“And that should tell you everything you need to know about them. They worship a dead god,” Eno argued, and Rayne tried very hard to not roll his eyes.
What they needed to understand were the tenets of their religion, but Rayne didn’t have a good grasp on them. He’d not spent a lot of time studying Zastrad because he’d been positive that the country would have little to no bearing on the day-to-day decisions that Caelan faced. Other than getting through the biannual diplomat visits and updating their trade agreements, Zastrad and Erya had no other communications.
“I don’t think it will stop with Zastrad, though,” Caelan admitted. “What I’ve been able to piece together from Kaes’s and Tula’s comments, all five gods and goddesses were needed to trap Zyros. I’m starting to think that I’ll have to seek out the Goddess of Fire and the God of Wisdom as well.”
“Dude!” Drayce shoved both of his hands into his hair, his face becoming incredibly pale. “You can’t go to the Isle of Stone. Dragons! There are fucking dragons there, and they do not like humans.”
Caelan’s smirk grew into more of a gentle smile. “I don’t think I’m going to have much choice in the matter.”
“At least Ilon should be a cakewalk. We have an alliance with them already. Why wouldn’t the goddess send you there next?” Rayne murmured.
His prince could only shake his head. “No clue. It makes the most sense and would be the closest. With Zastrad, we have to travel halfway around the world again.”
“Ugh,” Drayce groaned and dropped to the floor right where he stood. “Another fucking boat ride.”
“At least I know how to get rid of your seasickness now.” Caelan winked, and color flooded Drayce’s face.
“Fine, so you need to go to Zastrad to talk to their Dead God—” Eno began but Drayce interrupted, lurching up to his knees.
“If you had to go see the Goddess of Life before seeing the Dead God, does that mean you have to bring a god back to life?”
Caelan’s gaze slid over to Rayne and stuck for several seconds. His prince looked queasy and pale at just hearing those words, but he didn’t appear to be surprised by the question. Bring a god back to life? How would that even work?
“I don’t know,” Caelan finally said, his rough voice barely more than a whisper.
Rayne’s stomach twisted at the thought. Reviving a god couldn’t be a small task, and it wasn’t as though the gods seemed to be willing to explain how he was supposed to accomplish any of these feats. They’d yet to explain to anyone how their new powers were supposed to work.
“At least we’ll have plenty of time to think on it as we travel to Zastrad,” Rayne said, though it didn’t seem like much of a comfort.
“But what about Erya and Stormbreak?” Eno demanded. “We’re not leaving right in the middle of things, are we?”
“He’s bonded with the Godstone.” Drayce waved an arm at Caelan. “They can’t steal the power of Tula so long as Caelan is holding it. If he leaves, won’t the Empire just follow us?”
“We don’t know that,” Eno replied. He shook his head, glaring at the floor. “It would make more sense for them to leave the bulk of their forces in place and send people to follow us. Once Caelan is dead, they already have King’s Square under control. It would be easy to slip in and steal the power of the goddess.”
Caelan rubbed his jaw. “There’s also the matter of the chaos that’s plaguing Stormbreak without the Empire present. Lives have been disrupted, businesses destroyed, food and medical supplies are running critically low, even with Green Gate open again.” He shook his head. “Tula was adamant about me leaving Stormbreak immediately to travel to Zastrad. If Zyros is set free, all of Thia could become like the Ordas.”
“Then it’s settled,” Eno concluded, his eyes narrowing on Rayne. “We leave Rayne behind to take control of Stormbreak while we travel to Zastrad.”
Rayne sucked in a harsh breath. It felt as if Eno had sucker-punched him right in the gut. He couldn’t draw air into his lungs, couldn’t think over the screaming of his heart. Left behind. Eno had just suggested that he be left behind.
“What?” Drayce demanded, but Caelan was suspiciously quiet.
“Have you lost your mind?” Rayne shouted. He shoved to his feet and took two steps toward Eno. While he might have a couple of inches on the man, Eno was wider and bulkier. No one loomed over him unless he allowed it, but Rayne was willing to give it a try. “First off, two people aren’t nearly enough to keep Caelan safe, and second, you will need me to navigate the political and cultural dynamic of Zastrad. Or are you desperate to start yet another war while we’re still dealing with New Rosanthe and gods?”