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

sails. The other vessel slowed, allowing Keegan’s superior craft alongside. Kai wondered why they would yield until he noticed their flag bore the Katori colors—three golden stars on a field of white. The other captain would feel no fear coming about, allowing the would-be friendly ship to get close.

The gangplank lowered, connecting the two ships. Keegan shoved Kai in line behind four Katori Beastmasters, and they crossed to the other ship.

Joined by eight Caroco men, Keegan addressed the captain. “Fair weather we are having.”

A white-bearded man with leathered skin stepped forward. “Name is Captain McCrory. We sail from Port Anahita to Fort Pohaku with supplies. May we be of service?” The captain’s eyes drifted up the Katori flag whipping in the breeze and back to the strange men on his deck. Kai could almost see the realization sweep through the man’s mind. Too late.

Keegan crossed the divide and latched onto the man’s throat. “Captain McCrory. What cargo do you carry, truly? Food, weapons . . . gold?”

The captain’s eyes revealed his precious bounty.

“Gold! How lucky are we.” Keegan glared back at his men. “See to her bounty, boys. We must relieve her of her burdens before she sinks beneath the sea.”

The Caroco men scattered about the ship, disappearing below deck. More men from Keegan’s ship poured over the gangplank to assist in removing anything of value.

Meanwhile, Keegan continued to grasp the helpless captain by the throat. Kai could see the fear in the older man, and he knew he would not see another sunset. Keegan’s grip around the captain’s neck did not tighten, yet the man gasped and contorted his face, the only part he could still control, while the rest of his body drooped as if no longer attached. Lines deepened on the man’s aged face as his bone structure became more pronounced and his muscles withered. Watching the lifeforce drain from this man horrified Kai.

There was no bond between Keegan and Kai, not like the one he shared with Rayna, yet he felt his father’s pleasure as he sucked the lifeforce from the captain. He could only imagine the shared blood between father and son provided the bridge. The thoughts and feelings emanating from his father made Kai sick to his stomach, but he swallowed the bile down.

Covering his mouth, Kai noticed the faintest glimpse of light emanating from his father’s black crystal. A stone once white, much like his own, but now the tainted crystal matched the hate and death which consumed his father’s soul.

Keegan tossed the spent corpse to the deck and moved to the next victim.

When they first boarded, Kai was unsure what to expect, but his father's demonstration reinforced his need to get off this ship to warn the others, Keegan was destroying Katori goodwill. With great speed, one by one, Keegan and his men began to dispatch the crew. His father took some with little more than a touch, others with the flick and twist of his blade—all but one. When he finished, Keegan took a stance beside Kai and surveyed his handiwork, with the sole survivor kneeling before them. The man was dressed too well to be a crewman; Kai assumed he was a merchant with money by looking at his clothes and shoes.

“Padar,” Keegan motioned to a nearby Weathervane. “Drop the skiff and set our survivor on his way. See that he has a strong wind to ensure his little lifeboat makes landfall today. I would hate for him to be unable to tell the tale. The Katori are the real villains—a nation of sorcerers and witches of old, come to destroy them all.”

Keegan pulled the shaking man to his feet. “Tell them, tell them all. Katori comes for Diu in the coming days. We are tired of hiding from the world. Soon, you will know our superiority.”

A child’s scream broke the moment as Keegan shoved the man toward Padar and turned toward the entrance to the cabins on deck. A little girl had been discovered hiding inside a barrel by one of Keegan’s men.

“Shall I eat her?” The bloodthirsty Beastmaster transformed into a black panther and chased the girl. Kai watched in horror as a well-dressed girl in pink—who could be no more than ten—ran toward the merchant, but the Beastmaster pinned her to the deck inches from the open arms of safety.

“Father!” she cried, squirming with fear.

Keegan knocked the panther off his prize and helped the girl to her feet. “No!” he barked. “Not the child.”

Why is she so special? Kai wondered, noticing the softer expression on his father’s face as he smoothed the girl’s dark black curls around her face.

The little girl backed away from Keegan, and her father scooped her into his protective arms and wiped her tears. “There, there Violet, papa is here.” The man soothed his daughter but kept his fearful eyes on Keegan.

“Remember, Papa,” Keegan mocked, “tell Diu the Katori nation is coming for them. We will arrive in days.” Keegan motioned to the dinghy, and the father did not hesitate.

Sadness and anger pounded in Kai’s chest. This misfortunate ship and her crew. Was this his fault, too? He could not help but wonder. Had he not pressed fate and provoked this war, would this ship have gone unnoticed? Another burden he felt was his to carry.

As the weathervanes brought the ship about, they angled them south and provided a gust of wind to fill their sails.

There must be a way off this ship, Kai thought, praying for the souls lost today. He faced Keegan. “You are proud of this? Killing those people and provoking a war?”

“This is all I have ever wanted. For the world to feel our might, to live free and rule over the weak.” Keegan laughed, and his crew joined in his celebration. Their jubilation and cheers burned Kai’s soul.

He could not believe they all wanted this life;