Conquering Fate Read online

  I tried not to laugh. Whenever the two of us sparred, it never ended well for Henrik. While he had brute strength on his side, he lacked my quick reflexes and training, compliments of my father. I sucked in a deep breath. My father’s death was still too painful to think about around others. At night, alone in bed, the memories of my father plunging the knife into his chest and killing himself in order for me to escape the underground tunnels and rescue the Krigers overwhelmed me.

  “Are you okay?” Henrik asked. He paused his advance and looked intently at me.

  Not wanting to talk about it, I decided to attack when Henrik least expected it. I spun and kicked his chest. He barely moved, but the corners of his mouth curled into a smile. I ducked, knowing he’d try wrapping his beefy arms around me. He missed and I felt a gush of wind above my head. Twisting, I flung my legs between his, tripping him. When he fell to the ground, I grabbed his arm, yanking it until he conceded the match.

  “It’s not right,” he grumbled as he got to his feet. “One of these days, I’ll win. Mark my words.”

  Damaris came over. “Henrik, Stein is looking for you. It’s your patrol time.”

  Henrik grumbled some more as he lumbered away. I chuckled, folding my arms across my chest. Most of the Krigers were here in the small clearing sparring with one another.

  “It’s good to see you smile,” Damaris said, standing at my side. “It appears the Krigers are getting stronger.” She waved her hand toward everyone.

  It was true. Now that the Krigers had been out of the dungeon, eating, sleeping, and exercising regularly, they were getting stronger. “Unfortunately, we still have trouble controlling our powers,” I said.

  “Vidar told me.”

  “What exactly did he say?” I chewed on my bottom lip, waiting for her to respond. Was it that I was too weak? That he feared I had a soft spot for Morlet?

  “When the Krigers direct their power to you, it is a lot to harness,” she said. “Especially if you’ve never felt that sort of magic before.”

  “But I was born to do this. Shouldn’t it come naturally to me?”

  “Did fighting come naturally to you?”

  “No. My father trained me for years.”

  Damaris smiled. “You once insisted I learn how to defend myself. You taught me to fight. Now, let me return the favor. Let me train you to use your power.”

  Something within me responded, urging me to trust her.

  She must have seen the answer written on my face. “Good. Then let’s begin.”

  “Right now?”

  “Aren’t you anxious to end the curse?” she asked.

  I was, but that didn’t mean I was ready to do it. I felt unprepared, inadequate. This was too important to rush into.

  “If I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t be here with you.”

  I rubbed my eyes, tired from not sleeping at night and the continuous physical training during the day. “Okay,” I agreed. “Tell me what to do so I can destroy Morlet and end the curse.”

  Damaris squeezed my hand. “Keep that attitude and you’ll have no problem controlling your power and beating the king.”

  While I didn’t share her enthusiasm, I took comfort in having her here working with me. When I was around Damaris, something inside of me felt calmer and I could focus better.

  “You’re the only Kriger who can use your power without your weapon, right?” she asked.

  “Yes.” I closed my eyes. A hundred years ago, before Prince Espen became Morlet, he’d been a nineteen-year-old man who had fallen in love with a commoner, my great-great grandmother, Linnea. When his mother, the queen, banned a union between them, they ran away and had the misfortune of meeting the previous Skog Heks, the evil witch of Nelebek. Skog Heks fooled them by offering them aid, and instead hired an assassin—Anders—to murder the royal family so she could rule through Prince Espen by controlling his body. Her plans didn’t unfold as she’d intended.

  Since Skog Heks violated the treaty by having the king and queen killed, her magic left her and transferred to Prince Espen, turning him into Morlet. To counter what was done, the previous Grei Heks created the Krigers, twelve human warriors who could wield her magic when linked together so they could destroy Morlet. Linnea, Espen’s true love, had been the first Kriger.

  I opened my eyes. “I can access my power without my weapon, but it isn’t as strong as it is with my bo staff.”

