Rise (16 page)

Taking a deep breath, I tied the vines around my waist, went to the hole, and slid onto my stomach.

“Okay,” I said, lowering my legs.

Vidar sat on the ground, grabbed the rope so it was taut, and propped his feet against the nearby trunk. He released small portions of the rope, lowering me into darkness. I prayed the vines were strong enough to hold my weight. My body jerked downward until my feet finally touched solid ground.

“I’m at the bottom!” I hollered up, untying the vines from my waist.

Vidar’s head poked over the edge. “I’ll be right here,” he called out. “Let me know if you need my help.”

There was just enough light from the opening above to see a couple of feet in each direction. Anders lay on the ground, his foot wedged in a crevice. I knelt by his side. “Are you okay?”

“I am. Just wish you didn’t have to see me like this.”

“Oh please,” I said, moving to the other side of him so my body didn’t block the light. “Do you have feeling in your leg?” It was twisted at an awkward angle.

“Yes,” he replied. “I tried wiggling my foot loose, but it won’t budge.”

“Maybe if we untie your boot, your foot will slip out?” I suggested.

He sighed. “I’m hot, and my feet are slightly swollen from walking. Perhaps once it’s night, the cool air will allow me to yank it free.”

“How’s it going?” Vidar yelled down.

“He’s okay! But his foot is stuck. We’re going to wait until it cools and then try wiggling it free.”

There was a pause before Vidar asked, “Do you need anything? Food? Water?”

Anders’s face was hidden among the shadows. However, he was breathing heavily and had to be thirsty. “Water please!” A few seconds later, a water sack landed a foot away.

“I have an idea,” Vidar said. “I’ll be back in a bit. Hold tight, it shouldn’t take me more than an hour or two.”

I handed Anders the water sack and he took it, drinking several gulps. “Does anything else hurt?” I asked, sitting near his head.

“I’m sore from the fall, but other than that, I’m perfectly fine.” He handed the water sack back to me. “You didn’t have to come down here. I’m capable of taking care of myself.”

“I know. Regardless, I’m here if you need me.” My eyes gradually adjusted to the dark cavern. After several quiet and uncomfortable minutes, I spoke again. “You didn’t fall into the crevice, did you?”

His eyes sliced over to mine. “What are you saying?”

“You must have gotten yourself stuck after you fell.”

He sighed. “Maybe.”

“So you fell into the cavern and then what? Stumbled into this crevice?” I chuckled.

“It’s not funny,” Anders said, his jaw tight.

“I’m sorry,” I said, trying not to laugh.

“If you must know, when I went to stand, my foot went into the crevice and got wedged in.”

“You’re lucky you didn’t hit your head or break a leg.” I took a sip from the water sack. We sat in silence for several minutes, neither one of us speaking.

“Do you like him?” Anders asked, his voice softly echoing in the cavern.

“Do I like who?”

“Vidar,” Anders said, pushing himself to a sitting position.

I certainly enjoyed his company and felt an innate sense of trust with him. “Of course I like Vidar. He’s been nothing but kind to me.” Unlike Anders, who seemed to irritate me every chance he got.

The corners of Andres’s lips pulled up into a sly smile. “That’s not what I meant.”

I cocked my head. Was he asking if I had any sort of romantic feelings toward Vidar? “You can’t be serious. You must have hit your head when you fell.”

He held up his hands in surrender, laughing. “It’s just that wherever Vidar goes, he seems to acquire several female admirers. He is very good at flattery. I thought perhaps you’d fallen for his antics.”

Vidar certainly was appealing, and at first, I did think of him that way. But after I got to know him, all I felt for him was friendship. And I was certain, beyond a doubt, that was all he felt for me, too.

“Just because I’m young and haven’t been courted, doesn’t mean I’ll fall for the first man who flirts with me.”

“You’ve never been courted?” Anders raised his eyebrows. “I find that hard to believe.”

I whacked his arm. “Don’t tease me,” I said, desperate to change the subject. “Now that you know something personal about me, why don’t you tell me something about yourself?”

“There’s nothing to tell.” He looked away from me.

“In case you haven’t noticed,” I said, resting my arms on my knees, “we’re stuck here. You’re going to need my help to get your foot out of that crevice. I suggest you tell me something worthwhile for my trouble.”

