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

Mariana from Kai’s grasp and heaved her to shore. She coughed out water and slumped into the sand.

Liam pulled Kai to his feet and helped him to shore. Exhausted, he fell beside his mother. He pulled her close, her frail body lay motionless in his arms. His entire life changed the day she left. Her return would alter it again, of that he was sure.

Lucca knelt beside them. Sand clung to Mariana’s pale face and long brown hair. Gently his grandfather tried to wipe it away. “You should not have brought her back, Kai. She may never wake up. I pray I am wrong.”

Lucca’s words bounced off Kai's heart. He refused to accept that rescuing his mother was not part of Alenga’s plan. He even pushed away any worry about Keegan and if he might return. For now, he had everything he ever wanted, and that was enough.

The rising sun washed over them all. Dragon Spine Island cradled them on its sandy shores, and the ocean licked at their heels. Kai lay in the wet sand, embracing his mother. He felt the culmination of a lifetime of struggle wash away in the waves.

Next to him, Ryker held Mariana’s hand. It wasn’t hard to recognize the years of anguish on the man’s face. There was a never-ending love he carried and lifted Kai’s spirit. Rayna leaned into his side and let her head rest on his shoulder. Kai had so much to be thankful for, and he promised to hang onto it all.

Lucca took a knee and touched his daughter’s hand as a tear slid down his cheek. “Alenga, I pray you can protect them all from what is coming next. Keegan is not finished.”

Chapter 31

Let There Be Light

The boat ride was somber. There were few words to capture the emotions swarming around Kai. Staying by his mother’s side, he refused to let go of her. As the wind tousled his hair and waves bumped their vessel, his heart pounded with delight and sorrow. He felt the need to keep squeezing her hand, reaffirming his new reality. The fear she might disappear, or he might wake from a dream, made it difficult to look away.

He wished she would wake up, but she lay silent, like a sleeping princess from a fairytale. A small part of him wondered if his grandfather was right. Had he made a mistake bringing her back? No matter how much he wanted to believe he was meant to save her, he had never seen her wake in his dreams.

Rayna sat with Kai, her hand on his leg. Thankful for her support, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Kai wanted to ask her to heal the cuts on his mother, but she still bore a few pale pink scars from being burned alive in her tree. Marks, he hoped, could be treated by another Kodama.

For now, he held on to them both. The memory of his dreams told him his mother should be healed in the sacred waters of Alenga’s cavern. He had to have faith and see this through.

Across from him, Ryker also kept close to Mariana, occasionally stroking her hand. Ryker’s love for Mariana made Kai think of his father, Iver. Would his father ever be allowed to know his mother was alive? He shook away the answer he knew was true; they would never meet again.

Basil kept watch over the dark waves behind their vessel. Lucca, however, hovered at a distance. His gaze drifted over Mariana and Kai, then around the horizon. He searched for lurking foes over every wave, and Kai felt the anxiety building in his grandfather. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear it looked like the man was holding his breath the entire trip.

Yulia mastered the wind and waves to speed their journey around the Mystic Islands. Kai was thankful when her tireless efforts brought them within view of the Katori mainland. Liam stood steadfast at the helm, guiding them to the pier on the pristine white beaches below the Kahoma city.

Being a tribal chief gave Lucca little anonymity. His presence in Kahoma brought unwanted attention to their precious cargo. People flocked to the shore and whispered amongst themselves about the sleeping woman they carried across the sand. One word from Lucca and a man darted across the beach toward the white cliffs towering overhead.

Ryker carried Mariana; his boots punched into the soft white sand. He stopped at the bottom of the stone staircase along the white cliffs, the crowd parted. When their group reached the top, a carriage was waiting for them.

Wrapped in purple silks, Kai noticed a woman, a Weathervane, waiting for them near the carriage. She had short black hair, decorated with strands of white and purple crystals that trickled down to her exposed dark brown shoulders. Her regal appearance and wise expression were familiar to Kai, but he could not place her. She approached Lucca, and they whispered a few words.

With the wave of her hand, a young girl at her side disappeared into the crowd. When she pressed her hands together and bowed to Mariana’s sleeping form, Kai knew where he’d met her—she was at his blessing. She was one of the unie—Wilda, he believed was her name.

“Kai, good to see you again,” Wilda said as she approached. “Welcome to Kahoma City. Lucca informs me you plan to take your mother to the highlands. He says you found the lost Agora. Is it true?”

What could he say? He knew what his dreams had told him. “Good to see you as well, Wilda. It is true—I have found Alenga’s Agora. Alenga directs me to reopen her cavern. I will follow her vision as I did in bringing my mother home.”

The young woman returned with a bundle of white silks. Wilda nodded to Lucca and Kai. “May we care for her? We have silks to protect her on your travels back to Matoku. May we come with