“What about me being out of the capital when the attack happened? Doesn’t that look suspicious?”
Rayne waved a hand, dismissing the idea. “I’m not overly worried about that. If necessary, we can spin you as an unknowing and innocent victim in Amara’s schemes.”
“Rayne,” Caelan grumbled in a warning tone.
He pinned his prince with a dark gaze of his own. “Am I wrong?”
“I don’t care for being labeled a victim for any reason.”
“Maybe not, but it could save your ass and Erya in the process.”
Caelan grunted, still not pleased with the idea. Rayne understood his distaste, but Caelan needed reminding that his life was going to include a lot of distasteful things in the name of protecting his kingdom in the future.
“What about Tomas? Do you think he’s been in contact with any of the other military leaders? Maybe he could get a message to them,” Caelan suggested.
“Possibly. I—”
Any further comment was interrupted by a soft knock on the door. They both rose to their feet and Rayne stepped in front of Caelan, shielding him with his body should someone come in with a gun drawn. For now, they had limited expectations of safety and Rayne was unwilling to lower his guard until they were rejoined by Eno and Drayce.
The door was opened by a guard with a rifle in hand. He stepped inside, but remained by the door, moving enough to allow in a servant carrying a tray loaded with food. It was nothing fancy—a pitcher of water with glasses, a loaf of bread, a bit of butter, a couple of bowls of rice, and a few thin strips of grilled chicken. Rayne was getting very tired of rice. What he wouldn’t give for a potato. Or even some pasta.
His brain traitorously conjured up the image of the lovely meal he’d shared with Shey in Sirelis. He’d barely eaten half of it because of his worries over Caelan and Drayce. A wasted opportunity to wallow in something delicious.
Though all the meals in the Sirelis palace had been lovely, the restaurant meal had been his favorite.
But it looked like limited rations were going to be his lot in life for the time being. He could adjust. Of course, Eno would be laughing at him over these thoughts. Maybe he was a bit spoiled and soft. He enjoyed the finer things in life and had worked hard to attain them.
The man dressed in plain black slacks and a white button-down shirt kept his eyes lowered as he quickly crossed to the coffee table in front of the sofa. Rayne moved aside enough to allow the servant to get by, but he kept a very close watch on the man.
“Please forgive the simplicity of the meal, Your Majesty,” the servant said in a shaky voice. “Our supplies are limited at the moment.”
“It’s understandable. I’m hoping we can do something about that very soon,” Caelan replied with a kind smile.
The young man straightened and lifted his gaze to meet his would-be king’s. Those eyes widened and a small flush painted his cheeks. Even filthy and exhausted, Caelan could project a mien of peaceful confidence. People wanted to believe in him. And that was why Rayne wasn’t too worried about Caelan beating Croft in the eyes of the people. When it came to pure charisma, Croft couldn’t compete with Caelan.
“If there is anything you might need—”
“Hey! This isn’t a hotel!” the guard snapped angrily. “You drop off the food and leave.”
It wasn’t surprising that Croft had managed to gather some supporters in the military to her side to keep her safe, but Rayne wasn’t ready to write off the entire military yet.
“Actually, some soap and a change of clothes for both of us would be greatly appreciated. We’ve been traveling for a long time now,” Caelan inquired.
The servant bowed deeply to him. “I will see what I can arrange, Your Majesty.”
Without another word, he hurried from the room and the guard slammed it shut behind them. A soft click of the lock being turned echoed through the silence, and Rayne swallowed a sigh. There was no easy escape right now, but food and a shower might help to clear his brain.
Returning to the seat he’d just vacated, he poured water into the two glasses while Caelan evenly divided up the food. It briefly occurred to Rayne to argue that Caelan should take the bigger portion since he needed to keep up his strength for the long road again, but he buried such a futile argument. Caelan would laugh and shake his head before continuing undaunted. When it was Caelan with him, Drayce, or Eno—away from the prying eyes of the world—he treated them all as equals. Rayne hated to admit that he’d never expected such kindness from Caelan.
But it was more than kindness. It was the man’s way of showing that he viewed Rayne, Drayce, and Eno as family. It was his taste of a life that so many other people took for granted.