“Wan. Lord High Commander Fortney Wan.” She paused and her smile grew. “And I understand that I have you to thank for the promotion. Old Grim was taking far too long to die, and I’ve been so anxious to meet you, Prince Caelan.”
“King, if you don’t mind. King Caelan Talos the First, Ruler of Erya, and Guardian of the Godstone,” Caelan corrected.
The woman lifted her thin brows toward her hairline, eyes widening. “So, that was the reason for the little massacre the other day. You managed to sneak your way in to see the goddess like a mouse through the cracks in the wall.” She hummed and nodded to herself. “That does clarify my job a bit more. Adds an extra step, but I don’t really mind. I do prefer to be thorough, and you were always on my list.”
Caelan sighed. There was no point in dragging this out any further. There was no discussion or negotiation. The Empire officers had their orders: Secure the Godstone at all cost, and kill whoever is bonded to the goddess.
“Lord High Commander Wan, I demand that you release Chancellor Croft immediately, and all Empire soldiers leave Erya territory immediately.”
“And I say, King Caelan Talos the First, blah blah blah, you hand over the Godstone and yourself to New Rosanthe, or we will kill every one of your citizens.” The grin on her lips when she finished was chilling. She truly wanted to murder all the people of his kingdom. It seemed like a safe bet that she’d risen to the rank of Lord High Commander on a wave of blood.
“No.”
“Good,” she purred. “I was hoping you’d have the balls to fight.” She spun on the heel of her shiny black boot and lifted one arm in the air. “Fire!”
Caelan was ready for her. The power from the Godstone surged through him in a green torrent. He threw one hand out toward Croft, enveloping her in a protective shield only a heartbeat before ten shots rang out in unison. The bullets never touched her.
“Destroy New Rosanthe,” Caelan snarled. He might have no love for Croft after she spoke ill of his mother and tried to steal his throne, but he would not allow the Empire to slaughter another of his citizens.
Chaos exploded around him as all of Tomas’s men collided with the Empire soldiers. Caelan held on to the shield until the firing squad broke formation and joined in the fight. Only then did he release Tula’s gift and draw his sword.
His friends at his side, he threw himself into battle, cutting through Empire soldiers with almost every slash of his sword. His heart hammered and sweat slipped from his brow. Muscles burned with the exhilaration of fighting for his own survival and the survival of his people.
But each warrior killed added to the building bloodlust from Kaes. The God of Storms was sending electric jolts through every inch of Caelan and clawing at his chest. He wanted to break free and rain down his own vengeance. Caelan held on to the god’s wrath, but he could feel the power slipping between his clenched fingers. The bright morning sky was growing dark with thick, heavy clouds. A rumble of thunder in the distance rolled over the city and the air grew dense with the promise of rain, but he held on and fought with everything he had.
As he killed the soldier in front of him, a woman running through the destruction caught his attention. Croft was making her escape.
“Rayne! Eno! Stop Croft. I want her captured alive. She can’t be left free to cause problems after we leave!” Caelan ordered.
“We’re on it!” Eno shouted.
Caelan caught only a blur of movement out of the corner of his eye as Rayne and Eno slipped from the fight to pursue Croft. His attention was already turned to Wan as she stepped through the flurry of fighting men, her sword dripping with blood and a smile on her face.
“Good. You saved yourself for me,” she laughed.
His fingers tightened around his sword as he took a step forward. A single shot rang out beside him. Wan staggered a step, her eyes wide as a thick line of blood sprang from the middle of her forehead and slipped down her nose and across her face. As it reached her chin, she fell backward, dead.
Caelan looked over at Drayce beside him, a cold expression glittering in his emerald eyes. “No one touches you.”
Kaes might have raged in his mind at being robbed of personally handing Wan her death, but Caelan could only smile at the man on his left. Drayce would always be there for him.
He opened his mouth to tease Drayce, but a bright beam of white light filled the sky, slamming into the central tower. The fighting stopped and everyone in the square stared at it as the beam of light enveloped the tower. His heart stopped. This was the weapon that had killed his mother.