The Traitor

by A D Lombardo

  “Who was with you, Prince Kai?” Cazier challenged, holding his sword in one hand and holding the surge back with the other. “Let him speak. I will have my answers. We all will if you let him finish!”

  The tent felt suddenly small with so many drawn swords. Friends pointing weapons at friends. “So, you do care about the third person, what they witnessed?” Kai stalled for time, feeling a second surge of power rush into his crystal, and again he let it wash over him toward Nola.

  “Of course we care!” Dante stepped forward, pulling on Roark’s shoulder. The Admiral did not budge to give him space, forcing him to talk over the taller man. “We must know. I must know what happened to Iver. Roark—let him speak!”

  The Grand Duke's forceful tone made Roark step aside. Dante rubbed his head and appeared visibly confused as he sheathed his blade. He eased around Roark to stare through Kai as if the knowledgeable person might be among them. “Please, Kai, if your father meant anything to you, tell us the truth. Where is this third person?”

  “This is a trick.” Nola pressed her hand to her heart, and more dark magic swirled around the tent. Even Kai felt her anger and hate seep into his pores. “There is nothing you or some stranger can say that will undo what I saw you do.”

  When the next wave of magic stuck, Nola doubled over in pain, grabbing for the chain around her neck. Even Kai’s crystal started to burn his skin as it surged with unrequested magic sent by his friends. Using some of the power, Kai called to one of the Mryken sentry dogs.

  Tears welled in Nola’s eyes as she yanked the chain free from her bodice and ripped it from her neck. She panted in relief. “Kai killed the King! Do not listen to his lies!”

  The smoldering crystal dangled from the chain within her grasp only for a moment before a Mryken guard dog sprinted through the crowd, snatched it from her hand, and ran from the tent. Kai saw the beast run to Sabastian and his friend smashed the tainted shard on the rocks.

  The shattered magic dissipated like the morning mist in sunshine. Her control over everyone was dispelled, and they drooped like puppets on cut strings, free to think and move for themselves. Everyone but Cazier and Roark—that is. Both held their swords upright. They remained focused on Kai, taking a step forward.

  Queen Nola stood with renewed strength, no longer burdened by the stone. “Enough of this nonsense!” she shouted. “I am Your Queen. Hear me and seize this traitor.”

  Maxwell charged forward, and Cazier twisted in place to block his advancement. “Regent, you have no place in these proceedings. Stand back, or I will have you arrested.”

  Cazier took three steps back toward Kai’s huddled group, but he kept his eyes on the departing Regent and the rest of the council. “I want to know the truth, Kai.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I am now and have always been your loyal friend. Riome can attest to my clarity, but I must know the truth. I know you could never kill your father, but who did? Who took him? Who was the third person in the room?”

  “I am still your queen!” Nola screeched. “You will defend me against this traitor. His seeds of doubt do not erase what we know to be true. He killed Iver. I saw him with my own eyes, and Seth supports his treachery. Arrest them both,” she ordered again.

  Wanting to speak, Kai placed a hand on Drew’s shoulder, and the huddle parted, allowing him to step forward and address the group. Seth clung to his side, unwilling to let go. Prepared to tell what he remembered, he took a deep breath. He knew he had no proof. No name to shout and deliver witness.

  “I was there that night,” he started, “and my blade did stab my father, but . . .”

  Chapter 24

  Roark’s Fury

  Grabbing Kai by the neck, Roark separated the brothers and shoved Kai through the crowd into the open field before releasing him. “No more lies—you will not return to Diu. Hanging would be too easy a death. You will die by my hand, slow and painful. And do not spout your lies at me, boy. In your own words, you admitted to killing Iver, for that you will pay. Tell me where you put Iver, return him to us, and I might end your life quickly.”

  “I cannot tell you what I do not know. I wish I knew who took my father. I was a prisoner moments after, and there was no way for me to steal his body. And if I knew who had, I could prove my innocence. I could prove Nola was the one who pushed in the blade. Please believe me. I want to know the same as you who took Iver.”

  “Enough lies,” Roark charged, delivering a solid blow with his entire weight behind the motion, and the strike forced Kai to bend and shift to avoid falling to the ground and getting killed on the first assault.

