Chapter 57: The Revelation

Kazi woke up early, the weight of responsibility pressing down on her chest like a physical weight. She threw back the comforting sheets from her childhood bed, the softness of them a reminder of a time when her life had been different. As she dressed in her usual armour, the servants of her father's estate glanced at her with curiosity and concern. They had seen the change in their General, and it worried them.

She made her way down the hallways, nodding at the servants who bowed respectfully. When she arrived at her father's study, she saw him bent over a stack of parchment, his face etched with worry.

"Father?" He was taken aback by Kazi's voice and looked up, a glint of worry on his face.

"Kazi, my dear," he spoke in a kind tone. "Come in, come in. You look troubled. What is it?"

Kazi hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath before speaking. "There is something you need to know, Father," she began, her voice steady. She launched into a detailed account of the missing ships, the attacks, and the unsettling evidence she had uncovered. The rumours, the threats, all pointed to a traitor within their ranks.

"There is a traitor, Father," she concluded, her voice grim. "Someone within the Althea court is feeding information to the attackers."

Governor Nari listened intently, his face hardening as Kazi spoke. When she finished, he reached out and took the worn parchment she handed him,, his eyes widening as he scanned the cryptic message.

"There is a puppeteer pulling the strings," he read aloud, his voice low. "'They orchestrate the chaos, the fear. But perhaps...perhaps they find themself drawn to your unshakeable commitment, K.'"

He lowered the paper, his gaze fixed on Kazi. "Who sent you this, Kazi? This... this is no ordinary message. I knew there was a traitor but..." He paused; his expression grim. "This could endanger you."

Kazi shook her head, a flicker of frustration crossing her features. "I have not found the traitor yet, Father, but I know there is one. And..." she paused, her voice dropping to a whisper, "and I encountered a changeling. Twice. In Althea. Like Madoc."

Governor Nari's eyes widened further. "A changeling? Are you certain, Kazi? This is... very serious indeed."

"I am certain, Father," Kazi confirmed, her voice firm. "Our best bet is that the orchestrator of this chaos is a changeling." Governor Nari considered this for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought.

The Governor sighed, a deep frown on his face. "This is indeed grave news, my dear. It seems we have a changeling within our midst, one who seeks to sow discord and chaos. This changes everything. We need to inform King Eldarion immediately. This... this cannot stand."

Kazi nodded in agreement. "It is for the best, Father. But..." her voice trailed off, uncertainty clouding her gaze.

"But what, Kazi?" Governor Nari prompted, noticing her hesitation.

Resisting the want to confide in her father, Kazi bit her lip. However, something kept her back—a dread of being judged and of showing the weakness that was eating away at her.

"It is nothing, Father," she lied, forcing a smile. "Just... exhaustion from the trip. A long journey does take a toll."

She turned to leave, when her father's voice stopped her. "Kazi."

"Kazi, wait," Governor Nari called out, stopping her in her tracks. "Is truly nothing wrong? Your behaviour... it is changed. Where is the fiery, passionate Kazi I know?

Kazi's heart contracted. The mask she had worn began to shatter, revealing the struggle behind. But she couldn't and would not burden her father with her own issues.

"Just tired, Father," she repeated, forcing a smile. "It has been a long journey, and... I have been thinking about everything. The chaos, the attackers, the changeling. It is all... it is all a lot to take in."

With one last forced smile, just as Kazi turned and opened the study door, her father spoke. "Kazi, wait... you were in Althea?"

Kazi turned around, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. It sounded strained even to her own ears.

Governor Nari's gaze remained fixed on her, "Kazi," he said sternly, "explain yourself. You were in Althea? But..." he trailed off, confusion clouding his expression. "You told me you received an urgent request to handle some important business outside Niameda."

Kazi winced internally. The lie, once a necessary deception, now seemed like a heavy weight around her neck. "There was a reason for that deception, Father," she confessed, barely above a whisper.

"A reason?" His voice was cold, hard. "Kazi, you cannot keep secrets from me. This... this is not something that can be swept under the rug. You were in Althea, and you encountered a changeling. Twice. What reason could justify such a risk?"

