Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(59)

“What sort of a man did you find Morlet to be?” Anders asked.

The king was a man of contradictions. Nice one minute, evil the next. I didn’t know how to answer.

Anders peered into my eyes. “Be careful,” he said. “Morlet is a conniving man. Don’t be fooled by an act of kindness. I’m sure it was simply a means to an end—serving only to further his agenda, not yours.”

He was right. Even though my heart felt torn, I needed to be logical about this and not let my emotions get in the way of common sense. I’d made that mistake once; it wouldn’t happen again.

***

Taking another bite of cooked rabbit meat, my temper got the better of me. “There better be something hanging from my chin,” I snapped. Because having Anders and Vidar sit there watching me like I was about to explode was annoying.

“I’m just nervous for you, that’s all,” Vidar said, exasperated.

“Staring at me is not helping.”

Anders shook his head, grinning at my outburst while Vidar stood and started pacing. Thankfully, there hadn’t been any more talk about getting married. For now, I was going to pretend the conversation didn’t happen.

“The other Krigers never talked about what they encountered in there,” Vidar said.

“I’d rather not know.” Either I was worthy of being a Kriger, or I wasn’t. Knowing the challenges ahead of time wouldn’t help.

“What if something bad happens?” Vidar squatted before me, pursing his lips.

“She’ll be fine,” Anders insisted, speaking for the first time since our conversation last night.

“Plenty has happened to me, and I’ve managed to survive,” I assured Vidar. “This will be no different.”

He reached for my hand, so I jumped up, pretending not to notice. Normally, I wouldn’t have minded. If anything, it would have been welcome. However, knowing he thought we were supposed to marry—even though we didn’t care for one another that way—I didn’t want to encourage him or show I agreed in any way.

“Do I need to take anything?” I asked Anders, swinging my arms and stretching.

“No. Just go through that archway. With any luck, you’ll be back in a few hours.” He smiled encouragingly at me. The simple gesture stirred something inside me that I didn’t recognize or understand.

“Okay,” I said, pushing my hair behind my ears. “I’m ready.”

“Good luck.” Vidar forced a grin on his face. He had waited so long for this moment. Once I had my weapon, the Order of the Krigers could rise.

Turning to Anders I asked, “Any last instructions?”

“Trust your instincts and you’ll do fine. Now get going—we have a kingdom to save.” His eyes were bright, shining with excitement. I couldn’t help but smile.

Walking into the dark tunnel, unable to see, I stuck my hands out before me to make sure I didn’t smack into a rocky wall. After a dozen feet, a soft glow emanated ahead of me. Nearing the light, it got brighter and morphed into a ball, floating in front of me. The center of it was white, the outer portion a soft blue. The ball rose above me and then circled my body before drifting down the corridor.

I followed it, knowing it was leading me to my first challenge.

The floor abruptly ended. The ball of light zoomed down thirty feet, hovering above a pool of green water. The light glowed brighter, beckoning me. What if the water was too shallow? Perhaps my courage was being tested. Steeling my resolve, I took a big breath and jumped. Falling through air, my stomach did a somersault before I crashed into the frigid water.

Kicking, I rose to the surface, relieved.

The light circled above me and then plunged into the water. Not wanting to overthink it, I took a deep breath and went under, following the ball as it sank lower and lower. Then it shot into an underwater tunnel. Swimming as fast as possible, I followed it. Leaving the tunnel, it bolted upwards.

I broke the surface and gasped for air, my heart beating wildly. The light flew to the shoreline and disappeared. I swam over, my arms weak and shaking, and climbed out of the water. This was a small cavern. The walls glowed a soft gold, giving the illusion of sunlight. Lying on the ground, I basked in the warmth. Had I passed my first challenge?

The ground beneath me rumbled as part of the rocky wall slid open. Scrambling to my feet, I tentatively headed over and peered inside. It was a room filled with half a dozen soldats. My father was kneeling in the center of the room, a sword pointed at his neck.

“Kaia!” my father yelled. “Get out of here!”

I ran straight for the man who held the sword to my father. He prepared to strike me, so I slid on the ground, ramming my feet into his shins. He fell backward, his head hitting the ground. I rolled and reached for his dropped sword, springing to my feet. Another soldat lunged at me, and I swung the sword up, blocking his strike. When he came at me again, I grabbed his shoulders and thrust my knee into his groin. He fell to the ground.

My father engaged two men in combat. Another one came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my torso. I flung my head back, banging his face. He released me, and I spun around, punching him. He dropped to the ground. Another one came at me and I ducked, missing his blow. Flipping my sword around, I flung the hilt toward the man’s head, rendering him unconscious. My father managed to knock the remaining two men out.