The Traitor

by A D Lombardo

  Drawn to her like a moth to a flame, she watched Kai follow without question. Poor, innocent boy—Galloway or not, he would be her puppet. Now all she need was to lead him to his doom.

  Ready to take her final walk to the King’s chambers, she reached for the door but heard shouting. It was Kendra.

  “Where is the queen? Queen Nola?”

  Nola pushed Kai into a chair and grabbed his chin with her hand. “Remember, my dear prince. You will serve me when I call. Now hide this moment deeply; hide this truth for now. Rest, and I will call on you soon.” She watched his head roll against the back of the sofa, and he stared helplessly at nothing.

  Chapter 7

  Escape

  Afamiliar voice called to him. “Kai, wake up.” Kendra shook him.

  He felt her presence but lacked the ability to respond. She slapped his face and called his name. Still, he stared. Again, and again she shook him. Cold water drenched his face, and he snapped awake.

  “What? Why am I all wet?”

  He looked to see Kendra’s face.

  “Nola did something to you,” she whispered. “Last night, I gleaned your room. You were on the balcony, and you were talking, and then she kissed you—twice. I could not believe my eyes. I did not know what to do.” Kendra’s eyes were wide with panic.

  Kai recoiled at the thought. “That cannot be true,” he insisted. “I love Rayna, and Nola is, well, married to my father. I would remember . . .” His stomach tossed at the possibilities.

  “She has you under a spell. Like Iver, she has done something to you.” Kendra ran her fingers over her lips and then pointed at his. “Your lips, they are stained red, same as last time you missed the better part of a day.”

  Kai licked his lips and tasted the wine. Small crystals around his mount tingled on his tongue. “There must have been something in the wine.” He tried to recall the previous night, but his mind hit a wall. “I do not remember anything. I remember you bringing a tray, and I remember her sitting at the table we talked, but that is all. What else did you see?” He feared her answer but braced himself for the worst.

  Shame crept over Kendra’s face, and tears welled in her eyes. “There was an accident,” her voice shook, and she wrapped her arms around her body. “I spilled hot tea on Cordelia.” Tears ran down Kendra’s face. “I wasn’t paying attention to how much I was pouring. I was gleaning your room, and . . .” she sobbed again.

  Kai did his best to comfort her. “You didn’t mean to do it.”

  She wiped her face and continued. “I love Cordelia as if she were my own. I have spent every day with her since she was born. I ran to the hallway and shouted for help screaming for Nola, and the guards opened your door. Nola came running out of your room. I thought she would murder me on the spot when she saw the girl’s hand and leg. Cordelia said she spilled her cup, but I know better. I believe Nola did, too.”

  He could see Kendra’s love for his little sister. “So, I have been sitting here all night and half of today?” he asked, but knew it to be accurate by the stiffness he felt in his body. His head hurt, making him wonder just how much wine he consumed and what Nola had laced in the cup. And more importantly, what might have happened if Kendra had not interrupted.

  “This is the first time I could leave your sister. Nola is with the council, and I came through the secret passageway from the library.”

  Kai thought about the possible lingering effects of the wine and whatever Nola used to cloud his mind and the potential outcome linked to his vision. He could not allow her to control him. This had to be how she planned to force Kai into killing his father. “If Nola did use an elixir to induce a trance, I need to get it out of me and avoid her until the effects wear off. Have you ever seen an herb called lobelia?” Kai asked, developing a plan of his own.

  Kendra nodded with recognition. “I know it. I believe Sigry keeps some, but why would you want a poisonous flower known to induce vomiting?” She glared at him with concern. “Sigry will never give it to me, and he rarely leaves his medical room these days unless to tend to Iver. He studies journals and rare books, searching for a cure for your father.”

  A smile crept over his face. “You are going to do me a favor. I need to search for Riome tonight; I promised Yulia I would help find her daughter. I need to know what Riome discovered about Nola’s plot to kill my father. But how can I if Nola intends to return to my room every night? Besides, I cannot wander around the city slums and tunnels with Diu guards following my every move. I need to be irrefutably sick for the next several days.” He thought of Rayna and her study of herbs. She would be pleased he remembered the name and its use. Now he had to hope he remembered how much to take safely.

