by A D Lombardo
Partway through Midtown, Kai started getting strange looks. His attire was no longer suitable for the slightly cleaner parts of town. He would love to change, but he did not have any options. Stealing clothes on a cold winter’s night would not be easy. Down the next street, he climbed up three balconies to the rooftops. From above, he could travel unnoticed.
Building by building, he made his way across Midtown. There were two places to access the water pipes. These tunnels were smaller, but he was happy to know they should not smell. The hinges on the tunnel’s iron gate creaked from lack of care, and he sniffed the air—musty but not filthy. Angry faces greeted him as he hunched inside. It was at least a little warmer, and it certainly smelled better.
He pulled the gate closed and stepped over sleeping bodies. With his sight, he gleaned the tunnel as far as he could see, about fifteen feet. He searched for Riome’s brightness, hoping she would stand out among these people.
He called for her. “Little sister, are you here?”
“Shhhh,” was his only answer. An angry homeless man scowled at his rudeness.
Frustrated, Kai continued. More tunnels, more turns. He walked hunched over. Pipes dripped on his head, and the musty smell of filthy people added to the intolerable conditions. Two rats scurried over his boot. The farther he walked, the fewer people he found, until there were none.
He could see why they chose this tunnel. The heat from the pipes warmed the space against the winter conditions outside. But there was no sign of Riome, and he made his way back to the exit, discouraged. While he had not searched every inch, he was confident she was not here.
The wind whipped through his hair. Snowflakes flitted by his face. It was a few hours from dawn, and he smelled and looked disgusting. There was no way he could walk the streets back to the palace. The guards patrolling Hightown proper would turn him away, and they most likely would force him back to the slums in Rimtown. None would believe him to be the Prince of Diu, and he most certainly did not want to give them cause to question his activities.
Once again, he took to the rooftops. Alone in the night, he strolled casually across each building with no one the wiser. People slept in their soft, warm beds while he walked above them. Only when necessary did he shimmy down to access another row of buildings on the next street.
The last set he needed to cross was a line of warehouses, stores, and shops. Their flat roofs would leave him exposed and easy to spot by the guards on the palace walls above, but he could not risk taking the streets. He kept low and moved quickly. Along the north wall, there were three access points. One would access the palace dungeons, one the old armory, and the last would come out near the barracks. The one he wanted would take him to the armory where he had spent countless hours training with Riome and Dresnor, the same tunnel he used to exit, which would provide him clean clothes and a way to reenter the palace. Riome had shown him the access points years ago, allowing them to come and go undetected.
The first entrance he came to led to the barracks. Laying on top of the warehouse, Kai watched the guards patrol on the wall above and the street below as he gleaned the depths of the tunnel. He found it to be empty. He waited for the opportunity to hop the small gap between two buildings. The next access point was for the dungeons. This time he hid behind a chimney and waited for the guards to pass on the walls above. As he paused, his eye caught a glint of light.
There was something metallic inside the tunnel grate, but from this distance, it was too dark to tell what. Kai took a hopeful breath, closed his eyes, and with one last prayer, he gleaned the tunnel. The spark of a Half-Light burst in his mind. Focused on the form, he saw her face—Riome. He had found her. In an instant, he scaled the side of the building by sliding down the steal drainpipe.
Frantic to get to her, he dropped to the ground with a thud. Hidden in the shadows, he detected her shallow breathing and weak pulse. Once the guards passed his hiding spot, Kai dashed across the darkness. The iron grate was cold against his hands. “Little sister!” he called to her quietly. “Are you awake?”
A moan came from the tunnel. Kai pulled open the gate, hopped inside, and closed it behind himself. Riome lay in a heap. Her clothing was ratty and damp, and she smelled of farm animals. Her hand was clammy, her face feverish.
“Can you move?” he whispered, seeing her injuries.
Riome did not answer. He ran his hands around her boy-short hair. There was a partially healed gash on her head and a deep cut across her eyebrow. There were bruises everywhere, all in various shades from black to yellow. The jagged gash on her leg concerned him; an infected wound by the look of it.
