and left without saying goodbye.

“Interesting fellow,” I commented.

“He obtains information quickly. He’s an asset to our organization.”

“Now what?”

“Follow me.”

Reaching for my bo staff, I grabbed it and followed Vidar up a flight of stairs. The girl and the man she’d been sitting with casually trailed behind us. Vidar went into the room with the entrance to the underground tunnel. The man stood watch outside the door while the girl and I went in.

When the door closed, the girl asked, “The two of you are engaged?” She carefully pronounced each word, indicating she was cultured and well educated.

“We are,” Vidar answered, giving no indication he was going to introduce me to her.

Shock flittered across the girl’s face, but she quickly hid it. “My father said as soon as it’s dark, he’ll get men into position. No one will move until the signal is lit. If nothing happens by midnight, he’ll call off his men.”

“Excellent,” Vidar said.

She pulled on knit gloves. “Anders said to tell you he’ll meet you at the blacksmith’s shop near the mines’ entrance. Make sure the girl—I mean your fiancée—has her weapon.” She briefly glanced at me. “And don’t return to the original apartment.”

The lines between Vidar’s eyebrows deepened. “Has the room been discovered?”

“Anders saw
soldats
watching the place.”

I don’t know why, but the idea of Anders talking to this girl irked me. My hands tingled with power, so I loosened my grip on my bo staff, not wanting to accidentally hurt someone.

“Does he think our plans have been compromised?” Vidar asked.

“No,” she responded. “I need to tell him you’re on your way. Be careful, and good luck.” With her chin raised in the air, she spun and left.

“Wait here,” Vidar said to me while rushing out of the room after her.

Crossing my arms, I paced back and forth. How well did Anders know this girl? Were they friends? Vidar and the girl—whose name I still didn’t know—were arguing on the other side of the door.

A sharp searing pain exploded in my head, and I tumbled to the ground, dropping my bo staff.

“Kaia!” Morlet cried.

I forced myself to remain in that room, so we didn’t fully connect to one another. Pain swirled around in my head and extended down my body. I focused on the wooden floor beneath my palms, my vision blurring and my arms shaking.

“You can’t escape me,” he purred. “I will have you. It’s your destiny—you don’t have a choice.”

“No! I have a choice,” I ground out through gritted teeth.

“Kaia!” Vidar said, placing his hand on my back. The pain instantly disappeared. “I thought I was close enough for the medallion to protect you.” He pulled me to a sitting position.

“I didn’t fully connect with him.”

“You’re shaking,” he said, hugging me.

I wrapped my arms around him, thankful for his presence.

“We need to get moving. We’re on a tight timeline.” He helped me stand.

I was anxious to be on our way in order to get my mind off Morlet because when he had yelled my name, his voice had been filled with utter desperation. I envisioned him on his knees, pleading for me to return to him. And sympathy was something I couldn’t afford to feel toward the man I was going to kill.

Clutching my bo staff, I descended the ladder to the dark tunnel.

“The name’s Askel,” the guide said, lighting a torch. “If you must speak, whisper. Let’s go.”

I followed him, Vidar behind me. We walked in silence about a quarter of a mile before turning into another tunnel. The ceiling of this particular one felt lower, and it was rounded. The sides and ground were polished, smooth rock. This tunnel had to have been carved by water. We continued in silence. After a mile or so, we turned into yet another tunnel. The sides of this one had uneven chisel marks and it was more square-shaped, indicating it was manmade.

When we came to a ladder, Askel stopped. “This leads to the blacksmith’s shop,” he whispered. “The blacksmith told me he’d close early for us.”

He placed his torch on the ground, then kicked dirt on the flames. At the top of the ladder, he opened the square door an inch and peered out. Satisfied with what he saw, he threw the door open the rest of the way and climbed into the shop.

Vidar went up next, and I followed him. Pulling myself into the blacksmith’s shop, I noticed my hands and bo staff were warmer than usual.

Glancing around, there was a brick fireplace with an anvil and a large metal bucket of water sitting next to it. The room was stuffy; the only light came from the roaring hearth.

“Where’s the blacksmith?” I asked. No one answered.

A
soldat
emerged from the shadows behind Askel. I started to raise the end of my weapon when the man
violently shoved a longsword into Askel’s stomach. I screamed as he tossed him to the ground. Dark blood pooled around Askel’s lifeless body.

“Just who I’m looking for,” the man said. “There’s a large bounty for you.” He yanked his sword free.

Vidar stepped in front of me. “You won’t touch her.”

He laughed and swung his sword, just missing Vidar’s chest. Vidar turned, grabbed a hammer sitting in a pile of unused tools, and swung toward his attacker.

I tried to focus in order to channel my power and wound the
soldat
without burning the entire building down or hurting Vidar. The man kicked Vidar’s leg. Vidar gracefully twisted his body as he fell, clipping the man’s thigh with the hammer. I aimed for the man’s feet, wanting to render him unconscious and not kill him. I released a small sliver of power and he stumbled, falling over and clutching his leg. In one swift move, Vidar swung the hammer down, smashing the man’s
head. A bone-chilling crunch echoed through the shop.

