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“That’s not much of a hard choice, considering Zastrad was freezing and trying to kill us the entire time,” Rayne grumbled.
“And the Ordas was just trying to kill us,” Eno finished.
That would explain why this group had fallen into setting up camp with such ease. Even the king went about putting up the tent with Drayce as though he’d done it a hundred times.
Adrian lurched upright, his hands resting on his bent knees. “You all stayed in the Ordas? Seriously? I thought that place was insanely dangerous.”
“It is,” Rayne said firmly.
“Everything is trying to kill you. Everything,” Drayce added. He launched into an insane tale of crossing through the Ordas on foot with a pack of mountain lions hunting them down and the feeling of trees watching their every step. Yes, Adrian could happily live his entire life without ever needing to step foot inside that death trap.
“Speaking of camping in the Ordas,” Eno drawled. He paused and rubbed his chin, one eyebrow raised in Caelan’s direction. “Shouldn’t you be putting up a protective barrier so we can all get some sleep?”
The king smirked over at him. “I was going to let Rayne do it. He can always use the practice. I’ve had plenty.”
“Maybe Adrian would like to see the power of his king,” Rayne countered.
Adrian quickly held up both of his hands. “I’m good. After seeing Your Majesty take out a dragon, I’m in no hurry to witness any more magic from you.”
Drayce’s face clouded over and he grabbed a handful of Caelan’s hair, forcing him to tilt his head back to look up at him. “I worry about you.”
Caelan’s expression softened into a sweet smile, and he brushed a kiss along Drayce’s jaw. “Don’t. I’m safe now. That’s all that matters.”
Drayce huffed and tightened his arms around Caelan. “Yeah, yeah.”
The momentary silence was broken by a sigh from Rayne as he pushed to his feet. He moved to the middle of the campsite. The flickering firelight danced across his face, casting shadows in the hollows of his cheeks and brightening his eyes behind his glasses.
“Don’t forget: You don’t have to step into the fire like this show-off!” Drayce called out, nudging Caelan with his elbow.
Rayne shocked them all by lifting one hand and flipping Drayce the bird. They all exploded with laughter. Drayce rocked over onto his side, holding his stomach.
“Hey! I saved your life!” Drayce cried over more belly laughs.
The king’s advisor ignored him as he held two hands in front of his chest. Within seconds, a ball of green energy crackled between his palms. Adrian wordlessly watched as Rayne pushed the ball out so that it enveloped the entire campsite. He’d felt only the smallest tingle as the green energy pushed through him, and then it was gone.
“I’ve extended the shield to include our vehicle,” Rayne announced as he lowered his hands to his sides. Eno started to rise, his hands extended toward Rayne as if he meant to catch him, but the man just smiled and easily returned to his spot beside him.
Adrian looked at the faint green glow that now formed a dome around them and the camp. “This will keep attackers out?”
“Attackers, animals, bullets, knives, and generally anything that might want to kill us in our sleep,” Drayce listed.
One corner of his mouth lifted in a smirk as he inspected the barrier. That was handy. It meant they could all sleep instead of setting up a rotation of guards. Sleep would be good since they had no idea what waited for them in Brightspire.
“Let me see if I’ve got this right. The king is bonded to four gods. Rayne has been gifted some power—”
“Only a small amount when compared to Caelan,” Rayne interjected.
“And Drayce got…wings?” Adrian continued.
“A blessing,” Caelan corrected. “I don’t think it’s technically on the same level as what Rayne received from Tula.”
“But my wings are the freaking best,” Drayce boasted, and Adrian couldn’t argue that point. Drayce was lethal as a dragon, and more so now that he could be airborne again. From what Eno had told him, though, Drayce was pretty damn lethal with a sniper rifle and a pair of pistols.
“With all of that at our disposal, what’s to stop us from just blowing straight into Brightspire and claiming the godstone out from under New Rosanthe’s nose? You kicked the Empire’s ass in Stormbreak, and you had only two gods at your fingertips at that time, right?”
“It is a good point,” Eno murmured.
Rayne groaned and slipped his fingers under his glasses to rub his eyes.