  “When you bring my evening meal, place the lobelia in the flower bouquet; I will do the rest.” He patted her hand and pointed to the secret passage hidden behind Gianfranca’s portrait.

  Once Kendra left, Kai set to play his part. With a splash of water around the hairline and collar, he appeared sweaty and exhausted as he opened his door. “I am unwell and unable to take my daily stroll through the gardens,” he complained to the guards. “Please extend my apologies to Seth, we were to go riding this afternoon.”

  Confident he had them convinced, Kai waited for Kendra’s return. Like Iver, Kai took to pacing to sort out his mind. His stately room suddenly became too small for the problem he faced. How could he tell Rayna that he had kissed Nola? The more he walked, the smaller his room became—and the bigger his problem.

  Gleaning the small baker’s home within the palace grounds gave him no peace. Rayna sat with her family; his wolf, Smoke, sat at her feet. She looked sad, like she had been crying. Since the day they rode into the city, he had not spoken with her. Although Kendra said she was free to move without guards, to his knowledge, she had yet to step more than a few feet outside her parents’ cottage. Doubt caught in his chest. Had he truly forced her from her parent’s home all those months ago? Did she regret their move to Katori?

  When a knock echoed through his door, Kai hopped onto his bed just as the door swung open. He expected to see Kendra, but Nola stood in the frame. “I hear you are unwell.” She approached his bedside. “The council kept me very busy today, or I would have come sooner. Maybe we can have dinner together.” She stood at the foot of his bed.

  “Your Highness,” Kendra called, entering with a small silver tray. She placed it on the table and approached Kai, holding a wet cloth in her hand. “Please excuse me, your Majesty, Queen Nola.” Kendra put a cold compress on Kai’s head and slipped a vial into his hand. “Prince Kai complained of a headache and stomach cramps. Sigry has sent me with a compress, bread, and water. He will prescribe a tonic if the prince continues to feel unwell.”

  Kendra feigned concern as she glanced from Kai’s eyes to the tiny vial.

  Kai wrapped his hand around the dark green vial, trusting Kendra knew what she was doing. Ready to play his part, he sat up and coughed profusely. “May I have some water, Kendra,” he begged.

  Nola held up her hand and turned back to the table. “I can pour water, Kendra. You are no longer needed. Go.”

  With the Queen’s back turned, Kai drank the contents of the vial. The contents burned down his throat. While he had never had lobelia, he was sure he never wanted to drink it again. He hated the taste, and he could only hope Kendra supplied the right amount as he did not know how she managed a liquid form in only a few hours.

  Before Kendra reached the door, Kai became sick. He vomited all over his bed coverings. Red wine from the previous evening stained his white bedding. Queen Nola shouted, “Kendra, come back!” Nola backed away, disgusted, covering her nose and mouth. He noticed a brief look of concern as she turned away. “You should send for Sigry,” she motioned and left.

  The door slammed shut, and Kendra gave him another vial. “Drink this down,” she insisted.

  He did as she instructed, and he felt the cool liquid squelch the fire in his throat and belly. Next, she h
anded him water, and he downed the entire glass. “What was that?” he held up the two glass vials, one green, one blue.

  “I tried to get the lobelia,” Kendra confessed, “but Sigry no longer has any. Riome’s room on the other hand contains many poisons and cures. In Riome’s absence, I have been studying her notes, hoping to find a cure for Iver myself. She wrote about these two potions in a recent journal entry; I could only hope I understood the mixture and grabbed the correct amounts.”

  She handed him some bread, and he nibbled it slowly. “So, you poisoned me?” He felt nauseous and covered his mouth, but nothing new came up.

  “I did what was necessary; Sigry is not the right person to trust with this. He might have suspected something if I had asked for lobelia.” Kendra removed the soiled linens and headed to the door. “I will be back with fresh bedding. Riome’s diary recommends plain bread and water for the next hour. The effects may linger if I gave you too much. Should you feel sick while I am gone, use the waste bin by the bed.”

