by A D Lombardo
“You are a madwoman, Nola,” Roark spat. “Just like your father.”
“You have no right to judge me. You can't understand me, after all the lies men tell themselves, seeking power at all costs. If a man acquires riches and power, you make him your king, and if he gains too much power, another will come and take it away. That is the way of men, and my father was such a man of power. The Galloways sought to take away his kingdom and cripple the great superpower Milnos was becoming. Well, let me assure you Milnos will show you her might and destroy you all.”
Iver stepped between Roark and Kai. “Surrender, Nola. It is over; you lost, and now you must face justice, same as your father. His men found him guilty, and they sentenced him. I only provided solutions. Diu and Milnos wanted peace, and I have kept it all these years.”
Her cold stare offered no remorse. “I will never surrender.”
“You must—there is nowhere to run.” Iver took a step toward the Queen, then everyone heard the cries of Cordelia.
“Mommy!” she cried as she ran to her mother.
The Queen scooped the little girl into her arms. “Let me go, Iver. I will not go to prison, and you could never kill me. I know you too well.” She laughed and pulled a small dagger from her sleeve. She held it low against the girl’s bodice, aimed at her heart.
Cordelia squirmed. Seeing Iver for the first time, the girl started to cry. “Father? Father, is that really you? Let me go, Mother!” She squirmed again, but Nola pressed the blade into the fabric, and the girl went stiff.
Fear forced Iver back a few steps, but Kai stepped forward. Could he possibly move fast enough to split them apart before Nola ran the blade through his sister? He dared not take the risk.
“Do not do this, Nola,” Iver begged.
“I do not care,” Nola seethed. “Not for you, not for her, not for anyone. You will not put me in prison.”
Nola’s eyes burned with rage—and in that instant, Kai knew that she was about to murder Cordelia before their very eyes. Kai took another step forward, desperate to stop her . . .
But then Nola’s face twisted. A hollow stare consumed her as the life drained from her eyes. Her arms went limp, dropping the blade and Cordelia to the ground. The little girl ran to Iver’s open arms, and Nola sank to her knees with her last breath.
Behind the Queen stood Kendra, her blade dripping with the Queen’s blood. Kai saw the sadness as a tear rolled down her cheek. “I am sorry.” Kendra covered her heart with her other hand. “I could not let her kill Cordelia. Not my little lady.”
Iver covered Cordelia’s eyes and laid her against his shoulder. “Kendra, thank you for saving my daughter.” He carried her away into the security of Roark’s men.
Kai bridged the gap, catching Kendra before she transformed flew away. “I know you love Cordelia as any mother would. You did the right thing—saving her. She will understand, someday.” He hoped his words softened the pain he knew would tear his dear friend to pieces.
“Maybe.” Kendra’s eyes had a faraway stare. “But I think it is time I leave my position in the palace. Start a family of my own, if we can. I have always wanted children, but our inability to be close to home over the years makes it impossible. Lumens cannot typically procreate unless paired with a Kodama healer, or unless the mother drinks the sacred waters regularly.”
This was news to Kai. “But then how did Lucca manage to father my mother and uncle?”
“Your grandmother was a Kodama, bless her soul. She was able to bear the light, but she was unable to pass on the Lumen gift. Mariana surprised us all when she was able to deflect light, but she could not create it like my husband. Please explain my departure to Iver, but I believe my leaving is for the best.” She turned to go before Kai could respond, not that he had any words imbued with wisdom enough to change her mind.
Chapter 26
New Beginnings
Today was a sight Kai would have never dreamed possible. All eight Elders stood in a circle in the palace gardens in Diu; while they spoke of the future, Kai could see their uneasiness. The Diu council stood among them with a similar awkward countenance. Although Roark wanted to talk peace in the King’s council chamber, the Elders insisted the garden's open air would provide clearer minds. Kai also assumed it allowed for an easier exit if things didn’t go well.
Each Chief and Unie wore the color of their discipline. Their robes rustled around their feet in the breeze: Lucca, Yana, and Kam in shades of yellow—Lumens; Jin and Rochelle in shades of red—Stonekings; Wilda wore purple—Weathervane; Zook in blue—Beastmaster; and Noreen in green—Kodama.
While living with Lucca, Kai had come to know each elder well; they preferred tradition above everything else. Even though they decided to show the world their truth, he presumed some wanted to hold firm to the old ways. Although Kai had no idea how this would go, he worried with Keegan still on the loose and ramped up for war, there was no real way to know who from Katori Diu could trust.
As the talks continued, Kai found himself distracted by other concerns. It felt terrifying to know people would look at him differently. Would they see his Katori gifts as a hidden disfigurement, curling their nose at him or shying away? Worries over his newfound paradise suddenly struck him. What of the pristine cities and harmonious lifestyle of Katori? Currency, among a vast many otherworldly desires, did not exist there.
Lost in thought, Kai flinched at Iver’s touch. “Sorry if I startled you, son. If we may, I wish to leave the palace. Dante is preparing a small escort to take me to the Central City Gardens. Would you consider joining me?”
“Certainly, father.” Kai nodded, noticing everyone else had already departed.
