“What’s wrong?” Rayne instantly demanded. Caelan could hear the man go into high alert. He was probably centimeters from drawing a dagger or whipping out a royal decree, whichever best fit the situation.
Caelan mentally rolled his eyes at himself and straightened again. “It’s nothing. Just my brain reminding me that the gods have decided to put the fate of all of Thia in the hands of a twenty-three-year-old.”
“You’re a mature twenty-three,” Eno chimed in, though he sounded like he was trying not to laugh.
“Drayce brings down that maturity,” Rayne grumbled.
“Wow, I really can’t wait to return to Caspagir and leave all you lunatics behind,” Vale muttered.
“Hey!” Drayce shouted, but Rayne silenced him with a new look as he grabbed Drayce’s arm and pulled him up to walk beside Vale while Rayne took his place at Caelan’s side.
“The gods would not have chosen you for this task if they didn’t believe you could handle it,” Rayne continued. Just one glimpse of the man’s narrowed eyes convinced Caelan that he believed that with every fiber of his being.
But then, Rayne was also the type of man who would do everything he could, pull every string, work every angle to achieve exactly what he believed. And if he believed Caelan could save Thia, he would make sure exactly that happened.
“I know,” Caelan murmured. He didn’t exactly believe it, but he knew it because it was Rayne’s truth.
At the end of the block, the buildings pushed back to reveal the massive stone square they’d crossed the previous day to reach the cathedral and the High Aspect’s offices. Caelan felt a little grateful for the cold, dreary weather, because there was a crowd of a few dozen people already gathered near the large, worn stone steps leading up to the cathedral. If it had been a nice, moderately warm day, the number of spectators would have likely been larger. As it was, Caelan was in no mood to put on a show for anyone, not the High Aspect and certainly not the citizens of Temit.
As they headed toward the stairs, Caelan slowed his gait to inspect the fountain Rayne had told him about the previous night. The low wall surrounding the fountain was circular, and it appeared as if it would normally have about two feet of water in it. The center of the fountain was a large black marble stone that had been carved to resemble the Erya godstone. The key difference, though, was the jagged break down the center. Had someone carved this based on drawings made of the Erya godstone, or was this what the Zastrad godstone looked like?
It still boggled his mind that the people of Zastrad knew about their own godstone when the people of Caspagir hadn’t known there was a godstone sitting just outside their harbor. Queen Noemi had said that all the country leaders had agreed to keep the godstones a secret to protect them while leaving the Erya Godstone out as bait.
But it had taken being in Zastrad only five minutes to learn that these people didn’t do anything like the rest of Thia.
On the other hand, what would anyone want with a dead god?
As they neared the stone steps, they found the High Aspect waiting with a trio of priests in black as well as Safa and her remaining bodyguard. The crowd parted with a low murmur of conversation, allowing Caelan to mount the stairs with the rest of his party. He stood a few feet away from Safa, who smirked when both Eno and Drayce placed their bodies between her and Caelan.
The High Aspect hurried over and politely bowed. His round cheeks were cherry red from the bitter wind, and his blue eyes were glassy with unshed tears. Thin gray hair danced about his head, and something in Caelan longed to pull a knit hat over his red-tipped ears. “Thank you for agreeing to this little gathering and honoring the High Luminance.”
Caelan offered a small bow of his head in return. “Thank you for this opportunity to honor your great country and your spiritual leader.”
The High Aspect then returned to the center of the stairs and lifted his voice so that it rang out over the square. Caelan couldn’t understand a word of it, but people responded in unison when he paused.
“He’s blessing the proceedings and calling upon the Dead God to welcome all his children unto his bosom,” Vale whispered. She’d chosen to stand a step down in front of him while Rayne was standing directly on Caelan’s left. He appreciated the translation but hoped the Dead God could hold off on welcoming him and his companions for a good long time.
When the High Aspect was done, he stepped back and motioned toward Safa before tucking his hands inside the voluminous sleeves of his purple robes. Safa leaned forward to look around Eno and Drayce so she could smirk at Caelan. She seemed utterly untouched by the cold temperature and murky weather. “Ladies first.”