With zero hesitation, thought, or remorse, Drayce replied, “I’d burn the town and rip apart the person who killed you with my bare hands.”
Rayne swore softly and Eno snickered, but Caelan ignored them. He draped an arm across his best friend’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “And that’s why I didn’t pick you.”
“Oh. Yeah. I guess that makes sense,” Drayce mumbled.
Caelan ran his hand up and down Drayce’s arm, trying to soothe away some of the hurt and disappointment. “I’m not saying that Rayne wouldn’t get revenge—”
“Justice,” Rayne corrected crisply.
Caelan and Drayce rolled their eyes at each other.
“Whatever,” Caelan continued. “The point is that Rayne can separate his emotions and still make decisions that would be for the peace and protection of Erya.” Dipping his head, he lowered his voice for only Drayce to hear. “Besides, didn’t you say that you planned to die protecting me? If I’m dead, doesn’t that mean you’re already waiting for me in the afterlife?”
As he’d expected, his strange friend instantly perked up. “That’s right. I would be. Okay, that makes sense now. Then why didn’t you pick Eno?”
Eno snorted. “Because I’m either dead the same as you, or he realized that someone would need to protect Rayne.”
Not exactly his line of thought, but Caelan was willing to concede that might have been part of it. Another part was that he’d been afraid Eno’s response would be too much military strength and not enough focus on healing. Rayne offered a balanced approach to life, a light touch when needed.
“All of this discussion is moot. Nothing is going to happen to Caelan,” Rayne snapped. His voice was razor sharp, cutting through their conversation. “This is just an added precaution. We are going to defeat the Empire, and Caelan will properly ascend to the throne to rule over Erya as he’s always been destined to do.” Rayne shifted to look at him, eyes narrowed in warning. “Choosing me to follow you is not an opportunity to shirk your destiny.”
Caelan nearly laughed in his face. It had never crossed his mind that he might actually manage to elude the throne and the life that had been planned for him since birth. No, Caelan wasn’t willing to die to simply avoid his destiny, but he had to give Rayne credit for that convoluted thinking.
They fell silent as they continued their cautious march. Tomas was right that there was no sign that the Empire had uncovered the tunnels, allowing them to lower their guard a little and indulge in some silly conversation. It at least kept Caelan’s mind off the feel of bones and mud under his boots. Who were these dead souls? Past kings? The victims of past wars? He mentally shook his head. It was probably better that he didn’t know. He had his hands full with the current war. This wasn’t a good time to go digging into wars that had happened centuries ago.
After walking what felt like a few miles, the catacombs ended in a small doorway and narrow concrete stairs leading upward. They had to be under the Royal Towers, but which of the three towers were they going to be entering? Since returning to Stormbreak, Caelan hadn’t gotten a good look at the Towers—not that he particularly wanted to—and he wasn’t sure if any of the skybridges linking the three buildings together were still intact. There was no point in climbing the east or west skyscrapers if there was no way across to the central one.
Caelan followed behind a cautious Eno up the first flight of stairs, inwardly dreading the climb. The Godstone room was up on the twenty-eighth floor, and there was no way they could risk using the elevator. He could only imagine that the three buildings were crawling with Empire soldiers.
“Do you happen to know where this secret passage comes out at?” Drayce inquired.
“While I’m not one hundred percent sure, the information I gathered indicated that the passage came out in the queen’s private chambers,” Rayne replied.
That made the most sense. If the royal family needed to make a quick escape, that was the most likely place they would be.
“Wait a minute!” Caelan snapped. “Did I have any secret doors or passages in my rooms?”
Rayne huffed a quiet laugh. “I believe there is another entrance to this passageway in the former royal chambers that have been used by past heirs. However, Queen Amara was never a fan of keeping you in the same Tower as her. Taking out a single building could potentially wipe out the entire Talos family.”
Caelan grunted. “Yeah, yeah. She put me in the West Tower for my own safety.”
“You meant the Best Tower,” Drayce teased, though Caelan really couldn’t argue with it. The West Tower had been where Rayne, Drayce, and Eno all had apartments. It had been their refuge away from all the political and royal crap that filled his life.