by A D Lombardo
♦ ♦ ♦
Kai lingered in and out of consciousness, waking occasionally to find himself alone and wallowing in a pool of his own blood. When he finally found the strength to sit up, he looked around his cell. Five-by-ten, dank, dark, moldy. Likely his final resting place. There were no windows, and the only light came from the hallway outside the iron bars. The small drain in the floor stunk of vomit and piss.
There he sat for two days with no food, only a bucket of filthy water. In the silence, his demons plagued his mind. Over and over, he saw the blade slide into his father’s chest, the blood spilling from the wound, Kai helpless to stop the flow. Tormented by what he had done, Kai begged for death, wondering why they had not strung him up the first day.
When Grand Duke Dante Carmelo appeared at his cell, Kai wept all over again. The reduced swelling on Kai’s face gave him a clear view of his old friend, but Dante’s eyes held no kindness.
“The evidence is irrefutable—you are a traitor. What in Alenga’s name did the Katori people do to you?” Dante asked, but he did not wait for an answer. “Clean him up. The council will have words with him before sentencing.”
The Grand Duke left with no other words.
The next man entered. Kai winced as the guard came close. “I would take my turn beating you, traitor, but they want you able to answer for your crime. Undress,” the guard ordered. “I will be back.”
Kai did as he instructed, stripping down to his undershorts. The man returned, hefting a large barrel of water. “Bathe.”
Thankful the beatings had stopped, Kai approached the open barrel. His father’s blood still stained his hands, embedded into the creases. There was no time to weep—he dipped them into the cold water and scrubbed his face and hands the best he could before washing his chest and emptying the remaining contents over his head. He tried to rinse away as much of the stench as he could.
The waiting guard handed him fresh clothes: a white shirt with black trousers. Everything stuck to his wet body. His broken spirit begged for more rest, but the guard shackled him and escorted him from his cell, forcing him up the steep, towering stairs. Each step was a struggle, every breath painful.
Joined by additional guards, they escorted Kai to the grand ballroom. He entered the center archway and was shocked by the number of people there. The guard at his back shoved him hard. The blow rippled through his ribs, causing him to stumble. Righting himself, he took in those in attendance.
On the dais, Queen Nola sat with Aaron to her right and Seth to her left. Seth’s red eyes and distraught expression hurt Kai the most. Dante and Cazier stood to the side, unwilling to look him in the eye. Sigry stood arms crossed near the windows, his face stern and unforgiving. He did not see Riome—not at first, not until he gleaned the secret passage. Her expression was solemn, but at least she was there. Nearly a dozen lords of the land stood glowering at his arrival, their attire more suited for war rather than a social gathering at court. The remainder of the grand room was a mix of Diu and Milnos soldiers standing at attention in their armor.
Grand Duke Dante Carmelo spoke first. “Kai Galloway, you have been found guilty of murdering your father, King Iver Galloway.” The man’s tone was a mix of grief and anger. “Before we pronounce your sentence, we want to know who helped you. We know you were not alone. It is our belief that another person helped you infiltrate the palace. Your room was empty several hours before the murder, and you were nowhere within the palace. Before the murder, nobody saw you enter the king’s chambers. Queen Nola claims she locked the door, and the guards attest to her unlocking the chamber doors while they were on rounds when she found you. Did Kendra give you her key?”
There was nothing Kai could tell them. He had come alone and entered from the balcony, a feat he knew Dante would find impossible given the five-story elevation. With nothing to say, Kai stared at the bottom step of the dais.
“Tell us what happened, Kai?” Master General Cazier pleaded. “Who took Iver? Cousin, please, tell us where you have hidden Iver’s body.”
The pain in his cousin’s voice shattered Kai, but he held his emotions in check. He had no answers for them. Nothing they would believe, anyway. He wanted to beg Cazier’s forgiveness, but there was no use—he had done it. Brainwashed or not, he was guilty.
