Rise (The Order of the Krigers #1)(75)

My father looked at him. “Get my daughter out of here,” he mumbled, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. “Promise me you’ll take care of her.”

“I promise,” Anders responded, his voice gruff. My father’s eyes fluttered closed as the life drained from his body.

“Papa!” I shook him. He couldn’t be dead. He just couldn’t. “I love you. Please don’t leave me here all alone. I need you.”

Anders wrapped his arms around me, dragging me from my father’s lifeless body and down the only empty tunnel. “I’m sorry,” he said. “But we need to go.”

Soldats stormed into the tunnel behind us in close pursuit.

“Please, Kaia,” Anders said. “I need your help.”

A dagger flew past my head, narrowly missing me. The man aimed a second knife. I lifted my bo staff, striking him with my power. There were at least a dozen men behind him. I wouldn’t let them kill Anders. Raising my weapon at the ceiling, I released a bit of magic, hitting the rock and collapsing the tunnel between us and the soldats. Anders and I ran, trying to escape the dust and rubble.

When we were far enough away, I fell to the ground, unable to continue. The image of my father’s dead body was seared into my mind. Anders knelt by my side, looking me over for injuries. Not finding any, he sat and gently rubbed my back.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I know how you feel, but I need you to get up. Those men will dig through the rubble in a matter of minutes. Don’t let your father’s sacrifice be for nothing.”

The tears wouldn’t stop. I felt as if someone had reached inside my chest and torn out my heart.

“You feel like you have nothing left,” he continued. “That your life is over; that you’ll never recover from this loss.”

“How could you possibly know what this feels like?” I sobbed.

“When I was sold to the assassin, I didn’t want to leave my family. So he bought them, lined them up, and one by one, slit their throats right in front of me, while I watched, tied to a post, unable to stop it from happening.” His voice caught. “I live with the pain every day.”

Anders’s teary eyes revealed incomprehensible grief. Reaching up, I placed my hand on his cheek. The two of us were connected in a way I couldn’t explain or understand, but I felt it in the depth of my soul. His strength radiated from him, pouring into me. He was right; my father’s sacrifice couldn’t be in vain. I had to shove the pain away. Once we defeated Morlet, I would allow myself to grieve. But for now, I had to be strong.

I stood.

“Are you ready?”

“I am. Thank you for everything.”

“Of course,” he said. “We need to put as much distance between them and us as possible.”

We ran for a solid mile before stopping. Anders pulled me to the side and put my hand on the rungs of a ladder. I climbed to the top where I felt around for a latch and threw the door open, entering a dimly lit room, Anders right behind me.

We stood staring at one another, both breathing hard and covered with dirt. This man, who had once seemed cold and hard to me, now appeared steadfast, compassionate, and a piece of me was reflected in his eyes.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked, ignoring the desire to kiss him. My father’s death was making me confused. It was making me feel things I shouldn’t be feeling.

“I have a backup plan if you’re up for it. Or, we can call this off and regroup.”

Morlet was the reason Papa was dead. I wasn’t going to sit around crying. It was time to end this. “I want to tear the king apart.” Anger was easier to deal with than pain.

“In order to do that, you must free the Krigers. The edge of the capital is three blocks from here. We’ll need to make our way there so I can observe the castle grounds to determine the state of things.”

“Then let’s get to it.” If I saw Morlet tonight, I’d kill him. Gripping my bo staff, I was ready to face my destiny.





Chapter Twenty-One


I hid in the shadows while Anders easily scaled the building. When he reached the top, he laid on the roof, observing the castle. After several minutes, he came back down and joined me.

“There are soldats on patrol,” he whispered. “Fewer than usual. The grounds are dark, so it’s feasible to avoid them.”

“What exactly is this backup plan of yours?”

“That we go through the main gate and to the front door.”

“What?” I asked in disbelief. “Do you want to be captured?”

Anders’s eyes narrowed. “No, of course not. What I’m thinking is that the safest route is the one Morlet least expects.”

I held the bo staff between my hands, squeezing it. Anders wanted to walk right in the front door. The idea seemed crazy, absurd, and maybe, just maybe, it would work. “Fine. We’ll do it your way. You obviously have more experience with this sort of thing.”

He rubbed his chin. “There’s another part to this idea,” he said. “But you’re not going to like it.”

“What is it?” I asked.

“Do you trust me?” he countered.

“Yes,” I replied without hesitating.

“Excellent. I’m taking you in as my prisoner.”