Gently, Kai pressed on her abdomen. She twitched as he pushed her ribs. “Riome, we can’t stay here. You are in the tunnel leading to the dungeons. We need to get to the next one to access the armory tower. Can you move?”
He shook her lightly. Riome opened her eyes and closed them again. Moving her with broken ribs worried him. If she could not walk, he would have to carry her. The last thing they needed was to attract unwanted attention or hurting her more. “Riome, can you walk?”
He wrapped one hand around her waist, and she put her arm over his shoulder. She groaned as he brought her to her feet. Her legs stiffened. “I can.” She grabbed his arm. “Wait. Where is it?” She pointed, “Is it there? Find the blade.”
Kai searched the entrance, where he found a silver blade, which he figured was the glint of steel he saw three stories up. He stuffed the knife into his coat pocket and waited for the guard to pass. Kai opened the grate and helped Riome down the narrow street. Back into the shadows, he weaved them through the darkness. Closer and closer to the next access point.
Closed shops gave them the empty streets they needed to move undetected. Three blocks later, they hid in the shadows as two guards walked down the street on patrol. Their opportunity to cross was coming. Two new guards met, spoke briefly, and parted. Patiently Kai waited, but he could feel the weight of Riome sag next to him. She was finding it harder to stand. “Hang on. We are almost there.” He hoisted her against his hip.
One step into the street, Riome stumbled. On the second step, she fell; Riome was unconscious. Kai scooped her into his arms and ran to the third access point leading to the tower. The gate hinge creaked; he could only hope nobody heard them as he climbed inside and pulled it closed. The gate rang out in proclamation as he closed it behind them.
His boots sloshed in the water as he crept farther into the shadows. Voices converged on their location, and Kai backed deeper into the dark tunnel. They had been too loud. There would be no explaining to the guards what they were doing in the tunnel; the men would arrest them. Riome hung limp in his arms, then her labored breathing stopped. Kai shook her, and she gasped.
While he understood the concept of invisibility, the gift had eluded him with every attempt. He prayed to Alenga. “Hide us, please,” he begged, recalling his grandfather Benmar’s instructions—to become invisible, you absorb light.
Seeking the wisdom carved into his lineage, Kai thought about his two grandfathers' abilities—invisibility and the power of a Lumen to bend light and distort the truth. Both manipulated light. Desperate to hide them, Kai pulled at the light around them. The patrolling guard stopped. Kai held his breath. The man shook the metal grate; it popped open. A rat scurried over Kai’s foot, but he did not move.
Another guard peeked into the darkness. After a few mumbles, they glared again into the tunnel. One man entered. His form blocked the outside light. “Hand me a torch,” the man demanded. “I can’t see anything in here.”
Kai focused—gleaning his own light, he drew it into his core and he felt the heat building. He pulled on the energy he saw around Riome’s collapsed body in his arms and again he noticed an increase of heat. His gift of gleaning revealed the flow of energy that he absorbed into his core. Light from the guard’s torch washed down the tunnel. Kai felt the warmth of it pass through his body.
Holding on to the light
, his muscles began to shake, just a moment more, please, he begged.
“Empty.” The guard shouted as a rat scurried over his boot. “Rats. Filthy vermin. Let’s go; there’s nothing here.” The man backed out and closed the gate.
Letting go of the light, Kai collapsed to his knees. Heat poured out of Kai’s skin, and his heart and lungs felt cold without it. Heart pounding, he held Riome tight against his chest, protecting her head from the stone as he slumped against the wall. There was nothing in the tunnel to replenish his magic. The flow of water within the pipes had little to give, and the hard stone gave even less.
Knowing he was Riome’s only hope he collected his strength and rose to his feet and continued down the tunnel. The old armory was cold and dark. Their old training room smelled stale, and months of dust covered everything. Good, he thought. We should not be disturbed. From the rack, he pulled a few of the old quilted tunics. He placed them under her head and hid her behind the shield rack. “Riome, I have to leave you here. I need to get help.”
