“You think he’s rebuilding the village that she called home and filling it with New Rosanthe refugees as well as children stolen from the other kingdoms,” Caelan finished.
Rayne shrugged. “It’s one theory, but it would explain where Safa came from.” He shoved away from the wall and ambled over to where Eno was working through a crate. Caelan bit back a smile as he watched Rayne’s hand stray across Eno’s shoulder before he returned to his own work as if he’d been lost in thought and hadn’t realized what he’d done.
“Wait! You don’t think Safa is from New Rosanthe?” Drayce chimed in.
Caelan grinned at his fiancé and shook his head. “No. Her accent is off. It makes me think that New Rosanthe is her second language, not her first. Plus, how else would she have gotten close enough to the Blood Stone unless she was living in the village that held it?”
“Well, technically, her lineage could be of New Rosanthe,” Rayne added. He picked up what appeared to be an old gas-fueled camping stove. If they could find a canister of gas, this would be a good way to possibly make their dinner. “She or her parents could have been among the refugees from the Empire.”
Eno snorted. “Considering how old she looks, she could just as easily be one of the children stolen from Erya or Damardor.”
A lost Erya child or not, she was determined to destroy all of Thia in the name of her goddess, and she had to be stopped.
Their conversation fell silent and they continued to dig through the treasures they could uncover. There wasn’t much that was usable, but they supplemented their own packs where they could. Spare batteries and extra ammunition was helpful. Even some food rations that hadn’t spoiled yet.
When they gathered all they could find, Caelan helped Eno pull together food for a meal while Rayne put up the protective barrier over the building. As they ate, Drayce surprised them with stories of growing up on the Isle of Stone. Not so much about what it was like being within Clan Takahashi—but rather, flying over the icy mountains and wandering through the thick forests as a child.
“Do you want to go back?” Caelan asked when Drayce fell silent, a wistful smile on his lips. Caelan inwardly tensed. The question had fallen from him before he could catch it, and now he was terrified of the answer. Would he be able to give Drayce what he really wanted?
His lover lifted those emerald-green eyes to him, and his smile grew broader on his handsome face. “With you. Only with you.”
That was what he wanted as well. He just hoped they had the chance.
And so much of their future relied on Adrian reaching them in time with support.
SEVEN
Adrian Westergren
Nine days since he’d left the king and his companions.
Four days in Stormbreak.
Four days since they’d entered the Ordas.
And he was still waiting to leave the capital so he could join them.
Every second stuck here was agony. He could barely sleep and his stomach was twisting into knots, making eating nearly impossible. This waiting was unbearable. General Morgan and Prince Shey were working as quickly as they possibly could. He knew that he was essentially demanding they move mountains, but that knowledge did nothing to lessen his anxiety.
Mentally, he reached out to the thread again and again throughout the day. Just touching it was a reassurance. He told himself that as long as it was still there, they were all okay. The king would not allow anything to happen to Drayce, Eno, and Rayne. And as long as the king was okay, the others were safe as well.
He had to believe that because he’d go mad if he didn’t.
For now, his days were filled with random meetings, where he didn’t have much to add, and waiting. General Morgan, Prince Shey, and other military leaders were constantly trying to pump him for information about New Rosanthe or even the gods, but there wasn’t a lot he could tell them that they didn’t already know.
When they got tired of his repetitive answers, he was sent away to wait.
To wait for news of more soldiers or new weapons.
To wait for news of when he would be leaving.
The initial battalion that would be heading into the Ordas was selected and moving toward the border. Morgan was holding him back in the capital until it was absolutely necessary to send him to the front. His life had to be protected at all costs. Right now, he was the kingdom’s only tie to their king. Their only hope of reaching him before it was too late.
The one good thing that came out of the meetings was that he got to listen in on all the developments. He knew the movements of the Caspagir troops and when they were expected to arrive in Erya. He knew the various troop movements of the Erya forces. The one thing he hadn’t heard was anything about support from the Isle of Stone. Not that he’d expected it.