Her eyes pleaded with him to trust her. “There must be a way I can help you. Do you want to go back to Diu together?”
Fear rotted his mind and broke his spirit. “I don’t know what I want,” he lied more to himself than to Rayna. “I must solve this on my own.” He hated being short with her, but he was tired of everyone questioning him.
“You want to search for Riome,” Rayna stated, and Kai knew she was right. “I imagine you rack your mind on how to save your father, all while trying to avoid being crowned the next king of Diu. You fear your friends, Dresnor and Drew, have lost faith in you. Not to mention that you worry Dresnor will march into the Zabranen Forest to find you. How am I doing?” she asked but did not wait for Kai’s response. “The burdens of being a prince pull you back to Diu, but your life in Katori demands unyielding loyalty.” Rayna stopped them on the path. “You train nightly with the Guardians, hoping they will grant us freedoms to come and go on the other side of the Katori Mountains.”
“I must train with them,” Kai interrupted. “They have such control, and I need to understand more than Basil will show me right now. They shift in and out of their beastly forms on a whim while they push and pull magic between them. And yes, as a Guardian, I would have freedoms.”
Rayna went on as if he had said nothing. “After everyone is asleep, you travel to Matoku to sleep on the floor of the ancient Agora in hopes of receiving a new vision about Iver. You want to return to Diu, but what if your mother wakes? Before dawn, you travel up the mountain to practice your transformations without Basil.”
He felt bewildered by her knowledge of his coming and goings. He was always so careful to go quietly and return before anyone noticed. “How do you know all of this?”
Again, she ignored his interruption. “Then there are everyone’s doubts about your loyalty. I heard your argument with Liam and another with Lucca. Have I missed anything?”
Every word was accurate. Rayna knew him as well as he knew himself. He sighed deeply. “I don’t know what else to do.”
“Do you doubt your calling?” Rayna’s tone was less a question than a statement of fact. “Is Alenga’s messages unclear? She wants you to bring home Davi’s people. Start there—and stay here in Katori.” She took a breath and waited.
The silence was deafening. Rayna’s truth struck him hard. “You know I do not doubt Alenga’s intentions,” he said. “I only wish to be released from my fate.” Then he felt his back stiffen. “But who controls my fate? Do I even have a say? My visions are gaining in clarity.” It felt like a hand had been thrust into his chest, wrenching his heart and straining his breathing. “I don’t want to kill my father, but my dream is clear. Why am I there; why is Nola there? Maybe I could stop her if I knew what Riome learned. If only I knew how . . .”
The pleading words fell from his lips like dew on a water-laden leaf. Rayna remained steadfast, and her eyes were without pity. He knew she was trying to help, and he felt shame for burdening her with his troubles.
“We should speak with Benmar. He will know what you should do,” Rayna insisted, and Kai agreed.
Chapter 3
Battle Pains
The morning was ice cold. New snow danced in the air, refusing to fall. Kai stood at the entrance of his grandfather Benmar’s cave with Smoke by his side. The sounds of a steaming teapot pulled him into the warmer living space of the cave. “I wish Benmar were here, but nobody has seen him in days,” Kai said as he took a seat close to the fire.
Rayna nodded. “I had hoped grandfather Benmar could help you balance your desire to save Diu and the probability you should let them go.”
He had a feeling she hoped Benmar could talk him out of going to Diu, but avoiding fate was not the answer. “Riome is the key to everything. There must be a way to search for her. Wherever she is.” Thoughts of Riome drew Kai into contemplation. Had she taken one too many risks? Would he ever see her again?
“Do you mean how you searched the world for your mother?” Rayna pulled the teapot off the fire and poured water into two cups with tea leaves. “Riome is not Katori. Are you sure this is possible?”
The smell of vanilla bean pulled Kai’s nose into the air. “I am not sure if it is possible,” he began, then paused to consider if her bloodline mattered. “Riome is a Half-Light. The only times I used my magic to call out was with you and Kendra, and we were close together. When I searched for my mother and Keegan, and they were oceans away, and it took more power.” He saw Rayna shutter at the mention of his father.
Her physical wounds had healed, but her emotional scars were still raw. Not wanting to linger on the topic, Kai continued.
