Tomas snorted. “Sounds like a god.”
“My hope is that once I bond with Tula, I’ll have the power I need to remove the Empire from Stormbreak completely. Queen Amara had only the power of the Goddess of Life. I’m hoping with the presence of the God of Storms, I’ll be able to tip the scales in our favor.”
Johanna’s head popped up and she seemed even more dazed somehow. “The video…that crazy video of the storm and the attack on the Sirelis harbor. That was you. That was real.”
At last, Tomas paled, his face going slack. “Your Majesty,” he choked out.
Caelan twisted in his chair and frowned at Rayne. “Do I want to see this video?”
“I doubt it, Your Majesty. I saw the attack firsthand, and I can’t recall ever being so terrified in my life.”
“I thought the God of Storms had returned to Thia and was letting loose his vengeance on us all.”
No, that was just me. But he kept that thought to himself.
Caelan shook his head, shoving aside those dark memories. He needed to focus on what they could do to get him to the Godstone and bonded with Tula. Not an easy task considering the Empire had been very good about getting King’s Square under their control.
“I need to get to the Towers and the Godstone. How many men do we have at our disposal?” Caelan asked.
Johanna cleared her throat and sat up a little straighter, pulling herself together with remarkable speed. “I have approximately twenty-five thousand at Green Gate and I can call on a reliable fifteen thousand in a relatively short amount of time.”
“I have about five hundred men scattered around the city,” Tomas added.
“That has to be well more than what New Rosanthe brought to Stormbreak. Plus, you destroyed all those ships in Sirelis,” Drayce argued, waving one hand at them.
“But it’s been a month since the initial attack,” Tomas pointed out. “They’re like a tick who’s dug in. Moving all our soldiers in to counter the Empire is tricky and slow business. You move them in too quickly, and you can’t hide it.”
“Add in the fact that most of the streets leading toward King’s Square are narrow,” the General grumbled.
“Our reinforcements become sitting targets too easily picked off,” Eno finished.
“Are there any suggestions?” Caelan inquired and he was open to anything his companions came up with. “Preferably something that isn’t likely to risk innocent civilians if it can be avoided.”
“What about a double feint?” Tomas suggested slowly as if he were still trying to work the plan out in his mind. He paused and then nodded. Jumping to his feet, he pulled the pins out of a map of Stormbreak from the wall and laid it flat on the desk in front of everyone. The General rose and approached the desk along with Drayce and Eno.
“What are you thinking?” Johanna murmured.
“The Armory is the least populated area. It’s mostly warehouses and manufacturing facilities in addition to the main armory.” Tomas tapped the map over the large walled citadel that was the repository for most of Stormbreak’s weapons. “What if you made a big, flashy attack on the Armory as if you meant to retake it? We had several men posted there who managed to escape, moving weapons through the tunnels. They reported that everything they could move through the tunnels was taken. Anything that couldn’t be moved was destroyed so the Empire couldn’t use it.”
Johanna nodded with approval. “If I make a big show of it, the Empire would be inclined to believe something is hidden there they haven’t found yet. They’ll defend it with everything they’ve got.”
Rayne reached out and pointed at King’s Square. “Because of the proximity to King’s Square, the Empire’s commander will likely pull troops from King’s Square to support the Armory defense.”
“Exactly—that’s when we launch the second feint of my soldiers and maybe a few battalions of Morgan’s soldiers, if she can spare them and if we can move them quietly through the city in time. We attack King’s Square, heading straight for the Ministry building. That might help pull off some more people guarding the Towers since it’s only a block away.”
“Okay, but how do we get to the Towers and the Godstone? Through the front door?” Drayce inquired.
Caelan smirked and looked over at Rayne to find a mirror image of his expression on his advisor’s face. As one, they turned to Drayce and said, “The tunnels.”
Drayce threw his arms up and paced away a couple of steps before turning back. “Are you serious?”
“Rayne, really?” Eno snapped. “There are tunnels? Why the hell didn’t I know? I’m his fucking bodyguard!”
At least Rayne had the good grace to blush and lower his gaze to the map, which only made Caelan laugh harder.
“The only ones who are supposed to know are the crown, the heir, and the crown’s bodyguard,” Caelan quickly supplied. “That was me, my mother, and Hagen.” Caelan glanced up at Tomas with narrowed eyes. “But you don’t appear surprised, so you likely knew because you were Hagen’s second.”