Caelan smiled up at his advisor and friend. “I have. I knew I needed someone who had a brilliant, logical mind to see Erya through the last of a war if I should die before its end, but also someone who would know how to heal Erya and put her people back on the path of prosperity and peace.”
“Cael,” Rayne whispered, his name catching in Rayne’s throat.
Caelan caught Rayne’s hand, squeezing gently. “I want you to come with me when I bond with Tula. I will ask her to give you some of her powers.”
“But-but the lines of succession. The laws—”
Caelan waved off Rayne’s arguments with his free hand. “Yes, I know there are rules, and you would have to be chosen as king. You may never sit on the throne, but if I die without a Talos heir, they will have no choice but to accept you as the Guardian of the Godstone. That has its own power and influence. I trust you to protect our people.”
“But the goddess. She has to accept me.” Each of Rayne’s words was soft and fragile, as if he didn’t quite trust his voice.
Caelan squeezed his hand again. “Leave the goddess to me.”
He was prepared to convince, cajole, and threaten if necessary. He felt sure that she owed him, and this was how she was going to repay him.
He turned his attention to the others in the room, all of whom were torn between shock and joy. Standing, Caelan looked at Tomas, Johanna, Eno, and Drayce one by one. “This is my decision. My decree. Lord Rayne Laurent is my heir until a child of the Talos line is born. He will be the next chosen Guardian of the Godstone. After we return from the meeting with the Goddess of Life, we’ll formalize this properly.”
As he returned to his seat, which really was a poor substitute for a throne in such a huge moment for his kingdom and for Rayne’s life. The four people in front of him bowed deeply.
“We will protect Your Majesty and Lord Laurent with our lives,” Eno said.
Beside him, Rayne dropped to one knee and lowered his head. “I’m not worthy of this honor that you have given me, Your Majesty, but I swear to dedicate my every breath to living up to the greatness of you and your family.”
Caelan reached out and laid his hand on the top of Rayne’s head. With just a touch, some of the weight on his shoulders fell off. For the first time in too long, it felt like he could draw in a deep breath. No matter what happened, so long as Rayne survived, there was hope for Erya. For now, that was enough. They could hold on to hope and make plans for tomorrow.
22
Caelan Talos
The tunnels were not at all what he was expecting. He thought they were designed at the same time as the Towers. His brain had conjured up images of wide, well-lit passageways of smooth concrete. Maybe even a mural or two of past Talos kings to break up the unending grayness.
What they got were dark, winding, narrow catacombs. The rounded walls and low ceilings were comprised of white human bones. Everywhere he looked, hollow, black eyes stared back at him.
Or sometimes it was the beady black eyes of rats who stared out of the skulls they’d made homes in.
Johanna and Tomas managed to wait two days before the General started her grand march from Green Gate to the Armory. She’d even gotten additional help from General Filip Todd and his twenty thousand men. New Rosanthe was definitely going to have their hands busy.
As he descended into the tunnels with Eno, Drayce, and Rayne, Tomas had gathered his men at the edge of King’s Square, preparing for phase two of their plan. Caelan’s hope was that they were reaching the Towers when Tomas’s men struck, but they had no way of knowing for sure. Tomas could only estimate how long it would take them to wind through the tunnels—assuming they didn’t get lost in the various dead ends—and their phones had zero signal down in the catacombs.
“Hey, Caelan,” Drayce suddenly called, his voice echoing eerily off the dead.
“Yeah?”
“Why’d you pick Rayne and not me?”
Caelan laughed so hard, he nearly fell over. Rayne stopped and looked at Drayce as though he’d lost his mind. Eno was in the lead and kept moving, the beam from his flashlight bouncing off the dead and deep puddles of water.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” his bodyguard muttered.
“I mean, I think Rayne is a good choice, but I’m assuming that you considered all of us, right?” Drayce plowed on, clearly ignoring his friend’s amusement.
“Yep.”
“So why not me? I think I’d be an awesome Guardian of the Godstone.”
Caelan shook his head, trying to lose the last of his giggles. “Okay, let me answer your question by asking you one. What would you do if I was killed right in front of you?”