Rayne scooted closer and wrapped his right arm tightly around Caelan’s quaking shoulders. With his left, he carefully pulled at Caelan’s hands, forcing him to loosen his fingers so that the blade wasn’t biting into him. God or not, Caelan didn’t need to hurt himself.
“If you want me to help you, then you need to listen to me,” Rayne started in a harsh, forceful tone. His mouth was right next to Caelan’s ear so there was no avoiding his words. “I believe that who you are as a god is a reflection of your soul. The Caelan Talos I know is not obsessed with death or killing or war. He’s certainly not obsessed with lost causes. He’s a man worried about his own humanity and his ability to feel compassion. His first concern is always for his family and his people. He is a protector. A guardian. A leader. What that means in terms of being a god, I don’t know. But if your fear is being a monster, you can stop. That’s utterly ridiculous.”
Caelan dragged in a ragged breath, sniffled once, and released it all again on a soft laugh. “This…this is why you can’t ever leave me. Thank you, Rayne.”
Rayne closed his eyes, letting Caelan’s words sink into him. When they met, Caelan had been nothing more than the Crown Prince of Erya to him. It was only over time and through countless scrapes and late-night conversations that this man became Cael, someone he saw first as a younger brother and best friend. He would do anything to keep Caelan safe. He’d just never expected that to include a world in which Cael was a god.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Rayne whispered. He pressed a kiss to the top of Caelan’s head and straightened.
Caelan sighed. “Except for the Ordas.”
“Yes, the Ordas,” Rayne grumbled. “I can’t say that I’m enthusiastic about our return. I always had a feeling it was our ultimate destination, but part of me was hoping we might be able to avoid it.”
“Given the fights we’ve had with Safa, we’ll be facing animals of all kinds trying to kill us probably every step of the way.”
Rayne grunted. “And assuming she isn’t using the people sent to Green Spring as food, it’s likely Zyros has been cultivating a human army as well.”
“With Lore’s help.” Caelan made a noise and shoved a hand through his hair. “I want to hate him. I want to be so pissed at him for betraying everyone and setting her free, but…”
“But if the situation had been reversed and it was Drayce in Zyros’s position—”
Caelan’s harsh, bitter laugh cut him off. “I don’t think I would have waited this long to help him burn the world down.”
“Except it doesn’t sound like Lore did much to stop the other gods from their plan. He might have given token arguments to Zyros to not pursue this course, but in the end, he helped her become what she is. Lore is as responsible for this mess as the others. If you were in their shoes, you would hurt for Drayce, do anything for him, but you also wouldn’t allow him to destroy the world in an act of revenge. You know where to draw the line, even if it is a painful decision on your part.”
“Did I say I wanted you around for your unflappable common sense and logic?” Caelan asked playfully. He shook his head. “Nope, I take it all back.”
“Regardless of whether Lore is another villain or a victim in this god-filled farce, it doesn’t change the fact that we are facing some daunting odds in the Ordas.”
“And that doesn’t include the Empire. We don’t know what Emperor Naram Suen is planning. I’m guessing he has forces already in place in the Ordas. Will Safa and Zyros use them in the coming fight, or will New Rosanthe be slaughtered along with us?”
“If we could convince the emperor that he will never be able to harness the power of the Goddess of the Hunt…” Rayne speculated, talking mostly to himself.
“You want the Empire to join us in the fight against Zyros and Lore?” Caelan sounded as if he were barely holding in his laughter.
“It would give New Rosanthe an opportunity to retreat from the total annihilation of all people on Thia,” Rayne countered. He reached out and tapped the end of Caelan’s nose. “While neither of us has any reason to want to help the Empire, giving them the opportunity to save a little face as they retreat is better than forcing them to steal countless more lives.”
Caelan pressed his palms together and lowered his head. “I bow to the higher wisdom of my advisor.”
Rayne gave Caelan’s head a smack. “Brat.”
His friend gasped loudly, pressing a hand to the top of his head. “I can’t believe you just hit a god.”