Mariana's Secret

by A D Lombardo

  He thought about how to leave the palace undetected. There was no time to convince Dresnor about his mission. A smile rolled across his face. “The secret passages,” he whispered. Thinking of the one behind Gianfranca’s portrait and its three exits: the tower, library, and kitchen.”

  Kai stepped to his bedroom door and opened it for Kendra. “You should look in on Cordelia and Nola. I am not waiting around for you or anyone to talk me out of this.” Kai glanced at Smoke.

  “Speak with Haygan,” Kendra pleaded, “maybe he has an idea.”

  His room fell silent.

  Now that he was alone, he wished he had more time to process everything, but he had to find his mother. There was no way he could tell anyone in Diu where he was going or why. From his armoire, he grabbed a satchel and packed the barest essentials. From a secret compartment within his desk, he took a leather pouch full of money.

  Kai no longer took lamps into the secret passageways. He knew them by heart, and his ability to glean allowed him to navigate the darkness. The interlocking stone walls came to life and illuminated his path downstairs. With Smoke behind him, they waited in the dark behind the kitchen shelf. He paused to listen and glean. His sight spilled outward, and everything was set aglow.

  In his mind, he searched the kitchen, the palace hallways, the courtyard, and beyond to the stables. Confident he was alone and knew where every guard patrolled, he released the latch securing the panel. With ease, he lifted the wooden cabinet off the ground and set it away from the wall. After he replaced the hutch, he and Smoke exited the palace.

  Dressed in black, he slipped along the palace walls and peered across the courtyard toward the southern gatehouse. Shrouded in shadow, Kai reassessed the guards and their locations. Silently he and Smoke made their way around the yard, continuously using his sight to sense the area. At this time of night, several Mryken patrolled without guards. It only took a thought for the guard dogs to ignore his approach.

  Keeping to the shadows, he matched the guards’ pace to avoid detection, pausing where needed. He could not afford being noticed. In order to run away and search for his mother, he could not risk taking his security detail. This would be a solo mission. Standing within the arched doorway of the chapel, Kai waited for his moment to run through the gate.

  When the opportunity came, Kai darted from his hiding place. Moonlight washed over his silhouette. Ten feet from the wall, Haygan rushed Kai, pulling him to a stop. “Hold on, Kai. We need to talk.”

  Not wanting to cause a scene, Kai followed Haygan back into the shadows. “You navigated the courtyard rather well. Where are you going exactly?” Haygan questioned.

  “To find my mother. And you’re not going to stop me.” Kai tried to push around Haygan.

  “Hold up, Kai. What are you talking about?” He shook his head, a combination of pride and concern showed in his eyes. “I know what you did. I’m fairly certain, based on the energy wave I felt pulse through me earlier, you’ve discovered something.”

  Kai pulled away and glance toward Smoke waiting near Shiva. “You’ve been keeping secrets, Haygan. Why?” He raised his hand to halt any response. “There is a lot I want to say.” Anger welled anew, but he swallowed his feelings. His hands balled into fists. He opened and closed them over and over, venting his frustration. Torn between acquiring answers and lashing out, he released a deep breath.

  “There are things I need to understand.” Heat swarmed within Kai’s head. “But you keep secrets from me. You could have been teaching me, but instead, you held me back.” Now Kai couldn’t hold back, his eyes turned a deep green. “How long were you going to keep her truth from me? You could have eased my suffering when you came here. Instead, you let me continue to believe my mother was gone. I know the truth now. My mother is the red dragon. She is alive.”

  Haygan’s pursed his lips and nodded. “We wanted to tell you, Kendra and I. The elders felt it best to wait and see, but honestly, they gave up on searching for her years ago. They were not sure if the dragon seen that day flying away from Diu was your mother or someone sent to kill her. Given you are only half Katori, they saw no reason to bother with you and they told us to keep our distance. Kendra and I are out of bounds here, and the Chiefs and the Unie are barely tolerating our disobedience.”