♦ ♦ ♦
Saying today was beyond imagination felt like an understatement. The Diu Central City gardens teemed with Katori enjoying a pleasant afternoon and communing with nature. Frolicking like children set free in a sweet shop, they performed magic without a care in the world. Kai paused, caught in the surreal realization of everything that happened the past few months and how this came to be.
“Simply amazing, my son,” Iver said, standing with Kai gazing down the length of the gardens. “Never in my wildest dreams would I have considered magic, if that is what they are calling it, possible. The Katori are very blessed to be so close to the foundation of nature.”
“Yes, father.” Kai wanted to celebrate, but another instinctual feeling crept through his mind. Nature and people kept a respective distance, and the balance of the relationship felt genuine, but now the rules were changing, and he was unsure if this was for the better.
The Diu citizens seemed curious and happy with their new magical benefactors. He could not help but wonder how long the euphoria would last. Sure, the Stonekings repaired the city walls and various other structures in a single day, the Weathervanes brought pleasant summer weather while the rest of the world lived in winter, and the Kodama restored the multiple gardens around the city and grew crops overnight, helping to replenish the cities food resources.
But the Beastmasters performed no such offerings. They were oddities at best. The children were amazed, but the adults displayed a range of emotions that he found troubling. Some cowered in fear but watched anyway, and some argued, curious or radical, over the science behind their transformations. But those were not the ones who concerned him. The men and women who whispered and nodded and poked and befriended or even separated one here or there. Those were the people to watch, who were most apt to take advantage or see them as creatures for study.
“Shall we walk?” Iver motioned, cutting his eyes down the pebble path and back to squadron of King’s Guards. “They give me little room to breathe.” He took in a long, deep inhale and released it as if it cleansed his mind further and gave him with the needed courage to speak.
“Give the men more than three days, Father. Their dead king is now restored, hale beyond measure, and father to a boy who can become a dragon. It is like a fragile piece of glass in their
hands. Their world is upside down with the Queen’s conspiracy, and they have yet to determine what parts to accept.”
“Wise words.” Iver started down the path, putting distance between them and their guards. “Over the recent years, we have not been as close as we once were. I blame myself for allowing Nola to come between us, and I was not the understanding father you needed after your mother passed away.”
The inevitable conversation Kai avoided four times over the past three days was now upon him. His father was an intelligent man, and it did not take a professor to piece together the details surrounding his mother’s fate. There would be no running away this time. Thankfully Benmar’s words—understand the strongest relationships require trust—offered him a place to start.
“Since you are one of them, a dragon, will you tell me the truth behind Mariana’s . . .?”
Iver could not finish, and Kai understood why. The very question bothered him not so long ago; if there was trust between the Katori and dragons, why would one kill his mother. He started in a whisper, as if the secret still mattered, and explained as much of the truth as he felt necessary.
His mother was a dragon, and she transformed that day; unfortunately in her confusion, she killed a guard and fled. Although it was technically a lie, Kai omitted the fact that his mother was the red dragon that served Diu all those years. It was preferable to the truth; not to mention he had known before he traveled to Katori that his mother did not die that day. Yes, there would be several details to remain untold about his gifts and how he knew the things he did.
Finally, he explained that as all Katori children reach adulthood, the pull of Katori calls them home, but he also omitted the power within the crystals and Alenga’s blessing in the sacred water.
“I guess your crystal and your mother’s crystal explain how you can communicate with dragons?” Iver asked more than surmised.
“The stones are more symbolic of our gifts,” Kai suggested, offering an alternative that felt less threatening and less powerful. Allowing his father to believe a false truth seemed better than the truth that his stone could control him. There were some secrets too valuable to share. This little lie needed protection, and Kai was willing to ensure it stayed that way.
When he shared his experience with the dragons and the truth of his mother’s change, he noticed a well of emotion bubble in his father’s eyes, but he did not interrupt. Altering the sequence of events, he continued to share his realization and mission to find his mother and restore her to her true self. He could not bring himself to explain how long he had known his mother was alive or how he lit up the world to find her trapped in her dragon form when she held prisoner by Iver’s very own Diu soldiers.
As much as others might want, he knew he could not leave the story unfinished, so he continued to share his quest to find Mariana and her final discovery off Dragon Spine Island. The knowledge she was still alive, only sleeping, left Iver’s expression sadly happy.
“May I see her?” he asked, removing the tears from his cheeks.
“Father, she is not as she once was,” Kai whispered again.
The furrow across Iver’s brow told Kai his father’s heart wrestled with his mind. “I want to see her—I must see her. Will you make this happen?”
Kai nodded, “I will make the arrangements, but it would be best if we waited. Let Diu settle before their King goes missing for a few days.”
Iver reluctantly nodded and offered the occasional wave as they walked on in silence back through the excessive entourage of lords and ladies cheering at the sight of their restored King. Holding back the throng, the Diu soldiers surrounded the King’s carriage, which sat at the ready to escort Iver and Kai back to the palace after the King’s outing.
♦ ♦ ♦
The morning dew felt cold against his bare feet. He missed home, and the palace gardens gave him the most comfort. Enjoying his surroundings, he noticed the area had prematurely bloomed—under the influence of the Kodama, he presumed.
