by A D Lombardo
“You mean I could do all that?” he asked excitedly.
Hesitantly she touched his hand. “I have to be honest. A few months ago, I would have said no because you are only a Half-Light. Now, I don’t know. You must learn to be in the moment, focus your emotions, and discipline your mind.” She turned her head to listen at the door before continuing.
“I am hoping eventually we can try reflecting on the past and help you see it more clearly. Tonight, we will start by learning how to be in the moment and free our minds—meditate.”
A little concerned, he raised his eyebrows. “You keep calling me that. What do you mean by Half-Light?”
She looked down at her hands. “Everything around us has energy, a light within. The Katori are naturally more connected to Alenga. We shine brighter. Your mother was Katori but given Iver is only part Katori through his great-great-grandmother, you will only ever be half as bright. Your gifts should be limited to speed and strength. Your bond to Smoke makes no sense to me. Changing your eye color and feeling the power in your mother’s crystal. None of this seems to fit with everything I have ever been taught.”
“You mean I could see beyond like you?” Kai zeroed in on the one idea.
Kendra patted his hand. “We have little time, let’s not get lost before we get started.”
“So, what do I need to do?” Kai relented.
Kendra looked straight ahead and closed her eyes. “You need to sit with your eyes closed and breathe normally. Relax, let everything from the day leave your mind and be right here, right now. Allow your mind to focus on your breath; where it starts in your body, how it feels going in and out of your lungs.”
Eyes closed he tried to focus and relax into the chair. In a much quieter voice, he heard her say, “Now focus on your inner self, go past your heart, deeper, connect to the spiritual energy within you—to your soul. Stay with the moment, let it build, like a light within your soul.”
Kai sat and tried to focus, but he felt and saw nothing. Frustrated, he squeezed the armrests on his chair. He huffed in frustration. Kendra touched his hand. “I know this is new and strange. You must give yourself time to relax. Expect nothing.”
“Why can’t I do this?” Kai agonized.
“Children are taught to meditate as early as five. Their minds take years to gain focus. The attention span of most people is limited. The undisciplined mind is lost. Distracted by the chaos of day-to-day life, silence scares them. You must break through the noise. Learn to find comfort in the stillness.”
“Do you think I can?” Kai asked.
“It doesn’t matter what I believe. Your mind is ripe for learning. Open yourself to Alenga. She offers the truth. Understand the essence of all life is fundamentally the same. The power of creation can be seen in its simplicity. Raw power can be redefined. We can evolve, become more.”
Lost by the depth of her words, Kai stared at her. She smiled. “This is a lot to learn, Kai. For now, sit with me in silence, slow your mind. Notice the clouds of each moment wash over you and let them drift away without allowing your emotions to take control.” Her voice softened as she spoke, and the tenderness in her tone soothed him.
He refocused on his breath and watched the day drift by as fading stills in his mind. When old memories pressed on him, he observed, but he did not embrace them. By returning to his breath, they passed over him. After a time, one eye peeked open, then the other. He watched Kendra. She sat peacefully with her hands in her lap, back straight, and faced forward.
Although he tried to remain still, he let his eyes wander around his room. Smoke’s feet twitched, and his wolf made bizarre noises as he dreamed happily near the balcony door. Kai imagined that his wolf was chasing something.
Still restless, he felt the pressure of sitting in one place. With a deep sigh, Kai shifted a little in his seat a few times. In a whisper, he asked. “How much longer do we sit here?”
She opened her eyes. “I suppose that is enough for tonight. We will practice again, I promise.” She placed her hand on his shoulder. “I need to go see how Nola is feeling.”
His mind reeling from the long day, he remembered that he wanted to explore the second passageway down the mysterious stairwell. Just as the night before, he grabbed the lamp and stood in front of the painting of Gianfranca. He felt for the latch behind the frame, released it, and heard a small click. He stepped back as the wall popped open. Curious, Smoke stood and approached. Smoke, stay, Kai thought. His wolf sat.
