“Open your eyes. I have to see your eyes.”
Finally, I received an irritated look and a frown. “I’m fine, Asta. I just need a moment to collect my scrambled brains.”
I laughed, relief flooding through me. “I’m sorry about your leg. Does it hurt? Here, let me—”
Viggo caught my hands before I could touch the blade’s handle. “Enjoy your victory. I can take care of myself.”
I bit my lip, uncertain. He shoved me aside then. I was forced to stand or topple over, so I stood and faced my peers.
General Halvar rose, drawing all eyes to himself. The smile he gave made me shiver. “Well done, Isa. Well done indeed. Now, kill him.”
The rain beating against the stone was the only sound in the coliseum. If I looked around I knew I would see shock, horror, outrage, maybe even anger. They were the emotions that coursed through me. Worst of all was Viggo’s reaction. He pulled the dagger from his thigh and held it out to me without a word.
I gave him an incredulous look. “Have you lost your mind? I’m not going to kill you!”
“You must,” he rasped. “If you’re going to be the King’s Defender, he has to know you can kill.”
I looked up at King Torvald. His brow was wrinkled in skepticism, and his gaze shifted between me, Viggo, and General Halvar.
How could he send his feral dog of a general overseas to murder innocent people, but he can’t seem to stomach the thought of someone being slain in his presence? I thought with annoyance. Still, the king’s indecision was advantageous.
I took the dagger and leapt onto the first level of seating. My peers made space for my landing as I jumped from tier to tier. Finally, my soggy boots thudded against the cement floor before the general. I straightened and took a moment to catch my breath. He met my harsh gaze with a coolness that told me his anger was bubbling just below the surface. There was a time when such a look would have made me cower and retreat. There was a time when pain would follow the giving of that expression. Even after all this time, fear still threatened to paralyze me. I gritted my teeth and forced myself to meet his gaze.
I’m not his prisoner anymore. I’m not the helpless damsel he stole from Kenshore and dragged across the sea. I will never be afraid of him again.
I walked around the general and knelt before the king.
“What are you doing?” the director asked. “You don’t have permission to—”
I addressed the king’s boots. “My lord, this academy has taught me every possible way to kill a man. I’m quick, resourceful, and efficient. Ask any of my peers. But that man in the pit is my friend. He has trained alongside me this year. Above all else, he’s innocent. I won’t… I refuse to slay him for General Halvar’s entertainment.”
I looked into the eyes of the king, and was shocked to see kindness. Such a fierce kindness I hadn’t seen since Bryn had tended to my injuries.
“I won’t force you to murder your friend,” he said, his voice soft as velvet.
“Sire,” the general said. “She has disobeyed orders. She must be punished.”
“Ten lashings with the cat-of-nine-tails should teach her some respect,” Director Endre said, eager to please.
The king rose. “If she is to be my Defender, she will follow orders from me, Halvar.”
The general’s jaw clenched. He bowed stiffly and said, “Yes, sire.”
It was almost too perfect. I had a dagger in my hand and the two men responsible for the destruction of my town standing before me. I glanced at the guards at the door. I would have approximately ten seconds to act before they could apprehend me. I glanced at the director. He was closer. He would be the one to kill me.
Fear pricked my chest, and the anger and grief I felt over my family were momentarily cast aside. When had I come to fear death? Hadn’t I wished it at one point? Gripping the dagger more tightly, I knew I should strike now. When would I have such an opportunity again? The king stood before me, and the general was still bowing… But in the end, I would only have time to strike down one enemy and I couldn’t force myself to choose.
King Torvald’s face softened when he looked at me again. “Rise a Defender.”
I did. The director handed me a plaque with the academy’s crest—a sword piercing a round shield with an eagle perched on top. I reached out to take it as if in a daze. It was cold to the touch. I looked up at the director when he refused to release it.
“Do you swear on your life and your honor to protect His Majesty the King?” Director Endre asked somewhat grimly.
I opened my mouth to speak, but paused, eyes flickering to Torvald. He stood patiently and watched the exchange, hands clasped before him. He seemed… happy. For me or for himself, I couldn’t tell.
“Do you swear on Dotharr’s great name that you will think of the king’s best interests at all times?” the director asked before I could reply. “That you will behave yourself with the utmost efficiency, decency, and respect that is befitting a servant of our nation’s leader?”
I tore my gaze away from the king. “I—”
“And do you swear by the skies themselves that no matter what forces threaten you or what circumstance you find yourself in, you will defend the king until your final breath?” Director Endre demanded. “Do you so swear?”
I swallowed hard and stared down at my shiny plaque. I gripped it until my fingers hurt. “I so swear.”
Finally satisfied, Endre released the plaque. “Then as the director of this fine institution, I declare you top graduate and King’s Defender. You are free to leave and begin your new life. Make us proud, Isa.” He clapped me on the back.
“Do excuse me,” I said before the king could speak. “I must tend to my friend.”
The king nodded. “The general and I have some business to discuss with the director, but I’ll send my chauffeur to your living quarters. He’ll take you to the royal hill when you’re ready.”
I bowed hastily and fled.
Chapter Ten
Despite his complaints, I followed Viggo to his room. I wasn’t convinced he was completely well. He ran a hand over his face and flinched, as if he were only now remembering he had attempted to punch through my dagger.
“Does it hurt very much?” I couldn’t help but ask.
He gave me a dark look. “I’m fine. Will you stop hovering about like a concerned mother hen?”
I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorframe. “If I appear concerned it’s because most of the blood in the sand pit was yours.”
“Yes, and the vomit,” he murmured, riffling through his chest of drawers for some medicine.
It suddenly occurred to me that he was embarrassed. My mouth fell open. “Viggo, don’t be ashamed! You performed admirably.”
He snorted as he uncapped a jar of pale gray ointment. “I let you win.”
I scowled. “Don’t say that or I might believe you.”
Viggo dipped a finger into the jar and spread some of the foul-smelling potion on his injured hand. “And if it were true?”
“Then I would no longer respect you.”
“All right, Asta. Cool your temper.” He sighed, averting his gaze. “Despite both of us being nominees, there could be only one victor today. I decided it was going to be you.”
This was news to me. I assumed I’d been paired up with him because he was bigger, stronger, and better at grappling than most of the young men at the academy. “You were also a candidate for King’s Defender? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Defenders are chosen once a year,” Viggo said. “When I enrolled in the academy, I was convinced that I would be chosen. Then General Halvar brought in the first woman and outsider to be blessed by Dotharr, and suddenly the tides turned. Woman or not, you were still a miracle. You excelled despite everyone’s skepticism, and I hated you for that. Then Bryn ran away, left behind that damned note, and changed everything.”