Like him, those Katori who stayed within the city each night preferred the outdoors to the palace, and his grandfathers were no exception. Seeing them stroll through the rose-covered arched trellis, Kai raced after them like a desperate child.
“Why now after everything?” he asked, stepping between them. “Why reveal our secrets so openly?”
Benmar clasped his hand behind his back. “In truth, hiding becomes increasingly difficult each year. As people look for ways over the Katori Mountains, they get closer to our secrets. Three such groups made it up and over before we turned them back. Trade routes force more ships to our shores, and it is difficult to refuse shelter from storms or overnight respite along their journey.” He took a breath and looked to Lucca.
“Our people are tired of hiding,” Lucca concurred. “Each generation becomes more restless, and while we live far longer than the average person, and experience tells us to stay hidden, others are curious. Katori has become a forbidden fruit in the eyes of the world. We find ships crashed on the rocks along our cliffs—ten or so a year because they are trying to find a way up our cliffs. Over my lifetime, four groups have managed to scale the bluffs and reach the top. They were dealt with and returned to whence they came.”
Kai did not ask how, he could only hang onto the notion they were returned, and he hoped it meant safely. “But I thought . . .”
Lucca held up a hand. “The Elders know what we have preached, and there are many Katori who might disagree with our decision. And if I am honest, I may need to step down as an Elder. I let my love for you as my grandson cloud my judgment. Yes, it was the right thing to do, coming here. We Katori must keep up with this changing world. People are resourceful, and they will find a way. How many adventurers can we continue to stop at our borders? How many could we miss? Instead, we hope to implement a pass of sorts that would allow people to visit and leave with oversight.”
“Why?” Kai stopped their stroll. “Why would you step down as a Chief? I thought the position of Elder was for life?”
“I fought with my heart, not my head.” Lucca motioned them forward. “If this were any other young man in trouble, would I argue as fiercely to break with tradition?” Lucca sighed in a way Kai knew he was tired of talking.
Kai dropped the subject, and they continued through the gardens in silence until he spotted Rayna entering the gardens with his father and little sister. “Excuse me, grandfathers. I know we are leaving in the coming days, and I would like to spend as much time with my father as possible.”
♦ ♦ ♦
On the morning of their departure, Kai found himself standing on the palace's inner walls, looking out over the waking city. The sunrise was a golden hue with a hint of cold blue around the edges—signs the Katori no longer held back the winter weather left a touch of frost on the city rooftops. His beloved city felt restored with a new sense of optimism, which made it difficult to leave.
“I do not apologize well,” Roark broke the serine moment and addressed Kai. “I am glad your father is alive and that I did not kill you.” Roark’s puffed-up chest and his raised chin spoke of his pride and authority, but what surprised Kai was the hand the Admiral offered. “I am proud to call you my Prince,” he added.
Kai shook the Admiral’s hand, but he let Roark continue without interruption—not that anyone would dare interrupt the man when he so clearly had something on his mind.
“The Regent was nowhere to be found. I am not sure how he escaped after he abandoned the Queen, but he is not among the dead or imprisoned, as far as we can tell. I doubt he was among those released, either. Your friend Sabastian claims that many Milnos soldiers were pouring out of the gatehouse when he arrived. He was able to drive the majority back through the gates—do not tell me how, I am not ready for anything else magical—but a great many blinded individuals wandered outside the city after the battle. Dante assured me they were healed and left to us for punishment.”
“First chance he gets the Regent wi
ll return to Milnos,” Kai explained, agreeing to not say more about Sabastian. “The Regent spent time in Diu, and he may have friends here willing to hide him and sneak him out of the city when the time is right. Would you like me to search for him?” he offered, knowing it would take time—but if Maxwell remained, he was their best hope of capturing the man.
“As you say, he may have friends here in the city. We will find him if he remains. I appreciate your skills, but this is not a mission for our Prince, Your Highness.”
“Kind of you to use my formal title. Will you feel the same after I return to Katori?”
“Typically, a princess through marriage secures peace between two countries, but you were offered to Milnos for the same purpose. I believe it a wise choice. Plus, how can I argue with my King?” Roark continued to gaze out over the walls.
Changing the subject, Kai turned to watch the procession of men gathering near one of the three-story barracks behind them. “What is all of this?” he gestured.
“The Grand Duke is accepting any disbanded or retired Diu soldiers,” Roark explained, “and he is even considering individuals who left without permission when the Milnosian horde moved into the city. Which brings me to the matter of your Kempery-men—Dresnor, Albey, and Redmond. Dresnor is a proud soldier, and he will not ask for a return of service like the others, but we both know it is his wish. You will have to formally request his return if that is your desire.”
Without hesitation, Kai responded. “I would speak with Dresnor first. I offended him the last time I spoke without his permission. I will not make the same mistake. He must understand I plan to spend most of my time in Katori, returning to Diu now and again.”
“Wise move,” Roark said with a nod. “The face of the world is changing, and if the Katori allow strangers into her borders, it may no longer be the tranquil paradise it is now.”