“What? Who? When?”
Caelan snorted. “I think Rayne only missed how and why.” Drayce fell against Caelan, cackling, and Eno felt like laughing himself.
“Tomas Soto and Melita Rey are the who. I won’t bore you with the long chain of messages that were passed along, but I finally reached them. They’re both here in Sirelis. I think their intention was to try to meet with the queen or someone in the Caspagir government to get help.”
“Did you tell them about Caelan?” Rayne inquired.
Eno shook his head. “No. Just that I’m here with you. I wanted to talk to you and Cael first before I let the cat out of the bag.”
“What are you thinking?” Caelan pressed.
Eno sighed, shoving one hand through his short hair. He scratched his scalp as he paced over to the fireplace. “A month ago, I would have said that I trust Tomas and Melita with my life, with your life.” He motioned toward Caelan and then dropped his hand to his side. “But now? I don’t know what happened that day in the palace. Had someone betrayed us? Is that how they were able to…” He drifted off and shook his head as if to shake away the thought. “Or were they simply overpowered? I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that I trust just the people in this room with your life.”
“Are you planning to meet with them?”
Eno nodded. “Tomorrow. I’m hoping to find out exactly what happened that day and what’s left of Erya military.”
“Take Drayce with you. I want someone watching your back. I’ll have Rayne with me.”
“I’ve got you, big guy,” Drayce said, pointing his finger at Eno like it was a gun.
“And I trust your judgment,” Caelan continued, holding Eno’s gaze. “If you want to tell them that I’m still alive, I leave that up to you.”
A surprise wave of pride and gratitude swept through Eno at Caelan’s words. He’d known the man since he’d been a bratty teenager, but on this journey he’d seen a new side to Caelan. A stronger, more confident man willing to step forward and take command. The man who would be king.
“Thanks,” Eno murmured. He appreciated Caelan’s trust and faith in him. Nothing in this world could make him betray Caelan. The young prince was going to be the one to save them all, and one day, he would be a great king when he could finally reclaim his throne. Eno was happy to give his life to keep him safe.
But the thought that Tomas or Melita or even both of them might have betrayed the queen, betrayed their kingdom, seemed impossible to him. They had always been strong, loyal fighters for the crown.
Until they got to the truth of what happened that day and finally got rid of the Empire, they were all potential betrayers in Eno’s mind. No one would get near the prince to threaten his life.
17
Caelan Talos
Breakfast arrived shortly after dawn along with a message that Caelan’s appointment with Noemi Thrudesh-Vo, Queen of Caspagir and mother of Prince Shey, would be in one hour.
Which gave Caelan just enough time to moan about the time, suck down a cup of coffee, and nibble on some toast before throwing himself into a hot shower. His first night of sleep in Caspagir hadn’t been great, but he was surprised that sleeping in the castle had been even worse. The bed and linens had been the absolute best.
No, he’d been plagued with dreams of a massive storm. Black churning clouds, thick bolts of lightning as wide as trees slamming into the ground. And wind. Endless amounts of wind hammering him and pushing him to his knees.
Even after coffee and a shower, it felt as if the storm were still attempting to rage around his brain.
Luckily Rayne was there to keep him moving and focused. His advisor was appropriately attired in a dark, neatly pressed suit when Caelan found him in the main sitting area of their suite. Caelan’s one suit was also black with some fine emerald-green stitching. The big difference was the tie pin that resembled the Godstone.
“She couldn’t have waited a couple of hours more?” Caelan grumbled.
“We should be happy that she is seeing us so quickly, if at all,” Rayne pointed out as he finished the last of his coffee and stood. He placed his cup and saucer on the serving tray, then ran his hand along the front of his jacket as if inspecting for any last-minute bits of lint or wrinkles.
“Eno?”
“I woke him while you were in the shower. He’s in the shower now.”
Caelan nodded. “Should I wake Drayce?” He barely finished the question when a loud snore crashed through the room, bringing a chuckle to his lips.
“Leave him. Let Eno. We need to go.”
Caelan nodded and followed his companion out of the room. His tiny smirk grew into a wide grin as Rayne wove through the massive castle, heading down one corridor after another, up a set of stairs and down another. He moved as if he could have led Caelan through the castle in his sleep.