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“Think about it. This is the first time my mother has ever sent me to Sirelis. The few times I’ve met Prince Shey, we were in Ilon. If it’s a secret from everyone, they have to keep out everyone who might be able to sense its presence. That would be me and my mother.”
“This is unbelievable,” Rayne whispered.
“Do you think my mother knew about it?”
“I-I don’t know. I couldn’t even begin to guess at what Queen Amara did and didn’t know. I’ve always thought it safest to work under the assumption that she knew everything.”
Caelan snorted and dropped back against the sofa. “You’re probably right.”
“If there is another godstone in Caspagir, does that mean there could be others? And how many?” Eno inquired.
Rayne pressed his fingers into his temples, looking as if he were on the verge of panic. “I have no idea. Maybe. I can’t recall ever reading a mention of other godstones. I don’t think I could even research it. Keeping such a secret would be about controlling any and all information. Internet searches would likely be flagged, and I’m miles away from the old tomes in the royal library. I think I could get access to Caspagir’s royal library, but I’d worry about alerting them to what we suspect.”
“Oh, I have every intention of talking to Queen Noemi about this tomorrow morning. You can count on it,” Caelan declared. “If they’ve got a godstone, I want to know if I can tap the power, use it until I at least get our godstone.”
“Are you insane?” Rayne shouted. Eno lurched and even Drayce’s eyebrows flew to his hairline. Eno couldn’t remember if he’d ever heard Rayne shout. He was definitely not handling this unexpected news well. “You want to just borrow Caspagir’s godstone so we can fetch our own.”
“You saw it yourself in the cell. The power from this godstone is already attempting to merge with the power I can still draw from the Erya Godstone.”
“What?” Eno gasped. He took an unsteady step back and sat down on the arm of Rayne’s chair. “What the hell happened?”
“The guard wanted proof that Caelan wasn’t an imposter, so he cast his protection spell,” Drayce explained.
Caelan nodded. “And it was like lightning was weaving itself into the spell. I’ve never had that happen before, and I could feel the energy from the other godstone. It’s…it’s like it’s calling to me. It’s close.”
Eno jumped to his feet, rubbing one hand across his mouth as he thought. The first spark of new hope lit in his chest. Could Caelan actually use this power? What would that mean against the Empire? He dropped his hand and looked at Caelan. “Close? How close? In the palace?”
“No, the lighthouse.”
“Yep, totally had to be the lighthouse,” Drayce agreed with a smile.
Eno’s eyes darted from Caelan to Drayce. “What lighthouse? Is that where you were when you were arrested?”
“There? It can’t be,” Rayne said, his brow furrowed with confusion. “I’ve seen that lighthouse. It’s old. Forgotten.”
“A disguise. The second we were within a quarter mile of the place, all these army personnel popped up from out of nowhere. Guns drawn. Enough to overtake a small city.” Drayce’s arms waved wildly about as he spoke, and his eyes were wide as if he half expected the soldiers to appear here in the room with them.
Rayne took a deep breath and removed his glasses. He rubbed his eyes and then replaced them. He seemed calmer and more pulled together, which eased some of the worry gathered in Eno’s chest. “Cael, I don’t mean to sound dismissive or that I don’t believe you,” Rayne started slowly.
“I get it, Rayne. I do,” Caelan replied, the first hint of a smile moving across his features. “I wasn’t expecting this either. I grew up my entire life with the knowledge that there was just one godstone. It is safe in a secure room and represented my entire future.” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t know whether I’m horrified or relieved to know there could be another. But I just wanted you to know what we might be dealing with tomorrow when I confront the queen.”
A wry smile twisted Rayne’s lips as he gazed across the room to Caelan. He was still pale and appearing shaky, but closer to his usual self. “Yes, I appreciate the heads up.”
“What about you, grumpy?” Drayce asked with a grin directed at Eno. “Were you able to get in touch with anyone in Erya?”
Eno just sort of mutely blinked at Drayce. The words made sense all on their own, but he couldn’t figure out what the man was talking about. His brain downshifted from talk of godstones to remember that he’d been looking for information about Stormbreak and the Erya military.
“Actually…I was.” His expression might have become a little smug when Rayne twisted around to stare at him in indignant shock, as if he couldn’t believe that Eno would dare keep something from him. Yes, well, Rayne wasn’t the only one with secrets. Eno was sure that his secrets weren’t half as interesting as Rayne’s, though.
