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

ran down her already wet cheek. She ran to him, and he welcomed her with open arms. He could not thank Alenga enough for keeping her safe. It felt good to have her back.

“I should not have left you,” he admitted. “I thought I knew better, but I was wrong.” Scooping Rayna into his arms, Kai lifted her from the cold water and carried her to shore.

“I knew it was you,” she confessed. “You are becoming a very powerful Beastmaster. The leviathan is your fourth animal, and second new creation—or are there others I don’t know about?” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him as he walked.

She had every right to be mad. Lowering her into the tall grass along the shore, Kai tried to smooth the tension. “Leviathan,” he offered with a smile. “That was the name I thought of, too.”

The gesture fell flat.

“I am sorry,” Kai admitted. “I have made so many mistakes, but one just led to another. It’s as if I cannot stop.”

Her eyes softened, and her shoulders relaxed. “It means a lot to hear you say you are sorry, but you need to stop taking risks with your magic.”

Eagar to share his latest discovery, he changed the subject. “You know, I finally see now how the crystal channels our magic. The stone amplifies and softens the raw nature, and if we find the balance to let it flow freely, we can do anything.”

She pushed his shoulder. “Seriously, Kai, you look exhausted. Not magically, but emotionally. How are you doing?”

“Don’t worry about me,” he said, shrugging off her concern. “We need to get going. We should be a bit south of Chenowith but not close enough for anyone to spot us. I want to get in the hills before I…”

“Before you what?” Albert shouted from the shadows. “Traitor. MURDERER!”

Kai peered in the trees. “Albert Chenowith, is that you?”

Rayna stepped close to Kai. “Be careful,” she whispered. “Albert is the one who turned me in.”

The possibilities danced through Kai’s mind. What had Albert seen? Rayna and Kai came ashore only moments ago, less than fifteen feet from where they stood now. Did his friend see him transform? Did it matter? With a protective hand, Kai pulled Rayna close. “Albert, I know what you’ve heard, but it is not true. I did not kill my father. Please let us go. I need to find the people who took my father’s body and return him to Diu.”

“Liar!” Albert dropped the reins of his horse and drew his sword. “Our Queen commands that we turn you over. You are a murderer. You are a traitor to the crown and must pay.”

If Albert were anyone else, Kai might have thought twice, but his friend was no swordsman. In three quick steps, he disarmed Albert.

“Come now, Albert, how long have we been friends? You know me, the real me. I would have no motive to kill my father. Only someone who wanted his crown would benefit from killing him, and you and I both know that being a king was never my ambition.”

Albert started to speak but stopped—twice—as if caught between the sword’s tip and the truth. With his friend pondering the facts, Kai relinquished the sword back to its rightful owner. “I am returning this to you as a symbol of trust. Believe me when I say I did not kill my father.”

What appeared to be a mix of skepticism and relief caused Albert to slump and sheath his weapon. Trust was a precious gift, Kai wanted to relax, but Albert had tricked Rayna and was planning to hand her over to the dungeon masters. But, if he wanted to earn Albert’s trust, he needed to trust him first.

“I need time to prove I didn’t kill my father. I believe—”

“Let us leave, Albert,” Rayna interjected. Then she whispered to Kai as she pulled him toward the trees. “We do not have time for this . . .”

“We need to go to Port Anahita,” Kai agreed. “I hope to find Iver’s body there. He was not on the ship with Keegan, and I have only today left to search. Tomorrow, I must return to Diu, with or without proof of my father’s fate.”

Albert followed them. “Keegan?”

“Why is he following us? There is no time for explanations. We need to go.” Rayna tugged Kai into a quicker pace.

“I am sorry, Rayna,” Albert said, jogging to catch up. “Let me prove my loyalty. You must understand, I had to turn you in. It was my sworn duty. You really did not kill Iver?” His begging tone left a speck of doubt in the air.

Kai stopped to let his friend take a breath. In as few words as possible, and omitting a few special details, he told the facts as he knew them from the moment he was with Queen Nola in his father’s chamber, though Keegan’s abduction, his promise to Dresnor, and today’s rescue of Rayna.

“I could not allow Queen Nola to manipulate me,” Kai explained. “I will return as promised to Diu tomorrow, but I could not allow the love of my life to go to prison because I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Albert, tell your father that if he wishes to learn the truth, he should be in Diu tomorrow afternoon.”

A moment of silence passed before Albert spoke. “Take me with you. Let me help.”

Thoughts of Lord and Lady Chenowith’s kindness rippled through Kai’s memory. “I am sorry, Albert. I cannot risk being captured.”

“I need a chance Kai, please. Let me prove my loyalty to you.”

Kai felt his heart soften to the idea, and it must have shown on his face before Rayna pulled him back. “No, we cannot trust him. Plus, his mother will kill you. I have met the woman; she is strong-willed.”

Years