by A D Lombardo
“I have grown.” Seth puffed up his chest. “Not enough, though. I’m still not as tall as you.”
Seth ran to Kai, and they embraced. The guard at the door interrupted. “Your Highness Seth, perhaps you should wait for your mother to speak with this traitor.”
Taken back by the words. Kai let his half-brother go. “I mean my brother no harm.” He wanted to chastise the guard for his insult, for addressing a prince in this manner, but he did not know this man, and something about him gave Kai the impression he did not see him as his prince.
Seth closed the door. “Pay him no mind, he is the Regent’s man. You are home and everything will be better now.”
Doubt stabbed at Kai’s heart. He did not belong here, and those men knew it. The word traitor shook his core. Did they really see him as a traitor? Had he been gone that long?
“You were noticing my growth,” Seth reminded Kai, salvaging the conversation.
“Give it time, little brother, you are only twelve.” Kai tussled Seth’s hair and gleaned his brother’s arm. A white hairline crack streaked across the bone beneath the skin. “What happened to your arm?”
“I fell off my horse. Sigry says in a few more weeks I should be able to get rid of the and sling. Since you left, life is not the same.” Seth stepped in close and whispered. “One thing remains—mother keeps things from me. She must think I am blind. I know she has plans for Aaron. While she includes me in some discussions, it did not take long to realize my suggestions were of no value. So now I keep my nose in a book or ride my horse, and mother ignores me.”
“But you listen, right?” Kai studied his brother’s posture. “You know something.”
“I do,” Seth whispered. “She harbors ill will toward you. Ever since mother and father returned from sea to find you gone, she started spreading rumors about you abandoning the Diu people. People believe you’ve been living in the woods among the Katori and that you do not wish to return.”
Seth paused to look around the room. His hand covered his mouth.
Kai gleaned the room and the secret passageway to ensure they were alone. “Seth, what is it?”
“Mother told Dante you are not the true heir to the throne. That Iver is not your real father. She is the one who utters the word traitor. The guards listen and believe her words as fact. Do not let the uniforms fool you, most of the new men are not even from Diu. They are Regent Maxwell’s soldiers from Milnos.” Seth nodded to the door, suggesting that the man outside was such.
A lump formed in Kai’s throat; Seth had no idea how right Nola was about his parentage. “Do you trust me?” Kai asked him.
“More than I trust my own mother. I have the feeling she is doing something to father. Every time they are apart for any length of time, he improves. Then, when they are together, he backslides and can barely say three words together. She caught me in their room one day. You would have thought I’d committed treason by her reaction.” Seth shook his head. “I was touching some bottles on the night table, trying to talk with father. She has not let me see him since—four months ago this happened.”
Kai grabbed the back of Seth’s neck and pulled him close. “Do you trust me?”
“Why do you keep asking that? Yes, of course I trust you. Mother claims the Katori mountainfolk have brainwashed you against Diu these many months, and now you are one of them. I don’t believe her—but what really happened to you, Kai? Even I can tell there is something different about you.”
There was no time to test Seth’s loyalty. And Kai could not share what he knew or burden his young brother with his destiny. “I only hope that you never lose faith in me. Remember these words—I love our father. And you.”
“I believe in you, Kai. I know your loyalty is true. Tell me you are here to stay.” Seth’s eyes begged to hear it was so.
Confined to his room, Kai had no idea what came next. He had been separated from Rayna at the palace entrance, and his only solace was gleaning her arrival to her parent’s home within the palace grounds. Wishing they could go back to Katori did not make it so. “Dear brother, I wish I knew what to do next. I need to speak with Cazier. He must know I am here, and maybe he can help me see our father.”
“Do you plan to stay?” Seth pressed.
He did not imagine Nola would let him get anywhere near Iver. Given his vision about his father’s impending death, and his role in Iver’s demise, he clung to the hope he could somehow change his destiny. “I am here for the Winter Festival. Maybe longer,” he responded.
“I believed you would be the next king.” Seth fidgeted with his cuff link. “Dante and Cazier agree.”
Kai wanted to calm his brother’s concerns, but frankly, he did not have the words.
“I heard the Regent,” Seth persisted. “Though mother . . .” He swallowed hard before continuing. “Mother has plans for Aaron. Not me, of course. He is her favorite. She says I look more and more like father every day. My brown eyes and darkening hair, I guess.”
“Seth, Nola loves all her children.” Kai tried to reassure him, but Seth wasn’t wrong. She did tend to fawn over Aaron; the green-eyed boy version of herself.
Knock, knock, knock.
The door opened. “Prince Kai.” Kendra strolled in carrying a tray of food and wine. The guard closed the door behind her. She placed the tray on the table and embraced him tightly. “You made it.” She pressed her hand against his chest and touched the crystal hidden under his shirt. “Safe and sound I see. And feeling stronger, no doubt.” She gave him a wink.
