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

It was preferable to the truth; not to mention he had known before he traveled to Katori that his mother did not die that day. Yes, there would be several details to remain untold about his gifts and how he knew the things he did.

Finally, he explained that as all Katori children reach adulthood, the pull of Katori calls them home, but he also omitted the power within the crystals and Alenga’s blessing in the sacred water.

“I guess your crystal and your mother’s crystal explain how you can communicate with dragons?” Iver asked more than surmised.

“The stones are more symbolic of our gifts,” Kai suggested, offering an alternative that felt less threatening and less powerful. Allowing his father to believe a false truth seemed better than the truth that his stone could control him. There were some secrets too valuable to share. This little lie needed protection, and Kai was willing to ensure it stayed that way.

When he shared his experience with the dragons and the truth of his mother’s change, he noticed a well of emotion bubble in his father’s eyes, but he did not interrupt. Altering the sequence of events, he continued to share his realization and mission to find his mother and restore her to her true self. He could not bring himself to explain how long he had known his mother was alive or how he lit up the world to find her trapped in her dragon form when she held prisoner by Iver’s very own Diu soldiers.

As much as others might want, he knew he could not leave the story unfinished, so he continued to share his quest to find Mariana and her final discovery off Dragon Spine Island. The knowledge she was still alive, only sleeping, left Iver’s expression sadly happy.

“May I see her?” he asked, removing the tears from his cheeks.

“Father, she is not as she once was,” Kai whispered again.

The furrow across Iver’s brow told Kai his father’s heart wrestled with his mind. “I want to see her—I must see her. Will you make this happen?”

Kai nodded, “I will make the arrangements, but it would be best if we waited. Let Diu settle before their King goes missing for a few days.”

Iver reluctantly nodded and offered the occasional wave as they walked on in silence back through the excessive entourage of lords and ladies cheering at the sight of their restored King. Holding back the throng, the Diu soldiers surrounded the King’s carriage, which sat at the ready to escort Iver and Kai back to the palace after the King’s outing.

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The morning dew felt cold against his bare feet. He missed home, and the palace gardens gave him the most comfort. Enjoying his surroundings, he noticed the area had prematurely bloomed—under the influence of the Kodama, he presumed.

Like him, those Katori who stayed within the city each night preferred the outdoors to the palace, and his grandfathers were no exception. Seeing them stroll through the rose-covered arched trellis, Kai raced after them like a desperate child.

“Why now after everything?” he asked, stepping between them. “Why reveal our secrets so openly?”

Benmar clasped his hand behind his back. “In truth, hiding becomes increasingly difficult each year. As people look for ways over the Katori Mountains, they get closer to our secrets. Three such groups made it up and over before we turned them back. Trade routes force more ships to our shores, and it is difficult to refuse shelter from storms or overnight respite along their journey.” He took a breath and looked to Lucca.

“Our people are tired of hiding,” Lucca concurred. “Each generation becomes more restless, and while we live far longer than the average person, and experience tells us to stay hidden, others are curious. Katori has become a forbidden fruit in the eyes of the world. We find ships crashed on the rocks along our cliffs—ten or so a year because they are trying to find a way up our cliffs. Over my lifetime, four groups have managed to scale the bluffs and reach the top. They were dealt with and returned to whence they came.”

Kai did not ask how, he could only hang onto the notion they were returned, and he hoped it meant safely. “But I thought . . .”

Lucca held up a hand. “The Elders know what we have preached, and there are many Katori who might disagree with our decision. And if I am honest, I may need to step down as an Elder. I let my love for you as my grandson cloud my judgment. Yes, it was the right thing to do, coming here. We Katori must keep up with this changing world. People are resourceful, and they will find a way. How many adventurers can we continue to stop at our borders? How many could we miss? Instead, we hope to implement a pass of sorts that would allow people to visit and leave with oversight.”

“Why?” Kai stopped their stroll. “Why would you step down as a Chief? I thought the position of Elder was for life?”

“I fought with my heart, not my head.” Lucca motioned them forward. “If this were any other young man in trouble, would I argue as fiercely to break with tradition?” Lucca sighed in a way Kai knew he was tired of talking.

Kai dropped the subject, and they continued through the gardens in silence until he spotted Rayna entering the gardens with his father and little sister. “Excuse me, grandfathers. I know we are leaving in the coming days, and I would like to spend as much time with my father as possible.”

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On the morning of their departure, Kai found himself standing on the palace's inner walls, looking out over the waking city. The sunrise was a golden hue with a hint of cold blue around the edges—signs the Katori no longer held