She moaned. Her eyes fluttered.
Kai used the inside of his thin overcoat to scrub the dirt from his face. He removed his disguise and grabbed the clean shirt and pants he’d left on the rack. While the change was a visual improvement, he still smelled foul.
On his way up the eastern spire, he contemplated whom he could trust. Riome needed Sigry’s knowledge and medicines, but could the old man be trusted? His cousin was the only person who could help—Riome’s father, Adrian Cazier. Utilizing the secret tunnels, Kai worked his way to the master general’s tower and the second-floor bedchamber.
Adrian was asleep atop his covers; a book lay on his chest. Kai jostled his cousin. “Wake up.”
Adrian woke, grabbing for the blade he kept at his side. Moonlight trickled into the room and revealed Kai’s face. “Looking for this?” Kai handed Cazier his weapon.
Cazier turned his nose away. “You stink. What have you been doing?”
“Cousin, I found Riome,” Kai whispered, unsure anywhere was safe. “Do you always sleep fully dressed?” He asked helping ease Cazier upright.
Adrian’s eyes bulged. He swung his feet to the floor. “I did not mean to do more than rest my eyes for a moment. Where is she?” He pulled on his boots. “Take me to her.”
“She is safe for now, but she is sick. She has two broken ribs, gashes on her head and thigh, and many bruises. The cut on her leg looks infected. I found her in the tunnel for the dungeons' access point. So much has changed in Diu, I did not know where to take her. I left her in the eastern spire in the old armory.”
“We need to move her before dawn. Get her to my tower. I can have Sigry tend to her here in my room. I trust him. He is loyal to your father. Loyal to me. Retrieve my daughter, and I will get Sigry. But do not be here when we return—I cannot have you mixed up in this. Your reputation is tarnished enough; I cannot have the lost Prince of Diu caught in a spy scandal.”
Kai nodded. “I can use the secret tunnels, but I need to move fast before the maids start their day. Send me a note through Kendra when I can visit. I will send her to help bathe Riome.”
♦ ♦ ♦
When Riome was safe in Adrian’s room, not wanting to track filth through the palace, Kai stopped by the laundry to drop off his mud-caked boots. Before he could get through the kitchen, Lizzie spotted him. Her expression demonstrated fear and caution. “Kai, is it really you, my dear boy?” Lizzie touched his arm as if unsure he was not a ghost. “My, my, you are a sight for sore eyes. I feared I would never see you again, but do not dally here. The Queen must not find you here; things have changed in the palace. The kitchen is no place for a prince.” She bowed ever so slightly and grabbed him around the waist for a quick hug.
“Dear Lizzie, how I have missed you. I hope to ease the worries around Diu, but right now, could you do me a favor? Please send food to the master general’s room. Could you also send food to my room? I would appreciate the help.” He hated to beg and run, but she was right—the kitchen was no place for the supposedly ill prince.
“Certainly, Prince Kai.” She waved his smell from her nose. Her eyes pinned him with a look of concern, but she mustered a smile. “Now, go take a bath.”
♦ ♦ ♦
An hour later, Kai found himself eating from a bountiful tray of food in his room provided by Kendra. “I need to tell you something,” she started.
He swallowed his food and wiped the corner of his mouth. “Later Kendra, I need your help first. I found Riome. She is in the master general’s quarters. I need you to help bathe her and provide fresh clothes; Cazier is expecting you. Sigry will tend her wounds, but if you know any Kodama healers in the city who could help her, I would appreciate it.”
“I am happy to help.” Kendra turned to go. “And I will try to inform Riome’s mother, Yulia. She will want to know her daughter has returned. But I must tell what I heard about Rayna.”
Half chocking on his water he read the concern in Kendra’s eyes. “What? Tell me, is she alright?”
“I overheard the lavender girls in the laundry gossiping about how Rayna tried to see you, twice. The first time the guards turned her away and during her second attempt with different men, they manhandled her, one instructed she should understand her place while another soldier threatened a night in prison by order of the Queen. I do not want you to leave, but this is not a safe place for either of you.”
