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

“Shhh, before you get us both killed. You have no more choices. You made a mistake, as we all did; now you live to serve Keegan. He is too powerful to deny, you did not ask to join his cause, but like it or not you are a part of this now, for life or death.”

Her words shocked him. “I will not live my life pretending I have no other choice. Keegan might as well kill me now because I will spend every waking moment trying to escape.”

Her eyes filled with worry. “You do not know what you ask. Keegan will kill me—painfully, but only after he kills Denmir before my very eyes. He already uses my husband to heal his wounds. Keegan has taken years from him to restore the damage done to his precious face. I try to help heal Denmir each night, but without time on land, I no longer seem to regain my Kodama power.”

The memory of his grandfather, Lucca, burning Keegan to a crisp to save them all brought a terrible sorrow. “I am sorry for Denmir.”

He wanted to mention Rayna in the hopes that he could convince Fenia to let him escape, but that would be using her daughter against her, and he would not do that again.

Instead, he gulped the contents of his cup and handed it back to her. Fenia left him alone in the darkness. Alone with his questions, his choices, and his guilt.

Helpless to escape, Kai thought about Rayna. He missed her more than words. He wondered if she would ever forgive him, and he thought of what he might say if she gave him half a chance to explain. To feel close to her, he craned his neck to look out at the night sky. The full moon was a golden yellow hue. Kai whispered, “I am sorry, Rayna. I should have listened to you. I will love you for the rest of my days.”

“Shut up over there,” his guard called from the corner.

Kai sulked in silence, watching the moon. With each roll of the ship, he thought of their destination. He would not live like a rat in a cage. Nor would he stand by while Keegan killed Roark and started a war. As a lifelong prisoner, the thought of everyone he loved dying made him bold. He would rather die than follow in his blood father’s footsteps and join him in this war.

Kai resolved that there was only one way to stop Keegan from killing Roark. He gleaned through the darkness to sense the guard; the man was asleep. Kai decided this was his chance.

His chains were anchored to a square plate that was secured to the hull by four black bolts the size of a child’s fist. Placing his feet on either side, he yanked on the chains. They did not budge. Again, he tugged. Denmir’s words rang in his head. You will not break your chains. Kai did not want to drown at the bottom of the ocean, but he would not stand by while his father murdered Roark or killed anyone else.

Kai wrapped the chains around his palms to get a better grip; for leverage, he bent his knees, pulled with his upper body, and pushed with his legs. His hands, arms, and shoulders ached from the effort. His legs began to shake, but nothing changed.

Again, he took a deep breath and pulled with all his might. Magic seeped into his crystal; power sent more than requested. Kai accepted the energy and his stone glowed brightly. The bolts held fast, but the wood groaned and creaked.

Kai’s knuckles were turning white as the chains began to crush his hands. He did not stop. His legs pushed on either side of the steel plate, and he yanked with his arms. Sweat rolled down his face. Something snapped around the bolts securing the metal plate. There was no going back, he would stop Keegan, one way or another.

A crack formed. Tiny at first, then water began to trickle, and the pressure built behind the break. Kai gleaned the expanding crack; the ocean begged to come inside. The damage spread along the seam just below the waterline. One more pull and the plate would come free.

“STOP!” Fenia shouted, hopping down the stairs two at a time.

The guard rubbed the sleep from his eyes as he looked at the gush of seawater pouring in around his ankles. “Are you mad!” he shouted, scrambling up the steps in terror. “You’ll kill us all!”

The ship creaked louder and groaned as the seam burst and more water began to fill the compartment. Kai grabbed the bars of his cage. “Let me go, Fenia!” His eyes begged her for mercy. “I must stop this war before it tears the world apart!”

Fenia hesitated as the ship listed to one side. Denmir bounded down the stairs into the knee-deep water. He looked to his wife; she held the keys to free Kai. Crates sloshed about in the rising water. Denmir snatched the keys and unlocked Kai’s cage, then removed the shackles.

“Go,” he pleaded. “Tell my daughters I am sorry.”

“I am not a bad mother,” Fenia said as the water reached her waist. She looked lost, as if all the life and fight had gone out of her. “We wanted to love them.”

Kai looked at their sorrowful eyes. They were asking him for forgiveness, but there was nothing he could say to absolve them of their choices.

Voices shouted above, and three men came barreling down the steps. Kai ducked into the shadows and waited for them to pass. Focused on the condition of the ship, they did not see him. They grabbed tools and wood to repair the hole in the hull.

Not wanting to waste this opportunity, Kai dashed for the steps—but not before he gleaned his father’s location. Keegan stood at the