Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(45)

I moved closer to him. “How did you become the king?” A sick feeling rose in my stomach.

“My parents were the king and queen of Nelebek, and I was Prince Espen. That’s how I became king of this forsaken land.”

It seemed as if the room spun around me while I stood there, horrified by this revelation. Morlet was indirectly responsible for his parents and brother’s deaths. All because he loved a girl who his parents deemed unworthy to stand by his side.

“You want nothing to do with me,” Morlet said, his head hanging low, dejected.

“No,” I gently replied. “That’s not it.”

A snarl flickered across his face. “Kaia—Skog Heks has your father. She will kill him unless you come to the castle. She needs you in order to get her magic back.”

Fear shot through me. I couldn’t let my father die. “Will she release Papa if I come?”

“Yes,” he replied. “But she’ll kill you and all the Krigers.”

I didn’t have my weapon yet, so my power couldn’t connect with the other Krigers. Morlet must not realize my bo staff wasn’t in my possession. “I have to save him.” It was a risky move on my part, but worth it.

He nodded. “My elite guard is in the forest looking for you. If you tell me your location, I can guide you to them. They’ll escort you to my castle unharmed.”

“I’m not sure where I am.”

Morlet placed his hands upon my shoulders. “Kaia, look into my eyes and let me help you.”

I did as he said, and my vision blurred. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t fight it,” he purred. “Let me in.”

I relaxed, and something slithered inside my head.

“Good. Now bring your mind back to your body. I will be with you and lead you to my men.”

I opened my eyes and found myself sitting against a tree trunk. What had just happened?

“Look around so I can see through your eyes in order to determine your location,” Morlet spoke in my mind.

I stood and turned in a slow circle, observing my surroundings.

“I know where you are. Go to your right. Keep heading in that direction. I need you to hurry. The spell I cast will only allow us to stay connected for an hour or so.”

I started walking, my mind in a foggy haze. I thought I heard Vidar call my name. Stopping to listen, my head started to ache with acute pain.

“Keep walking, my dear Kaia,” Morlet spoke in my mind. “You need to save your father.”

I ignored Vidar and did as Morlet commanded. The pain in my head immediately went away. I stumbled onto a narrow dirt path.

“Follow this trail,” Morlet said. “Whatever you do, don’t deviate from it.”

The fogginess in my mind withdrew. It took me a minute to remember I was on my way to save Papa. I walked for hours through the dark forest.

Eventually, there was a soft glow up ahead, and I ran toward the light, entering a clearing filled with a dozen soldats dressed in black. The ones around the perimeter held torches while the others held swords, bows, and spears.

I had just willingly walked into enemy territory. My hands throbbed with pain. Taking a step backward, I tried calling on my power. Something hard hit the side of my head, and I lost consciousness.

***

When I came to, my body was tied to a wooden board being carried by four armed soldats. My hands were covered with some sort of coarse fabric. Curling my fingers into a fist, I punched the board.

“Don’t even try to use your power,” the man near my shoulder said. “Those gloves block magic.”

In the dim light of dawn, we traveled along the outside of the wall surrounding the capital. A soldat opened a wooden door in the ground, and my body was lowered into a tunnel.

“Where are we going?” I demanded. “Morlet said I’d be brought safely to the castle.”

One of the men near my feet glanced back at me. “That’s where we’re taking you. And the king instructed us to bring you in alive—that’s all.”

They carried me down a damp, narrow corridor. The urge to kick and scream filled me, but I needed to conserve my energy. We stopped before an iron door built into the rocky tunnel. A soldat pulled out a ring of keys and unlocked it. They took me inside a dark room, lowering me to the floor. They left without a word and closed the door, the bolt sliding into place.

Excruciating fear shot through me as I lay there in complete darkness, tied to the board. The only sound was my rapid breathing.

***

After what seemed like hours, someone began untying my arms and legs.

“I’m so sorry, my dear Kaia,” a voice whispered near my ear. “But I had no choice.”

When the last binding loosened, I scrambled to a sitting position. Something creaked behind me, and I spun around. The door opened, casting a thin ray of light into the dark room. A cloaked figure exited, closing the door behind him and plunging me back into solitary darkness.

My breathing sounded heavy echoing off the stone walls of the dungeon. I needed to escape and save my father. On two separate occasions when I was angry, Anders and Vidar both said that if they hadn’t been wearing the medallion, they would have been hurt. Maybe I could project my power toward the door and open it.

Removing the magic-blocking gloves, I took a deep breath and concentrated on my inner power. I didn’t feel anything. I tried again. Nothing at all. An emptiness filled me, and I hunched over, wanting to cry. Perhaps this room had some sort of spell cast on it that blocked magic, similar to the medallion and the gloves.