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16
Eno Bevyn
Lights twinkled against the blackness of the night. The city of Sirelis was laid out before him like a blanket spread for a picnic. The view reminded him of home, but still so different. Sirelis seemed older in places and held deeper pockets of darkness at night, while Stormbreak was a blaze of lights. His home only slept in those very early hours of the morning, when the sky was turning from black to pale gray as the sun rose. It all happened in a blink. People fell into their beds after a night of work or revelry and then woke up again to start making the first bread of the day.
The perfect time for a morning run prior to rousting Caelan from his bed to launch his busy schedule of meetings and appearances. He’d been alone to enjoy the city as she dozed. Alone with his thoughts and a deep sense of peace.
But that peace was gone now, and the city he looked down on was not home.
He should have felt better about being in the royal palace, but he found himself wishing they were back at the little hotel, still unknown to the world. Despite Rayne’s assurances, he wasn’t sure he trusted Prince Shey and the rest of the Caspagir royal family. Caelan and Erya had already lost so much. They had to be careful with every decision they made, and who they chose to trust.
He’d been searching for nearly three hours when he’d gotten a call from Rayne telling him that Caelan and Drayce had been found. Rayne hadn’t given any more details than to say that he was to head straight to the palace and give his name at the gate.
Not loving the lack of information, Eno still did as Rayne instructed because he trusted the man completely. After giving his name, he was whisked in through a secret entrance and down a series of tunnels that finally took him to a luxurious suite of rooms that overlooked the city. Five minutes later, Rayne walked in with Caelan and Drayce, who seemed fine if a little embarrassed.
Eno was introduced to Prince Shey, and then they were left on their own with the promise that Prince Caelan would meet with the queen tomorrow morning.
“It’s a long story,” Caelan announced the second the door shut behind him. “But first, I’m safe and fine. Drayce is safe and fine.”
“You won’t be for long if you don’t explain what happened,” Eno growled.
“I will, but I need a shower and food first.” He turned and looked over at Rayne, who nodded once.
“I’ll make a call to the kitchens. I’m sure something can be quickly prepared,” Rayne agreed, already moving toward an elegant white phone on a table. Ugh, everything in the room seemed to be various shades of white. It felt like his mere presence was making things dirty.
“Good.” Caelan met Eno’s stern glare with one of his own. “Shower and food. It’ll give me some time to think. Trust me, it’s worth the wait.”
The prince and Drayce left the room in search of a shower. Eno had glimpsed sight of their things in the rooms, brought from the hotel, and it hadn’t given him a warm, fuzzy feeling. It was easier to direct his glare at Rayne than think about someone from the Caspagir palace packing up his things.
“I don’t know anything.” Rayne spoke preemptively, as if trying to hold back any rants that were brewing. “Prince Shey was with us the entire time, so Caelan said nothing to me.”
“Where was he?”
Rayne made a face that was a strange mix of exasperated and amused. “Held prisoner in a military jail. He and Drayce were suspected of being Empire spies. They were caught near the harbor.”
Eno groaned, the thought of Prince Caelan sitting in jail making him sick to his stomach. Even now, with everyone safe and sound in the palace, the idea of Caelan suspected as a spy sent a chill through him. He could have been killed before they reached him.
Earlier, during their meal, Rayne had brought them up to speed about what he’d learned from Prince Shey about the Empire’s movements through the country as well as their stance toward Erya. For now, it appeared Caspagir was in favor of helping them, but there was something in Caelan’s frown as he listened to Rayne that set Eno ill at ease. It also didn’t help that when Rayne spoke of Shey, he didn’t quite meet his eyes. He was hiding something, but Eno couldn’t guess as to what it was.
They’d been in the palace for a couple of hours now. They’d cleaned up and eaten, but Eno was still worried.
He turned from the window to face his companion who lounged on the puffy white sofa with a ridiculous number of pillows. Eno dropped into one of the chairs and pinned Caelan with a stare. It was time to cough up what he knew.
