Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(66)

His smile vanished. “I’ll take cover behind that boulder while you figure it out.”

A wise decision. Once he was out of sight, I pointed at a small rock near my feet. Focusing on my inner power, I projected it out, through my hands, and to the bo staff. It began to vibrate. I imagined power shooting out of the end and hitting the rock. Instantly, a blue light burst out, obliterating the stone into a thousand pieces. The force threw me backward onto the ground.

Anders was immediately at my side. “Are you all right?”

“I think so.” He pulled me to my feet. “That was a lot more powerful than I’d expected.” I brushed the pine needles and dirt off my clothes.

“The key is learning to control the amount of power you release,” Anders said. “Try it again, but think of the power in quantities and only allow a small thread out. Does that make sense?”

“Why didn’t you say that before?” I muttered.

“No one has managed to do it the first time. Besides, I didn’t realize someone so small could unleash so much power.”

I whacked his arm. “Go hide again before I zap you.”

Once he was out of sight, I did as he suggested and pulled my power through my hands and to my bo staff. When it responded, I imagined a large bowl of grain, releasing only a tiny portion of it, and then I closed the bowl, keeping the remaining grain inside. Suddenly, the weapon felt contained, and I knew beyond a doubt it would do what I commanded. Not far away, there was a moss-covered rock the size of my foot. Aiming at it, I released a small tendril of power. The rock blasted into several pieces, but much gentler than before.

Anders peered out from behind the boulder. “Unbelievable,” he said as he came over and patted me on my back. “I’ve never seen a Kriger do that so easily before.”

“Watch this.” I pointed to a single leaf hanging from a branch. Like before, I pushed a small amount of my power to the weapon, connecting to its magic. The leaf burst into flames and then died out, leaving nothing but white ashes.

Turning to Anders, I couldn’t hide my smile. He stood there staring at me, his eyebrows pulled together. His reaction caught me off guard. “What?” I asked, my smile fading.

“Nothing. It’s just that … you’re amazing.” Before I had time to respond, he said, “Now that you can accurately strike an inanimate object, let’s see how you perform in a combat situation.”

Although I enjoyed sparring with him, I wasn’t ready to do so with my bo staff. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally injure my friend. My hands started sweating when someone approached from behind.

“Ready for me?” Vidar asked.

“She is,” Anders responded.

“Why is Vidar here?”

“He is wearing the medallion, so you can’t harm him.”

Vidar picked up a stick and casually stood in front of me with a wicked grin.

“Are you sure I won’t hurt you?” I asked him.

“I’ll feel a small sting or jolt, but that’s all.”

Anders moved to a nearby boulder and climbed on top where he sat watching us. Vidar started to circle me. “Let’s see how well Anders trained you,” he taunted. He swung the makeshift sword toward my feet, trying to knock me over.

I stepped back, swung my bo staff in his direction, and shot a wisp of magic out toward his stomach. Vidar doubled over.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he said, righting himself. “Just didn’t expect you to get in a hit so quickly.”

“You’re sure it doesn’t hurt?”

“It’s only a small sting,” he said. “My pride hurts more than my stomach.”

I glanced over at Anders, who had a smug expression on his face.

Vidar came at me again, this time more aggressive. I parried his blows, trying to find a way to use my power on him. However, he never let me point either end at him. Running out of options, I pretended Vidar hurt my arm. I grabbed it as if in pain, crying out. The second he stopped his attack, I lifted my bo staff, pointed it straight at his thigh, and shot him with a jolt of power.

“I win.”

Anders started laughing. “That was brilliant.”

Vidar blinked. “What just happened?” he asked, looking down at his leg. “You weren’t hurt?”

“No. I simply exposed your weakness.”

“Apparently Anders taught you well,” he huffed. “I don’t think you need me.”

Confidence swelled inside of me. Controlling the weapon and its power was exhilarating. However, if there was one thing my father drilled in me, it was that one could never train enough. “I’d like to keep practicing. After all, we leave tomorrow morning for the capital.”

Vidar smiled. “Excellent. More opportunities for a sixteen-year-old girl to make me look incompetent.”

Anders burst out laughing.





Chapter Nineteen


“You have got to be kidding,” I said, staring into the black hole.

“It’ll be fine,” Vidar assured me. He sat on the ground and slid his legs inside. “I’ll be there to catch you. I promise.” He dropped down and disappeared. “Ready!” he called up.

“I’ve gone in this way hundreds of times,” Anders said. “We’ll only be in the tunnel for two miles. It leads directly to the back end of the mines where we’re meeting up with some men who are helping us.”