"Nia and I, after concluding there was a traitor in Althea's court," she began, "decided the best course of action was to infiltrate the palace." Kazi paused, her gaze drifting as she relived the memories of their plan.

"Infiltrate the palace? Did you lose your mind, Kazi? How in Niameda's name did you even think of such a reckless plan?" Governor Nari's voice was full of disbelief and anger. "You could have been killed!"

"We needed to gather information, Father. To find the traitor. But..." she hesitated, her voice dropping lower. "It would not have been safe for me to go as Kazi, General Kazi."

"Safe?" Governor Nari repeated, his voice low and dangerously calm. "So, you decided to... to do what?"

"To disguise myself," Kazi blurted out, bracing herself for his reaction.

"Disguise yourself?" He repeated, his voice cracking.

"Nia and I decided..." she took another deep breath, "to have me go in disguise as..." Her voice trailed off. She could feel her father's gaze burning into her. "As someone less... important. Someone that would not draw attention. It was the only way to get close enough to find out what was happening, to find the traitor."

"As...?" Governor Nari repeated, his voice shaking. "As whom?"

Kazi met her father's gaze, her own determination wavering in the face of his anger. "As a man," she confessed, her voice barely a whisper.

"A man?! Kazi, are you out of your mind?!" Governor Nari's face was a mask of shock and disbelief. He paced back and forth in front of the study door, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Impersonating a man in Althea? You could have been... you could have been—"

"Killed, imprisoned, yes, I know the risks, Father," Kazi interjected, her voice firm. "But it worked. I gathered valuable information," she added, her tone growing more defiant. "It was relatively safe. I was careful. I did not let my guard down."

"Safe?" Governor Nari repeated, his voice louder than before. "Safe was not the concern, Kazi. Your life was at stake. You could have died. And for what? To gather information? Your life is much more valuable than some information. We would have found another way to get the information we needed."

"But it was not just about the information, Father," Kazi insisted, her voice steady despite his rising anger. "It was about exposing the traitor. About protecting Althea and our people. I had to do something."

Governor Nari stopped in front of her, his face contorted with anger and frustration. "You should have talked to me first," he said through gritted teeth. "I am your father, and I would have understood. I would have helped you find another way."

Kazi looked up at him, her eyes filled with determination and a steely resolve. "I had to do something, Father," she said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I couldn't just stand by and let Niameda be destroyed. I couldn't let you and our people suffer because of this traitor's actions. I had to try and stop them, and I was willing to risk everything to do so."

Her words hung in the air, heavy with unspoken emotion. Governor Nari closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He knew his daughter well; she had always been headstrong and impulsive.

"Kazi," he said finally, his voice gentler now, "I understand that you wanted to protect us. You wanted to make a difference. And you did. You found out about the traitor, and now we have a chance to stop them. But you have to understand the risks that you took. You could have died. And I would have had to live with that knowledge for the rest of my life."

Kazi stared back at her father; her brown eyes unwavering. "I apologise for not consulting you, Father," she said slowly, "But I couldn't let the chance to stop this traitor pass me by. I had to do something." Her voice softened, "I only wanted to protect you, and Niameda."

Her father sighed; the sound heavy with resignation. "Kazi," he began, his voice heavy with concern. "Look at me. You... you seem different. Changed somehow. It is not just the trip, is it?" He paused, searching her eyes for some sign of what she had been through. "Did anything happen in Althea? Did you see anything that... that we should know about?"

Kazi's heart raced. Was it that obvious? The chaos of emotions swirling inside her? "No, Father," she lied again, her voice steady. "Just the strain of the investigation, that is all."

Her father was not convinced but he seemed to accept her lie for now. "Perhaps," he said, a hint of worry lingering in his eyes. "But Kazi, promise me you will not do anything so reckless again. You could have gotten yourself killed."

"I promise, Father," Kazi replied, her voice steady despite the turmoil within her. With a final, forced smile, she turned and went out of the study, leaving her father staring after her, his face etched with anxiety and confusion.

She stepped into the bright hallway, the familiar surroundings feeling strangely distant. The mission had left its mark on her, the traitor's identity a complex web she was desperate to unravel.

Yet, amidst the urgency and the danger, a single thought echoed in her mind – Azrael and a yearning that threatened to consume her.