Traitors of the Realm - Kingmaker Book 1

Micah - A Change of Plans Chapter 7

Micah could hear the thunder rumbling and the sound of lightning cracking as he stood in the middle of the doorway, watching Skyler as she folded her clothes and rested them upon a small bed sheet.

"It's a bad omen, you know," said Skyler while she stared at her brother.

"What is?" he asked while he walked toward her rabbit cage, releasing Shadow from his confinement.

"You, leaving me here and going somewhere dangerous. That isn’t rain falling outside. It's the tears of all those who perished in the city," she finished.

"What have I told you about believing in superstitions?" he asked while holding the rabbit in his hands.

"Superstitions are believed by those who do not find logic in the truth but find excuses in their shitty lives."

"Can't believe she remembered that," said Old Lobo, surprised and proud as he stood by the door.

"Micah likes reminding me as many times as he can," Skyler said in exhaustion.

"Your mother was the one who came up with those words. She hated people who were superstitious," he told them both with a big smile upon his face.

"I remember one time, her thrashing me when I told her the ghost of her parents would come to haunt her in the night. Luckily, Kade was there to defend me," Micah said the words as though he remembered the day as if it were yesterday.

"Did you and mother really live in a big castle, brother, where people used to follow your orders?"

"Not mine little sister, our mother's. I was too young to be in charge of anything. Our kingdom was almost two times the size of this city. It's called Summer Isle. Our family were once Kings ruling over the Summer Seas. We were known as the Kings of Summer."

"Why do they call it Summer Isle?" she asked her brother. "Does the south not have winter's snow covering that part of the land?"

"There is winter there, but our ancestors came from a small island from the lost lands where summer and rain were the only two seasons there. Our ancestors were fishermen and builders. They were smart and strong. They taught themselves everything they knew. As the years passed, they began noticing their island sinking slowly back into the ocean. So before the sea could swallow them whole, they sat sail in search of new lands. That is when they came across that part of Valtray and fought a fierce battle with the local chieftain and his men and won. They were the first and only people to ever give the common folks the choice to choose their King. Our Ancestor, Olrig, was named King. All the locals began calling him the King of Summer and that's how the name stuck."

"Now I understand how you got your name, Micah Summers. It's not better than Skyler Mortenson," she joked.

"I agree," Micah replied, taking a seat next to her. "You have mother's full name. It's better than everyone else's." He then wrapped his right arm around her while kissing her forehead. "It's time to go," he whispered.

"Promise me you'll take me to Summer Isle when you come back. I would like to see where you and mother once lived."

"We can't ever go there, Skyler. Kade's new family dwells there now. We'll be imprisoned and sentenced to die if they ever found out who our mother is. Kade betrayed our mother. He's the reason for our suffering. He's an evil man. He's the right hand of King Ryker. We'll do our best to avoid him in our time here in this world." She then nodded her head before giving her brother another hug. She then grabbed her belongings and headed out the door while Lobo followed her behind with her rabbit and its cage.

When Micah opened up his front door, he saw the rain had eased and there was only a drizzle. He proceeded out the door with his sister beside him, covered in a hooded robe along with Old Lobo in a robe of his own. As they began walking down the street and minding their own, they saw two soldiers walking up the street toward them, clenching their swords in their sheaths.