  Words are pointless, Kai thought. The Admiral would not take time to listen to any more useless words. He should have noticed the Admiral’s intent earlier. Ever since Kai uttered his first word, the man had seethed on the edge of his seat, waiting to avenge Iver, and he would wait no longer. Although fighting his friend felt wrong, and Kai wanted to protest, he knew Roark’s quick temper would not allow him to see anything but red.

  A glint of polished steel flickered as Roark slashed with his sword and attacked Kai again and again. His skilled footwork and rapid thrusts kept Kai on his toes. The blade Riome gave him blocked each strike, but he quickly realized, blade for blade, that he was in trouble. The quality of the Admiral’s sword and the man’s skill would test Kai’s limits.

  It did not take long to notice that Roark’s attacks were strategic, meant to test Kai’s reach, balance, and strength. Clearly, the Admiral was searching for Kai’s weaknesses. He would show him none. Maintaining as much distance as possible, Kai shifted to a more level location on the hill while forcing Roark to face the sun.

  Kai kept his distance, eyeing the dagger within his opponent’s belt. He knew all too well if the opportunity or misstep brought them close, Roark could quickly draw his blade and strike before Kai could block the second weapon.

  Acting on pure instinct, Kai kept on the defense, letting Roark do all the work. Although hoping to exhaust the man was hardly a strategy, he could not bring himself to attack. The Admiral, on the other hand, showed his skill and proved he did indeed deserve the Red Warrior title. Each decisive blow started to fracture the blade in Kai’s hand. The edge was no longer sharp, and he was sure it would only take a few more hits.

  On the next strike, the blade broke, leaving Kai with a useless weapon. Faced with death, Kai thought only of Rayna. He did not want her to watch him die, not like this. Sidestepping a lunge, Kai dodged an attack, pivoting around his opponent and punching Roark in the ribs. Without a weapon, his chances of finishing the fight were slim, and he refused to use the throwing stars from Riome.

  “Kai!” he heard Dresnor shout, and he turned in time to see a sword fly in his direction.

  He caught the weapon midflight and felt the balance of the blade as he twirled the sword forward and back, followed by a figure eight and a few cut-twirls. Pleased with the weapon, Kai inspected the pommel—a silver wolf. It was Dresnor’s sword. Roark charged before he could thank his Kempery-man.

  As he deflected and dodged another round of attacks, it dawned on him that holding back was no longer an option. He needed to fight. Using his knowledge and speed, he switched his footing and charged Roark. While the Admiral deflected the blow, Kai got in close and punched the man in the wrist, followed by a jaw hit.

  “Please, Admiral, see reason! I do not want to hurt you. I did not kill my father. I tried to save him.”

  “Lies!” Roark shouted. “You sent my son into the lion’s den of Milnos, and I have no news since the wedding. And then you abandoned Diu. You attacked your men for the Katori, and now you killed my best friend—you must pay.”

  For the first time, Roark exposed his grief and fury. While Tolan’s journey to Milnos started in celebration, the lack of recent news left everyone, especially Tolan’s father, Roark, worried.

  Another round of aggressive blows forced Kai on the defense. Given the Admiral’s armor, there was little room to land a solid punc
h and strike muscle and bone. There were only a few exposed areas, areas Kai made quick work exploiting. A few more hits to the Admiral’s sword hand forced Roark to switch hands.

  Following Roark’s next attack, Kai landed a kick to the knee as he dodged Roark’s blade. A pommel strike to the temple while he was on one knee shocked Roark, but he did not yield; instead, he punched Kai in the ribs, quickly putting distance between them.

  Bent over and catching his breath, Kai eyed Roark. For a man without an ounce of Katori blood, he held his own and at times made Kai think twice about not using his speed or sword to stop the fight. They both dripped with sweat. Although Kai could outlast the Admiral, he had no choice but to decide if he could stomach permanently maiming a man he held in such high esteem.

  Once again, Admiral Roark delivered a combination of strikes and blows with the same pounding fury. His blade was swift, and his decisive thrusts put Kai back on the defensive. Unfortunately, the Admiral also embraced Kai’s tactics, adding brute strength to his arsenal; Roark landed a dizzying punch to Kai’s cheek, followed by a kick to the gut. Kai slid across the grass, gasping.

