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

of friendship hung in the balance. Kai studied his friends face and saw the sorrow in Albert’s eyes. His friend wanted to believe. He needed someone to believe in him.

“Rayna, please forgive me,” Albert pleaded. “I only did what I thought was best with the information from Queen Nola. Rumors of Kai’s disloyalty have poured into Chenowith for months. I should have trusted Kai, but the news of King Iver’s death was very personal. Let me make it up to both of you.”

Rayna’s caution was understandable, but Albert’s friendship meant the world to Kai. “I believe you want to make this right,” Kai said, the choice becoming clear as he spoke. “We both seek redemption, but our paths do not converge. Rayna and I must go alone. I cannot afford another mistake—and taking you with us would be a mistake.”

Albert’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, but he continued to listen. “Albert, you could be of service. Speak with your father—inform him that you saw Rayna and I escape across Baden Lake. Mention our confrontation and my profession of innocence. Tell him if he wants the truth, he must come to Diu. By ship, you and he could be there tomorrow by noon. I want the world to know the I did not kill my father. Can you do this, Albert?”

Albert took a breath and nodded. “I want to come with you, but I understand. I would only slow you down or get you caught. Trust me, I will get my father to Diu.”

They shook hands and parted.

With one short prayer to Alenga, Kai gleaned the area one final time to ensure there were no witnesses who might see him transform. In one direction, he saw Albert pushing the limits of his horse toward Chenowith, and in the opposite direction, the closest travelers were miles away, camping near a small fishing pier. On the lake, the Dragaron was sailing toward Diu.

Standing in the darkness, Kai thought about his chances of finding his father’s body and about every choice he made in the previous days. A thin white ray of sunlight peeked over the mountains. They were out of time.

“As Sabastian told us,” Kai reminded her, “there is a moment, just after dawn, when the sun’s rays paint the sky white, then yellow. We missed the break of dawn, but the yellow rays coming over the mountain and down into the valley can still hide our departure. I must fly above the clouds. We will have to fly very high.”

She nodded with acceptance.

Kai stepped back to provide space for him to maneuver, and then he transformed. Rayna climbed up between the two protruding horns along his back.

“I have missed you,” she whispered as she kicked her heels as one would on a horse. “Take me flying. If this is our last day of freedom, make it beautiful.”

Kai took flight. The white and gold rays bathed them with light as they escaped the treetops. With a few strong beats, they were engulfed in the plump white clouds.

Chapter 17

One More Dead Man

Sleep had become a luxury Kai could not afford, but the lack of rest affected his ability to focus. Every flap of his wings took more effort than the last. If they were going to make it to Port Anahita, he needed to rest, even if only for a few hours. They were flying high in the clouds, searching for a safe spot to land. It had to be a place with no people—a place off the beaten path.

The first spot he recognized was the hunting lodge he had used every summer in his childhood. This area was very familiar to him. Although they could not stay in the lodge, he knew that the overlook provided ample landing space for a dragon’s girth. The beating of his wings disrupted the low-hanging clouds, causing them to swirl.

Kai’s landing was far from graceful, and the transformation back into his natural form brought pinpricks of pain raining down his body. Tears welled in his eyes as he fell to his knees, and Rayna rushed to his side, providing a soothing touch to the back of his head. Her keen sense of his suffering gave him the reassurance in their connection. Without asking, she placed another hand on his spine. The warm wave of magic bathed his vertebra, easing the pulse of agony he felt as his bones reset.

He raised his face to look at her. Her shocked expression was a cross between horror and sorrow.

“I rushed the change. I am sorry if I frightened you,” Kai muttered in a gravelly voice, not entirely his own, with a mouth full of more teeth than usual. The golden hue of her face told him his eyes were still amber, and the weight of his head gave him the inkling he still had horns protruding from his skull.

Rayna continued to help him shift by touching his cheeks and covering his eyes. “You take too many risks with all these back-to-back transformations,” she whispered, rocking back on her heels. “There, there, all seems restored. I didn’t know a Beastmaster could get stuck between the change. When did you last sleep?”

The pain faded, and Kai rolled onto his back. “Thank you, Rayna. I did not know that could happen, either. I changed just my hand once to practice, but never have I been stuck like today.” He shifted his head to look at her. “The lack of sleep is catching up with me, and I have no balance. The few hours at Robert Henley’s estate was not enough. Creating the leviathan took more magic than you can imagine. I know all these new creatures put me at risk, but I must . . .” he let out a sigh too tired to finish.

The renewed