The Takahashi had done nothing to protect the building, probably just maintaining it enough to keep the door to the godstone hidden.
They searched every room, opened every door, checked the floors and behind old furniture for secret passageways. The only thing that kept them all moving forward was Caelan. If he felt the goddess close by, the door had to be there. Of course, another option was letting the God of Storms dismantle the building, but Rayne was fairly confident that it would result in them all becoming soaking wet, and he was already feeling the bite of the cold air on his nose and cheeks.
“Whoa…there’s a fancy door,” Adrian said suddenly.
They all hurried into the next room that appeared to be a large bedroom. There were the broken remains of a bed and an overturned clothes bureau that looked as if it now served as a home for mice. Adrian had pulled back what had seemed to be a screen that led to the exterior of the building, but there was a tall, narrow door made of cold, gray steel. In the center was a keyhole.
“That’s it.” Caelan walked right up and placed his hand on the metal. “The feeling from the goddess is stronger. The godstone is close.” He grabbed the handle for the door and attempted to pull down but it didn’t budge.
“That would have been way too easy,” Adrian chuckled. “And you know easy ain’t our style.”
“Get it open, master thief,” Caelan muttered.
Adrian groaned dramatically as he dug through his pockets, searching for something. “A man tries to climb onto the straight and narrow, and he keeps getting pulled off.” He smiled when he produced a small black kit that he unrolled to reveal a set of well-worn lockpicking tools.
“I’m not touching any of that,” Drayce grumbled, tossing his hands up in the air.
“I wouldn’t. He’s already made his sentiments clear about being easy,” Haru added.
Adrian kneeled in front of the door, inserting the first pick into place. “Ha. Ha. Both of you are smartasses and don’t deserve my brilliance.”
“Caelan, since we have a moment, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you in regard to the goddess,” Rayne started, needing desperately to divert the conversation. This wasn’t the best place to talk about this, but it was his last chance. He’d put it off for as long as possible, hoping that he and Eno could come up with another solution, but there truly was nothing else.
“What’s wrong?” The king stepped away from the door, while Haru remained behind to shine a light on the lock while Adrian worked.
Rayne clenched his fists at his sides. He briefly debated finding a gentler way to ease into his worries, but there wasn’t time. “My concern is you bonding with a fourth god. The first three have taken a significant toll on you. You’re exhausted all the time, in constant pain, and the tremor in your hand is getting worse.”
“Do you think I’m not strong enough to continue with my duty?”
Rayne took two large steps to close the distance between them. He wrapped his hands around Caelan’s tense shoulders and squeezed. “I don’t think any human being or dragon born will ever be strong enough to do this. As your advisor and your friend, I’m saying that I believe you will die if you bond with the Goddess of Fire. No one in this room wants to lose you. Erya can’t lose you.”
Caelan lifted a hand and placed it over Rayne’s. “I’m not worried about Erya. The kingdom has you.”
“Well then, screw Erya. We don’t want to lose you,” Drayce snapped. He grabbed Caelan’s free hand in both of his. “If bonding with the Goddess of Fire has a chance of killing you, don’t do it. Fuck the gods. There’s got to be another way to beat Safa and the Goddess of the Hunt. We’ve just got to keep searching.”
“Look, I appreciate your concern. I really do. And yes, I’ve started to have my own doubts. My grandfather has taught me some meditation techniques that have helped to reduce the hand tremors and the headaches. I’ve gotten some space from the gods. But…yes…adding a fourth god is unsettling.” Caelan paused and took a deep breath. A weight settled on Rayne’s lungs, threatening to crush him, because he knew the words that were coming. “What choice do we have? This is my duty. I was chosen for this. I’m not going to abandon the people of Thia because I’m afraid to die.”
“What if this wasn’t our only choice?” Rayne asked.
Caelan released Rayne and took a step back, drawing his hand free of Drayce. “What do you mean?”
“You said yourself that bonding with the gods wasn’t limited to the Talos line. You believe that Prince Shey could one day bond with the God of Storms. You believe that I might possibly bond with the Goddess of Life if I were to ascend to the throne should you pass.” Rayne spoke quickly, not wanting to give Caelan a chance to argue before he got all the words out. “What if…what if someone else bonded with the Goddess of Fire now? Someone you trust to fight alongside you.”