Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3) by A. Lombardo (intellectual books to read .TXT) 📗

but he continued. Each step, the snow got deeper. At first, it hardly covered the tops of his boots. Within a few feet, he was knee-deep. Snowflakes collected on his shoulders.

Each gust was colder. The higher he climbed, the fewer trees there were to block the wind. He planted his foot, and it sank thigh-deep into the wet snow. Some steps sank, others did not. The frigid wind froze his soaked pants. More snow fell. It became harder and harder to see where he was going.

Snow whipped around Kai’s shoulders. The bitter cold slipped through the threads of his coat. His jacket was soaked through and half-frozen. The icy rocks made it difficult to keep his footing. Every other step he struggled to keep from falling. The steep incline had him zigzagging instead of walking in a straight line.

The air was cold and dry. The wind burned his cheeks. He pressed on. His unusually warm core was almost not enough to keep him from freezing, but there was no turning back now. He peered through the snow. Its whiteness blinded him. He squinted through the storm and braced himself against the howling winds.

A cluster of ice-covered trees came into view. The snow was now hip-deep, and he stepped around the trees. Relieved to see the dark cave opening, he hopped through the snow. Inside the nothingness, he felt it. Something waited.

Kai lowered his arm. Inside the cave, he felt warmth. Heat pulsed within the walls. Hot air blew into his face. A shadowy mass shuddered in front of him. The walls came alive with ambient blue light, and he came face-to-face with the silver-scaled beast. The dragon’s amber eyes glowed. Smoke trickled out of its nostrils.

Kai froze. The scale of the beast took up the entire cave, its imposing body size doubled by its massive wingspan. There were so many details to consider. A series of horns protruded from its massive skull, and many spikes trickled down the spine. The wings were a lighter shade of gray, while its stomach was darker than its back. Sharpe talons scraped stone and the barbed tail hovered slightly above the floor.

The beast rustled its wings then unfurled them slightly. Kai stepped back. The dragon cupped its wings inward, concealing its body. Kai felt an increase of heat emanating from the already warm beast. Air puffed around the dragon, and with a white spark, the beast collapsed inward, leaving behind the man from the Agora all those weeks ago.

His white crystal glowed briefly. He was still dressed in dark blue with long sandy blond hair wild about his shoulders. His sharp goatee was grayer than Kai had noticed before. Upon closer inspection, Kai noticed the man’s blue-green eyes. The shape of his face looked familiar. A memory flashed in his mind. This face had hovered over his bassinet. A wide smile beamed as the man lifted Kai into his arms.

The realization of his old memory startled Kai. “You knew my mother. We’ve met before, when I was a baby. How could I possibly remember that?”

“My name is Benmar. Pleasure to meet you, my grandson. Follow me.” He strode deeper into the cave, down a well-lit tunnel into a vast living space. “Have a seat.” Benmar motioned to a twisted vine wicker chair with a red cushion beside a stone hearth.

“Our memory is a tricky thing. I visited you many times, until you learned to speak. I feared you mentioning my visits to King Iver.”

Feeling warmer, Kai took off his heavy coat. “Then you must have known that Keegan was my real father?”

“Mariana told me what happened. Keegan abducted her. She felt it was safer for you if everyone believed Iver was your father. Had she returned to Katori, news would have reached Keegan of your birth. He would have come for you and her, I am sure of that. She would not risk losing you. Iver is a good man and she loved him. Mariana was happy in her chosen life.”

“Why did she confide in you, Keegan’s own father? Was that not a risk?”

“I don’t follow the rules and I go where I please—my book should have told you as much.” Benmar smirked.

Kai chuckled. “The Invisible Thief. I remember it.”

“I know my own blood when I see it. At first, I only wanted to see if she was happy, maybe apologize for my son’s misguidance. When I saw you—I just knew, and she did not deny the truth. I promised to keep her secret and let all Katori believe she had a new life. As you can imagine, Lucca was displeased, but the man’s pride kept him from visiting. He turned his back on her and never considered you to be family. I think a small part of him always knew Keegan was your father.”

Kai’s heart hardened against Lucca. The more he knew about the man, the less he liked. How could anyone abandon their own flesh and blood? His brooding silence was interrupted by his grandfather pouring hot water into a teacup. “Let’s not stew about the past or another man’s choice. Rest assured, Lucca is suffering for his decisions. His loneliness consumes him. Pity, he has no idea how to remedy his mistake.”

Kai pulled his crystal from inside his shirt. “Benmar, is your crystal white, like mine? What does it mean?”

Benmar pulled his chain out for Kai to see. “Yes, Kai, mine is still white. What do you want it to mean?”

He didn’t know what he wanted. “I thought I would get a color—blue, actually.”

“Do you need to be told who you are? Are you a prince? A Beastmaster? You need to be yourself. What do you want?”

“If I could choose, I would be a Beastmaster. I feel most like myself around animals,” Kai admitted.

“Then be that. Alenga is not here to tell us. The white crystal, to me, means freedom to evolve. It seems to come with more than one single gift. Your mother’s crystal had a white vein down the