  Rebounding with a renewed fury, he charged Roark with a series of blows to put his opponent on the defensive and delivered the first cut to the Admiral’s cheek.

  The sight of blood stunned Kai, and, in his hesitation, Roark returned the favor, cutting him on the arm. The pain surged up to his shoulder, and he parried the next two attacks before regaining his composure to resume his assault.

  Shouts from the crowd danced around the outskirts of Kai’s mind. He kept their cries distant, focusing on his next set of moves, which bounced between offensive and defensive.

  Tired of the repetition, Kai knew there were a limited number of moves one can perform with a sword, and most ended with someone dying if they made even the slightest mistake. He was most certainly not willing to die today, and he did not want Roark’s death on his hands, either. If the battle must continue, Kai needed to remove the swords from the equation. Without them, there might be a chance of subduing the Admiral and rendering him unconscious or temporarily paralyzed with the techniques he had learned from the Guardians.

  Upon Roark’s next round of strikes, Kai grabbed the Admiral's weapon at the hilt and pulled against the man’s thumb, removing the sword from the Admiral’s hand. Then Kai pushed back, putting space between them, ever mindful of the dagger when something caught Roark’s attention. The Admiral looked to the skies, and his expression became fearful as he stumbled back, leaving Kai the high ground.

  A darkness fell over the land, and Kai spun to follow the Admiral’s gaze. High in the clear blue sky, a thunder of dragons filled the air. Surprised, Kai swirled around to take note of his surroundings. The vast circle of men dispersed in fear, leaving him standing alone. Even Roark retreated toward the tent. Nola and the council stood watching the creatures. By Kai’s count, there were eleven in total, surrounding him in a circle: four black, three red, one blue, and three various shades of gray. There was one dark metallic gray dragon—Raijin, among them. The memory of meeting his first real dragon brought a chuckle to his lips, remembering how Raijin disapproved of him at first. Still, he eventually took Kai flying, allowing him to create his first Beastmaster connection.

  It pleased Kai to see the real dragons support him. For the first time, he noticed the subtle differences between natural-born dragons and Katori Beastmaster dragons. Their size, coloring, and spines were smaller and more organic. The Katori-created dragons were intense and armored, and their wings were thicker and covered in a glinting layer of something akin to folded metal.

  The ground continued to shake and moan as more dragons dove from the sky, landing with a thunderous thud in various locations around Roark’s soldiers, near the lake, and on both sides of the river. There were now so many that Kai counted at least twenty additional dragons dotting the landscape. Still, high above, one remained circling. A silver flash pulled at Kai’s heartstrings.

  Benmar, grandfather, you came.

  Kai could not help but feel glad that his grandfather came. Even after every mistake he made, they came as dragons—for him.

  The silver dragon swooped and circled lower and lower until he, too, landed with a thud. The massive beast lowered his head to Kai. Thankful for the show of support, Kai held up his hand and touched his grandfather’s dragon scaled head. “Thank you, grandfather. I am happy you are here, but you should not have come not for me, not like this.”

  Hot smoke blasted out of Benmar’s dragon's nostrils at Kai, followed by three varied warbles and shrill tones that Kai understood. We are family, always. Then Benmar lifted his dragon head and spewed fire into the sky. The show of strength sent gasps around the hillside, followed by clangs of armor from freighted men taking a few steps back. But they drew their swords all the same, ready for a fight.

  The first Katori Kai saw was his grandfather Lucca, followed by Haygan, who hopped down from the back of a black dragon, which Kai instantly recognized as Simone. Ryker, Liam, and the rest of the Katori Elders joined Kai around Benmar’s silver dragon from the remaining dragons.

  Never in all his imagination would Kai have thought they would leave their sheltered side of the world to stand with him. Lucca greeted him first. “Grandson, I am sorry we did not help you sooner. I knew you were struggling, and I should have listened more.” Lucca raised his hand to Benmar’s dragon. “Fortunately, Benmar acted quickly. His faith in you saved us all, and he did not think twice about following you.”

