“In a minute. We’re close.”
“Really?”
Caelan nodded. “Yeah. The lighthouse. I want to check out the lighthouse.”
“The feeling is coming from there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Or maybe it will just give us a better view of Sirelis.”
Turning away from the harbor, they started up a narrow dirt road that looked as if it hadn’t been used in a few years. The weeds on the hills leading up to the lighthouse grew thick. Halfway up, two short posts were partially fallen over on either side of the road and the chain connecting them was rusted and lying in the dirt. A No Trespassing sign was in the center of the chain while another was hanging at an angle on one of the posts. The magical snap and spark was thicker now. Caelan half expected Drayce to be able to see it.
“Should we continue?” Drayce asked.
Caelan shrugged. “Just a little ways. Maybe the lighthouse will have a sign on it. A name we can contact.”
Five feet.
They didn’t get more than five feet past the chain when he heard the ominous chunk of several guns being cocked and loaded.
“Halt!” a loud, authoritative voice barked. A chill swept over Caelan, and he froze exactly where he was. His gaze slid over to find Drayce frozen as well, his wide eyes staring straight ahead. This was bad.
“Put your hands in the air and slowly turn around,” the man barked again.
Caelan slowly lifted his hands above his head and could see Drayce doing the same from the corner of his eye. With the same care, he turned to find two dozen soldiers spread out behind them in a semi-circle, automatic weapons drawn and pointed right at their chests. Caelan’s heart skipped a beat, and his mouth went dry. He cleared his throat and tried to wet his lips.
“I’m sorry, but I think there’s been a mistake,” Caelan started.
“The only mistake here is you trespassing on private property,” the head of the armed squad bellowed.
“And trespassing requires a response from the army?” Drayce cried, causing Caelan to wince.
“Look, we’re just tourists. We’re in town sightseeing. That’s it. We thought we’d check out the lighthouse and the view from the top of the hill. We didn’t mean any trouble.”
“That could be true. Or you could be Empire spies—”
“Spies!” he and Drayce blurted out in shock at the same time.
“We’re not spies!” Drayce continued. “We’re tourists! Tourists!”
“Then you’re going to have no problem proving that in lockup,” the older man with the salt-and-pepper mustache said with an evil smile.
No, that was going to be incredibly difficult because they could not give their names. They couldn’t give any information to anyone who wasn’t a member of the royal family.
As they were handcuffed, one soldier ripped off Caelan’s sunglasses. He held his breath, waiting, but the man gave no sign that he recognized him, which was a good thing.
They were dragged down the hill and tossed into a military Jeep, joined by four guards. Caelan glanced at the lighthouse one last time before they were driven into the city. If anything, this swift and over-the-top response for a little trespassing proved one thing—something was hidden in the lighthouse. He wasn’t sure if it was a godstone, but it was definitely worthy of their attention.
That was for later.
Right now, his main concern was how badly Rayne and Eno were going to blow their tops when they discovered he and Drayce had been arrested and were suspected of being New Rosanthe spies.
14
Rayne Laurent
This was bad.
The sun was starting to set, and the streetlamp outside their hotel room had just popped on, giving the coming dusk a soft glow. Caelan and Drayce still hadn’t returned. There had been no word from them, and neither was answering their phone. On the plus side, there also had been zero news reports about the sudden discovery of Prince Caelan Talos of Erya wandering the streets of Sirelis, but that didn’t mean someone hadn’t found Caelan.
Turning away from the window, Rayne glanced up at the clock on the wall. He needed to leave if he was going to make his meeting on time. His contact had responded to his message as soon as Caelan and Drayce had left the hotel that morning. His heart tripped in his chest, and his palms grew sweaty at the thought of seeing him after so many years.
His mind raced down the different avenues of potential reactions when they saw each other again. They’d parted ways amiably. He’d had his life and expectations, as had Rayne back in Stormbreak. There had been no chance for them.
But it was weird meeting him now and so soon after what had happened between him and Eno. It felt dishonest and messy, two things Rayne didn’t like to have in his life. And yet, he couldn’t deny that he was actually excited at the prospect of seeing him, seeing that devilish smile after so long.