Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(71)

“We are,” Vidar answered, giving no indication he was going to introduce me to her.

Shock flittered across the girl’s face, but she quickly hid it. “My father said as soon as it’s dark, he’ll get men into position. No one will move until the signal is lit. If nothing happens by midnight, he’ll call off his men.”

“Excellent,” Vidar said.

She pulled on knit gloves. “Anders said to tell you he’ll meet you at the blacksmith’s shop near the mines’ entrance. Make sure the girl—I mean your fiancée—has her weapon.” She briefly glanced at me. “And don’t return to the original apartment.”

The lines between Vidar’s eyebrows deepened. “Has the room been discovered?”

“Anders saw soldats watching the place.”

I don’t know why, but the idea of Anders talking to this girl irked me. My hands tingled with power, so I loosened my grip on my bo staff, not wanting to accidentally hurt someone.

“Does he think our plans have been compromised?” Vidar asked.

“No,” she responded. “I need to tell him you’re on your way. Be careful, and good luck.” With her chin raised in the air, she spun and left.

“Wait here,” Vidar said to me while rushing out of the room after her.

Crossing my arms, I paced back and forth. How well did Anders know this girl? Were they friends? Vidar and the girl—whose name I still didn’t know—were arguing on the other side of the door.

A sharp searing pain exploded in my head, and I tumbled to the ground, dropping my bo staff.

“Kaia!” Morlet cried.

I forced myself to remain in that room, so we didn’t fully connect to one another. Pain swirled around in my head and extended down my body. I focused on the wooden floor beneath my palms, my vision blurring and my arms shaking.

“You can’t escape me,” he purred. “I will have you. It’s your destiny—you don’t have a choice.”

“No! I have a choice,” I ground out through gritted teeth.

“Kaia!” Vidar said, placing his hand on my back. The pain instantly disappeared. “I thought I was close enough for the medallion to protect you.” He pulled me to a sitting position.

“I didn’t fully connect with him.”

“You’re shaking,” he said, hugging me.

I wrapped my arms around him, thankful for his presence.

“We need to get moving. We’re on a tight timeline.” He helped me stand.

I was anxious to be on our way in order to get my mind off Morlet because when he had yelled my name, his voice had been filled with utter desperation. I envisioned him on his knees, pleading for me to return to him. And sympathy was something I couldn’t afford to feel toward the man I was going to kill.





Chapter Twenty


Clutching my bo staff, I descended the ladder to the dark tunnel.

“The name’s Askel,” the guide said, lighting a torch. “If you must speak, whisper. Let’s go.”

I followed him, Vidar behind me. We walked in silence about a quarter of a mile before turning into another tunnel. The ceiling of this particular one felt lower, and it was rounded. The sides and ground were polished, smooth rock. This tunnel had to have been carved by water. We continued in silence. After a mile or so, we turned into yet another tunnel. The sides of this one had uneven chisel marks and it was more square-shaped, indicating it was manmade.

When we came to a ladder, Askel stopped. “This leads to the blacksmith’s shop,” he whispered. “The blacksmith told me he’d close early for us.”

He placed his torch on the ground, then kicked dirt on the flames. At the top of the ladder, he opened the square door an inch and peered out. Satisfied with what he saw, he threw the door open the rest of the way and climbed into the shop.

Vidar went up next, and I followed him. Pulling myself into the blacksmith’s shop, I noticed my hands and bo staff were warmer than usual.

Glancing around, there was a brick fireplace with an anvil and a large metal bucket of water sitting next to it. The room was stuffy; the only light came from the roaring hearth.

“Where’s the blacksmith?” I asked. No one answered.

A soldat emerged from the shadows behind Askel. I started to raise the end of my weapon when the man violently shoved a longsword into Askel’s stomach. I screamed as he tossed him to the ground. Dark blood pooled around Askel’s lifeless body.

“Just who I’m looking for,” the man said. “There’s a large bounty for you.” He yanked his sword free.

Vidar stepped in front of me. “You won’t touch her.”

He laughed and swung his sword, just missing Vidar’s chest. Vidar turned, grabbed a hammer sitting in a pile of unused tools, and swung toward his attacker.

I tried to focus in order to channel my power and wound the soldat without burning the entire building down or hurting Vidar. The man kicked Vidar’s leg. Vidar gracefully twisted his body as he fell, clipping the man’s thigh with the hammer. I aimed for the man’s feet, wanting to render him unconscious and not kill him. I released a small sliver of power and he stumbled, falling over and clutching his leg. In one swift move, Vidar swung the hammer down, smashing the man’s head. A bone-chilling crunch echoed through the shop.