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

He glanced over his shoulder. “Imani. She brought me here. It was her idea you might be in this meadow.”

Rayna glanced around Kai. Her eyes locked with Imani. “It’s you. I wanted to find you.” She wiped the tears from her face and tried to stand.

Kai steadied her and stood. Rayna panned the meadow and noticed Senina. “You. You did this. It was your foolish idea.” Rage consumed Rayna’s face. “You will pay for this.” She stormed towards Senina.

Worried, Kai grabbed at Rayna’s arm. Her arm hardened in fury, and solid wood pushed against Kai, tossing him to the side. Rayna charged at Senina. Senina tried to scream, but Rayna pressed her hand over the girl’s mouth. Moss bloomed under her hand. Tears flowed down Senina’s face as she grabbed at her mouth.

Smoke barked in confusion. Dizziness made Kai’s hand swim. He felt Rayna’s wild emotions. Ryker pulled the other two crying sisters back. Rayna seethed with anger. “You did this to me.” Rayna continued. “It wasn’t a ritual to join you and your sisters. You wanted me out of the way because you want Kai!”

Unsure what else to do, Kai grabbed his crystal and turned into a dragon. His massive form blocked out the sun. He loomed over the girls. Senina’s eyes bulged. Her trembling finger pointed at Kai. Kai roared and screeched. Flames billowed out his mouth. Smoke curled out his nostrils.

◆◆◆

Rayna turned and sank to the ground at the sight of him. The massive silver dragon towered over her, and her heart raced. She wasn’t sure if she should be afraid or astonished. Never in her life had she seen a dragon outside of a storybook or a distant blur in the sky over Baden Lake. With shaking hands, she reached out. “Kai? Is that you?”

When Kai shrank back into his natural form, his body wobbled and collapsed in a heap. Rayna watched Imani run to his side. “He should not be rushing his change like this. His mind could get damaged.”

Imani took Rayna’s hands. “Help me wake him. Sense his dehydration and weakened state. Dig your fingers into the soil. Pull only a little from the ground. Use your magic to convert the energy into power for him.”

Rayna did as Imani instructed. Her hand plunged into the ground up to her wrist. The rich soil felt warm to her hand. Harnessing the power within the ground, she pulled it through her heart to bloom with the light her magic possessed. Her green crystal came to life and warmed her chest. Gently she let the energy flow through her other hand into Kai’s chest.

Kai blinked and looked up at her. She smiled. “There you are.”

“Transforming so swiftly multiple times in one day is unwise,” Imani scolded. “I would advise not changing form again for a day or two. And you need to practice more. You let go of your magic instead of pulling it back inside your core.”

“Rayna, I hope I did not frighten you.” Kai looked to Senina, her mouth still covered in moss, her eyes wide with fear and filled with tears. “Senina knows what she did was wrong. If you want her apology, you will have to give her back her mouth. Revenge will not change what happened, nor will it bring you peace. Forgiveness is your only way forward.”

Rayna turned to face her Kodama sister. The remorse in the girl’s face panged at her heart. Mortified at what she had done, Rayna ran her fingers over Senina’s mouth. The moss faded. Senina wrapped her arms around Rayna’s neck. “I am truly sorry. I had no idea what it was like to turn into a tree. I have never tried it. I never wanted to hurt you, not really. Please forgive me.”

Stunned, Rayna hugged her back. “My own pride got the better of me. I wanted so desperately to show you I could do it. To be like you… No, I wanted to be better than you and your sisters. I was jealous.”

The two girls sat in a tangled heap. Senina fiddled with her fingers. “I have never seen anyone do what you did. Turn your arm into a block of wood. Swing it like a weapon. Turn another’s flesh into moss without their approval.”

The realization that Rayna had struck Kai caught up to her. “Kai. I am so sorry.” She scrambled to reach him. “I hope I did not hurt you. I was so angry. I couldn’t see clearly.” Her hands patted him to search for damage.

“I am fine, really,” Kai assured her.

“Wait. You were a dragon. I saw you transform.” She muttered with the excitement of a little girl.

Imani interrupted. “We should all get back before it gets late. Sisters, I am sure you know the way home. Make haste. And take note, I must speak to the elders—all four of you broke Katori law, working against a fellow sister. There must be consequences, I will leave it to them to decide.” She shooed the sisters away.

All three girls scurried out of the meadow. Imani looped her arm with Rayna’s. “They needed to be humbled,” Imani stated. “Those three have been high and mighty since they were toddlers. I am sorry you had to pay such a price. I hope it will not frighten you away from trying again.”

“I heard the chanting and the humming. It was very soothing.” Rayna reached back to Kai and pulled him forward. “Walk with me. I saw flashes of our time together. They were such happy moments. I am guessing that came from you. Tell me where you’ve been all this time.”

Rayna spent the walk to Imani’s home listening to Kai. He told her the news from Diu. Of his trek up the mountain to find Benmar, his grandfather. Riding a dragon. Becoming a dragon for the first time. His first flight. And finally, his vision of her.

Imani led them toward her home with the Matoku Katori. “I will ask, but I