Shey stumbled backward a step, catching himself on the stone wall and leaning heavily on it when it seemed his legs would no longer support him. His mouth bobbed open, but no words came out. Just a strangled sound that resembled Caelan’s name.
“It won’t be a full bond, but you could use the power to protect your people.”
“I-I don’t know. It doesn’t seem wise. I don’t wish to make Caspagir a target.”
“New Rosanthe is within your borders. If the Emperor’s target is the Blood Stone within the Ordas, all of Thia is a target.”
“I worry that I will hurt my people with this power. What if I can’t control it?”
Shey’s unsteady words only made Caelan feel better about his offer. He walked over and clinked his glass against Shey’s. “And that is why I want you to have it. Think of the small bit of power the god might share with you as a shield. The bonding is the sword.”
A heavy breath left Shey and his shoulders slumped a little. “I’d be more comfortable with that.”
“If the God of Storms agrees to the deal, I’ll try to teach you what I can before we face the Empire. The protection spells I learned were pretty simple but effective when it came to keeping people safe.”
A sharp laugh left Shey, and he walked over to the chair, sitting in it heavily. He emptied his glass again. “You speak of talking to gods like it’s a normal thing. Did you have many conversations with the Goddess of Life?”
Caelan joined him in his seat. “Not as many as I probably should have. I spoke to her a few times. She never spoke directly to me, but I always had the feeling that she was there, listening to me. At the time, I thought it was all in my head, so I felt less crazy about talking to a magic rock, but maybe she was listening. My mother spoke to her often, and I think the goddess spoke to her.” He paused as a lump grew in his throat. “I wonder…I wonder if she knew that my mother was dying. Why didn’t she do anything? She’s the Goddess of Life. Why…why did she just let her die?”
A hand landed on his shoulder and gently squeezed, reminding him of his mother’s much smaller hand holding on to his shoulder just a week ago. “Maybe it’s like you said. She’s a trapped goddess. Maybe she can’t do anything but lend you power and watch. She’d known Queen Amara her entire life. If the gods can feel anything in those stones, that couldn’t have been an easy moment for her.”
“Maybe,” Caelan whispered past the lump. His throat felt raw and ragged. He finished his wine to ease the pain, but it only moved down to his chest.
“At least when you get the Life Stone back, you’ll be able to ask the goddess.”
That was true, but Caelan doubted the goddess would have an answer for him that he liked.
For now, he needed to focus on winning over the God of Storms. A Talos might be good enough for the Goddess of Life, but there was no telling if any of the other gods were as agreeable. This all could have been for nothing.
Or the God of Storms could simply kill him because he was bored.
21
Caelan Talos
Caelan sat in the back seat of the SUV, behind Shey, as he drove them from the palace toward the lighthouse. Rayne was sitting in the front seat beside Shey while Eno and Drayce were in the rear with him. As they passed through the city, Caelan’s gaze drifted to Rayne, wondering yet again who had caught his advisor’s attention.
Seeing Rayne and Shey standing close together as they’d prepared to leave the palace, Caelan didn’t miss that they actually looked good together. They were about the same height and build. Shey seemed to have a bit more muscle mass, but there was a natural regalness to Rayne as if the man were meant to be matched up with royalty or at least someone from the nobility. It didn’t hurt that Caelan knew for a fact that Rayne had a taste for the finer things in life.
Of course, Rayne was also a brilliant tactician. He knew how to handle people and difficult situations. There were more than a few times that Caelan felt that Rayne would make a much better ruler. He could only hope that whoever Rayne was dating understood the man’s true worth.
Glancing out the window as they wove their way through the crowded streets toward the harbor, Caelan found himself wondering how his own people were doing. In Sirelis, the citizens were happily going about their business, shopping and enjoying the warm summer day. Were his people able to get the food and supplies they needed to survive? Was the Empire causing trouble for them?