Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3)

by A D Lombardo

  Frustrated, he darted ahead of her. Find me, mother, he called to her. Find me in the maze. He thought of Diu and the garden maze. The pink and white flowers she sprinkled down on him. The sunshine on his face and the wind in her hair. He turned and darted around her, bumping her with his wing. She darted after him.

  He angled to the surface and burst into the air. Dragon Spine Island was a speck in the distance. She was right behind him in the air. He dove back down. Back and forth they swam. He bumped her, she tapped him. He laughed in his mind and thought of her face. Come find me, mother, he called once more.

  He looped around his mother’s manta ray form and tapped her again. Her smile beamed in his mind. She flew out of the water over him. Chasing after her, he soared out of the sea. They were on target; the island was dead ahead. Darting around her into the darkness, he took a chance.

  He coiled inward and let go of the thread that created his manta ray form. His body shrank. The wings and tail disappeared; his head, arms, legs, and torso reformed. The two glowing necklaces dangled about his neck. Deep below the surface, he floated. Holding his breath, he waited for her. His legs kicked slowly to keep him in place.

  She charged through the fathoms. He saw the speck of white from the underside of her wings. She zipped right and left. He called again. Mother, come back to me. She slowed. Her massive form got larger as she neared. Eyes on him, she circled. Kai held out his hand. She swam closer. He waited. Once around, she tapped him on the head. The second time around, she brushed his hand with her wing. He called again. Remember me.

  The massive manta ray stopped in front of him. Its one beady black eye sparkled with recognition. Her wing touched her glowing crystal, which hung around his neck. A burst of light emanated around her. The manta ray’s body shrank. The tail receded. Mariana’s form returned. They floated below the surface, face to face. They were together again. He held out his hand. He was close enough to touch her, but he waited.

  Mariana looked at him, at his hand. Her hand drifted up next to his. She tilted her head. Their fingers touched. Sadness consumed her expression, and she pulled him into her arms. He grabbed her with all his might and squeezed tight for fear she might disappear. Her body went limp. Kai kicked for the surface. He held his mother in his arms.

  Their faces broke through the surface. He gasped for air. Dark waves rolled. He shouted, “Ryker, help us!”

  All he saw was water. Desperate, he tried to keep his mother’s face above the waves. He kicked his legs and paddled with his free arm to keep them afloat. The circular motion was daunting. Saltwater splashed at his face.

  Behind him, he heard a return call. Over his shoulder, he saw Lucca and Ryker running through knee-deep water around the sandbar. A white sail billowed behind them in the wind. Liam, Yulia, and Basil hopped from their boat. Kai kicked hard to reach the shallows. Ryker pulled Mariana from Kai’s grasp and heaved her to shore. She coughed out water and slumped into the sand.

  Liam pulled Kai to his feet and helped him to shore. Exhausted, he fell beside his mother. He pulled her close, her frail body lay motionless in his arms. His entire life changed the day she left. Her return would alter it again, of that he was sure.

  Lucca knelt beside them. Sand clung to Mariana’s pale face and long brown hair. Gently his grandfather tried to wipe it away. “You should not have brought her back, Kai. She may never wake up. I pray I am wrong.”

  Lucca’s words bounced off Kai's heart. He refused to accept that rescuing his mother was not part of Alenga’s plan. He even pushed away any worry about Keegan and if he might return. For now, he had everything he ever wanted, and that was enough.

  The rising sun washed over them all. Dragon Spine Island cradled them on its sandy shores, and the ocean licked at their heels. Kai lay in the wet sand, embracing his mother. He felt the culmination of a lifetime of struggle wash away in the waves.

  Next to him, Ryker held Mariana’s hand. It wasn’t hard to recognize the years of anguish on the man’s face. There was a never-ending love he carried and lifted Kai’s spirit. Rayna leaned into his side and let her head rest on his shoulder. Kai had so much to be thankful for, and he promised to hang onto it all.

  Lucca took a knee and touched his daughter’s hand as a tear slid down his cheek. “Alenga, I pray you can protect them all from what is coming next. Keegan is not finished.”