He stepped over the threshold into the narrow space. After one last look around his room, he pulled the panel closed and secured the latch. Again, he noticed the cold, coarse stone on his feet, unlike the soft carpet in his room or the smooth marble used throughout the palace. This must be part of the original castle of old. A secret place for spies, an escape route for royals.
With his lamp illuminating the dark passageway, he headed down the hall. This time when he reached the small opening, he went down the stairs. At the bottom, it switched back to the right to another set of narrow stairs continuing down.
At the bottom, he noticed a pile of large rocks blocking the path. He would have to remove those if he wanted to continue downward—but not tonight. Moving them could be noisy, and he would need the daily hustle and bustle of the palace to conceal the sound.
In the other direction, there was an angled wall narrowing the space in front of him. When he peered around the wall, he noticed a similar opening with a large indented panel. His lamp revealed the edge of a golden frame. Before he released the latch, he hesitated. He would need to learn to navigate these without the lamp; he could not risk spilling light into a dark room revealing the spy tunnels. He dimmed the light and left it in the space behind the angled wall.
Back behind the opening, he released the latch and stepped out to see which painting covered the passage. Moonlight poured in through the large windows of the library, filling the room, and he saw this painting was also his great-great grandmother. She was sitting under the great banyark tree in the gardens, reading a book.
Tall built-in bookshelves surrounded the panel around her portrait, and behind him, he saw the large red sofa and two brown reading chairs where he’d spent many an hour reading. Quickly he pressed the panel back into place and secured the latch.
This was fascinating—he’d never been in the library at night. He crept around the various tables and bookshelves, around Professor Greydon’s desk and the rows of smaller desks he and the others sat in for class each day. The room smelled of wood, old maps, and books.
Up and down the aisles, he ran his fingers over the spines of each book. Down the next aisle, his hand caught on a book that was slightly pulled out from the others. It knocked over with a thump into the empty space left by several other missing books before it ultimately fell to the floor with an even louder thud.
Startled, Kai bent down and grabbed the book, and as he stood back up, he found Riome standing before him. He let out a small squeal. Illuminated by the moonlight, Riome wore her usual all-black clothing, and her dark auburn hair now flowed freely about her shoulders. “Are you sleepwalking tonight, Kai?” she grilled.
“Umm, no Riome,” he responded with a bit of shakiness in his voice. “I didn’t see you there.”
“How did you get in here? I did not hear the doors to the library open. There’s no way you came in that way,” she probed, glaring at him with squinty eyes.
Cazier’s words filled his mind: information is power, keep your secrets close. He relaxed his face, hoping the shadows would hide any hint of deception in his answer. “Couldn’t sleep, I came to find a book. I hope I did not disturb you.”
If he ever intended to be a spy, he’d need to be able to convince people. He tried to sound carefree as he stepped away from her to a book covered table. “Please excuse me. I will head back to my room, have a good evening.” Without looking, he grabbed the top book and turned to smile back at her.
Although she seemed to accept his
response, she replaced her books in the empty space on the shelf and followed him. “I am finished for the night. I would be happy to walk you back to your room.” She motioned for him to take the lead. “After you.”
With her breathing down his neck, he walked in silence toward the doors—which he realized that he’d not be able to open quietly, just as she’d said. With a small sigh, he looked down at the book in his hands and realized he’d read the book already. Great!
“Ladies first,” he said, offering Riome a pursed smile as he motioned toward the door.
She offered no reaction. She merely pulled open the door, and to no one’s surprise, there was an ever so slight creak. Kai would have to talk with Dean Biorne, the palace carpenter, about fixing the squeak.
Once in the hallway, she pulled the door shut with a thud. Down the hall, one of the patrolling Mryken guard dogs turned and advanced on their position. Protectively Riome placed her arm in front of Kai, halting him. “Stand still and wait for him to register who we are—then he will turn and go. We’ve simply startled him.”