  He felt Haygan’s arm reach around his shoulders and pull him close. They stood side by side, looking out into the night sky. “There is something I need you to know. I am sorry we’ve kept so many secrets from you. If someone ever found out, we’d be put in cages and used as weapons. I believe that is what has happened to your mother. Someone has her trapped and is using her. I pray they do not know what they have, more importantly, who they have. I can only guess by staying in dragon form, your mother has protected our secret. All this time, she has sacrificed her life for us.” Haygan’s voice cracked under the emotion.

  “We were alone in the garden that day. Nobody saw her change.” A lump formed in Kai’s throat when he thought of the guard who came to his rescue when he heard the commotion. “Well, one person did, but she took care of it before she flew away. The question is, why did she go and where?”

  “I don’t know Kai. I pray we find her, so you can ask.”

  “Me too.” Kai agreed.

  Relieved and lost by the same thought, Haygan faced Kai. “I need you to know I am very proud of you. It was difficult to stay away all those years. Mariana chose to live her life away from her people, and we respected her decision. I didn’t understand it, but I respected her choice. It is our way.” Caught in emotion, Haygan took a breath.

  A tightness formed in Kai’s chest as he listened to Haygan. “When she had a child, we assumed you would be a Half-Light. Katori children and Half-Lights emit a great deal of light until they come of age. Only then is their true light revealed—in their thirteenth year.”

  He stopped and took another deep breath before he continued. “News of Mariana’s death shook the foundation of Katori life. We refused to believe it, and we searched for her, but nothing came of our search. We knew she was a red dragon, but the information did not help us find her. After years of searching, they gave up. It had just been too long. We had to accept that maybe she was killed by another red dragon. Ryker and I refused to believe it, but you were the only one with the answers. You were with her that day, but with no memory, we feared revealing anything until you were older.”

  Kai listened, welcoming the openness he felt. Haygan continued. “Unfortunately, we…I did not have the credentials to enter your life. None of us did. We had to build reputations and find a way to be invited into the Diu palace.”

  “I know this already, and I want to understand. Part of me is mad, but the rest of me understands the risks. Information is power, and Katori gifts would be a threat or a tool. I see how dedicated my mother is, giving up her life all these years.”

  “You’re not alone anymore, Kai. You have a family. It is hard for me; I have never been one to share my feelings. These past three years with you have been a blessing and a curse.”

  With a brief look into the sky, Haygan continued. “Simone is my wife, and I left her to come to you. I changed my entire life for you. It is her I visit on my nature walks in the summer and for three months each winter. She was the dragon who helped us in Hamrin. They did not want me to tell you any of our secrets. They fear you. Which I barely understand, but that is the only truth I can find in their reluctance to teach you.”

  Kai interrupted. “Who is this they? Your leaders? I don’t see them here now. No more secrets,” he demanded.

  The agony in Haygan’s eyes, the fact he held his breath and clenched his jaw, told Kai he was torn between two choices.

  “You’re right,” Haygan answered, “no more secrets. They will probably banish me for telling you against their wishes, but Mariana is my sister. I am your uncle. You’re like a son to me now. I am sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Loyalty to my people has kept me silent.”

  A lump formed
in Kai’s throat. He considered the news. Overwhelmed, he hugged Haygan and felt Haygan’s large arms pull him in tight. For the first time since he was young, he honestly felt connected to family, besides his father. His heart felt exhausted by the thought of his mother’s trapped existence. Years of torturous nightmares had kept him withdrawn. Now he was free from the burden—he had not failed her.

  Kai huffed and shook his head; he could not afford to be distracted. Choices rumbled inside of him. “Thank you for telling me, but I am not interested in wasting more time discussing this. Either help me or let me go, but I am going.”

  Haygan leaned against the chapel wall. “You are your mother’s son. Stubborn and rebellious. Where exactly do you think she is?”

  “Based on what I saw—black sand—Kendra believes her to be on Ahana.” He studied Haygan’s body language.

