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

see something the soldiers did not. We should check any that look suspicious or newly tended.”

They passed through the cemetery gates and Diu soldiers approached. “What business do you have here?” the man questioned.

Rayna patted Kai’s hand. Just as before, she responded in a thick coastal accent. “Visiting family killed during the Battle of Port Anahita.” She touched her heart and sighed. “The Wittels and the Moores,” she added, letting her shoulders droop as she leaned into Kai.

The guard let them pass. Out of earshot, Kai whispered. “Are those real people?”

“Indeed,” she responded, motioning up the hillside toward two disturbed graves. “They died in the fires. Good people, both families.”

Her tone felt solemn, and Kai did not ask anything more. He had no idea she knew people who suffered or died in the battle. “I hate to say this, but we should consider separating to cover more ground. I will take the graves on this side if you search those.” He jutted his chin toward the left.

Rayna nodded, and they parted.

Gleaning into his first grave, he instantly regretted the task; it felt like an invasion of privacy. The decaying corpse of a one-armed man made him shutter. The shriveled man had only four teeth and long, stringy white hair.

He did not think it could get worse, but the next nearly made him retch. The grossly swollen woman had foam leaking from her mouth and nose, and he suddenly felt grateful there was no smell from his point of view.

After searching several other graves near the perimeter with no success, he worked his way back down the hill. Two graves were soldiers, men buried with honors—the graves were marked with a white stone carved with their names, followed by their rank and years of life. It pleased him to know someone would remember them and honor their service.

The next site brought him to tears. The young baby could be no older than six months. It appeared peaceful and fresh, as if he could be taking a nap. This one had no name, a forgotten child. Who could lay their baby to rest and leave no marker? He shook his head and walked away.

Wanting to see no more forgotten souls, he searched the hillside for Rayna, hoping she was not struggling as much with her search. He found her walking with two young women between the stones. Their voices carried, but he could not hear their words.

Spotting one last mound of dirt, Kai wormed his way across the hill. Like the baby, there was no marker. No sign of who lay beneath or proof that anyone cared they were gone. The man inside lay perfect, as if only asleep—just one more dead man—no other signs of a second body buried beneath.

Waiting for Rayna to finish, Kai gleaned as many graves as he could, searching for signs that there was more than one body interred. He also searched for a site with unusually fresh foliage given that a Kodama could hide any newly buried body with new grass. Finding nothing, Kai turned to see Rayna headed his way.

“What did the young ladies tell you?” he asked.

“Their mother died ten days ago.” Rayna pressed her hand to her heart. “They come every day. I asked if they noticed any strangers, but they have not. Although to listen to their grief, they would not notice a purple cow if one walked over her grave.”

The story reminded Kai that he owed Rayna’s parents his life. “Rayna, I need to tell you something. It may be difficult to accept, but I made a promise. When I was on the ship with Keegan, your parents were there. They saved my life and freed me from my shackles. They wanted me to tell you and your sister that they were sorry.”

Although he believed her parents, he could not speculate their truth or sway her to feel differently. “I appreciate the information,” was all she said on the matter. “Shall we check the last cemetery before traveling to Diu?”

Kai nodded and led the way to his Aunt Helena’s home, the Avar Estate, and the small gravesite along the perimeter reserved for noblemen in the port. Could he dare to get that close? By the time he asked the question, the setting sun kissed the hillside and a small group of people. He did not have to glean to know it was his Aunt Helena and Uncle Kaeco.

Chapter 19

Helena’s Pain

Under a large oak tree, Kai kept his distance, watching his aunt and uncle mourn over an empty plot. It seemed strange to him that she would make a memorial for Iver, but then again, he was her twin and their bond was strong. A pile of flowers showed the daily torment of Helena’s pain. She must come every day, he thought, looking at the clumps of flowers in various stages of wilting. He wanted to comfort his aunt, tell her his truth, but she would hate him like the others.

Disturbing the dead even with his ability to glean felt every bit as wrong as digging them up. Still, Kai searched the hillside, grave by grave, hoping to find something, anything out of place. There was only one new grave, and the body was female. Everything was as it should be.

Rayna tugged at his arm. “We should leave before they come this way. No point risking getting caught,” she warned.

Kai knew she was right, but he could not bring himself to leave. This was probably as close as he would ever be to his family. He loved them, and they hated him. It was foolish of him to believe he could change Iver’s destiny. He did not listen to others' warnings, and now he was a traitor—murderer. He wanted to stay and