The ticking muscle in Caelan’s jaw relaxed, and he nodded tersely. Okay, at least he was listening.
“We need to understand how much support she has, particularly among the military. We can’t expect to win if there is no one on your side,” Rayne continued.
“But the Godstone. She wants to hand it over like a child hands over an orange.” He paced a short distance away and spun to face Rayne, his hands fisted at his sides. “Tula will not be moved, the same way Kaes refused to move. It didn’t matter that the Empire was prepared to crush all of Sirelis to get what it wanted. If she graciously agrees to hand over the Godstone, she will have handed over Stormbreak. New Rosanthe will have a solid foothold in Erya. How long until the rest of our home is swallowed up?”
Rayne nodded. “Agreed. She has no understanding of the Godstone or the threat she is bringing inside our home. But I also don’t think she can be trusted with any information about the Godstone.”
Caelan walked over to the dark-brown leather couch in the sitting area and dropped onto the middle cushion. He placed his elbows on his knees and lowered his head into his hands. “My—Amara would be rolling over in her fucking grave right now.” A bitter laugh left him. “That is, if she had a grave. I didn’t even have a chance to go through the ascension ceremony, and I’ve already destroyed a millennium of Erya history.”
His heart broke to see Caelan like this. Maybe this wasn’t so much about losing the crown but disappointing his mother. Rayne had always admired her strength and cunning mind when it came to ruling, but she had been utterly useless as a mother to her son.
Moving to the blue chair beside the sofa, Rayne sat, leaning forward so that he could speak softly to the man he’d regarded as a friend for many years. “Do you honestly think she never had to deal with dissidents during her reign? Queen Amara could be ruthless when the occasion called for it. She always had her spies and snuffed out dissent before it could truly grow.”
Caelan turned his head to face Rayne, eyes narrowed. “Are you calling Queen Amara an amoral dictator?”
A heavy sigh left Rayne, and he held up his empty hands in front of him. “She was smart and crafty. When there were unruly elements, she made sure to give them what they wanted while making it seem like her idea. At the same time, she squashed the leaders of the movement—whether through political means or through violence. She was utterly incorruptible. She did what she believed was best for Erya, protected its people, but it often required actions that many wouldn’t approve of.”
“Why didn’t I know about any of this?”
Rayne dropped his hands into his lap and crossed one leg over the other. “My guess is that it was her way of protecting you. Keeping you clean should anyone uncover her…darker activities. You would be able to ascend to the throne untainted by her legacy.”
Caelan dropped his head into his hands and pulled at his hair. “If she was so smart, how did she not see this coming with Croft? The woman was her fucking advisor for nearly two decades. She approved Croft’s rise to the position of chancellor. Why didn’t she put a stop to it?”
“I don’t know,” Rayne replied with a halfhearted shrug. “I have a feeling she had a larger, long-term plan for Croft before crushing her aspirations. Possibly use her to move forward with some of her own plans. Unfortunately, Queen Amara ran out of time to deal with her, and Croft seized the opportunity.”
With a nod, Caelan released his hair and flopped back on the sofa. “What the hell do we do now? It can’t be safe to remain here, but it sure as hell is not safe on the streets of Stormbreak.”
“If we’re lucky, Eno and Drayce haven’t discovered this new problem yet and are continuing to focus on Green Gate. If they can eliminate the Empire’s grip on the food in the city in your name, that would greatly help to bolster your support among the people.”
One brow arched at Rayne, and there was an odd half smirk on Caelan’s lips. “You think they’d coming rushing to our rescue if they knew we were being held prisoner?” Rayne only had to give Caelan a look, and the prince moaned softly. “No, you’re right. They’d be on the doorstep in seconds. Drayce…fuck, Drayce would be leading the charge, and Eno probably wouldn’t do shit to rein him in. Let’s just pray they deal with Green Gate first.”
“My main concern right now is whether Croft has managed to get the various generals on her side,” Rayne murmured, talking mostly to himself. “I’m sorry to say that the deciding factor in whether you hold the throne will come down to who is able to take credit for kicking the Empire out of Stormbreak.”