I dropped to my knees, stunned. “You killed him.” My bo staff hummed with power, responding to my anger. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down.

“This is war,” Vidar said. “It’s kill or be killed.”

The door to the blacksmith shop clicked shut. “Where’s the blacksmith?” Anders asked.

“Don’t know,” Vidar responded. “Most likely dead.”

I scrambled to my feet. Anders wouldn’t look at me. There was a coldness to him that made my skin prickle with fear. He hurried over to Askel and pulled his lifeless body into a dark corner, then he did the same with the
soldat.
Vidar helped him rearrange a few things to make sure the dead bodies were concealed.

“We’re at war with Morlet—not his army,” I said. Both Anders and Vidar turned to look at me. “That man was probably forced to work for the king. He could have been a father, like mine. You didn’t have to kill him.”

Vidar grabbed my arm, his eyes alight with rage. “Morlet is the king. He controls the army. You must understand that. I need to know that you’re ready—that you can fight and kill if necessary. I won’t risk other men’s lives if you’re not capable of doing this.”

Staring into his blue eyes, I honestly didn’t know. Could I kill another person?

“If you’re not ready, we can postpone this,” Vidar said. “However, you did promise your father you would end it.”

The kingdom of Nelebek needed the Krigers. Morlet’s tyrannical reign couldn’t continue. “I can do it,” I said, making my choice.

“Good,” he said, releasing my arm. “I need to go. Anders will take you to the dungeon. I’ll meet you there.” He kissed my forehead and left.

“I have an idea,” Anders said. “Give me a moment to prepare.” He went to the corner where the dead bodies were hidden. When he disappeared from sight, I started pacing. The next time I faced a
soldat
, I’d have to act quicker. There was no reason to kill. I could knock him
out instead. We’d be in such a hurry that Anders wouldn’t be able to check if they were alive or not.

“Let’s go,” Anders said. He was wearing the dead
soldat’s
uniform. We left the blacksmith’s shop. Outside, the air was crisp and the sky quickly turning dark. “Use your bo staff as a walking stick,” he instructed. “If anyone asks, I’m escorting you to the dungeon for questioning.”

“Even though we’re going the wrong direction?”

“Yes,” he said, pulling the hat low on his head. “I’m just doing another round before I take you in.”

He avoided looking at me. “Fine,” I said as we headed toward the mines.

“Why did you agree to marry him?” Anders asked.

My shoulders stiffened. The girl from the brothel must have told him. I wanted to explain that I didn’t want to marry Vidar, that I was only marrying him because my father wanted me to, and because Grei Heks said it was inevitable. Instead, I said, “Now is not the time.”

We neared the end of the jam-packed apartment buildings and hid in the shadowy alcove of a doorway. The entrance to the mines was located approximately fifty yards away.

“Keep your weapon at your side, so it blends in with your body,” Anders whispered in my ear. “I’m going to hold your arm like I’m escorting you.”

“We’re going to walk out in the open?” I asked, horrified. The land from here to the mines was flat and void of any structures.
Soldats
watching the area would easily see us.

“Yes,” he replied. “It’s the fastest way. Make sure you stay by my side.”

Before I could respond, he took hold of my arm and dragged me from the doorway. We headed straight across the open land to the large, cave-like entrance of the mines dug into the side of a small hill. It was almost completely dark out except for a soft glow coming from the entrance.

Being so exposed made my skin crawl. At any moment, someone could scream that I was the Kriger Morlet sought. However, we reached the mines without incident.

“That was easy,” I said as we neared the twenty-foot by fifteen-foot entrance. Several torches hung on the dark gray rocky walls. The floor sloped downward as we made our way into the mines.

The usual sounds of metal chiseling and men talking were absent. I held my bo staff before me, ready to use it. All the workers had gone home for the evening since the citywide curfew was in effect. However, my father had told me
soldats
were stationed near the entrance the entire night.

Anders glided alongside me without making a sound. His eyes roamed over every inch of the cave looking for trouble. I opened my mouth to speak, but he held a finger to his lips and froze. A second later, he shoved me into a crevice in the wall, shielding my body with his. He took my weapon and held it flat against me. The black uniform he wore blended in with the gray rocks.

“Someone’s coming,” he whispered in my ear. “Whatever you do, don’t move.”

Holding perfectly still, I tried to calm my breathing. My hands started to throb with pain, so I clenched them into fists, working through the awful burning sensation.

Anders grunted from my power. “Slide your left hand to your bo staff,” he whispered.

I moved my hand between our bodies, and my fingers immediately found the smooth wood of my weapon. The pain went away, and my body instantly relaxed.

Voices drifted toward us. Anders went rigid, and I did my best to stay still, curled between the rocky wall and him. Someone in the distance yelled, and the sound of boots pounded past us. After a few minutes, they faded away.

“We need to get into one of the smaller tunnels,” Anders whispered. “We’re too exposed here.” He peeled away from me and stepped out of the crevice. He nodded for me to join him. “Stay close to the walls and move fast.”