  Kai looked up, and the sun blinded his eyes. He raised his hand as the silhouette of a man stood up on the back of Benmar’s dragon. As his eyes adjusted, the man slid down Benmar’s wing and stood in front of him.

  Tears flooded Kai’s eyes and ran down his cheeks. His health restored, Iver looked five years younger. His gaunt, pale form was now tan and flush with muscle. “Father!” he cried. “How? How are you still alive?” Kai ran to Iver and hugged him with all his might to be sure he was real.

  Iver released his son. “I have your grandfather to thank.” His father pointed to the silver dragon. “Benmar was the third man in the room, a witness to the truth. While I slipped in and out of consciousness, he cauterized my wound. I do not remember anything until I awoke in Katori with Haygan, our old stablemaster, which I have since learned is your mother’s brother. Anyway, I was initially in a lot of pain, but many people came to pray over me. Each day I became stronger, and then they gave me something called sacred water. When they told me the Queen accused you of my murder, and planned to start a war against Katori, the Elders offered dragons to come put an end to this nonsense.”

  The dragons parted to give Iver room to step into the open for all to see him. Roark was the first to drop to one knee and bow his head. In quick succession, every Diu warrior on the field followed his example.

  Iver approached his Admiral. “Rise, my friend.”

  “Your Majesty, King Iver Galloway.” Roark started to bow again, but Iver touched his shoulder. “How is this possible? I thought you were dead. Queen Nola said she witnessed Kai stab you with her own eyes.”

  Iver’s eyes shot up the hillside to the tent. An intense glare passed between Iver and Nola as Regent Maxwell and his Milnos warriors swarmed around the Queen, escorting her back to Diu city. Aaron shouted for his father, but the Queen held him to her side as she retreated.

  “Dearest Roark,” Iver responded, “I thank you for your loyalty, but my wife is mistaken on many counts. First, she ordered Kai to kill me, and her hand forced the blade that pierced my flesh. But as you can see, I am very much alive. Our Katori brethren saved my life, and for them, I will be eternally grateful. It seems our Queen was also poisoning me with something the Katori call sinder root and bella bitters.”

  The mention of the plants used to poison Iver grabbed Sigry’s attention, and Kai noticed the man mentally searching his memory for any knowledge of their existence. “Your Majesty,” Sigry approached with another
bow, “I have no experience with either plant. I will research their origins and add it to my journals, and I will not be caught unaware again, Your Majesty.”

  “Sire, no offense,” Roark grumbled, “but you would trust these outsiders? They brainwashed your son into staying with them, fighting for them. Kai turned on his people.” He glared at Kai, still acting wary.

  “I have learned much from our Katori brothers and sisters,” Iver responded. “There was a time our two nations were united, almost one nation. The Prince’s responsibility is to establish relations with foreign countries, but lest we forget, his mother, Mariana, was from Katori. My son has every right to visit family and call Katori his second home, even. His trip renewed a new hope for our future, and the Katori Elders intend to extend talks, due in part to Kai’s conduct and good character. Well done, my son.” Iver offered a nod to Kai.

  The pride in his father’s eyes and the sincerity in his voice lifted Kai’s spirits. He had so many questions, some he feared he could never ask, not in a public setting such as this. “How did you convince the dragons to fly with you?” he asked, settling on a safe question.

  “First, in any relationship, there must be trust. Benmar understood this and offered me his truth. Son, my words played no part in bringing the dragons out of hiding. They came because of you. Benmar said that Raijin—” Iver motioned to the dark metallic gray dragon “—calls you friend, and it is clear to me they respect you, even if I do not comprehend them myself. We thought the dragons retreated to the Mystic Islands, and their numbers diminished. We were wrong. The Katori Mountains are home to many dragons, who no longer wish to fly over Diu. We must change this.”

  The sound of an explosion followed by thunder and screams drew their attention. The remanence of a flammable cloth trailed behind a burning boulder, spreading a yellow-white blaze through the wet grass. The first trebuchet strike fell short of everyone on the hill, but the second volley struck two rows deep into the Admiral’s army, smashing men beneath the stone's weight and casting Arkin oil onto others.