The crowd roared in anger, calling for war on Katori; men banged their swords to their shields. Kai looked at his hands; specks of blood outlined the edges of his fingernails. Whatever sentence they announced, he deserved. Ready to hear his fate, Kai raised his eyes to meet Nola’s. She was stern and unforgiving, but Kai saw the glint in her eyes. They both knew the truth; he had not been alone in his father’s room. Nola was as much to blame as he.
Seth bolted upright; his white-knuckled fists balled in anger. Tears spilled down his cheeks. Unable to control the anguish boiling within, he stormed down the steps and pounded Kai’s chest. “I hate you. I hate you. I HATE YOU!”
Unable to respond, Kai stood there and took every painful blow. Sweat formed on his head as Seth struck his broken ribs. He bent in pain, but he still refused to beg for his brother’s forgiveness. Cazier pulled Seth away and escorted him out. Sounds of his brother’s torment echoed from the hall.
Dante cleared his throat. “Kai Galloway, if you would name your accomplice, you would be sentenced to life in prison rather than be sentenced to death. Please, boy, who was with you? Who stole our king’s body? Do you not deny these accusations?” the Grand Duke begged one last time.
Lost in a daze, nothing made any sense to him.
“If you will not give us what we ask, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging. You have two days to get right with your maker. May Alenga forgive you, because I cannot. Guards, take him away,” Dante ordered before storming out of the grand ballroom, unwilling to look at Kai a moment longer.
Hearing his sentence did not scare Kai as much as he thought it would. Instead, it was a relief. His eyes caught a glimpse of pride flicker across Nola’s face. She had won, and he had helped her. Everything she had ever said to him rang in his ears. Her instructions to kill Iver, her profession of love, even her kissing him—all of it came flooding back. He had been a fool to think he could stop her.
The memories made him sick, but he held back his urge to vomit. There was no way he could prove she was involved. Iver was dead by his blade. The proof stained his hands, not hers. By the time he returned to his cell, he again felt sick to his stomach. Alone in the dark, he sat, saddened by what had happened and confused as to how he was so foolish to fight fate—because, for the first time, he lost.
Chapter 12
Lost at Sea
Lack of sleep corrupted Kai’s senses, and the appearance of a dark silhouette startled him. The flicker of flames danced on the walls, the iron gate, and the guard. The man unlocked the door and stepped inside. Although Kai was unaware of the time, it felt too early to be morning. He braced himself for another beating.
The guard leaned against the wall opposite Kai, and his metal armor scrapped the stone. Kai sat up to get a better look at the man. He had seen him before, days ago—one of the first to beat him until he passed out, a Milnos captain covered in battle scars with little desire to listen to any protesting Kai tried on the first day. The man who broke him in more ways than one.
The guard's lack of conversation did not surprise him, but his hands-off approach left Kai uneasy. He did not know why the man only stared until he broke their long silence. “Well done, my boy, well done. I knew you had my darkness. Killing a king, impressive, and your father to boot. Well, stepfather. I hope you know you started a war. Milnos warriors are pouring into Diu every day with plans of attacking Katori.”
Kai looked at the man in confusion—until the stranger’s face and body started to twist and change. Before his eyes, the guard standing in front of him morphed into Keegan. Pale pink scars covered parts of his face, still fresh from the burns inflicted months ago by his grandfather Lucca. But clearly, Keega
n was healing.
“Why are you here, Keegan?” Kai snarled. “Have you come to gloat?”
“My, no! I have come to offer you aid.” Keegan knelt and grabbed Kai’s arm. The sensation of power coursed into Kai as he felt the healing power of a Kodama ripple through his body. His ribs healed, his vision restored, his broken hand mended. Every cut and broken bone made whole again.
His strength returned, Kai stood and backed away. “Why would you heal me after everything that happened two months ago?”
Keegan stood up and gleamed with delight. “We should not dwell on the past right now. Not while everything I have ever wanted is with our grasp. You did more in a single night than I managed to do in decades. Diu blames Katori for brainwashing you, and Milnos is all too willing to crush, well, anyone.”
Visions of war and chaos filled Kai’s mind, weighing heavily on his shoulders. “It will never come to war. The Master General and the Grand Duke will stop this madness. The Katori Elders will force Diu to see reason, that I was only visiting my mother’s country for the first time in my life.”