“I don’t like talking about myself.”

“You don’t trust many people, do you?”

“No,” he muttered.

Why did I care about this man? If he didn’t want to talk or share his life with me, he didn’t have to.

He tilted his head toward me and our eyes locked. My heartbeat sped up under his scrutiny. “My life before Vidar was a nightmare. Talking about it only makes me relive that time in my life. I was forced to become a monster and commit such atrocious crimes it makes me sick.”

I glanced away, unable to take his piercing gaze. “I didn’t realize.”

“Of course not. You had a loving father raise you, not a sadistic man who only saw you as a piece of property—something he could make money from.”

Mustering the courage to peer into his glassy eyes, I said, “If you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.” I patted his shoulder and then scooted away so he’d know I didn’t plan to push the matter any further.

“I’ll make a deal with you,” he said with a devious smile. “If you pass the trials and receive your weapon, I’ll answer
one
question.”

The awkward tension faded away. “Any question?”

He nodded.

“Then be prepared, because it’s not
if
I pass, but
when
.”

“Watch out!” Vidar yelled as he lowered something through the hole. I reached for the basket woven from leaves and twigs, releasing it from the vine rope. Inside was some sort of thick, gooey paste.

“Smear it all over his boot,” Vidar instructed. “It should enable him to shimmy free.”

I was about to ask what the substance was when Anders said, “You don’t want to know.”

Snapping my mouth shut, I knelt near his foot. Lifting two fingers, I prepared to scoop the goo when Anders swiftly sat up and grabbed my hand. “Don’t touch that stuff,” he said, squeezing my fingers. “There’s probably a leaf or something to use so it doesn’t come into contact with your skin.”

There was a large, green leaf attached to the side of the basket. Wrapping it around my fingers, I mumbled, “Here goes nothing.” I scooped up a glob of the substance and smeared it all over Anders’s boot. “This stuff smells like a rotten body.”

“You’re not far off,” he responded. “My boot is going to permanently stink.”

“See if you can wiggle it free.”

“It’s moving a little bit, but not enough.”

Scooping up more of the goo, I rubbed the pungent-smelling stuff on his boot. “What about now?”

Anders jiggled his leg, trying to free his foot. His face turned red.

“Are you hurt?” I asked.

“I’m fine,” he replied, not meeting my eyes.

Throwing the leaf on the ground, I sat next to him, taking his hand in mine. He didn’t pull away. “Please be honest with me. Did you injure your foot when it got wedged in the crevice?”

He leaned back, lying on the ground, his hand still clasped with mine. “I think my ankle is sprained.”

No wonder he couldn’t get it out; it was probably swollen. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because it’s not important.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “Listen, you need to get yourself out of here.”

There was no way I was going to leave him.

“Kaia,” he whispered, “it’s almost nighttime. You need the protection of Vidar’s necklace.” His face had a few days’ worth of stubble. “I’m sure my foot will be able to slip out once the swelling decreases.” He squeezed my hand.

“Let’s try one more time.” Releasing his hand, I grabbed his calf and pulled. His boot didn’t budge. Perhaps if I were positioned above him, instead of on his side, the angle would be more conducive to freeing him. Swinging my leg over to straddle him, I placed my hands below his knee, yanking upward.

Anders grunted, and his boot came free. I fell backward, landing on top of his stomach. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me in place so I didn’t topple to the rocky ground. “Are you okay?” he asked, his voice right next to my ear, sending shivers down my spine. He slid his hands to my hips, and my heart hammered. We were too close. I nodded, and he released me.

Standing, I was unable to meet his brown eyes as I yelled up to Vidar, letting him know Anders was free. The vine rope dropped down.

Anders got to his feet and hobbled over. “Let’s attach this to you.”

“No, you first.” I grabbed the vines and handed them to him.

“You will not stay down here alone,” he said. “You will go first.”

“You’re the one who’s injured,” I argued. “And I’ll only be alone for a moment.”

“Will you two stop bickering like an old married couple?” Vidar yelled. “Kaia, grab hold, I’m pulling you up.”

These two men drove me nuts with their overprotectiveness. Anders wrapped the vines around my waist and securely tied them. I attempted to undo the knot, but he shouted to Vidar who immediately started hoisting me up.

