Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(34)
After staring at me for several uncomfortable minutes, he finally answered, “No. Most of you will not.”
My fear was confirmed. I was going to fight to save a kingdom I most likely would never see liberated.
“Don’t look so sad,” he pleaded. “There’s a chance you’ll live.”
“You and I both know I probably won’t make it out of this alive.”
He reached out and gingerly touched my cheek. “I think that’s why Anders is so upset that the last Kriger is a girl.”
“It doesn’t matter whether I’m a girl or a boy,” I said. “I’m a person. And the death of any person is a tragedy.” I stood to go. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to go to bed.”
“Uh,” Vidar stammered. “I need to sleep close by so the medallion can protect you.”
I’d forgotten about that.
“We don’t have to sleep in the same bed,” he continued. “The same room should suffice.”
“Fine, but I’m sleeping on the bed. You can sleep anywhere you like on the floor.” I turned and left, not waiting to see if he followed.
***
After tossing and turning for several hours, I finally gave up trying to sleep. Vidar lay lightly snoring on the ground next to my bed, a pillow under his head, and a blanket strewn between his legs. I slipped off the mattress, careful not to wake him. My head tingled. Morlet must be trying to find me. Thankfully, the medallion blocked his ability to do so. I lit a candle, placed it on the bedside table, and picked up The Order of the Krigers. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I started reading, hoping to understand more about being a Kriger.
One chapter went into detail about each of the twelve weapons, so I skimmed over it, wanting to read about the Order itself or the life of previous Krigers. The following chapter was entitled “Journals,” and there were several loose sheets of paper wedged in the book. I started reading them:
I am writing this account to serve as a warning to other Krigers. It’s easier now, looking back over my life, to see all the mistakes I made. When I first learned I was a Kriger, I felt empowered. I thought I could save Nelebek by destroying Morlet. I was naive and had no idea what I was up against. The king is more powerful and far more sinister than I ever expected.
Morlet claimed he was searching for the Heks power source and needed more diggers in the mines. In an attempt to gain a larger workforce, he killed the eldest child in each family if they refused to send one able-bodied worker. All I could think about was retribution for the innocent lives taken. P. Vidar ordered us not to attack, but we didn’t listen. That was our first mistake. We should have done as he said, but we didn’t know or truly understand.
There were only four Krigers at the time. Together, we went to the capital. We had our weapons and knew how to fight using our powers. We easily fought off the soldats stationed throughout the castle.
When we arrived at the Throne Room, Morlet sat alone waiting for us. He removed his cape, and I saw he had not aged a single day in the twenty-two years I’d been a Kriger.
I raised my sword and attacked. With a flick of his wrist, he threw me against the wall and I was rendered unconscious. It was over that quickly. Some warrior I turned out to be.
When I came to, I was locked in the dungeon. While in that treacherous place, I was tortured daily. Years later, there was a fire in the castle, and Anders managed to sneak in and rescue me. I’ve lived with P. Vidar and him ever since. My fellow Krigers were not so lucky—they each died while being tortured.
To all future Krigers, wait until all twelve of you have come together. Learn how to work with one another and link powers. Then, and only then, will you be able to defeat Morlet.
I flipped through a few more pages, looking for anything about why Morlet sought dark magic in the first place. Was it because he wanted to rule? Or was there more to it than that? In order to use dark magic, he had to be working with Skog Heks. How did the two of them come to work together? I turned the pages, searching for answers, and came to a passage that was barely legible. The writing was faded from time, the paper worn thin. I held the candle close, squinting as I read:
A thousand years ago, this land was ruled by Heks, beings able to pull magic from the center of the world. Humans came from warring countries seeking peace. But they didn’t ask permission to settle here. They took what they wanted thinking the Heks didn’t matter.
Great battles between the two groups ensued. Even though Heks had immense magic, they were not immune to the humans’ diseases, and many died. As the Heks’ numbers decreased, so did their control over the land.
After years of fighting, the two sides finally came to a truce. The leaders of the Heks and the humans signed a peace treaty. The humans set up a monarchy in each of the twelve kingdoms and Heks were assigned to each region to work in conjunction with the king and queen. They held power equally and had to agree on all major decisions. Over the years, the Heks continued to die from the humans’ diseases, and no new Heks were born. They became increasingly valuable for their powers. The balance of power slowly shifted.
The rest of the page was faded, and I couldn’t make out any more words. I didn’t know Heks were here first and that humans took the land away from them. In Nelebek, we had only two Heks. But then again, our kingdom had been shut off from the rest of the continent for the past hundred years.