“Son, you are trying to convince the wrong man. And honestly, anything you say now will only prove the point—you care more for protecting the Katori than your Diu countryman. Men prepare to march toward the Katori Mountains to seek out any Katori they can find. Your dear Kendra is a fellow cellmate, only five cells down from you this very moment, now wanted for treason. The Diu council believes she helped you. Word is spreading through the kingdom; Kai Galloway is a traitor. Fort Pohaku has orders to lead ships in mass around to Katori.”
Knowing Kendra shared his fate weighed heavy on his heart. Kai was so focused on trying to change his fate that he did not consider the ripple effect to those around him. “And this pleases you, why?”
Keegan chuckled. “This means war on Katori. They will have no choice but to defend themselves, and I can tell you they will win—but at a cost. The world will discover magic, and the common man will be on the wrong side of its power. No longer a myth or mystery. Even among my Caroco countrymen, they have no real idea the depths of our power. The fear I instill keeps them on a short leash, and our secrets do not extend beyond their shores. Now all will feel the full force of our might. The fear of the Caroco people will be compounded a hundred-fold around the world. None know the might of the Katori nation, but they will, everyone will. They will shutter in fear.”
Kai refused to believe it. “Katori will never reveal its true power. The Katori Elders would not allow magic to dominate this world. I believe they will fight back, but not with obvious magic.”
“If I had known killing a king would result in war, I’d have killed Iver years ago. Join me, Kai, and together we can rule. We can put the Katori people where they belong, in a position of power. No more hiding on our side of the world.”
Kai shook his head in refusal. “I will not join you, Keegan.” He thought of his crystal hidden within his boot, unsure how he could use it to send the man away.
“I was afraid you might say no.” Keegan’s finger touched Kai’s forehead. “In due time, my boy, in due . . .”
Everything went black as Kai collapsed.
♦ ♦ ♦
Sunlight poured through a bank of windows. Kai blinked. He felt rested as he sat up. The space was a wooden masterpiece; the craftsmanship was like nothing he had ever seen. He assumed he was in the captain's quarters of a ship. The toss of the vessel was rougher than he expected from a boat crossing Baden Lake. He rose to look out the wavy glass. Dark blue waves churned behind the ship with no land in sight. He opened the window, and the salty ocean air assaulted his nose.
He was not on Baden Lake, but on the open sea. Wondering how far out they were, he gleaned the distance. Not so much as a sliver of land developed along the horizon; the shore was beyond his natural ability. All he could do was base his location on the sun’s angle and Keegan’s mention of Caroco. If they boarded in Port Anahita, he could only hope they had yet to pass Fort Pohaku. There must be a way off this ship, he thought.
An abundance of anger brimmed in Kai’s chest, making it difficult to breathe. A deep, hollow desire pulled his soul down to a level of hate he never felt before. His mind bubbled with thoughts and feelings he could not understand. A tingling sensation sent goose flesh down his arm, and claws surged from his fingertips and then retracted as if a figment of his imagination. Kai winced in pain but held in the cry. Something was wrong, but he did not know what.
Instinctively he reached for the crystal he wore around his neck—it was gone. He thought back, he checked his boot—missing. Keegan must have taken it to prevent Kai from using his magic to escape. As the tightness subsided, he gleaned every inch of the ship, gathering intel on his captors. The vessel held heavy armaments, thirty-two cannons, and over one hundred men. The cargo was laden with weapons, gold, and jewels.
On deck, Caroco men crewed the ship while Katori Weathervanes created a substantial breeze to propel them across the ocean. On the ship's bow, Keegan stood focused on his outstretched hand while he held Kai’s crystal in the other.
Kai let go of his sight and slumped against the desk. An overwhelming level of frustration made his head hurt. Rubbing his temples, he turned toward the window. As the pain subsided, he felt a lightness return to his soul. Each breath came easier, and the anxiety passed.