  Chapter 31

  Let There Be Light

  The boat ride was somber. There were few words to capture the emotions swarming around Kai. Staying by his mother’s side, he refused to let go of her. As the wind tousled his hair and waves bumped their vessel, his heart pounded with delight and sorrow. He felt the need to keep squeezing her hand, reaffirming his new reality. The fear she might disappear, or he might wake from a dream, made it difficult to look away.

  He wished she would wake up, but she lay silent, like a sleeping princess from a fairytale. A small part of him wondered if his grandfather was right. Had he made a mistake bringing her back? No matter how much he wanted to believe he was meant to save her, he had never seen her wake in his dreams.

  Rayna sat with Kai, her hand on his leg. Thankful for her support, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Kai wanted to ask her to heal the cuts on his mother, but she still bore a few pale pink scars from being burned alive in her tree. Marks, he hoped, could be treated by another Kodama.

  For now, he held on to them both. The memory of his dreams told him his mother should be healed in the sacred waters of Alenga’s cavern. He had to have faith and see this through.

  Across from him, Ryker also kept close to Mariana, occasionally stroking her hand. Ryker’s love for Mariana made Kai think of his father, Iver. Would his father ever be allowed to know his mother was alive? He shook away the answer he knew was true; they would never meet again.

  Basil kept watch over the dark waves behind their vessel. Lucca, however, hovered at a distance. His gaze drifted over Mariana and Kai, then around the horizon. He searched for lurking foes over every wave, and Kai felt the anxiety building in his grandfather. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it looked like the man was holding his breath the entire trip.

  Yulia mastered the wind and waves to speed their journey around the Mystic Islands. Kai was thankful when her tireless efforts brought them within view of the Katori mainland. Liam stood steadfast at the helm, guiding them to the pier on the pristine white beaches below the Kahoma city.

  Being a tribal chief gave Lucca little anonymity. His presence in Kahoma brought unwanted attention to their precious cargo. People flocked to the shore and whispered amongst themselves about the sleeping woman they carried across the sand. One word from Lucca and a man darted across the beach toward the white cliffs towering overhead.

  Ryker carried Mariana; his boots punched into the soft white sand. He stopped at the bottom of the stone staircase along the white cliffs, the crowd parted. When their group reached the top, a carriage was waiting for them.

  Wrapped in purple silks, Kai noticed a woman, a Weathervane, waiting for them near the carriage. She had short black hair, decorated with strands of white and purple crystals that trickled down to her exposed dark brown shoulders. Her regal appearance and wise expression were familiar to Kai, but he could not place her. She approached Lucca, and they whispered a few words.

  With the wave of her hand, a young girl at her side disappeared into the crowd. When she pressed her hands together and bowed to Mariana’s sleeping form, Kai knew where he’d met her—she was at his blessing. She was one of the unie—Wilda, he believed was her name.

  “Kai, good to see you again,” Wilda said as she approached. “Welcome to Kahoma City. Lucca informs me you plan to take your mother to the highlands. He says you found the lost Agora. Is it true?”

  What could he say? He knew what his dreams had told him. “Good to see you as well, Wilda. It is true—I have found Alenga’s Agora. Alenga directs me to reopen her cavern. I will follow her vision as I did in b
ringing my mother home.”

  The young woman returned with a bundle of white silks. Wilda nodded to Lucca and Kai. “May we care for her? We have silks to protect her on your travels back to Matoku. May we come with you?” she asked.

  The thought of an entourage did not set well with Kai. “Thank you, Wilda, for the silks, but I am not sure…”

  Lucca pressed a firm hand over Kai’s shoulder. “Wilda, we are honored by your request. If you could gather the elders from every tribe, I would appreciate them coming to Matoku. Give us time with Mariana alone, but we may need your strength if we hope to wake my daughter. I will come to the city when we need you.”

  Wilda gracefully bowed to Lucca. “As you wish, Chief Lucca. I will bring everyone together.”

  ◆◆◆

  Days of agonizingly slow travel along the road to Matoku had Kai bubbling with anticipation. He so desperately wanted to speak with his mother. He couldn’t decide what he would ask her first. Tears of sorrow and joy brimmed in his eyes, blurring his view of the landscape. He wiped his tears away before they could fall. Holding his chin high, he took a deep breath to cleanse his emotions from his throat.

