Lunars of the Caribbean

Levana Goes To Prison (27)

Upon returning to the Governor's house, something Iko insisted that Kai do, he found Levana and his father arguing right in the entrance.

When his father saw him, Rikan let out a gasp of joy. "Kaito!" he cried as he threw his arms around his son. "Oh, we all thought the worst had happened to you."

Kaito couldn't remember a time when his father had hugged him with this much happiness. With sadness and hopelessness, sure. But pure joy. That wasn't something Kaito was used to from his father.

Levana sneered at him. "My people said they saw you sneaking off towards the dock. I thought you'd jumped on a ship to flee Port Royal."

Kaito glared at her. "I am many things, Levana. But I am not a coward."

Her eyebrow rose. "Are you saying that it takes bravery to marry me?"

Without missing a beat, Kaito replied, "Well it must have taken your late husband quite a bit of courage to stand you."

That hit her weak spot. Rather than keep calm and pretend nothing got to her, she allowed the smoke to trail out her ears. Her nose twitched, and her lips pursed in an enraged sneer. Her guards kept their hands on their pistols. And Kaito knew that if Levan gave the word, they would shoot him on the spot.

But Kaito was no longer afraid of Levana. He knew more than Levana could ever make him forget. He knew Cinder was the true heir of Luna. He knew that there was prophecy that told of Levana being dethrone. He knew how to stop Levana's reign of terror, and how to keep her at bay.

He knew her weakness.

After spending the night with Iko and Kinney, Kaito picked up a few tricks on how to keep Levana out of his hair. Not forever, of course. But just long enough to get the Codex to Cinder.

Kaito just had to figure out where she was.

"Well," Levana snarled. "I came here in good faith that you and your father would like to know that my Lieutenants are on the cusp of capturing the fugitive, Linh Cinder."

Rikan's jaw set, while Kaito nearly screamed in outrage. There was no way that Levana could know where Cinder was. No one in the entire world knew where Cinder was hiding out, or if she was even hiding. For all Kaito and his father knew, Cinder and her pirate comrade could be sailing the seas and pillaging across the Caribbean.

Yet, if Levana knew where Cinder really was, it meant that Cinder could be walking into a trap as they spoke.

Kaito's father sighed. "Where is she then?"

At that, Levana upturned her lips. Which - in Kai's opinion - wasn't much better than her frowning lips. "She is heading towards Luna's island prison. Dead Man's island."

Kai gulped. He'd heard stories about that island. It was the only place in the world capable of holding sorcerers, witches, or others of the mystical arts. No one had ever escaped that prison in the history of its existence. It was impenetrable.

"Why would Cinder go there?" Kaito questioned. Out of his own interest in the situation, his worry for Cinder, and the fact that the idea of her going there was so ludicrous he could barely believe it.

Levana half shrugged. "Why does a lunatic criminal do anything? Because they are insane and have no sense of right or wrong. My guess is that she only wants to cause chaos and mayhem."

That statement struck Kaito as odd. Cinder was not crazy. Different and unique, definitely. A bit strange, maybe. But never insane or ludicrous as Levana put it.

It took Kaito a moment, but he figured out what Levana was subtly doing. She was trying to make Cinder out to be a maniac, and a girl who would do anything to cause trouble.