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Okay, so there was a part of Caelan that also wanted to shake the old man, but he really didn’t think it would go over too well.
“Please, do you know if the Empire can even unlock Tula’s power? I was raised on the idea that only someone of the Talos line could bond with the Godstone.”
Kaes looked over his shoulder at Caelan, his expression unreadable as lightning flashed again in his murky eyes. “Do you think that’s true?”
“No. No, I don’t. I think it’s another lie they came up with to keep people from attempting to steal the gods.”
“Smart boy,” Kaes murmured.
A half smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “Am I smart enough for you to agree to bond with me?”
Kaes’s gaze narrowed, and the charge sizzled through Caelan, touching him down to his very soul. He felt utterly exposed, as if the old god could see all of him. His past and present. Every doubt, bad decision, and foolish hope. He could see every time he was weak, arrogant, or selfish.
“Smart enough?” Kaes asked. “Nope. Not even close.”
Caelan felt his heart squeeze and a lump form in his throat. It had been his greatest fear when the time came for him to stand before the Goddess of Life. He was sure that she would take one look at him and judge him as not worthy of her gift, that he would let down the entire line of Talos ancestors who had lived, served, and died.
He’d failed. He’d failed everyone—friends, mother, kingdom. For a time, he couldn’t even breathe, didn’t want to. Why couldn’t he have tried harder? Studied longer? Done…something, anything more.
Caelan shook his head, shoving against the suffocating feeling of failure and disappointment. If he wasn’t enough, then he’d act as an intermediary. He’d find someone who was good enough for Kaes. Maybe he already had.
“Shey,” Caelan rasped, pushing past the feeling that some part of his soul had died. “Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo. His family has been the secret guardians of the Wind Stone for generations. He’s a brave man, true of heart, and brilliant strategist. What about—” he broke off at Kaes’s laughter.
“Not even gonna let me finish my thought. You’re just gonna let someone step into your place rather than fight for something you’ve always thought of as your birthright.”
Caelan could only stare at Kaes, his brain locking up and not accepting any new thoughts until it got through the current log jam. “The Life Stone, I thought that was my birthright. Not the Wind Stone. I don’t want to steal that from Shey.”
Kaes arched a brow at him, his smile twisting into a skeptical smirk. “Never thought of stealing the wind to save Erya?”
Yeah, he’d forgotten who he was talking to. Of course he’d thought about it. Maybe even tossed around a few plans for getting in to see the stone without Prince Shey or Queen Noemi knowing about it. He’d do anything to save his people, but he didn’t want to do it at the cost of hurting someone else.
With a gentle chuckle, Kaes surprised him by reaching across the boat and patting Caelan’s knee. “Ahh, you’re a good kid. No wonder Tula is so fond of you.” Kaes reeled in his line and set his fishing pole aside. “What I was trying to say was that you’re not as smart as you need to be. The storm bearing down on you is bigger than you know. You’ll need the people you trust most close by you.”
“You’ll help?”
Kaes grinned and shrugged. “For Tula.” The old man started to reach for him, but Caelan suddenly remembered one last request, jerking him backward.
“Shey,” he whispered. He’d promised Shey, and himself. “I’ve been able to tap into some of the power from the Life Stone even though my mother was bonded to Tula. Would you be willing to share some of your power with Prince Shey? I want him to be able to protect his people.”
To his surprise, Kaes straightened, his expression growing cold. “Shey is not our choice. He was not trained for this responsibility.” Kaes paused, and his face softened before he winked. “But I do like his hair. Always been partial to that shade of blue myself.”
“He might not have been trained for this responsibility, but he was trained to give his life for his people. He was trained to protect them. He is my choice, and if I must, I will claim responsibility for his actions.”
Kaes grunted. “And if your choice fails, you will be the one to take his power away.”
Caelan had a feeling Kaes meant that it was his job to kill Shey if the prince failed to use his newfound gift to protect the citizens of Caspagir. Not a pleasant thought, but he nodded all the same. It wouldn’t come to that. Shey wouldn’t disappoint him. Shey might not want the gift, but he needed it, especially if Caelan failed to stop the Empire.
