“Don’t babe me. He can go fuck himself. To think he can touch even a sliver of the godstone that belonged to Caris is bullshit. She’s gonna turn him into a pile of ash if he touches her crystal.”
Adrian glanced at Haru to find that the dragon had tipped his head up and was grinning broadly. Clearly, Drayce had taken the words right out of his mouth. Adrian’s shoulders shook with a silent laugh, and he returned his attention to the phone that rested on the coffee table between him and Vitor.
“Vitor?” Rayne cut in. The king’s advisor sounded calm and collected once again, completely normal after his emotional outburst.
The spy shifted to the edge of his seat, leaning closer to the phone. “This conspiracy has all the markings of a political power move to not only seize control of Damardor from the New Rosanthe loyalists but also to conquer New Rosanthe itself. Matthys Drost and Ruben Deinum are major backers of high-ranking political figures in Damardor. It wouldn’t take much at this stage for them to take control of the country through puppets. They’ve cultivated enough unrest among the masses to sway public opinion.”
“I feel like I can hear a ‘but’ coming in this long explanation,” Caelan teased.
“Because there is one. Even if Deinum and his politicians take control of Damardor’s governmentandmilitary, he doesn’t have the army he needs to take New Rosanthe. The emperor hasalways kept Damardor’s military forces small and dependent on New Rosanthe just so they couldn’t stage any kind of effective revolt.”
“That’s why he wants all these magical folks,” Haru cut in. “He wants to force them into being soldiers for him. Warriors to wipe out New Rosanthe’s leaders.”
“Perhaps,” Caelan murmured.
“It’s not a horrible idea.” Eno’s deep voice rumbled across the line. “He wouldn’t even need a full battalion of magic users. It could be a squad of seven or eight if their magic is lethal enough. They could sneak in and take most guards by surprise with their magic. With proper training, assassinations could be done quickly, tipping New Rosanthe into complete chaos and opening the door for Damardor. The timing would have to be perfect, though.”
“So, you’re talking six of me, right?” Adrian joked.
“Or just one dragon,” Haru added.
“I would rather not go down this hypothetical rabbit hole any further,” Caelan said sharply. “Not even as a mental exercise. It’s unethical.”
“Of course, Your Majesty,” Eno stated, his voice apologetic. “The point is that it is a possibility, but a high-risk and very difficult approach. One that is likely to fail.”
“Maybe…” Vitor mumbled.
“You have a thought, Gray Fox?” Caelan nudged.
“Mostly gut feelings, Your Majesty. Nothing with hard evidence,” Vitor admitted.
Caelan grunted. “I find I am having similar dark feelings. I’m concerned that we’re not getting the full picture. They are collecting people with magic and then coercing them to help assassinate New Rosanthe’s leaders. I would imagine there aren’t many people with magic, and most aren’t blessed to have fighting skills like Adrian and Haru. Who would willingly jointhis fight? Is it a matter of offering enough money or power to this person to get them to fight?” A rough scoff jumped from the phone.
“Shey wouldn’t buy into their cause, and there is no amount of money you could offer him to fight by their side,” Rayne grumbled.
“They would need some kind of leverage. A threat to his sister, perhaps?” Eno suggested.
Adrian rolled his eyes. If Eno didn’t watch his tongue, he was going to find himself suffocated in his sleep by his new husband.
“What? I’m just saying there are ways around money,” Eno continued defensively in the background, proving Rayne had threatened him. Haru snorted.
“Your Majesty, I’m sure that we’re not seeing the entire picture here. Deinum spoke of partners, and I’m inclined to believe that he’s not the true mastermind behind this massive undertaking,” Vitor interrupted, getting them all on track again. “If you’ll permit me, I would like to keep using Haru to pose as a rich investor and a source of godstone shards. It’s a viable way of gathering important information and possibly locating His Highness.”
“I’m fine with it if Haru is willing,” Caelan agreed.
Both Adrian and Vitor turned their attention to Haru. The dragon shrugged his shoulders lazily. “If this helps us to find Shey, I will continue this charade. I would like permission to kill these people at the end. They’ve made Adrian uncomfortable, and they need to pay for that.”
“Oh, fuck,” Adrian muttered under his breath.
Drayce’s wild cackle burst out of the phone and filled the room.
“We’ll discuss that later,” Caelan said, though it sounded as if he were fighting laughter. “In the meantime, I’ll contact Nori and Queen Noemi about getting our hands on shards of thetwo godstones. My only request is that these shards never leave Haru’s possession. I can’t fathom what they are doing with them, but it can’t be good.”
“Agreed,” Haru stated.
There was some more talk about logistics and timing, but the call ended soon after. Vitor thanked them for their help and left, saying that he needed to get in contact with other spies in the city to see what they had learned.
Adrian pushed to his feet and walked to the windows, staring out over the city with his hands shoved into his pockets. From up here, the capital was quiet and clean. Everything looked orderly and safe, but since coming to Bellcairn, Adrian had learned that it was all a thin disguise that was in danger of tearing at any moment. Unrest was bubbling up among most of the people who were struggling to put food in their bellies or terrified of the stories of people disappearing off the streets. Meanwhile, there was an entire cadre of rich people who were stirring up this toxic stew, wanting it to spill over so they could use it as a reason to scoop up control.