  A glint of hope flickered in his uncle’s eyes. Deep in thought, Haygan pondered in silence. His brow twitched in contemplation, then he bolted forward. “We need to get word to Ryker and Simone.”

  “Who is Ryker and why would he help us?” Kai interrupted.

  “Ryker was in love with your mother. He refuses to believe she is gone. Over the years he has followed every sighting or rumor of a red dragon outside of Katori lands. He already checked Ahana a few years ago. It is a rather large country, but there are several caves near the southern shore, caverns big enough to hide a dragon. We must go now.”

  “You would take me with you?” Kai questioned, surprised by the offer.

  “Yes, I will take you with me. I think it is time you saw for yourself.” Haygan headed toward the northern gatehouse. Kai followed. Confused, he pulled on the stablemaster’s arm. “What about Port Anahita? We’re going the wrong way.”

  Haygan took a breath. “We are going to Eagles Peak. Only a dragon can fly fast enough and long enough to cross the ocean. Ryker and Simone must find her. Trust me Kai. I want to find her as much as you do.

  “It will take a few hours, even at our speed, to reach Eagles Nest on the south face of Thade Mountain. We must be back in Diu before dawn—before someone misses you. Dresnor would not stand for you to be out at this hour without him, even with me.”

  Haygan led the way. “Stay as close as possible and keep to the shadows, just as you did earlier. Since I can come and go, and often do with Shiva and Smoke, I will distract the inner gatehouse guard. But you must avoid detection. Go, hide in the shadows.”

  Reaching the first gatehouse was easy. Getting through it, however, would take stealth. Kai silently watched the guards to study their patrol pattern. Haygan approached the guard within the archway. Kai waited for his chance. He observed the two patrolling guards: one on his side of the walls and one on the outside within the city. Kai stepped in line, a few feet behind the inner guard.

  The guard passed the gatehouse and entered the archway, right behind the guard who spoke with Haygan. Smoke and Shiva wormed in front of Haygan, edging the two guards and causing them to step back and observe the wolves. When the exterior guard passed, Kai darted through the archway, across the street and into the shadow of a nearby building.

  Haygan walked down several streets inside the city before Kai joined him. “We can easily make our way through the city in shadow to avoid patrols. The next gatehouse will not be easy. More men will be standing in the archway and on the towers above the gatehouse. Again, men will be walking the perimeter in regular rotation, inside and out.”

  They quickly made their way through Hightown Proper, dodging corner streetlamps and the occasional guard. High-society folk were not out at this late hour; the streets were empty. When they reached Midtown, in addition to the patrolling guards, there was the occasional resident stumbling home. Fewer streetlamps made their movements more direct. The rare unexpected vagrant forced them to crisscross side streets to avoid head-on interaction.

  Given his training with Riome, Kai knew these streets well. She often took him to parties or pubs to study people’s mannerisms and accents. Some nights she would select a person for him to emulate while other nights she had him track and report on their movements.

  The only training he disliked was pickpocketing. At first, he feared getting caught, but Riome taught him the art of lifting any item. After extensive practice with her and palace staff, he was surprised he had a knack for the sleight of hand. He spent hours mingling through crowds, lifting things. His only solace was returning the items before the person reached their destination.

  A skill he decided would finally come in handy. “Haygan,” he whispered. “I have an idea for getting through the outer gatehouse. You can walk through with Smoke and Shiva, but it’s as you said, if word gets back to Dresnor he will at the very least have questions. If we are not back in time, a search party could be sent to find me. We cannot risk it.”

  “What’s your plan?”

  “You create a distraction near the gatehouse. I will lift the key from the guard and unlock the door to the turret. All I need to do is climb down the wall away from the gatehouse. It’s not that high.” Kai tried to convince himself.

  The look in Haygan’s eyes pondered Kai’s plan. “I think I can create a big enough distraction so you could slip out right behind them. If not, steal the key and hop the wall. For a Katori, it should be easy to scale down the wall and jump the remaining fifteen feet from the stone ridge along the walls. Climbing the wall upon our return will probably be your best option to get back inside. You will need the key.”