He understood her double meaning. “It was a challenging trip,” he said, playing along, “but thankfully Rayna and I both made it.” He gave her a telling nod. “I am sorry we arrived so abruptly. I had hoped to be here under different circumstances. I deviated from the path, I’m afraid.” He hoped she would get news to Sabastian, but he could not say more in front of Seth.
A guard pushed open the door, and Queen Nola entered. “Seth. There you are. Come, my son, it is rather late. Off to bed with you.” She shooed Seth from the room.
Seth nodded to his mother, but he gave Kai a desperate look. “I am so happy you are home, Kai. Goodnight.” His shoulders slumped as he glanced at the guards.
“Goodnight, little brother,” Kai offered, avoiding Nola’s glare. “I am happy to be here, as well. I will see you in the morning.”
The room went deathly silent. Nola hovered in the doorway for many moments before finally stepping inside. Kai watched her every move as she fingered the flowers on the tray and then poured a glass of wine.
“You’ve had us quite worried gallivanting through the mountains,” she said, masking the barbs in her voice with what seemed like affection. “We cannot trust these mountain people who squat on our land and refuse to pay our taxes. Given your father’s precarious condition, I suggested we send troops to search for you and bring you home. At first, Cazier convinced the council there was no need. But in the end, everyone saw reason. It is good my men found you, saved you. And now here you stand, safe and sound.”
The squeals of a little girl echoed down the hallway; Kai smiled at the thought of seeing his little sister, Cordelia. Kai nodded to Nola. “My father. I would like to see him, if I may.”
“Not now, Kai. It is much too late.” Nola rushed to the door. “Maybe in the morning if he is up for visitors. We should talk, you and I, after the festival. About your future. About the future of Diu, and your true place in it.”
She started to leave, but at the door, the cutest little girl appeared, dressed in a pink gown and a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts.
Kai waved at his half-sister—he marveled at how much she had changed. He knelt to greet her. “Little Cordelia!”
His sister giggled, but Nola caught her arm and spun her around. “It is late, my princess, time for bed.” Mother and daughter departed.
Kendra closed the door and rushed to his side. “I have so much to ask and even more to tell! Haygan tells me your crystal r
emained white. Is it true?”
He nodded in acknowledgment and pulled the stone free from his shirt. “Haygan is a father now. Simone had a daughter.”
She marveled at the white crystal. “Did Haygan make it home in time?”
Kai shook his head in remembrance. “Only just. A moment later, and Haygan would have missed the entire birth. Her name is Nevaeh.”
“What a beautiful name.” Kendra leaned against the bedpost, looking tired and worry-worn. “You need to be careful of her. Queen Nola has become a powerful woman in your absence. The king is barely a figurehead. Iver is bedridden, and Nola makes changes and not all good ones. Men, those most loyal to your father, have been dismissed, replaced by these new guards, men loyal to the Regent. The Queen’s decision to bring Milnos into a position of power over Diu makes no sense to me. Iver still lives, and her relationship with the Regent feels wrong, but any who question, or gossip go missing. Between Nola and these men, they foster gossip about your disloyalty.” Then she changed tacks. “You’ve heard of Landon’s escape?”
“I have. Was Landon’s escape Nola’s doing?” he asked.
“I cannot be sure. A few weeks prior, Regent Maxwell came for a visit. Landon coincidently escaped the same day Maxwell departed.”
“Nola is the illegitimate daughter of the late King Bannon Penier of Milnos,” Kai admitted. “Landon is a Penier—they are brother and sister. I am sure Nola enlightened him before she helped him escape our dungeons.”
“Really?” Kendra covered her mouth. “Daughter to King Bannon.” Her expression turned to real concern.
Kai looked out his balcony doors. “Has anyone heard from Riome?”
“Riome? No. I cannot say I have heard anything.” Kendra’s brow knit together. “Why?”
“She was missing—lost at sea. I do not have all the specifics, but she was posing as a cabin boy on my father’s ship. Riome hoped to discover the hold Nola has on my father. Undo the spell. And discover who else might be involved in her conspiracy. I had a vision she was trying to return to Diu, but her wounds and soldiers on the road forced her to hide out in a cabin. I do not know where. Sabastian searches for her.” He looked at Kendra, puzzled she had not heard this news. “I informed Sabastian almost two days ago. How do you not know?”
Kendra’s eyes fell. “I have not seen my husband in weeks. I am forbidden to leave the palace. The queen watches me, and her new maids watch me—I am Katori, and there are whispers around the palace that suggest I should not be trusted. People talk of you in the same way. I had hoped to be replaced like the other Katori maid, but Cordelia begged the Queen to keep me.” She touched his shoulder. “But if I hear anything, I will let you know.”
