Rayna's Sacrifice (The Katori Chronicles Book 3) by A. Lombardo (good non fiction books to read txt) 📕

Rayna inhaled a tiny breath. Kai lowered her fragile frame and looked at the crumpled form. “She is alive!” he gasped.

Lucca tugged at Kai. “Bring her over to fresh soil. Hurry, Kai. There is no life to give in this burned ground.”

Unable to comprehend, Kai looked from Rayna to Lucca. Ryker lifted Kai to his feet, and they carried Rayna to the spot where Lucca pointed. “How can I save her, none of us are Kodama?” Kai watched her lungs lift in her chest once more, and he looked to Lucca for his wisdom.

“She is still alive. We can save her. Glean, Kai, and know my purpose.” Lucca knelt at her side, his hands pressed into her burnt skin. Kai gleaned and saw the truth of his grandfather’s words. Magic began to flow through Lucca. He could see the power his grandfather pulled from the ground.

Yulia and Basil joined them, both touching Rayna’s body. Yulia pulled from the sky, and Basil grabbed a nearby tree. Kai did the same taking from the earth beneath his knees.

“She is Kodama,” Lucca whispered. “Give her life. Push your energy and the lifeforce within the world into her. Pray to Alenga to save her life.”

The power flowed through Kai’s hands. In the far reaches of his soul, he spoke to Alenga. “Please save my love. Give her my life and all that I am so she may live.”

“Dearest Rayna,” Lucca whispered. “Hear us now. We call to you. Use the magic from each of us. Heal thyself. Pull from nature herself.”

A tinge of green light bloomed within Rayna’s crystal. Then it beamed, bright and magnificent. Rayna’s body glowed. The burned skin began to turn pink and healthy. Her shallow breathing improved. Tears fell from Lucca. White light sparked within and sank into the remaining holes in her skin, healing almost completely. To Kai’s relief, she opened her eyes. He scooped her into his arms and kissed her dirty face. “Promise me, we will never separate again. Never one without the other.”

She wept in his arms. “I promise.”

Caught between joy and agony, Kai shuttered to think of a life without her. He thanked Alenga for her gift and squeezed Rayna. She held on tight weeping. Everyone stepped away to give them space.

When she was able, Rayna looked at her hollow tree and the earthy grave she’d survived in. “Keegan’s touch was powerful, he tried to make me turn back, but I held firm.” Through wet tears, Rayna spoke. “The first lightning strike hurt, but the leaves and branches took the blow. The second strike hit my trunk, and I felt my skin burn. There was nothing I could do. Keegan’s eyes pierced through the heart of my tree. He is Kodama, his whispers trilled down my spine—commanding me to come out. Keegan wanted to kill me.” Her eyes welled with new tears. She curled into Kai’s arms.

“I saw the lightning strike you again and again,” he held her tight. “I am sorry I could not stop him. How did you survive?” Kai wiped mud and tears from her face.

“When I heaved to raise you to the ledge, my roots created a ball within the ground to push me up. The only thing I could think to do was hide in the cavity below my trunk. My burns were severe, and I felt the final strike split my tree as I slid into the knoll of dirt and roots. They kept me hidden as I passed out. All the pain was too much and I don’t remember anything until now.”

She wrapped her arms around Kai and sobbed anew.

Holding her close, Kai watched Lucca, his expression that of a broken man. Uncomfortable with asking his grandfather, he turned to Yulia. “Why is Lucca upset about stopping Keegan?” he whispered. “Basil told me about what happened when he was young, and the girl who died, and how he hurt my mother, but Keegan deserved what he got.”

Yulia knelt next to the couple and stroked Rayna's hair. “All life is precious, Kai. Even Keegan’s. There is always another way.”

With new eyes, Kai looked to his grandfather. He remembered Dresnor’s words about the burdens of war and the invisible scars they leave behind. Kai knew all too well the faces he carried around in his heart of the men he’d dispatched.

Ryker stepped into his view. “Where is Liam?” Ryker asked Lucca.

Lucca’s gaze recalled the moment. “We separated after finding the spot where Kai crashed into the island. After hours of tracking the Beastmasters, I came upon the black ridge, and I found Yulia, then Basil found us. When we saw the blaze…” he swallowed hard, looking at Rayna.

“We ran to the fire,” Yulia continued for him. “I have no idea what happened to Liam.”

Ryker stepped forward. “Take me to the place you last saw him. I will find him.”

Basil and Ryker disappeared into the forest.

The sorrow in Lucca’s expression weighed heavy on Kai’s soul. No words passed between them. Yulia took Rayna by the hand and covered the girl’s bare shoulder. “Let us find you some clothes and water, my dear.”

Lucca and Kai sat in silence, left with years of bitterness to unravel. The weeds of unresolved anger caught in Kai’s throat. What could he say to this man? He wanted to forgive and let go of the emotional pain. There were no words he could utter to start the conversation.

Lucca went first. “I am sorry I hurt your mother, Kai. I forced her into a relationship she did not want, and Keegan turned on us all. When I learned of her choice to live in Diu, I didn’t even visit, not even when I heard of your birth. My pride kept me away. Her death shocked us all, and I tried to discover the truth. Honestly, I blamed Iver for being away. I blamed you for being born. I was foolish.”

Lucca hunched with guilt. His shoulders curved inward, and he wrapped his arms around himself. “When you displayed magic,