  The fulfillment of Kai’s dream took them to Alenga’s cavern, tucked in the hills near the Matoku’s tribal city. Mariana’s motionless form lay wrapped in white silk in the back of a padded open carriage, drawn by two white horses. Off the main road, Ryker led them into the rolling hills. A babbling stream burbled along its bed, bubbling over rocks and branches. The sunlight danced on the ripples and beamed into Kai’s eyes. His hand rested on his mother, unwilling to leave her side.

  Everything in Katori had a delicate rhythm—Alenga’s presence flowed over the land. You only needed to be open to her energy. The closer they came to the barrier, the greater the power thrummed inside his soul. He looked to the others to see if they, too, felt her magic. A smile bloomed around Ryker’s lips—Kai knew that his friend felt at home here near Alenga’s cavern. Yulia and Liam focused ahead with no sign of recognition. Lucca’s head rose, and he turned to look at Kai.

  Lucca’s brown eyes narrowed on the waterfall in the distance. “Grandson, do you feel this place? You were right. There is great power here.”

  Kai sighed heavily. “Yes, grandfather, it is Alenga’s lost Agora.”

  “Have you been here before?” Lucca asked Kai.

  “I have.” Kai shook his head. “I dreamed of my mother in this place. Alenga bid me bring her here.”

  “This place is proof Alenga walked among us thousands of years ago.” Lucca glanced at Mariana and then to Kai. “I never thought I would see it with my own eyes. I can feel Alenga here like no other place in Katori. Our history says Alenga opened a portal to this world. It must have happened here on this hill—she walked our shores. Her love for this world created life itself.”

  In a soft tone, softened Basil asked. “How could we have let this place fade from our lives?”

  Lucca shook his head. “I don’t know.”

  Eavesdropping on their conversation, Yulia twisted around to face Kai; her knees pulled to her chest. “If that is true, there would be a great deal of power here. The chance of restoring Mariana might be possible.”

  “The cavern is rather amazing.” Kai shifted to extend his bent leg out straight beside his mother. “Damaged, but still impressive. The dome is no longer open to the sky. Maybe Liam can reopen it?” he suggested.

  Liam sat beside of Yulia, his legs dangling off the back of the carriage. “I would be honored to try.” He glanced back at Kai. “Knowing Alenga walked here, I am surprised there are no pilgrimages to this place.”

  Lucca’s wrinkled nose and creased brow conveyed a sense of confusion. “I really cannot say how we forgot this place.” He shook his head as if the truth would come to the surface if he could rattle it free. “There are stories about her time among our people, and legends of our future, but the location was all but forgotten. I know I have walked these hills, yet I never felt her power before. We have many tomes and maps of our civilization, and I know them all. There is no mention of this place. It is almost as though it was erased from our history.”

  The group fell silent. Each seemed to ponder the mystery around their discovery. The very possibility Alenga had erased her time among the Katori puzzled Kai. When their carriage pulled around the hillside, he took a breath and lightened his heart. They had made it.

  Water cascaded over the rocks above them. Alenga’s broken tree peeked through the green undergrowth on the hill. Ryker stopped their carriage and hopped from the seat to the ground, then approached the back. “Kai, I will stay with Mariana. Show Liam the Agora.”

  Behind the falls, Kai found the round stone door with the worn triquetra. Liam ran his fingers over the faded symbol, then let his hand sweep wide over the surface in a circling motion. Kai put his shoulder into it and shoved the stone. It started to shift, and Liam rested his hand on the door. “Allow me, Kai,” he patted Kai’s arm.

  Kai let the stone roll back into place. Liam touched the surface of the stone. Under his touch, it rolled open with ease and held its position. “It will remain open until I close it,” Liam assured Kai.

  Sunlight and water splashed into the opening. Yulia, Rayna, and Kai entered ahead of Basil, followed by Lucca and Liam. Once inside, Lucca illuminated the embedded crystals lodged into the walls. The room bloomed with a warm amber glow. Kai felt the power level rise, but it still felt stifled. There had to be more to give. The sealed dome above the pool blocked the sun that typically bathed an Agora.