Kai nodded, understanding the risks. “It is late. You must return to Cordelia before Nola suspects something.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The following evening, the Winter Festival arrived in a display of grandeur and indulgence. Lace runners trimmed in gold and silver replaced the traditional blue-and-white table decor. Garland made of cedar boughs, holly, pinecones, and red roses swooped around the chandeliers and stone walls, filling the room with the smell of nature. Gold-trimmed plates and crystal goblets decorated each place setting.
Lords and ladies from around the land came to celebrate the Winter Festival. Many guests brought gifts; however, the queen did not receive each offering. Instead, they were displayed on an elegant table for all to see. Most were gifts fit for a queen: jewels, rare books, paintings, golden statues, and glass figurines.
Nola’s royal chair sat on the dais; the King’s chair was nowhere to be found. Kai was sad that his father would miss the event—but he was thankful Nola did not take the seat for herself. Aaron and Seth sat on either side—there was no place for Kai. Given his limited freedom, it surprised him Nola would let him near any of the city’s elite. Guards kept him on a short leash, never more than a few feet away, and they often blocked his path if he wandered too close to the Queen.
The great hall felt empty to Kai without his father, and the celebration felt hollow and fake. To the best of his recollection, this was the first Winter Festival that Iver had ever missed. He divided his attention from the grand hall, gleaning the King’s chamber to monitor his father’s labored breathing while pretending to have a pleasant time. Sigry sat with Iver, and four armed guards stood vigilantly in the hallway.
Still, gifts, wine, and food flowed freely. Nola’s opulent outfit was beyond lavish for a Diu queen, bedecked in jewels and gold, cut lower than it should and off the shoulders. The new crown upon her head looked grander than anything Kai had ever seen. He watched the spectacle from the periphery. Regent Maxwell hung on every word Nola uttered, offering her his arm as they mingled with guests. Unfamiliar people strolled around the room as if they owned the palace—their style of dress and accents were foreign. The best he could discern, they were from Milnos. Most of them hovered close to Regent Maxwell and the Queen. He also noted those not in attendance—either not invited or who chose not to attend. Lord and Lady Henley and the entire Chenowith family were nowhere to be seen. When Kai asked after Amelia, the Regent said that she had been unfit for travel.
Convenient, Kai thought. The man was hiding something; he was sure of it.
The more he looked at the mix of faces, the fewer he recognized. Several Kempery-men, his father’s men, were not in attendance. Watching Nola flit across the dance floor, laughing and fawning over Maxwell, made him wonder if she had ever cared for his father.
“Prince Kai.” Dresnor nudged his shoulder and handed him a wine glass. “This is not the Diu we left nine months ago. Men I knew and trusted are either gone or standoffish with me. I warned you that we should have returned sooner.”
Kai sighed. “Neither of us could imagine Milnos moving in on Diu, especially like this. The Diu lords and ladies must believe the Queen is forging alliances. What am I to do?”
“I hear words like brainwashed, cult, and traitor wrapped around your name. Our once-beloved prince is now considered an outsider. Milnos men walk our halls and guard our queen. Foreigners have replaced most of our captains, and nearly half of our soldiers were discharged.”
“Too much has changed.” Kai kept studying the room. “Diu is becoming an unsafe place. Philip, I want you to consider reassignment away from me, away from Diu. I asked for the release of Kempery-man Redmon and Albey from the dungeons. Dante assures me he set them free upon my return.”
Dresnor gulped down his wine. “No, I belong by your side. I spoke with Redmon after his release; he and Albey were reassigned to Admiral Roark, they left this morning for Port Anahita. I tried to get them to speak with you, but they refused.”
The idea that his men wish to avoid seeming him left an uncomfortable feeling in his gut. Even those most loyal were distancing themselves. “Let’s not talk here.” He nodded, weaving them through the thick crowd. Dresnor followed. To lose the guards, Kai darted across the dance floor and exited through a servant’s corridor. They walked down to the gardens behind the palace, through the gate, and into the garden maze.
In the darkness, Kai spoke. “I don’t want to blindside you, Philip, but in the coming days, your faith in me will be tested. Do not ask me to explain. I tell you this so you may protect yourself and those we care about most. I know you doubt my loyalty, but I swear to you that I do love Diu. Katori has not changed me so much, I would never renounce my home or my father. In fact, I am here to protect my father at all costs.”
Kempery-man Dresnor’s stern eyes locked on Kai. “I do question your loyalty to Diu, but do not question mine. You have changed, and there are secrets you refuse to share. I see a distance between us I hope to repair. We have an unspoken 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.