“I’ll get you back for this!” I said to Anders.

He smiled. “I sincerely hope so.”

Vidar had lined the hole with large, green leaves so when he pulled me up, the vines didn’t fray or break. Once I was safely out, he threw the rope down to Anders. After he was out, we decided to head to the nearest cave for the night. Unfortunately, Anders’s ankle was sore and swollen. He had to wrap his arm around Vidar for support.

I led the way, careful to stay acutely aware of my hands. If there was any sort of pain, no matter how minor, I steered us in another direction in order to avoid potential danger. Once we reached the cave, I remained with Anders while Vidar left to gather firewood.

Anders slid to the ground and removed his boots. I handed him the water sack. When he was distracted drinking, I gently touched his ankle to see if it was broken.

“What are you doing?” he asked, yanking his foot away.

“Investigating.” I grabbed his foot and laid it on my lap. “Stay still so I don’t accidentally hurt you.”

He grunted but complied. I carefully removed his sock, exposing a very swollen and bruised ankle.

Vidar returned, dropping a large pile of branches on the ground. “How does it look?”

“I need catnip and sage.”

“Glad someone knows what they’re doing,” he replied. “I’ll be back as soon as I have them.” He ducked out of the cave.

“What do you know about catnip and sage?” Anders asked. “You’re from the city.”

His intense scrutiny made me uncomfortable. “Catnip reduces swelling and sage reduces inflammation. I’ve tended to my father’s wounds more than once.” Since Papa was a guard in the mines, he often came home with a swollen eye or bruised ribs from a scuffle.

Anders’s face remained unreadable. Reaching for his sack, I pulled out a blanket, folded it in half, and shoved it under his ankle so his foot was propped up. “Do you need anything else?”

“No. You’ve already done more than enough.”

“Friends help friends.” I shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t have many friends.”

“Me neither,” I whispered, fidgeting with the end of my sleeve.

“When I was a slave, I had friends.” Anders’s voice was soft, barely audible. I remained quiet, hoping he’d share more about his childhood. “One day, my best friend’s shoes were stolen. He saw a fellow slave wearing them, and when he asked for them back, the kid started punching my friend. I jumped in and defended him. We got the shoes back.” A ghost of a smile flitted across his face.

“Unfortunately, our fight had been witnessed by my master who knew the value of someone with my skills. He sold me later that day to an assassin. I never saw my friend, or my family, again. All because I helped someone.

“The assassin took me far away. I spent years training, honing my skills, learning hundreds of ways to kill or maim a man in less than twenty seconds. I studied poisons, weapons, and human anatomy. My value lay in my ability to kill from the shadows, unseen. I was taught to never trust anyone. And that is what has kept me alive.” He leaned his head back against the wall of the cave.

“My father taught me the same thing,” I whispered. “About not trusting anyone.” I didn’t realize how much we had in common. “But you trust Vidar.”

“I do.”

“And I trust you.” The weight of my words hung heavy in the air. He tilted his head, and our eyes met. My heart pounded in my chest. I wanted to say more, but couldn’t find the right words.

Vidar entered, and I jerked back, away from Anders.

“I have the items you requested,” Vidar said. He handed them to me, and I quickly got to work. If he noticed the awkward tension between Anders and me, he had the decency not to say anything.

After we ate, Anders nodded off to sleep. Vidar arranged his bedroll near the fire. “I don’t know about you,” he softly said, “but I’m not tired.”

“Me neither.” My conversation with Anders was still fresh in my mind.

Vidar pulled out a stack of cards. “Want to play?”

“Yes.” A game of cards sounded like fun, and it would be a nice distraction from thoughts of the sleeping assassin.

Vidar dealt us each five cards. “It has been quite an eventful day.”

We must be playing Stolen Moons. It was a game I knew well. I put one down and drew another from the stack. “Yes,” I replied. “It has.”

Vidar laid two cards down and picked up one more. Anders’s eyes were still closed, his breathing steady. I discarded another card. Vidar didn’t have anything to play, so he was forced to draw five.

I had three moons and was ready to reveal my winning hand. “What are we playing for?”

He fought a smile. “I assume you have a good hand?” I didn’t answer. “How about we play for information?”