  “Heks do not require weapons. Our magic lives within us. So does yours. I believe your weapon simply acts as a conduit for your power.”

  I remembered that Heks had blue blood. Did their magic live within their blood? Why were the Krigers different? Was it because we were human? “The previous Grei Heks told me the Krigers’ weapons are infused with power.”

  Damaris froze, her eyes glazing over. After a moment, she relaxed. “Yes, they have her magic in them, which is how Grei Heks depleted her magic. Casting the curse and creating the Krigers took everything from her.”

  “Why do I have some magic in me but the other Krigers don’t?” Simply because of Linnea? Or was there more to it than that?

  “You’ve seen Morlet use his magic.” She pulled her blonde hair to the side, braiding it.

  “Yes. It’s immense and powerful. It scares me.” I’d seen him do evil things like burn people alive with his magic. But he’d also healed me and even loaned a sliver of it to me at one point. It was dark and evil. I didn’t know how he lived with it.

  “The twelve Krigers together have the same amount of magic Morlet has.”

  That was why when the twelve of us joined together, we could defeat him.

  “You are different because you will be the one who controls the power,” she explained.

  “Is that why you said it had to be me?” Was this the reason I was the one destined to kill Morlet?

  “Yes. You will take power from your fellow Krigers, harness it, and use it to kill the king. The only reason you can do that is because you have some magic inside of you.”

  Whenever I was with my fellow Krigers and we linked our powers together, I couldn’t control it. It felt too wild and unstable, like it controlled me instead. “When we tried yesterday, something strange happened.” How could I explain that the magic in the world called to me? And that the magic felt inherently evil?

  “The magic knows you’re here,” Damaris whispered. “It’s trying to consume you. You can use this to your advantage. You can use the magic to do your bidding.”

  “I don’t understand. Haven’t I been using it?” I could send my power out to sense where other people were. I could use it to connect to them. I could even kill with it.

  “You only call the magic within you.” She took my hands, holding them tightly. “Heks use the magic from within the world. Maybe you can call on that magic and it will respond. If you do, you will have infinite power.”

  I pulled my hands away, not liking what she had to say. The magic within the world was unpredictable and untamed. It felt dangerous. If I allowed it to enter me, it would alter me.

  “You must learn to master it,” Damaris said. “Then, and only then, will you be able to defeat Morlet. Let me teach you. I can show you the way.”

  Feelings of safety, trust, and friendship flooded into me. “Okay,” I said before I could change my mind. “Show me how to control the magic.”

  I entered the sitting room located in the largest structure among the treetops. The cozy room was complete with couches, low tables, and tons of books. The adjacent room served as the kitchen. I still marveled that Vidar and Anders had managed to build such an elaborate treehouse with so many amenities. I plopped on the couch between Henrik’s large body and Stein’s lanky frame. All of the Krigers and Anders had assembled here per Vidar’s request.

  “How long has he been pacing like this?” I asked. Vidar held a piece of paper in his hand as he walked back and forth in front of the low burning fire in the hearth, not acknowledging any of us.

  “
A good ten minutes,” Stein answered. “Whatever he has to say can’t be good.”

  Anders stood in the doorway to the kitchen, sharpening one of his knives. Henrik nudged me. “What’s going on between the two of you?” he asked.

  “Later,” I mumbled, not wanting to discuss the matter with my fellow Krigers sitting so close. Out of everyone here, Henrik and Stein were my dearest friends. They treated me like a little sister, and I considered them the brothers I’d never had.

  “If Anders did something to hurt you, I’ll wallop his arse,” Henrik stated, wrapping his arm around my shoulders.

  Stein snorted. “She doesn’t need you to protect her, you big oaf. Besides, Anders is an assassin and could kill you with one look. You don’t stand a chance against him.”

  Henrik huffed but didn’t reply.

  “Anders didn’t do anything,” I insisted. “There’s just a lot on my mind right now.”

