The Traitor by A. Lombardo (i can read with my eyes shut TXT) 📕

bond, a bond of brothers. I will not abandon you. But you must tell me: What do you know? You are keeping something from me.”

Kai looked at his friend; there was nothing he could say, so he ignored the question. “Help me by going to Fort Pohaku. Admiral Roark owes me a favor. I sent word asking for your safe passage. Cazier assures me the admiral will accept you at your current rank, and you leave tomorrow morning on his ship out of Port Anahita. Drew should go home to Henley; I hear his mother is unwell.”

Dresnor huffed. “Are we having two different conversations? I beg for honesty and you offer reassignment. How dare you decide without even asking me? I do not want to go to Fort Pohaku. I am no seaman, and I have no desire to leave Diu. You had no right to make this decision—my life is here.”

The anger in his friend’s tone was mild compared to the seething expression he forced on Kai. “I am giving you an order, Dresnor. I need to know you will be safe, but more importantly, when I call, I need to know you will be able to help me. Alive, you can help; dead or in prison, you cannot.”

“Clearly you suspect something is about to happen,” Dresnor said slowly, “and yet you are keeping it a secret like everything else. I thought I knew you. Your time in Katori has changed you. I am sorry, but I do not trust this new person I see. The Kai I knew would never keep such secrets from me.”

He could not argue; his friend was right, but he was committed to keeping the Katori secrets, just as his mother had all those years. “Philip Dresnor, I trust you with my life, but there are secrets I cannot tell you because they risk the lives of others. You have seen too much already. Yulia protected our ship in the storm, Rayna healed me from a poisonous plant—and might I remind you, you called her a witch—and now you witnessed me saving Naia.”

Kai saw the regret in his friend's expression.

Dresnor looked away. “I apologized to Rayna, and I never pushed you to explain. Not really.”

Through the trees, Kai sensed Yulia approaching. “I don’t have time to explain. I just ask for you to have faith in me, now and in the coming days. Remember me as the man you know. Someday, I will explain. Pray I am successful in my quest, and your faith will not be tested.”

Yulia opened the gate. “Prince Kai. May I speak with you?” She entered the maze and stepped from the shadows; the moonlight danced on her cheeks.

“Dresnor, please do this one last thing for me,” Kai commanded.

Dresnor left with a nod.

Yulia’s fierce expression said volumes. She wanted results. “I want to know what you are doing to find my daughter. Have you any news? Has Riome returned somehow in secret?”

Kai cringed at the memory of Riome suffering after her fight on the ship. His vision was brutally realistic. “Yulia, I know you are worried. I spoke with Cazier earlier this evening, and there is no news.”

Sadness washed over Yulia’s face.  “Sabastian and I searched for Riome without success. Even with the gift of sight, it took us days before we found the little cabin this morning, cut in half by a tree. It was not near Diu at all. It was a few miles outside of Port Anahita. Signs of my daughter were few; we found dried blood inside, and the empty wooden chest. It appeared she spent some time there, but . . .” A look of disappointment burdened her eyes.

“This is good news,” Kai insisted, his heart lifting. “You and Sabastian are both excellent trackers. Were you able to pick up her trail? Anything outside the cabin? She must be coming to Diu, but she would know to be cautious. Trust no one is her motto.”

“Marks in the woods indicated she was still traveling toward Diu, but we lost her tail once she neared the road. A caravan of horses, people, and wagons concealed her path.”

Kai felt the disappointment in Yulia’s tone. “Riome is a fighter. If anyone could survive, it would be her. I will search for her myself—I promise. By now, she could be somewhere within the city walls.” He touched Yulia’s shoulder, offering comfort.

The deep contemplation in Yulia’s eyes implied she had a plan. “I will search the southern half of the city if you could take the northern part? Dead or alive, I must find my daughter.”

“I know of a few places I could search first,” Kai acknowledged, “and then there are the tunnels and towers. My access from the palace will make it easier for me to search. Focus on the south end of the city near the warehouse district, then move west to cover the inns and taverns and circle back northeast toward the Central City Gardens. There are some high-end gambling establishments that stay open late. Riome knows the owners; the private rooms upstairs would be an excellent place to recover and allow her to send for help.”

“Thank you, Kai.” Yulia offered a shallow smile and walked away.

Chapter 6

Wicked Intentions

Abustling fire heated the King’s chambers, and three oil lamps gave the room a warm glow. Queen Nola wiped the sweat from her husband’s brow, eyeing the maid collecting the bed linens. The round woman spoke no words and made no eye contact. Nola hated the pleasantries with those who were unnecessary—and to her, everyone was unnecessary. Pretending to care was not her favorite activity, but she knew it served a purpose, and she was rather skilled at pretending.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“I am done with the city’s problems. Send whoever it is away.”