  Even at this late hour, Rimtown had people stumbling about the streets. Most leaving pubs or gambling establishments. They crossed street after street until Haygan stopped suddenly and turned down a side-street.

  Kai heard men talking and stumbling down the street they had just left. Realizing where they were, he took hold of Haygan’s arm. “We should not go this way. There is an alehouse on this street, favored by guards. Let’s wait here, see if those men come down this street. If they do, we can let them pass and go back to the main street.”

  They crouched between two buildings and waited for the men to come near. At the corner, the men stumbled in the dim light a few paces and then stopped. “We can’t go to the Black Bear, it’s full of soldiers. We will stand out,” one man said.

  “But I like the barmaids at the Black Bear better,” the other huffed.

  The first man punched him in the shoulder, making him cringe and rub his arm. “Fine, fine,” said the other man. “You’re right. Let's go to the Drunken Dragon. Just one more drink before we call it a night.” The other man’s slurred speech trailed off as they turned away and headed out of sight.

  “Good call. Let’s go,” Haygan said as he moved through the darkness of the Diu city streets.

  At the outer gatehouse, Haygan stepped back and started walking parallel with the wall. Two streets down, he stopped. “Listen carefully, Kai. I’ll go through the gatehouse with Shiva and Smoke. You wait before you double back to the gatehouse. Hide in the shadows and wait for your opportunity. You’ll know it when it happens.” Haygan called to Shiva and Smoke. “I will draw the guards just far enough from the gatehouse for you to exit. Run east along the wall. Stay in the shadows as long as you can, until you get close enough to the forest. I will meet you there. Search the trees for Shiva and Smoke.” He placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder. “Good luck.”

  Kai nodded. “I will be ready. If I don’t get an opening, I will try my way.”

  “Agreed. See you on the other side.”

  He waited in the shadows as Haygan disappeared into the night. After a few moments, Kai ran and stood adjacent to the outer gatehouse and eavesdropped on the men patrolling near the wall. He heard their boots on the cobblestone streets and voices within the gatehouse and above on the wall. If he were discovered, the guards would most certainly question him. He could not risk explaining to Dresnor that he was searching for his dead mother. No, he needed to avoid any unnecessary delays.

  Still, he waited. No sign from Hayga
n. Then he heard something. Howls came from the far side of the wall. The guards standing under the gatehouse archway began to chatter, and they stepped through to investigate. The various animal cries wavered in chorus; three different howls echoed in the night, each slightly from a different direction. He recognized Smoke's pitch.

  Now is my chance. Kai stepped in the shadows inside the gatehouse to find he was less than five paces from the backs of two guards. “Did you hear that? Wolves,” one guard said.

  They don’t usually come this close to the palace, do they?” the other asked. “Could be those two wolves that left with the Stablemaster?”

  There, dangling on the man in front of him, was the key to the turret. With ease and craftiness, Kai pocketed the key. Either way, he’d need it to return through the gatehouse tower. One step back he hid in the shadows. Just then another guard passed right in front of him to join the others.

  In the distance, Kai heard the howling again, and he saw it. They all saw the source. Two large silver eyes emerged from the dark. A beast approached. Moonlight and the torches along the road illuminated the wiry sheen of the creature’s black fur. It stood as tall as a horse. He had seen this creature before at the battle of Hamrin.

  The guard gasped. “A black Shuk.” Each guard drew their swords and stepped towards the creature as it advanced, its menacing snarl and deep growl beckoned them. Fearless, the men advanced. The massive beast growled deeper, and the men froze in fear.

  This was Kai’s chance. He dashed out of the gatehouse, and ran as quickly as he could, staying within the shadows cast by the wall.

  Chapter 8

  Ever Faithful

  The meadow was cast in moonlight. Kai moved as swiftly as his Katori feet could carry him. Within minutes he was safely hidden by the trees. Between two large oak trees, he waited. First came Shiva, and then he noticed Smoke. The two wolves circled around him. No sign of Haygan. What could be keeping him?