  Both men squirmed in their seats, probably recalling the fact that I had to conceive Morlet’s child. Since I’d told the Krigers that element of the curse last week, not a single one had spoken to me about it. Embarrassed, I picked at my thumbnail, not wanting them to think any less of me for what I had to do.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” Stein asked, peering into my eyes. His dark blond hair hung just past his shoulders making his face look even longer.

  I nodded, unable to speak.

  Vidar finally stopped pacing. “The king’s counting house was robbed.” He crumbled the paper into a ball.

  “What does that have to do with us?” Marius asked.

  “A handful of rebels were caught with the money,” Vidar explained, tossing the paper from one hand to the other. “They’ve been imprisoned. Morlet has scheduled for them to be executed in four days.”

  Dread filled me. The rebels aided our cause and had been instrumental in helping me flee the capital after Morlet captured me.

  “We have to stop it,” Henrik replied.

  “We can’t,” Vidar said, throwing the paper ball into the fire. “That’s what he wants.”

  The Krigers started arguing. Many of them were good friends with the rebels.

  Anders pushed off the doorframe and came to stand alongside Vidar. “He’s right. Morlet is setting a trap, and the prisoners are the bait.” He tucked his dagger in his waistband.

  I shook my head. Anders was wrong. Morlet wasn’t trying to lure the Krigers to him, he was luring Vidar and Anders. The last time the king had communicated with me through a dream state, he’d told me that he would choose a time and place for us to conceive the child, and that he wanted Vidar and Anders there in some capacity. His words still haunted me. There must be love between the two of us for a child to be created.

  “I agree,” Jorgen said, pulling me from my thoughts. “We can’t fall for his antics.”

  “But we can’t let the rebels die,” Gunner said.

  “I’ll find a way to help them without involving the Krigers,” Vidar insisted.

  “How?” Henrik asked, folding his large arms across his chest.

  Vidar and Anders exchanged a brief glance, and terror took root inside of me. They were going to go to try and save the rebels themselves, exactly as Morlet wanted.

  “The two of you can’t go alone,” I said. “You need me.” Now that I had my bo staff back, my power could be instrumental in helping save the men. And there was no way Morlet would harm me.

  Anders shook his head. “It’s too dangerous.” I opened my mouth to object, but Anders continued, “Vidar and I leave tonight. The twelve of you will stay here where it’s safe.”

  “Dismissed,” Vidar said. The two of them hastily left the room, not stopping to speak to any of us. The Krigers started leaving, some to spar, others to take up watch, and a few to rest.

  “I’m going to talk to Vidar,” I said, jumping to my feet.

  “No you don’t.” Henrik grabbed my arm. “Now that you’ve broken off your engagement to him, you’re a regular citizen like the rest of us. You don’t get to make the decisions anymore. That’s for Vidar, our future king.”

  “He’s right,” Stein added. “You obey the orders, and you don’t argue.”

  “But I don’t agree with what they’re going to do,” I replied. “I have a right to express my opinion.”

  “It doesn’t matter whether or not you agree.” Stein stood and placed his hands on my shoulders. “If you want to lead, make decisions, and be involved, then you should have maintained the engagement so you would become queen.”

  Our eyes locked. I didn’t know what to say to him. His words were like a knife cutting me open.

  “You would have made a great queen,” Henrik wistfully added.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m not a fancy-dress sort of girl.” The three of us were alone in the room, the fire crackling in the hearth.

  Stein’s arms dropped from my shoulders. “Who said that’s the type of queen you’d have to be?” he asked.

  I shrugged. That was how all the queens were in the books I’d read as a child. “Do the two of you want me as your queen?” It was hard for me to even say the word queen. I wanted no part of the title.

  “That is something only you can decide,” Stein answered.

  “All this talking is making me hungry,” Henrik said. “Let’s go eat.” He stood and took my hand, pulling me along after him.