Her concerns sank in, Kai was playing a dangerous game with Nola and if he did not do something, Rayna would pay the consequences. “I will get her out of the city, thank you for telling me.”
Chapter 9
Free Your Mind
When Kai slipped into the tower through the secret passageway to check Riome’s condition, the hour was late. He was pleased to see Sigry had wrapped her ribs, tended her wounds, and given her medicine to help with the infection. Although her complexion had improved, she only woke in short spurts and her feverish ramblings continued. All Kai and Cazier could do was wait for her to recover—or hope a Katori healer was found.
“I thought I told you to stay away from Diu,” Cazier said through gritted teeth. “Did you not read my hidden warning?”
Kai nodded. “I saw the message, but I had to see my father. He is much worse than your letter implied.”
“His condition was better when I sent the letter. Iver gets worse by the day. I hate to say, but I am not sure how much longer your father has left, which means that my primary goal is now to keep you safe. If he does not recover . . .” Cazier looked away. “You are the future king.”
“Cousin, my father is strong,” Kai insisted, not wanting to believe anything else. “We need to find a cure for the poison Nola is using on him.”
“You don’t think we’ve tried?” Cazier huffed. “Sigry has tried to cure him, but the old man swears it is not poison, at least none he understands. And, of course, Nola holds a vigil of her own every night. She is rarely far from his side for more than a few hours. Even if Riome were well, she would be unable to get close to Iver to study him. I have no idea what ails him. The only time Nola leaves him is to hear the council instruct young Aaron. She aims to put him on the throne, you understand. Dante does whatever she commands.”
“So, Dante is her lap dog?” Kai curled his lip. “Explains why Dante allows her to keep me hostage in the palace.”
“He obeys his queen.” Cazier craned his neck to look outside. “The Grand Duke is no traitor—he is loyal to the crown and the Galloway name. But unlike you, Nola is here acting the part. Dante has no idea about our suspicions, and Nola paints you in a displeasing light. We still need real proof of her duplicity, something we both hoped Riome could discover.”
Riome sat up, clutching her head. “Must you two chatter all night?”
“You're awake!” Kai hurried to her side. “You have been in and out these two days.”
She scoffed. “It will take more than a few broken ribs, being stabbed in the leg, and nearly drowning
to kill me.”
She looked at them both sternly. “My father is right, Kai. It would be best if you were not here. When your father dies, Nola will not let you become king. It’s not safe here. She spreads lies about your time in Katori. Even in the middle of the ocean, people talk of you and your disloyalty. You are no longer the beloved prince.”
Kai leaned away. “I have been gone too long, but I will stop Nola, one way or another.”
“Don’t be foolish,” Riome barked. “This conspiracy against you and Iver is big—Regent Maxwell and Milnos big. I would not be surprised if your friend Tolan and his bride Amelia are executed or imprisoned in the coming days. You remember your friend Tolan, right? The one meant to rule Milnos in your stead. My network has no news of their fate; I am currently cut out of events in Milnos.”
Kai waved her off. “Lucas Maxwell is a power-hungry tyrant, but he would never imprison or murder his own daughter. Tolan, maybe, but Diu would never stand for that. His death would start a war.”
“You think?” Riome clenched her fist. “Maxwell will not allow Tolan to be king of Milnos. Nola wants revenge for the death of her father, King Penier. Maxwell will help Nola if he gets what he wants, which is wealth and power. She wants Iver dead and Aaron on the Diu throne. The only person I could not find was Landon—the would-be heir to Milnos is still missing. He is a Penier, and I imagine he has a desire to reclaim his birthright. Given the military expenditures, Maxwell has overextended his city and they grow weary of his other spending habits.”
“Well, if Nola rules Diu through Aaron, and unites Diu with Milnos, there would be no war,” Cazier mused, interrupting their argument. “What proof do you have the city of Milnos is behind this?”
