Noemi gave a delicate snort. “That’s due to the fact that Ilon has little military. It’s a kingdom of dreamers and scholars. They could make a better weapon if they wanted to, but they’re more interested in their books and building irrigation systems or weaving a prettier cloth. Or is it all computer chips now?” She gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Ilon needs Erya for protection. Caspagir does not.”
“But that doesn’t mean relations between our kingdoms has to be so cool. And it doesn’t explain how you know my mother so well.”
Noemi smiled at Rayne. “You’re proud, aren’t you?”
Rayne nodded. “He does have a sharp mind when he wants to use it.” Caelan shot his companion a disgruntled glare, but that only made his smile widen.
“You are quite right, Caelan. Amara and I followed in the footsteps of our parents and grandparents and so down the line, maintaining the mirage that we were only coolly civil to each other. We thought it would protect both of our countries in the long run.”
“Because Caspagir also has a godstone.”
The queen had been staring at her hands, but her head popped up and her lips parted in the form of a perfect O. “How?” she breathed. “How did you know? Did Amara tell you?”
“No.”
Noemi’s shoulders slumped, a frown drawing her slender eyebrows together. “I figured as much. I think she clung to the hope that she’d be able to hold back the Empire or at least escape with Hagen. She probably thought she still had time to tell you everything.”
Caelan reached across and picked up one of Noemi’s hands from where it rested on the table, holding it between both of his. “Please, can you tell me what’s going on? Did you know about this meeting with the Empire? Was there even a meeting? How are there two godstones and no one knows about it?”
Sighing heavily, the queen tightened her hand around Caelan’s fingers, a frail smile pulling her mouth upward. “Even though I adored Amara, I swear I would kick her square in the ass right now.”
“It is…odd,” Rayne ventured slowly. “She was always such a careful planner. Very detail oriented. How she failed to provide Caelan with the information that he needed is confusing.”
Noemi nodded. “The situation with New Rosanthe developed faster than we expected. We made plans and then had to make new plans. In the end, I think we all struggle to believe that we are at the end of our lives. She must have clung to the idea that there was still time.”
The queen released a final breath and shook her head before sitting up straighter in her chair and regarding Caelan fully. “To start in the middle of things, your mother and I spoke every day, whether it was a call or emails or a text. We were always in contact.”
Caelan pulled a hand free and held it up. “Wait. My mother had a phone? In all my years, I have never seen her with a cell phone in her hand.”
Noemi smirked. “I believe Hagen carried it for her. She thought it was inappropriate for a queen to be seen with such a device. She also didn’t want anyone to think there were other channels for reaching her than the usual ones.”
Caelan slouched in his chair in a huff. He couldn’t believe that his mother had a cell phone and she’d never told him. He glared over at Rayne. “Did you know?”
“No. Did you really want your mother texting you? Would you have texted her?”
His nose wrinkled at the thought. Maybe it was for the best. He was happy that Queen Amara hadn’t sent him commands via text. And it wasn’t like he was going to send her silly memes.
The queen gave a shake of her head, though Caelan would bet she was pursing her lips to keep from smiling. “There had been a secret meeting set up between her and Lord High Commander Thorald Grim of New Rosanthe. The agreement had been to speak in private about steps to keep the Empire out of Erya and Ilon. I have no idea what the terms were supposed to be, but Amara was aware that the Empire was dotting my border with designs on the Ordas.”
“The Ordas?” Rayne broke in. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“It will,” Noemi said with a bleak look.
“But my mother suspected the Empire was plotting something, so she made sure that I was secreted out of the castle.”
Noemi nodded. “The plan was for you to be safely within these castle walls before the Lord High Commander arrived.” A shiver ran through her entire body, and she sucked in a shuddering breath. “When we heard news of the train troubles, I’d begun to fear the worst. There was no news of you. I didn’t know if you’d returned home to seek an alternate route. And then the reports hit of Amara’s and your deaths.” Her voice caught on the final two words, and Caelan grabbed her hand again.