Kai was not worried. Grand Duke Dante Carmelo, head of palace security, socialized the royal family with the Mryken as pups to ensure they knew and protected them. Anyone allowed to reside within the palace, or the tower, were introduced to the adult dogs. Otherwise, they would be attacked on sight.
Unafraid, he remained calm. He knew the Mryken would sense him and return to patrolling the halls. He reached out his hand to assure Riome he was not afraid. She pushed his hand back. Out of the corner of his eye, Kai spotted another Mryken dog approach. His stride was quick, his hackles raised.
Instinctively, Kai sat and closed his eyes. He slowed his breathing and relaxed. He could feel the dogs heightened concern. The dogs were nearing their position. In a breath, Kai released a sense of peace. The connection between him and the Mryken was strong.
“What are you doing?” Riome whispered.
“Sit,” he whispered back, again instructing the dogs to relax with his mind.
Cautiously Riome sat beside him. The Mryken’s pace slowed. Their massive frame hovered over him. Kai opened his eyes, tilted his head to one side and extended his hand, palm up. The Mryken studied the pair. One sniffed Kai’s offered hand and nuzzled it with his nose.
Yates, the hall guard, came down the stairs. “Kai, you’re up late. Miss Riome, did you have business in the palace this evening?” Calmly he approached them, glanced at both dogs, and gave a quick whistle and click with his tongue. The dogs returned to patrolling the hallway.
The tension in Riome’s shoulders relaxed, and she stood to face the guard. “Thank you, Yates. I believe if the prince had been alone, they’d have ignored him; I think they perceived me as a threat to him. I was doing research in the library, and now I’m walking Kai back to his room.”
One eyebrow raised, Yates looked at Kai and then back at Riome. “Security is extremely tight with so many visitors in the palace. I will see him upstairs, thank you. Please return to the tower, Miss Riome,” Yates commanded.
“Thank you, I understand. Goodnight, Your Highness. I hope your book helps you sleep.” She bowed and left.
Relieved, Kai called out to her. “Goodnight Riome.” Then he silently climbed the stairwell with Yates. At the top, Kai saw Beck, the next guard, walking down the hall toward them. “Thank you, Yates. I am good from here,” Kai assured him. “Have a good night.”
With a nod, Yates turned and went back downstairs. Kai continued to his room alone. On his way, another Mryken approached, recognized him, and continued past.
Inside, he shut the door and leaned against it with a sigh. That was a close one. Tired, he climbed into bed, and that’s when it hit him. The lamp. It was still lit in the hidden passageway.
Eyes wide, Kai sat up straight. I cannot risk leaving an open flame in a dusty old hallway. He slipped out of bed, released the latch that secured the painting, and stepped into the secret passage.
Arms outstretched, he let his hand glide across the rough stone walls as he made his way downstairs in the dark. A small light illuminated the stairs as he got closer to the bottom, and he retrieved the lamp.
Relieved he turned, only to find Smoke standing behind him. “Smoke, what are you doing down here?” he said out loud. Smoke panted. Kai petted his wolf’s head. “Well, in all fairness, I didn’t tell you to stay.”
A sense of dread welled in his chest. He dashed back upstairs and through the opening. After Smoke stepped through, Kai pushed the painting into place and secured the pin in the latch. That’s when Kai heard Kendra clear her throat. Nearly dropping the lamp, he turned to see her sitting up on the edge of his bed.
Curiously she looked at him. “I wondered where you were. You mind telling me where that leads?” She gestured to the painting.
He was caught, no denying now. He hung his head down and pushed at the carpet with his toe. “Well, that all depends on which passageway you take. One leads to the Master General’s tower—you pop out behind another painting of a large ship, and the other leads downstairs to the library. You come out behind another picture of Gianfranca. You aren’t going to tell on me, are you? I didn’t hurt anything. Although I kind of almost got caught tonight in the library by Riome. She didn’t see me come through the passageway, but she saw me in the library. That’s why I had to go back into the tunnel to retrieve my lamp.” He babbled it all out so quickly he’d barely taken a breath.
