The Traitor A. Lombardo (best thriller novels to read TXT) 📖

The question lingered for barely a moment.

Kai clenched his jaw. “Seems to me you’re hiding behind your great mountains, protected by your cliffs and avoiding the world. You should know, there is nothing I will not do. Nothing, if it will save Iver. He is my father, and I will save him. Destiny is wrong and I know I can do this now.”

“I do not want to fight. Not when we have come so far, you and I.” Lucca stepped toward Kai. “You speak of things you do not understand. You sound like a child. I have a nation to protect. All the Elders want is to protect our way of life. Our secrets are necessary.”

“Stop trying to control everything and everyone!” Kai shouted. Irritation crawled over his skin. “Have you not learned your lesson? You tried to control my mother. Ryker. Keegan.”

“I do what was best for my people,” Lucca hammered back. “I had no idea Keegan would turn out the way he did. He was a good boy when I introduced him to my daughter.”

Months of pent-up resentment bubbled to the surface. Every bitter thought Kai ever had toward Lucca vomited from his mouth. “You did what was best for you. Years ago, after Keegan kidnapped my mother and she reappeared in Diu—married to Iver—you could have come to her and welcomed her back into your life. No, you shunned her and the outsiders that she chose. Not once did you ask what she wanted or why she hid.”

Any peace between them was now shattered. There was so much at stake, and Lucca was still trying to control the outcome. Tired of holding back, he lashed out. “When I was old enough, you could have reached out to me. Iver would have understood; you were Mariana’s father. Instead, you kept secrets. You even tried to keep me from my birthright. You set the Guardians against me. Would you have cared if they’d killed Rayna— killed me?” Anger reverberated from his core. Kai clenched his fists and continued. “Why can’t you let me do this one little thing for myself? I know what I am doing—I can stop his death.”

Lucca was unmoved. “I am sorry you feel this way. However, you cannot change what is meant to be. Iver’s fate is not in your hands.”

“Don’t be so sure. I know now what destiny planned, but I am in control now, not Nola. I will change fate. I will save Iver.” Then Kai transformed into his silver dragon and disappeared into the night sky.

Chapter 11

Even Kings Die

Kai circled the city, floating above the clouds. Yulia’s magic-induced storm still lingered, with thick clouds blocking the moonlit sky and covering Diu in snow. His dragon-wings floated on the wind. Round and round he went. His amber eyes focused on the king’s chamber. His father's room—Iver was alone. Dawn was coming, and he needed to land while the snow still fell.

Kai dove through the night. He pushed his wings tight against his body, wind streaming around his aerodynamic form. At the last moment, he swept his wings wide, halting his descent. Seconds before his claws touched the balcony outside his father’s chamber, he transformed back into his proper form.

His heart pounded with emotion. Kai thought of his father’s withered, frail body. Nola had denied him access to Iver’s chambers before, but tonight he was determined to see his father. Even if this would be the last time, he wanted to say goodbye.

Kai gathered his strength and gave one last prayer to Alenga to help him. “Please hear me, Alenga, change my fate. Let me save my father.”

The pounding of his heart slowed, and he pulled the balcony doors open without a sound. The dank room smelled foul. Death lingered in every corner. Sickness dripped from the bedsheets. Studying his father’s gaunt and pale face, Kai approached and touched his father’s hand. Clammy.

Iver opened his eyes. Hazy eyes peered up at Kai. “Son, is that you?” His raspy voice begged for an answer.

Kai’s heart broke at the sight of this once great man. His muscular form was now skin and bone, near death. “Yes, father. I am back. Come to make you well.”

Visions are a terrible thing: gift or curse, Kai was unsure. Knowledge is power, something he learned at an early age, but knowing did not necessarily tell him how to change things. Still, he was not prepared for this horrible moment etched across his spirit. Anxiety swelled, and his heart pounded violently. His hands trembled.

No amount of preparation could squelch the sick feeling. Kai had to believe Alenga showed him the next moment, not to scare him, not to trap him, but to empower him. It was a risk to let the vision unfold. While he did not know who would wield his blade, he felt it necessary to let it play out. He thought of Riome’s seed planted as a key to free his mind.

A key in the lock clicked and the door opened. Light from the hallway cut through the room, blinding him momentarily. The silhouette stepped forward, and Kai saw Nola’s familiar form. Kai turned his face towards his father. It was time. He leaned on the bed to listen to Iver’s labored breathing.

“How did you get in here?” she snarled, but then she closed the door, and Kai heard her lock it.

The room swelled and Kai felt a thickness press on his mind. “You came, my dear,” Nola spoke with a new tenderness. “We have longed for this moment. Remember the commitment you made, and the promise hidden deep within your mind. I am your queen, and you promised to be true.” She approached and leaned into his side.

His mind felt like it was drowning in the lilt