Treasure by Megan Derr Read Free Book Online Page B

beams of light fanning out.
    He wondered if Kinni had already found his ultimate treasure, and the thought hurt. Kinni was not a foolish, spoiled prince caged by a royal life. He was free to roam, had his own ship even—the world and all the treasure in it were his.  Why would he remember Koori?
    Kyo scrubbed at his face and tried to banish his idiotic thoughts. He needed to focus on important matters. Such as how, precisely, he was going to steal the Eye of the Storm from Taiheiyou. The only turn of luck he'd had in his plotting was that their father had decided Taiheiyou should begin growing accustomed to wearing the stone that was the heart of their power. The dragon magic might flow through royal blood, but the magic only worked if they possessed the Eye.
    He almost wished he could see their faces when they woke up and realized the stone was gone and they had no idea where to find him. The pace of his heart increased with anxiety and excitement, with the thrill of defiance, of escaping, of doing something that would really make a difference, instead of being reduced to menial tasks that any idiot could manage.
    If they had not raised him as a sacrifice, he always wondered, would they have treated him differently? He liked to think they might have actually cared, but he doubted it.
    Sighing, Kyo stood up and headed back out to the water, diving into the surf and swimming steadily for deeper waters.
    By the time he climbed out of the shark pool, he was exhausted—and surprised to see that it was not Taka waiting for him. "Your grace," he greeted, wringing out his hair as best he could before accepting the dressing robe that Krasny held out to him.
    "Your secretary and I crossed paths in the hall, and we stopped to speak. He was called away, and I offered to bring your robe to you," Krasny explained.
    "I thank you," Kyo replied. "I thought you would have retired by now, your grace." He pulled on the robe and belted it, then led the way out of the shark pool.
    Krasny shrugged. "I was on my way to speak with Prince Culebra to finalize our arrangements for our departure at the end of the week. He is quite eager to be home, and I am looking forward to seeing Piedre again. Kundou and Piedre have always been my favorite places to visit."
    Mouth quirking in amusement, Kyo said, "Not Verde, your grace? The beasts will be quite put out you chose us over them."
    "Verde is too busy admiring itself to care if others admire," Krasny retorted, returning Kyo's smile with the barest whisper of one. Coming from Krasny, it was practically a grin.
    Kyo laughed as they came to a stop in the intersection of four hallways. "I hope you have enjoyed your time in Kundou, despite the difficult negotiations and the increased danger of getting here."
    "Of course, Highness," Krasny replied, and Kyo believed him. Krasny's most redeeming features were his peculiar honesty and his cold indifference to everything—even seeing Kyo naked had not stirred anything, and it was a nice change from feeling as though people made a habit of mentally undressing him. Kyo bowed and then held out his hands, amused when Krasny, after bowing low, took them both and briefly kissed his knuckles. Always with the touching and kissing, Pozharans.  "If I do not see you again, Highness, Fires keep your hearth warm and your path lit."
    "May the winds always blow in your favor, and the seas carry you safely," Kyo replied softly, and they bowed once more before going their separate ways.
    He walked quickly through the halls, pausing only to bid a servant fetch his clothes from the shark pool. Back in his room, he sat at his dressing table and began the laborious process of removing the countless jeweled beads from his hair, carefully putting them away in the various and sundry boxes that held them.
    When that was finally done, he stripped off his robe and climbed into the bath Taka had ordered drawn for him after dinner, and which had been waiting for him to return. He grimaced