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The woman who directed him to the book answered the door with what looked to be a relieved smile. She quickly retreated and waved for them to enter. Rayne took one step inside and glanced about, taking in the living room immediately to the right. A man in a white button-down shirt that was open at the collar pushed to his feet. His face was pale, and his thinning gray hair was a bit messy as if he’d been running his fingers through it.
Jasper Feroz.
It was unsettling to see him so unkempt when their previous encounters had brought a prime minister expertly dressed in designer suits and expensive haircuts. But then, it would have been more suspicious if the man wasn’t a touch disheveled. When he spotted no one else, Rayne entered the apartment enough to allow Caelan to follow him.
As the king crossed the threshold, Jasper Feroz bowed deeply. “Thank you so much for coming, Your Majesty,” he said in a low, almost breathless voice.
“It seemed imperative that we talk,” Caelan replied, his tone cool and a bit skeptical.
Rayne watched his friend closely from the corner of his eye, noting that he didn’t so much as dip his head to the prime minister. Was this lack of respect due to the discovery of the government-sanctioned kidnappings or was he convinced that Ilon had willingly aligned itself with New Rosanthe? Either issue didn’t make for a comfortable meeting.
“Yes.” Jasper Feroz sighed. He straightened and bowed his head to Rayne. “It is good to see you again, Lord Laurent.”
“Prime Minister Feroz,” Rayne said, giving his own nod, though nowhere as deep as it should have been considering the man’s government position. As usual, Rayne naturally fell into step with Caelan, following his example.
“Forgive my bluntness, Prime Minister, but what the fuck is happening in Ilon?” Caelan growled.
Jasper didn’t blink at Caelan’s tone, even if Rayne inwardly winced. When it came to rulers, Rayne hated to admit that he was more accustomed to Queen Amara’s cold silence that could bend a room of ministers to her will. He shouldn’t expect Caelan to adopt her style just because he was her son. Regardless of whether his title was Prince or King, Caelan would always be Caelan first.
“Yes, yes. I need to explain. Come in. Sit.” Jasper backpedaled a step and motioned for them to settle on the bright-yellow couch.
Caelan led the way while Rayne continued to search the room. The dark-blue curtains were pulled tightly closed, and there didn’t seem to be anyone else in the apartment that he could hear besides the four of them.
As they sat, Jasper nodded to the woman and she disappeared down the hall, heading toward either the kitchen or possibly the bedroom.
“Your assistant?” Rayne inquired, trying to make it sound casual, but he didn’t care if he succeeded. His only concern was Caelan’s safety.
“Lily?” Jasper replied in a distracted manner, pausing with his butt inches from the seat. He nodded and sat. “Yes. She happened to be with me when the Empire struck and remains by my side as I try to figure a way out of this mess.”
“What exactly happened?”
“They struck while I was in the Shrine District for a small sanctifying ceremony of a newly renovated temple. That-that Safa marched into parliament with a couple dozen of these soldiers and slaughtered half of the elected officials. She also declared they were already holding me hostage. If we didn’t agree to their demands, they were going to destroy Brightspire and slaughter countless citizens like they did in Stormbreak. By the time I reached my car to return to Parliament Plaza, control had been handed over to her.”
“The police?” Rayne asked.
Jasper shook his head. “Under her control. Told to cooperate with the Empire to protect the well-being of the citizens of Brightspire and the rest of Ilon. I managed to talk to one of the district police chiefs. They were told if there were any resistance efforts on the part of law enforcement or citizens, an entire district would be razed overnight and all the people there killed.”
“The military?” Caelan demanded.
“We’ve kept minimal forces near Brightspire. Nearly all have been moved to the Ordas, the border with New Rosanthe, or our major port towns. Calling them back means leaving us vulnerable, and it’s too late.” The prime minister shifted to the edge of his seat and waved a hand at them. “Safa and her forces have fully embedded themselves in the city. They’ve also placed bombs in all the districts. It’s like a choke collar has been wrapped around Brightspire’s neck. Even the smallest move against Safa’s wishes and my people will be hurt.”
“Who broke off all contact with Erya and ordered all Erya citizens out?”
“It was actually both of us. Safa broke off contact first, but I was the one who managed to get the order out that all Erya citizens needed to leave the country. She wanted to hide what she was doing from you, and I didn’t want your people to get hurt. We’ve been friends for so long, and Erya has suffered so much.”
Rayne clenched his teeth to hold in the words that rose up. It was also likely that he was afraid that Erya’s citizens would also carry news of the coup to Stormbreak far too quickly.
Jasper shoved a hand through his hair and scrubbed his scalp. “That was the last thing I was able to do that made any kind of difference. Lily and I have been moving every few days. We get snippets of news here and there from Parliament Plaza. Mostly from representative aides who escaped in the chaos. We’ve got a few people that we trust in the city that have been protecting us and giving us updates on the Empire’s movements and other things.”
“Like how I was in the city,” Caelan murmured.
Jasper dropped his hand to his lap and lifted watery pale-blue eyes to Caelan’s face. “Yes. The fight in the Shrine District. Reports of the fire and-and magic. There have been similar stories in Sirelis and dark whispers out of Zastrad. Your name has been linked to all of it.” Jasper paused and licked his lips. “You’ve been traveling to all the cities with godstones.”
“I have.”
Rayne waited with his breath held, but Caelan didn’t elaborate. He didn’t go on to explain about how they were fighting both the Goddess of the Hunt and New Rosanthe. How he was bonding with the gods and goddesses to save them all.
The prime minister sat back in his chair and swallowed hard as he stared at Caelan. “That’s why you’ve come to Brightspire now. Not because you knew there was trouble with the Empire.”
