As time resumed, the man flew backward twenty feet, landing with a thud on the ground. The man did not get up. He laid cupping his jaw, wailing in pain.
Naia thanked Kai with a nod and darted to Davi. Dresnor and Drew stood in shock and awe at how Kai moved. More men charged, and the fight continued.
Kai darted past them to reach the commanders. The Milnos general, a well-decorated man, held his nose to the air.
Kai shouted. “Stop this battle at once!”
The man turned his head. “Who is this boy? Take him away, chain him with the others,” the general shouted.
Frustrated, Kai turned to address the Diu captain, a man he recognized, although the man’s name eluded him. “I order you to stand down! Call the men back!”
“Or what, runt?” the Milnos general shouted, kicking Kai with his boot.
The blow knocked Kai into the Diu Captain’s horse, but he did not fall. Determined to make the general listen, Kai yanked the man’s leg, pulling him from his saddle. “Or I will consider this an act of war against Diu! My father, King Iver, will put you in chains. Diu is my country, and you have no authority over these people.”
“Petulant child, how dare you touch me.” The general rose to his feet and dusted his uniform. “Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” Kai shouted back. “I am one you seek, Prince Kai Galloway. I am not dead. Call your men off, or I will toss you and your pretty uniform into the middle of the battle.”
The Diu captain hopped from his horse. “Sound the retreat!” he called to the bugler. “Your Highness, Prince Kai Galloway . . . Blessed be Alenga, is it you? My name is Beekman,” he bowed in respect. “I serve King Iver.”
Kai finally matched the name with the face. He gave a weary smile. “It is truly me.”
The sound of retreat sounded across the field, and the soldiers pulled back into formation, sorting into Milnos and Diu units. Dresnor and Drew joined Kai, their swords drawn in defense. The general grumbled and complained, but Kai ignored the man.
Kai looked from the Diu soldier to the angry general, “Captain Beekman, escort the general back to Diu. He will answer for his crimes against my people. These people may be Katori-born, but this is Diu soil, and I will not stand to have my people attacked. He had no right to kill innocent men, women, and children.”
“You have no authority over me, boy.” The general pulled his arm free from the captain. “Your own queen sent us here to fetch you and deal with the riffraff on Diu land.”
A second trumpet call sounded, and the Diu soldiers folded around Kai. Beekman drew his sword. “Take this man into custody,” the captain ordered, pointing at the general. “Your Highness, may we escort you home? There is a ship near the tip of Baden Lake, the Jadear. We can be back in Diu within a day.”
Kai shook his head. “Thank you for the offer, Captain Beekman, but I must decline. My Kempery-man Dresnor will see me home on a ship departing from Albey.”
Dresnor’s eyes gleamed. “Actually, I must insist, your Highness.” His Kempery-man motioned to Captain Beekman. “your safety is my primary concern. We should travel with these Diu men; I can send for Rayna in the coming days.”
Rayna darted through the crowd, Smoke at her side. “I am here, Kempery-man Dresnor, and ready to travel.” She took Kai’s hand and squeezed it.
“Ahh, yes,” Dresnor leaned in close. “I should have guessed she would not be far from your side,” he whispered, barely loud enough for Kai to hear.
Before Kai could protest, Beekman called for horses and returned to his mount.
Unable to protest, Kai climbed up onto the offered horse. Drew assisted Rayna before climbing onto his mount. The heavy rain matched Kai’s weary heart. Watching him depart, Davi stood with Gail and Mekael in the center of a smoldering village. Their somber expression twisted Kai’s stomach in knots. Getting forced to go back home was not what he had planned, but he knew that fighting to save Davi and his people was a just cause. He glanced up toward Thade Mountain and remembered Sabastian’s words—do not deviate.
Chapter 5
Winter Festival
The Jadear was not the Dragaron. The Grand Duke Dante’s cutter sailed swiftly, but this ship moved like a fat whale on sand. Captain Beekman was distant, as were his men. Not rude, but they did not extend Kai the respect a prince deserved, even by Diu standards. These men were in no hurry to return to Diu. In fact, Kai noticed they were using the wrong sails, and they were set at an incorrect angle to use the breeze efficiently.
Rayna leaned against the railing, her long hair blowing in the wasted wind. “We are not moving at a swift pace, even for this vessel,” she whispered. “First, the ship’s captain removed the general’s shackles, insisting it would be enough having the General confined to quarters. Looks to me like the crew fear the Milnos General, and now we are barely floating in a breeze that I am fairly certain could blow me across the lake without this ridiculous ship.”
Kai laughed. “Want me to toss you overboard in a basket?” he jested.
“You laugh, but you know I am right.” Rayna pulled her hair together and secured it with a leather tie.
He knew she was right. The crew had too much familiarity with the Milnos men. “There is little we can do but