  Liam circled the room, touching the walls, pillars, and ground. “It seems as though this structure sank into the ground.” He stopped at one wall and pressed both hands into the stone. “No—the ground washed over the land and covered it. There are many other structures buried in this direction—tree homes, windmills, gazebos, and remnants of a greenhouse. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear half a city rests within this hillside.”

  Yulia stepped up to the wall next to Liam. “Can you clear it away?” She asked.

  “Given enough time, certainly, but with more Stonekings, we could restore the hillside within a matter of days.”

  The vision from Alenga was specific; the Agora should be filled with light. “Liam, I must ask you to try and find a way to open the dome—without the river pouring inside.” He knew it was a lot to ask for his friend to move a river, but they needed sunlight. “Can you do it?” Kai pleaded.

  Liam narrowed his eyes. “Water from the river will need to be diverted, or it will rush into this room. I will clear most of the earth around the front and redirect the waterfall before I open the dome.”

  Basil stepped toward the pool and looked up. “Liam, is it safe for us to stay inside while you make these changes?”

  “The structure is sound, but it would be wise to come outside until I am finished.” Liam darted outside ahead of the others.

  Ryker waited near Mariana; her pale complexion was as white as the silk that cocooned her delicate frame. Waiting felt like an eternity to Kai. Each minute they stood in silence made him doubt his choices. Had he done the right thing, saving his mother and coming to this place? Only time would tell if she would ever wake or if his selfish act was for nothing.

  When the ground began to rumble, Kai watched dirt and pebbles flow down the hillside into an empty ravine. Each movement of Liam’s hands revealed new remnants of the ancient Agora’s pink stone structure. Its elaborate carvings peeked through various clumps of dirt and thick vines. The hillside fell away, revealing several marble statues, petrified dwarf trees, and the curvature of a decorative water fountain.

  Next, Liam directed the waterfall to flow into an exposed channel beside the Agora’s dirty-white pathways. The clean water washed away the debris and trickled through the winding canal.

  When Liam opened three of the five large stone archways leading into the Agora, Kai felt the barrier fall. Moments later, the center of the stone dome peeled open like an onio
n. As the hole grew, fresh air and dust illuminated sunlight poured flooded the space. Liam smiled at his handy work and motioned to the others to approach.

  Kai felt the Agora thrum with magic. Peering down into the sacred pool, he noticed a blue triquetra inlaid within the bottom began to glow. The air became thick with power. Ryker eased Mariana’s body into Kai’s arms—his mother felt frail and empty. The time had come to restore his mother. He sensed Alenga’s presence even before he stepped into the water. The lukewarm water felt silky against his skin. Minor scrapes and cuts healed as the water crept up his legs and torso.

  Mariana lay floating in the pool; Kai held her lightly above the surface. Her wounds beamed with light, muscle mass returned, and her thin, patchy hair regrew across her scalp. Kai watched his mother’s white skin regain its youthful pink glow.

  Alenga’s face bloomed beneath the water, and her hand wrapped around his leg. She tugged at his soul, and his spirit sank beneath the surface. “Kai, my Katori child. You have great courage and faith in the face of doubt. Hold onto your trust in me. You will need it a while longer. There are many trials ahead for you. I cannot reveal everything to you as the future is not set.”

  Amazed by the power bolstering his spirit form, he looked to see his mother’s spirit standing beside him in the water. Her soft smile and kind eyes plucked at his heart. “Mother.”

  She did not speak.

  Kai studied his mother’s gaze and noticed the thousand-yard stare behind his mother’s eyes. He turned to Alenga. “Can you not restore my mother?”

  “Her spirit is still tangled with the Beastmaster coils in her soul. It will take time for her mind to return. I cannot fix this with the snap of my fingers—nature has a balance even I must heed. Know that she may not return to you in the way you hope. Be strong, my Katori child. Even in your darkest hour, I am with you.”

  The sacred earth mother’s words rang in his head. It was hard to hear her tell him to wait, but he was happy to hear there was hope. Kai nodded with understanding. “I will protect my mother until she returns,” he promised.