Kendra seemed to be contemplating his question a little too long. But he waited. Finally, she spoke. “The palace is riddled with passages. How did I never notice before? I can only see them when I focus. Stone is much harder to see through.” She turned and tilted her head.
He too stared at the painting, now sitting beside her. “There are many large oversized paintings. Nearly one in every room. There are so many spy tunnels to explore. You know, there is a large painting in my dad’s study.”
Not surprised, Kendra responded, “You’re right.” She looked as if she’d found treasure and he didn’t understand why. She too seemed to realize she’d overstated her enthusiasm and her expression relaxed.
“You need to be more careful. Learn to listen before exiting, navigate without a lamp. This could be to your advantage to listen in on secret conversations or gain access to locked rooms. You cannot get caught. If you do get caught, act surprised, like you’d just discovered the tunnel. And no, I will not tell on you. I will keep your secret, as you’ve kept mine.”
She patted his leg and stood. “Everyone loves a mystery, Kai. This is yours. You will have to tell me how you make out finding other entrances and where you end up. Just be careful and never leave one open behind yourself again.”
Kendra squinted her eyes a bit and tilted her head. “If you end up in your father’s study, don’t linger there too long. That might not be a good place to get caught.”
Chapter 10
Spellbinding
Kai stepped into Lizzie’s kitchen and quickly caught sight of Dean, the palace carpenter, sharing his breakfast. “Good morning, Lizzie. Dean, you’re just the person I was hoping to find this morning.”
Dean’s eyes lit up behind his round spectacles. Finished with his last bite, he nodded. “Good morning, Your Highness. What can I do for you?”
As far as Kai was concerned, the man could design and build anything. “I was wondering, can you look at the library door? It seems to stick when you go to open it, and it makes a rather annoying squeak.”
“Certainly, I’ll see what I can do. It has been on my list, but we are all working on completing the new bakehouse, so I’ve been a bit preoccupied.” Dean reached into the pocket of his brown vest to retrieve his list. “Professor Greydon said that the doors stick, making it difficult for the younger children to open the large doors. Plus, we all know how he feels about unnecessary noises in his precious library.” Dean chuckled.
It seemed to Kai that Dean had been working on the bakehouse forever. “How much longer will it t
ake to complete it? It has been almost a year, what’s left?”
“Building with stone takes time, lad. It should be complete in the next few weeks. Most of what is left is finish work, building a mezzanine for supplies, installing shelves, hanging windows and making the doors. Plus, we have to finish the little adjoining home for the family.”
Kai tilted his head and squinted at Dean. “So why do we need a bakehouse again? Lizzie is the best baker in the world. Lizzie, you’re not leaving, are you?” Panic wavered in his voice as he consulted Dean.
“That’s my boy,” Lizzie winked at him. “Don’t you worry, I will teach them all your favorites. Honestly, it will make things easier on me in the mornings. We won’t have to get up so early to prepare the bread before starting on breakfast. We will also have more room in the pantry. All the baking supplies will now go to the bakehouse loft.”
“Not to mention, who doesn’t love a dedicated full-time baker?” said Dean, rubbing his chin. “It needs to be done before winter gets here, so the new family can get settled into palace life. They will be moving into the little adjoining house soon.” Dean tossed Lizzie a wave. “See you at lunch, dear. Kai, stop by and see our progress. I’ll check those library doors later today.”
“Thanks, Dean. Bye, Lizzie.” Kai headed to his room.
He wanted to spend the better part of his free day exploring the palace for more secret passageways behind large paintings—especially ones featuring other ancestors. He left Smoke in his room, grabbed a library book, and bounded down the stairs to the library.
Halfway down, servants slowed his progress. Hordes of staff carried tableware, flowers, and candles to decorate the great hall. Weaving his way through he reached the library entrance. Professor Greydon stood talking with Shannon at the opposite end of the hallway.