  The door closed with a thud, and he looked at the bin. The very thought of being sick again made him retch, and he was thankful the container was close.

  The next knock at the door was a maid Kai did not recognize. She was a brute of a woman who refused to make eye contact. Her beefy hands yanked the remaining linens from Kai’s bed, and she replaced everything with new gold and blue coverings.

  “May I get more water?” Kai rasped, tugging the fresh quilt over his chest after he climbed into the freshly made bed.

  Her only response was a curt nod. By the time the maid returned with more water, he felt surprisingly better, but he hid his progress by keeping his eyes closed as she came and went.

  Chapter 8

  Little Sister

  Once Kai was sure his room would remain undisturbed, the secret passageways and underground tunnels made escaping the palace easy. The memory of the first night he discovered the corridors made him chuckle. He missed the old days of ditching guards and running spy missions with Riome. Tonight would be anything but fun. This time, he searched for his teacher and friend in a city he hardly recognized, hoping to save her life.

  Much had changed about Diu in the time Kai was away. Rimtown never looked this dirty. Trash and mud littered the streets. While parts of town had always been rough, he did not remember hungry beggars. Homeless people sat on corners and lay in alleyways. Pickpockets bumped into unsuspecting travelers, stealing what they could. Only a few random guards patrolled, and they steered clear of dark alleyways and hot spots. Kai could not believe what he saw.

  Riome once taught him that the old and poor go unnoticed. She was right. The outskirts of the city were falling apart, and nobody seemed to care. Kai could feel the tension within the crowded streets; men mumbled under their breaths, disgusted with life. The scowls on their faces seethed with anger—and a hint of pending treachery. Most wore threadbare clothing, pulled tight around their hunched shoulders.

  Disguised in a dirty shirt and rugged pants, Kai blended in; even his thin overcoat had patches and several holes for good measure. He kept his eyes down and his hands in his pockets. He padded through the streets, muttering under his breath. If Riome was indeed back, there had to be news of her return. There were three inns she frequented when she worked this part of the city, and he had already checked one location with no luck.

  One street short of the Tabour Inn, Kai ducked into the alley that ran behind the large establishment. Checking the alleyway was the best place to start—no signs of her. He shuffled by two vagrants smoking at the corner as he doubled back to the front. Satisfied nobody was following him, he gleaned the establishment for Riome. After speaking with the barkeep, he decided she was not here, either.

  While his disguise was right, he was no match with Riome’s skill in masquerade, so he had to be careful about asking too many questions or making direct contact lest someone recognize him as their prince. He no longer trusted anyone in the city. Even the few city guards appeared disgruntled and quick-tempered, and keeping clear of them seemed the prudent choice.

  After crisscrossing town, he reached another inn. After he checked the streets to make sure they were clear, he ducked inside. It was time to speak with a few locals. Still, in his mind, he searched the patrons and the upper rooms. From room to room he gleaned, setting the inn aglow in his mind. He had to be sure Riome was not hiding in plain sight behind a disguise.

  After Kai scanned the bar, he sat on an empty seat and ordered an ale. The barkeep turned his nose at Kai’s grubby appearance but served him when Kai produced the proper coin. From his stool, he listened to the other patrons. Many complained of higher taxes and food shortages, while others speculated about their next king. Most believed Aaron would rule, but a few wished Seth, the quieter of the two twins, would take the throne. Not one person mentioned Kai as their future ruler. Instead, his name provoked anger and distrust.

  Each time the door opened, he hoped it would be her.

  Tired of listening to the conversations around him, he inquired with the owner, spinning a tale about getting separated from his family—a grandmother and his younger brother. There was no way to know what disguise Riome might be using. She could be an older woman or a young boy; anything was possible. Kai convinced the man to check his logbook in the hopes that one of them had inquired after him and secured a room.

  After having no luck, Kai quickly flipped through the pages before the man snatched back the book. Every name on the pages were couples or families, all in town for the Winter Festival. The owner had no lodgers that matched the description. Appreciative, Kai offered the man an extra coin and drank his ale.