“Good, you are awake.” Keegan strolled into the cabin, startling Kai. “How do you find your accommodations? Or rather, my quarters?” He approached the bank of windows but left a respectable amount of space between them.
“You stole my crystal. Return it,” Kai insisted.
Keegan ignored his plea. “We sail to Caroco to collect reinforcements and continue to stoke the battle that is about to consume this world. But more importantly, once there, I will show you how the rest of the world should bow to our greatness. You will come to understand how life as a Katori should be. Let war tear this part of the world to pieces, and then we can collect the broken bits and rebuild it as we see fit.”
This could not be happening. Kai searched his mind for an answer. There had to be a way of escape.
“I have no interest in being a god, Keegan,” he finally spat. “Return my crystal and let me go. If there is going to be a war, I must try and stop it. Or at least be there to fight.”
Keegan laughed. “And on what side will you stand? Diu is a large country but weak. They have never stood alone in any battle—not without the mighty Katori dragons or the powerful Nebea supporting them. Or will you stand with your Katori brethren, who indubitably will crush their neighbors even if Milnos comes to their aid?”
Kai choked on the picture of Diu at war because of his foolish attempt to fight destiny. Had he stayed in Katori, his father’s death would not be his fault. His father might have died, but not by his hand, and his mother’s people would not be blamed. He let his eyes fall on the waves behind the ship once more.
Kai did not hear Keegan leave. The shifting sun and hunger led him to search his room. The door was locked, but he found wine and rum in a wooden rack, a mound of fruit on a silver tray, and a loaf of bread wrapped in cloth. No water. Desperate for sustenance, he ate a hunk of bread and two apples, tossing the cores into the sea.
A third apple rested in his hand; he wanted to eat it, but visions of Rayna caught in his throat. He had abandoned her. She was safe, but the last moment they shared was abandonment. He promised they would never be apart, yet he left her behind. Had he been so desperate to confront his fate that he let his ego blind his ability to trust the one person who trusted him the most?
Thoughts of her and their brief but tremendous happiness pang his heart. Years of wishing they could be together had been within his grasp, and he wasted it. So many times he had chased after danger or put her in harm’s way; she deserved better. Maybe being with Keegan was what he deserved—a captive in a strange land.
Before he could wallow too deep, the cabin door opened and a woman entered. Kai knew her in
stantly. The curve of her face, the shape of her eyes, and the bounce in her dark brown hair. Rayna’s mother brought in a tray of cooked food. The hatred in her eyes swelled with tears. “I would kill you myself if I could,” she professed. “but Keegan would have my head. I blame you for the death of my daughter.”
“Blame Keegan, he ordered her execution,” Kai thundered back. “Not that you did anything to stop him or the Weathervane ordered to strike her tree with lightning.” He did not know her name, and his wonderment must have shown.
“My name is Fenia,” she offered. “Rayna’s father is Demir. We were not good parents, but she was still our blood.” Her honey-colored eyes stared through him.
Kai felt Fenia’s anger, and he could see her broken spirit. Rayna’s loss weighed heavy on this woman. She may not have raised her daughter, but there was something akin to love there. Compelled to spare her continued pain, he sat on the edge of the desk. “Rayna lives,” he spoke softly. “After you all fled, we dug her from the earth where she hid under her burnt tree. She was barely breathing, but alive all the same.”
Fenia darted to his side, and she grabbed his shoulders. “Don’t lie to me for sympathy. I will not harbor my daughter’s killer. I will kill you or see it done when I get the chance.”
“I speak the truth.” He pushed her away and slipped around the desk. “Do you think I could stand here knowing her murderer stood on deck? I would fight Keegan with my dying breath because I could not live without her.”
His words sank deep into the Fenia. The shift in her expression bounced between joy and sorrow. “I still will not help you. This life is not for the weak. The one rule in the real world is a kill or be killed. Denmir and I made a mistake following Keegan, but we owned it. When Rayna was born, we had two choices—feed her to the sea or pay a trader to escort her to Katori. We could not let her grow up with Keegan, so we paid very well to see her safe return. My golden bracelet embedded with five jewels delivered her to her Aunt Mina.”