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“That could work to our advantage, giving us a variety of options if we need to hide. It will take longer for either Ilon or the Empire to root us out,” Rayne said and pointed to an approaching exit ramp. “Take this one here. It’ll deliver us to the edge of the manufacturing district.”
Drayce jerked his head from where he’d been staring out the window at the signs flashing by offering up expert dental care and energy drinks to give you that end-of-the-day boost. “I thought we were going to the Bazaar.”
“We are, but the manufacturing district is adjacent to the Bazaar. In addition, Parliament Plaza is only a few blocks from there. I want to see how close we can stroll to the government buildings.”
“And check for any signs of New Rosanthe,” Eno tacked on.
“Exactly,” Rayne agreed with a nod. “If the Empire’s goal is the godstone, they will want to gain control of two key points—government and the Shrine District.”
“Just like they did in Stormbreak,” Drayce muttered while a knot formed in his stomach. Caelan and Adrian were heading straight for the Shrine District and potentially into the waiting arms of the Empire.
Drayce leaned to his left and slipped his cell phone from his pocket. He tapped the screen to find that no new texts had arrived in the ten minutes since he’d last checked. While they could all exchange texts now, it had been agreed that messages should be kept to sharing critical information. Drayce checking to make sure that Caelan was still safe didn’t fit the criteria, so he shoved his phone into his pocket again.
He didn’t need to worry. Adrian was a skilled fighter and a sneaky former thief. Caelan…fuck…Caelan had the power of four gods at his fingertips. According to what Adrian had told him, it sounded like Caelan could take out all of the New Rosanthe army with a wave of his hand.
What was he worried about?
Everything. Literally everything.
If it could go wrong, it did and had since they’d left Stormbreak for the first time more than six months ago. He didn’t like the idea of not being there to protect Caelan’s back when the next thing blew up in their faces.
But Adrian was right. At this point, Rayne and Eno were far more recognizable than they had been in Zastrad or even parts of Caspagir. Drayce was beginning to fear people would know him after his years of being Caelan’s shadow.
This morning, they’d all dug through the clothes they’d packed, opting for more casual street attire, which was no different from what Drayce wore every day. Hats were pulled on and tugged low to obscure their faces. When they dropped Adrian and Caelan off, a quick shopping run was made for more hats, sunglasses, and even a couple of scarves. Drayce didn’t think he could’ve been more shocked than when Rayne had picked up several sets of earrings. He’d placed two small gold hoops in his right ear and a single silver stud in his left.
But then Eno had knocked him speechless when he’d taken one of the hoops from Rayne’s ear and placed it in his own.
“I don’t know whether I’m more stunned that you both have your ears pierced or that you’re that disgustingly cute,” Drayce moaned when they were all seated in the car again.
Rayne had touched his right ear, a flush lightly painting his cheek. “Remnants from a more rebellious time in my life. I always assumed the holes would close up. I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t.”
Drayce shook his head. He’d shed his usual cap and opted for a dark plaid trilby matched with a pair of fake, black-rimmed glasses and a loose silk scarf around his neck. He couldn’t think of anything more different from his usual style unless he’d donned one of Rayne’s bespoke suits.
At least they looked less like their normal selves.
Using an app on his phone, Rayne directed Eno through the busy streets toward the Parliament building and the other government offices. When they were a couple of blocks away, Eno slipped into an open parking spot on a street filled with brick townhomes. The street was quiet and a bit rundown. Hopefully no one would notice the SUV with the missing rear window and the Erya license plate.
Sadly, they needed to walk just a block to find trouble. The street leading to the massive Parliament building was blocked…by New Rosanthe soldiers. That was a very bad sign. Not only did New Rosanthe have control of the Ilon border with Erya, but it appeared they had control of the country’s government as well.
“I don’t understand,” Eno grumbled as they turned away from the roadblock and headed along a parallel street. “There are zero signs of fighting. No damage. No broken buildings or torn-up streets. Entire blocks of Stormbreak were destroyed when the Empire attacked.”
“The lack of damage is good for the people of Brightspire,” Rayne replied softly.
“But did they seriously give up control of the city without a fight?” Eno snapped, his voice growing in volume with every stomp of his foot on the pavement. “How could they roll over and hand themselves over to the Empire?”
“Shhh!” Rayne hissed, grabbing his arm. “We don’t know what happened here. Maybe New Rosanthe doesn’t have control of the government, despite how it looks. Chancellor Croft quickly left the Towers as New Rosanthe moved into Stormbreak. There’s a chance that the Prime Minister Jasper Feroz has done the same.”
“Or maybe hearing of Queen Amara’s death was enough to convince Ilon to do what the Empire wants,” Drayce mumbled.
Drayce followed behind Eno and Rayne as they hurried down the sidewalk, away from the checkpoint and to the SUV. Except their vehicle was no longer an option. As they turned the corner, they found three Ilon soldiers—not police officers, actual soldiers—inspecting the car and talking amongst themselves.
That didn’t feel like a good situation in the slightest.
Eno moved into the lead and kept walking straight rather than turning right toward the SUV. They didn’t glance at the soldiers or speak. They could have been three friends out for a walk or coworkers or…anything. But for whatever reason, they were just suspicious enough that one of the soldiers called out for them to stop.
This was bad. As much as they needed to get in contact with the Ilon government to find out what was going on, it needed to be on their own terms. Not getting hauled in by the army. Drayce had been there once with Caelan in Sirelis. It might have all worked out in the end, but that was only because Rayne had dated the crown prince. As far as he knew, Rayne didn’t have any past lovers or even fuck-buddies to fall back on Brightspire.
“We can’t be taken,” Rayne said in a low voice between clenched teeth.