  After an hour of listening to people complain, Kai left to check one last establishment. It was the least respectable, the Red Rain Tavern. If you want to go unnoticed, you stay in the worst place in town. Still, after inspecting the inn, asking the owner, and listening to the patrons, Kai accepted tonight was a waste of time. He was no closer to finding Riome than when he started.

  There had to be a way to find her. Playing his part, he stumbled out of the Red Rain Tavern and tripped over the foot of an older man hunched outside. The smell of urine and vomit turned Kai’s stomach. Cautious, Kai stepped back as the man held up his leathery hand. “Spare a coin, mister?”

  The smell was unbearable. While Kai felt terrible saying no, he was confident the man would only spend the money on ale. “Sorry, none left. I have some bread in my pocket if you want that?”

  The man’s pale blue eyes swelled with pain. “Pffftt. No, mister, I need ale. My head is pounding.”

  The man’s foul breath nearly made Kai retch. Evidently, the various liquids he had consumed and thrown up were still working their way through his system. He stepped back and vanished down the next alleyway. If Riome were in trouble, she would need to become invisible; searching public places was wrong, he decided.

  How do you do hide in a city this busy? he wondered.

  Kai took to the rooftop to think. The crisp night air was welcoming.

  Even at this late hour, people were everywhere. Kai watched them from his perch, studying who they were and their purpose in the night. Gamblers and vagrants. People with nothing but time on their hands, many itching for a fight. The slightest shoulder bump sent fists flying, which did not always draw the guard. There was not one kind word among them.

  They are homeless, Kai realized. They have nowhere to be, no place to call home. Most sat outside begging for food as people stumbled out of pubs. So, where do homeless people go?

  He hated the idea, but he needed to get dirtier. Blend in with the lowest of the low. If people were to confide in him, he needed to look and smell the part, maybe even follow a few to find where they slept.

  In the next alley, he found trash piled in the street. Food and dirt would have to be good enough. He tore the knee of his pants into a gaping hole. He hoped the addition of more dirt on his face and food stains on his shirt would do the trick. In a back alley
, he stumbled around until he found an old woman sitting alone.

  He sat down a few feet away. It didn’t take long for the woman to give him grief. “Push off—this is my spot. Go on, get. Find a new place.”

  A burly barkeep opened the door to the street. The woman stood with her hands out. “Can I have some food, sir?”

  He dumped his trash into the bin outside. “Take what you want.” He slammed the door behind himself. Kai heard the steel bolt slide into place seconds later.

  Cautiously, Kai moved closer, watching her edge around the trash heap. He could smell remnants of the pub’s dinner. Leftover bits from unfinished meals coated the trash, but it did not deter the woman as she scavenged with her fingers, eating bits of bread and stew. “Get out of here—this is mine.” She croaked as sauce dripped down her dirty chin.

  Hands up, Kai humbly leaned away. “Don’t need food tonight. I need a place to sleep. Where could I find a safe place?” he asked in a humble voice.

  She eyed him suspiciously, then sniffed him like a dog. “Near the sewers,” she croaked. “Guards won’t bother you there, smells too foul—too many rats. But if you prefer, the water drainage pipes don’t smell bad, but there are still rats. Take your pick.”

  He nodded with gratitude and backed away.

  If Riome was nearby but unable to come into the tower for fear other vagrants might see the secret entrances, then he figured that she had to be hiding in one of these two places. Since he was already on the outskirts of town, he searched the sewers first. Near the entrance, a few people lined the walls. He had never smelled anything so foul, and the odor intensified the deeper he went. Still, he searched several tunnels with no luck.

  How could this be happening here in Diu? He shook his head; this was not his city, not the one he remembered. How could a thriving city crumble in nine months?

  Hours of walking underground did him no favors, and before long his stomach started to feel sick. Rats scurried everywhere. People threw stones and stabbed at them with sticks. Kai shook his head in disappointment. There was no way to find her down here. It would take days to search the tunnels properly. If he were a Stoneking, it might be easier, but for him, the thick stone made searching with his mind nearly impossible. He had to hope Riome was not here and that she would pick a cleaner, healthier hiding place.