The Traitor by A. Lombardo (novels for beginners txt) 📗

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.

Partway through Midtown, Kai started getting strange looks. His attire was no longer suitable for the slightly cleaner parts of town. He would love to change, but he did not have any options. Stealing clothes on a cold winter’s night would not be easy. Down the next street, he climbed up three balconies to the rooftops. From above, he could travel unnoticed.

Building by building, he made his way across Midtown. There were two places to access the water pipes. These tunnels were smaller, but he was happy to know they should not smell. The hinges on the tunnel’s iron gate creaked from lack of care, and he sniffed the air—musty but not filthy. Angry faces greeted him as he hunched inside. It was at least a little warmer, and it certainly smelled better.

He pulled the gate closed and stepped over sleeping bodies. With his sight, he gleaned the tunnel as far as he could see, about fifteen feet. He searched for Riome’s brightness, hoping she would stand out among these people.

He called for her. “Little sister, are you here?”

“Shhhh,” was his only answer. An angry homeless man scowled at his rudeness.

Frustrated, Kai continued. More tunnels, more turns. He walked hunched over. Pipes dripped on his head, and the musty smell of filthy people added to the intolerable conditions. Two rats scurried over his boot. The farther he walked, the fewer people he found, until there were none.

He could see why they chose this tunnel. The heat from the pipes warmed the space against the winter conditions outside. But there was no sign of Riome, and he made his way back to the exit, discouraged. While he had not searched every inch, he was confident she was not here.

The wind whipped through his hair. Snowflakes flitted by his face. It was a few hours from dawn, and he smelled and looked disgusting. There was no way he could walk the streets back to the palace. The guards patrolling Hightown proper would turn him away, and they most likely would force him back to the slums in Rimtown. None would believe him to be the Prince of Diu, and he most certainly did not want to give them cause to question his activities.

Once again, he took to the rooftops. Alone in the night, he strolled casually across each building with no one the wiser. People slept in their soft, warm beds while he walked above them. Only when necessary did he shimmy down to access another row of buildings on the next street.

The last set he needed to cross was a line of warehouses, stores, and shops. Their flat roofs would leave him exposed and easy to spot by the guards on the palace walls above, but he could not risk taking the streets. He kept low and moved quickly. Along the north wall, there were three access points. One would access the palace dungeons, one the old armory, and the last would come out near the barracks. The one he wanted would take him to the armory where he had spent countless hours training with Riome and Dresnor, the same tunnel he used to exit, which would provide him clean clothes and a way to reenter the palace. Riome had shown him the access points years ago, allowing them to come and go undetected.

The first entrance he came to led to the barracks. Laying on top of the warehouse, Kai watched the guards patrol on the wall above and the street below as he gleaned the depths of the tunnel. He found it to be empty. He waited for the opportunity to hop the small gap between two buildings. The next access point was for the dungeons. This time he hid behind a chimney and waited for the guards to pass on the walls above. As he paused, his eye caught a glint of light.

There was something metallic inside the tunnel grate,