  2

  I stood on one of the bridges watching Vidar and Anders hike into the forest as the sun descended. Marius hovered near the ladder attached to the tree—probably to make sure I didn’t sneak off after them. Henrik and Stein seemed to be eyeing me as well. Not that I could blame them. Vidar had probably given them orders to make sure I remained here where it was safe. But no one needed to worry. As much as I wanted to go with them I had no intentions of doing so.

  When Vidar and Anders were no longer in sight, I went to my room. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I opened the book The Order of the Krigers and started searching through it to see if any of the previous Krigers mentioned nightmares or vivid, recurring dreams. Something—anything—that could explain what was happening to me when I closed my eyes at night.

  I turned the pages, looking for answers. I came across a page I’d read before. My fingers traced over the faded words as I reread them:

  A thousand years ago, this land was ruled by Heks, beings able to pull magic from the center of the world. Humans came from warring countries seeking peace. But they didn’t ask permission to settle here. They took what they wanted thinking the Heks didn’t matter.

  Great battles between the two groups ensued. Even though Heks had immense magic, they were not immune to the humans’ diseases, and many died. As the Heks’ numbers decreased, so did their control over the land.

  After years of fighting, the two sides finally came to a truce. The leaders of the Heks and the humans signed a peace treaty. The humans set up a monarchy in each of the twelve kingdoms and Heks were assigned to each region to work in conjunction with the king and queen of each kingdom. They held power equally and had to agree on all major decisions. Over the years, the Heks continued to die from the humans’ diseases, and no new Heks were born. They became increasingly valuable for their powers. The balance of power slowly shifted.

  Damaris entered the room, gently closing the door behind her. Her hair was wet and she smelled of soap. “Is everything all right?” she asked.

  I nodded, turning the page.

  “You know,” she said, sitting on the edge of the bed next to me, “I can probably answer any questions you have.”

  I still had trouble remembering she was the new good witch of Nelebek, granted the title of the head Grei Heks. Of course, we only had one Grei Heks. When the previous one died, Damaris had been pulled into our kingdom in order to restore balance between good and evil—at least that was the story she’d told me. I closed the book and looked up into her dark eyes.

  “What are the terms of the treaty?” I asked.

&nb
sp; “They are quite simple. In each of the twelve kingdoms, the king and queen must work with the head Grei Heks and Skog Heks of that kingdom. We must agree on all major decisions.”

  “And if you don’t?”

  She smiled. “The magic won’t allow either party to proceed without the other party’s permission.”

  I mulled over that. “Why is it set up this way?”

  “So we hold power equally and one race isn’t oppressed by the other, at least in theory.” Her voice had a hard edge to it.

  “Heks can’t harm royalty?” I confirmed.

  “And vice versa.”

  “What are the consequences if this part of the treaty is broken?”

  Damaris shrugged.

  “You don’t know?” I asked in disbelief. How was that possible?

  “It depends. You learned what happened when Skog Heks hired Anders and tried to rule through Espen. Skog Heks lost her magic. We don’t know exactly what will happen because each case is different, and the magic responds accordingly.”

  “What about if a member of the royal family harms a ruling Heks?” I asked.

  “In one kingdom, the king burned in a magical fire for fifty years while the royal line shifted to another family—one that he despised.”

  “So the punishment depends on the person and the crime?”

  “Exactly,” she answered.

  Since she was being forthcoming with information, I asked, “How do you have the previous Grei Heks’s memories?”

  “To understand, you have to acknowledge that Heks are not human. Our minds do not function like yours do. The magic in this world connects Heks together and allows me to know and understand the past.”

  Damaris looked so human that I often forgot she wasn’t. “I know no new Heks have been born in a long time,” I said. “Obviously, you don’t procreate like we do.” She nodded. “So…how do you reproduce?” I pulled the ends of my shirtsleeves over my hands, waiting for her to answer.