Mio slowed and shifted so they were walking side by side, allowing her to lower her voice a bit. “I do. While Takahashi has many allies, none of the other clans actually like them or trust the clan leader. They won’t believe he’s giving them the entire story when it comes to the king, and they will wish to speak to him to find the truth of why he’s here.” She paused and lifted a hand as if offering up another alternative. “And then the enemies of Takahashi will also want to know if there is a way to use this information to take out the Takahashi.”
“They’ll be searching for a way to use the king,” Adrian grumbled.
The young woman giggled and shook her head. “Don’t underestimate your king or that advisor of his. Neither strikes me as people to be easily used. It might be tricky, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they find a way to work this to their advantage.”
Adrian nodded, falling silent for the rest of their walk. She was right. Rayne and Caelan were not stupid. He had a feeling Rayne already had a good assessment of the dragon ruling hierarchy and was already working on ways to maneuver things to their advantage. His main concern was that Caelan seemed to be growing more distracted, but he didn’t know if this was an issue with the gods he was bonded to or his fears over Drayce.
He glanced over at the sly smile on Mio’s pale pink lips. She harbored no love for Clan Takahashi—that was very clear. He hoped that she wasn’t pinning too many of her own desires on Caelan taking out the clan while they were here. Their goal was not to disrupt the social order of the Isle of Stone but to bond with the Goddess of Fire.
But he could not blame her for hoping. Even if it didn’t mean she’d find freedom, the downfall of her oppressor had to have a sweet taste that she’d want to savor for a long time.
And how often was someone going to happen along who could help that cause?
TEN
Rayne Laurent
Rayne softly closed the door to the bedroom Caelan was using and rested his forehead against the wall beside it. His eyes burned and he struggled with the sudden tightness in his throat. For the first time since Caelan had bonded with the God of Storms, Rayne began to suspect that his king would not survive this endeavor.
Caelan’s health was deteriorating faster now with the God of Time present, as if the Dead God were steadily draining him of life. He was no longer bothering to hide the hand tremor he’d picked up with the Goddess of Life and now Caelan suffered from near-constant headaches, even though he rarely complained of them. The line in his brow dug deep, brought on by pain.
Rayne thought of trying to use his gift from Tula to heal him, but Caelan was already bonded to the goddess. Shouldn’t that be enough to rejuvenate him? Clearly not.
What the fuck was he supposed to do? Just sit back and watch Caelan die in front of him?
Yes, Caelan was, first and foremost, the King of Erya and the Guardian of the Godstones. It was his duty to give his life to the protection of Erya.
But as Caelan’s friend, Rayne was declaring bullshit on that. They would not give up on Caelan without a fight.
When Caelan and Eno returned from visiting Drayce in the prison, Caelan had been nearly blinded by his headache. His face was pale and drawn, but there was also something a little more relaxed about him. As if simply seeing Drayce had eased some of the tension pulling the muscles in his body tight. He couldn’t get much out of Caelan about the visit other than the fact that they needed to make plans.
That wasn’t good.
But then, if the clan leader had felt it necessary to toss Drayce in prison, it was obvious that things were not good.
Rayne was content to let things wait for now. Adrian was still running errands with Mio, hopefully learning more about the dragon culture. Caelan needed rest above all things. It might have taken a bit of coaxing, but the second his king’s head hit the pillow, he was unconscious. After Adrian’s return and sleep on Caelan’s part, they could meet, discuss, and make plans for how to deal with Clan Takahashi on both the godstone and Drayce fronts.
With a course of action laid out in his mind, Rayne could more easily turn his attention to the other man in his life who needed him. Eno.
The bodyguard had not looked much better than Caelan when they’d returned to Mio’s. They’d known that only Caelan would be permitted to see Drayce, forcing Eno and Caelan to be separated for a time. The king had more than enough power to protect himself over the short term, but Eno didn’t like letting Caelan out of his sight unless it was to hand him over to Adrian.