Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(61)

“That means choice. All of them have a different saying engraved on them.”

“Did you create them?” I asked.

“Yes. Once things fell out of balance, my magic increased so I could cast spells in order to undo the evil done.”

I slid my hands up and down the smooth wood. Power pulsed through it, and my hands tingled with energy.

“You must go,” Grei Heks said. “You have much to do.”

“Thank you,” I said, wrapping her in a hug.

She placed her soft hands on my arms. “You are the twelfth Kriger for a reason. You passed the trials not only because you showed compassion where it was due, but also because you thought for yourself. You didn’t fight or kill blindly.”

“When we kill Morlet and the evil magic returns to Skog Heks, will everything be as it should?”

“Skog Heks’s power won’t return to her. It will die with Morlet.”

“Won’t the kingdom be out of balance?”

She smiled, the look grim instead of happy. “The spell I cast all those years ago ensures that once Morlet dies, both Skog Heks and I die as well.”

“Why?” And how was that even possible?

She kissed my forehead. “Some things you are not meant to understand. But know this: you are special, and I expect great things to come from you.”

Overwhelmed, I had no idea how to respond. She motioned for me to leave the room. She waved goodbye and the door slid shut.

There had been so much more that I wanted to ask her, that I wanted to say. Her words echoed in my mind: You are special, and I expect great things from you. Holding my bo staff, a sense of calm spread over me. This was my destiny, and I would end the reign of terror and save Nelebek.

The blue light appeared before me. Instead of going into the water as I feared it would, the light went over to the other side of the cavern, revealing a wooden ladder built onto the side of the rocky wall. The light shot upward, so I started climbing. My arms and legs felt like mush, but I kept at it until I reached the top, coming to a small room.

The light disappeared, and a door opened, leading to Anders and Vidar who were sitting in the cave waiting for me. I entered, and both men glanced up. Relief washed over Vidar’s face, and a slow smile spread across Anders’s.

“Congratulations,” Anders said. “You did it.”

“Was there ever any doubt?” I asked.

“Never.”





Chapter Eighteen


“Spread your feet shoulder width apart,” Anders instructed.

I huffed, annoyed that he insisted on telling me what to do. My father had trained me to fight since the day I could walk. If Anders bothered to look at my feet, he’d see they were already in the correct position, my weight balanced. It was insulting he thought otherwise. Gripping the bo staff with both hands, I felt the smooth wood hum with power.

“You feel it, don’t you?” he asked.

“Yes.” I held the weapon parallel to the ground while a subtle vibration pulsed through it. “It’s amazing.”

“From what the other Krigers have told me, the trick is to send your will or desire to the weapon, and that in turn will unleash its power.” Anders stood before me holding a long, thin tree branch about his height. “I’ve never seen a Kriger use the bo staff before, but I imagine the power can be unleashed from either end.” He angled the tip of his branch toward my torso, showing me what he meant. “So then the power would hit you.”

I imitated him and he jumped back. “Don’t point that thing at me!” he yelled. “You don’t know how to control it yet.”

I’d been able to use my hands to wield my power; the bo staff couldn’t be that different. “I’m not willing it to do anything right now, so you don’t need to worry.” It quivered, and then blue light shot out of both ends, startling me. The tree to my right burst into flames while a boulder to my left exploded, sending thousands of rocks raining down. “Oops.” I held the weapon still, shocked at the sheer power it had just produced. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before. “Didn’t mean for that to happen.”

Anders stuck his head out from behind the trunk of a nearby tree. “All clear?” I nodded. He slowly came around and observed the damage. “So, as I was saying—”

“I need to learn to control the power in it.”

He folded his arms and looked pointedly at me. “Yes. Others have found it helpful to learn how to use the weapon first, and then channel the power afterward.”

“Yes, I think that’s a wise idea.” I tried not to laugh at Anders’s stern expression as he stood between the rocky rubble and the blackened tree.

“I was trained to use many weapons, including this one.” He gingerly took it from me and placed it on the ground. “Let’s go over some basics. You should use a long stick until you’re ready to harness your power.”

After finding a fairly straight tree branch on the ground that was approximately my height and one inch in diameter, I stood next to Anders, ready to work.

“This suits you well,” he began. “Since you’re small, it allows you to attack your enemy without getting too close.” He grabbed another branch from the ground and broke it in half, holding one of the pieces before him like a sword.