“Impossible!” Rayne argued. “Drayce and Eno had thorough background checks by the Royal Guard.”
The words had barely left Rayne’s lips when one minister with thinning white hair and a bushy white mustache stepped forward, holding out an open file. Caelan thought the man’s name might be Kaufman. Syrus Kaufman, minister of the interior. And he refused to meet Caelan’s eyes as he handed over the file and retreated to stand beside Croft and the others.
Caelan looked down at the file, but it took his brain a moment to actually make sense of the words in front of him, his brain was still so bewildered over this crazy turn of events. It was immigration paperwork for a family of refugees from New Rosanthe. A husband and wife along with two small children. Among the names listed was Eno Xier.
Eno was originally from New Rosanthe.
Behind him, a soft gasp left Rayne as his advisor read the paperwork over his shoulder.
Caelan’s eyes reflexively dropped to Eno, who paled before him.
“What? What does it say?” Eno demanded, his voice shaking.
“That you were born in New Rosanthe and immigrated to Erya,” Caelan murmured.
Rayne reached around him and snatched the papers out of his hand. He flipped through them and Caelan only caught partial sight of two death certificates, probably from Eno’s parents. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the man he’d trusted with his life for so many years.
Eno looked shaken to his very core. He dropped to sit heavily on his heels, his swarthy face so pale it was nearly gray. His wide eyes were glassy and unfocused. Eno hadn’t known about his true heritage.
“This is bullshit!” Drayce snapped. “Eno is an Erya citizen! There is no one more loyal to the kingdom than Eno Bevyn.” He tried to push to his feet, but a guard slammed the butt of his gun into the back of Drayce’s head, knocking him to the floor. Drayce went down hard, holding his head, and Caelan saw red. The air crackled with new, violent energy searching for a target.
“Hey!” Caelan tried to lunge forward to grab the abusive guard, but Rayne snagged his elbow, stopping him. It was for the best. He was a hairbreadth away from his control shattering completely.
Rayne closed the file and glared at the chancellor. “Eno and his family were among thousands of refugees escaping New Rosanthe more than twenty years ago. His parents died when he was three, and he was made a full Erya citizen when he was adopted, giving him all the rights and privileges of a citizen. He is no traitor or spy. Queen Amara would have known of his past, and she still made him the protector of her only son and heir.”
“Eno Xier will be held in prison for questioning. The same will be done for his brother when he is located,” Croft declared.
His bodyguard’s head snapped up and he blinked, as if waking from a horrible nightmare. “I have a brother?” Caelan’s heart broke for him, and he longed to punch Croft in her big mouth. The man who was always so strong and confident looked as if he were falling apart right in front of Caelan’s eyes.
Rayne’s voice was incredibly gentle when he replied, “His name is Bohdi. He would have been about one when your parents died.”
“You’re not taking him anywhere. Drayce and Eno are to be kept with me,” Caelan declared.
Croft’s grin widened into something truly ugly and wicked. “Really? You’re standing beside your New Rosanthe bodyguard? Is it because your mother felt sure that her New Rosanthe partner would keep her son safe while she sold out her country?”
Caelan thought he was going to be sick trying to follow her twisted logic. He took a step toward her, eyes narrowed. He ignored the guards who closed on him, blocking his path. “I’m standing by my Erya bodyguard, a man who has bled for this kingdom time and again. I’m standing by all the New Rosanthe refugees who fled to Erya to start a new, safe life. People who are now our citizens and have earned the right to be protected and trusted. I will not allow you to launch a witch hunt of innocent people and tear our kingdom apart through hatred and mistrust.” His gaze moved to each minister slowly as he said, “Think twice about going down this road of persecution. There will be no saving yourselves. If she’s willing to sell me to the Empire for power, do you truly think you’re safe too?”
“The Emperor only wants you,” Croft sneered.
“For now, but his sights are set on the Godstone, and it cannot be moved,” Caelan countered in a low voice. “You’ve failed to win the support of the Royal Guard. You’re set to alienate thousands of Erya citizens who have built lives here over the decades.”