Heading home with little preparation, no clear idea of what Stormbreak looked like, or even the number of soldiers at their disposal was not good at all. They would be at a distinct disadvantage to the Empire on their own home turf. He needed to think of a way to remedy that before they reached the city.
But the first step was arranging transportation and supplies while Eno focused on strengthening their defenses.
“Whoo-hoo! We’re going home!” Drayce shouted, thrusting a fist into the air.
Caelan winced and gave his friend a sympathetic smile. “Yes, but we can’t risk going through the Ordas again. Speed is the priority.”
“But…what…no!” Drayce cried, nearly crumpling to his knees. Instead, he flopped onto the bed, his face in the blankets, a perfect picture of dejection.
Caelan reached over and gently rubbed Drayce’s head. Rumor had it that Drayce suffered from horrible seasickness, and it was going to take them several days to reach a viable Erya port. But the longer they could travel by fast boat, the better they were. A fast-moving ship could make Stormbreak from Sirelis in a week.
Poor Drayce.
5
Caelan Talos
Poor Drayce.
Caelan sat on the floor, next to the door leading into the private bathroom in the room his friend had been given. The yacht they’d been loaned by Shey was luxurious, and the sailing had been smooth for the past two days, but Drayce was still utterly miserable, unable to hold down even the smallest morsel of food.
Even now, his groans and dry heaving could be heard through the thin wooden door. They’d tried a variety of medicines, and nothing seemed to be helping. Caelan had begun to fear that Drayce was becoming dangerously dehydrated.
He’d ordered the captain to make for the nearest Erya port with all speed, despite Rayne’s grim looks. Traveling by boat to the capital was going to be faster than crossing by land, but he refused to risk his friend’s life more than he already was. His stomach already twisted over the thought that they might need to leave Drayce behind to recover while the three of them continued on to Stormbreak without him. He hated the idea, but right now, Drayce could barely stand. How was he going to protect himself in a fight?
Caelan rested his elbows on his bent knees in front of him and dropped his head into one hand. It didn’t help that they hadn’t talked about what happened on the rooftop. Hadn’t talked about the kiss. Or even the kiss on the Empire ship. Those kisses had become festering wounds in Caelan’s brain. The distance that had formed between him and Drayce felt as if it had started the first moment he opened his eyes in Sirelis, and there had been no chance yet to bridge it.
This couldn’t continue. He’d fucked up. He should never have kissed Drayce.
Stupid. So stupid.
He couldn’t lose him as a friend. He refused to let the chasm between them grow any larger. It was better to never kiss him again. They were best friends, and that was the way it would have to stay.
“Drayce,” he called gently. He cleared his throat against the roughness and tried a second time. “How are you doing?”
“Can you just kill me now?” Drayce groaned.
“I’m so sorry. I wish—”
“It’s okay, man. I get it. If this wasn’t an emergency, we’d be going by train.” There was a pause of rubbing fabric and the scuff of shoes across the tile floor as if he were trying to get more comfortable. “I can’t wait until we get home.”
Caelan chewed on his bottom lip. Getting home still had a lot of question marks around it. There was a matter of Drayce’s health. Even when they got to Stormbreak, it was still in the Empire’s hands. It wasn’t like they’d be able to rest easy.
But Stormbreak was home, and it at least offered the promise of the familiar. They might be fighting New Rosanthe, but they would know those streets far better than the Empire soldiers.
“About that night…on the roof…” Caelan started haltingly.
Drayce moaned again. “Really? You want to talk about this now? I am literally hugging the toilet and praying for death.”
Caelan sighed. Yeah, his timing was shit, but they needed to talk about this now. Before they reached Erya. He didn’t want to let things fester between them. “I want to apologize for that night.”
“Damn straight. How could you fucking do that to me?” Drayce snapped. He growled, and Caelan flinched. “You left me standing there like an idiot. How the hell did you think I was going to explain that to Eno and Rayne?”
Caelan’s head snapped up, and his brow furrowed. Explain it to Eno and Rayne? Why would he feel the need to explain a kiss to them?
“And if something had happened to you, it would have been all my fault for not stopping you. We could have at least talked about it.”