“This is not a movie,” Rayne snapped. “This plan will work. We are going to blend in with the crew and grab Caelan. No one will notice we don’t belong there.”
Drayce was far less convinced of the plan’s viability, but he honestly didn’t care. If it got him on board the same ship that held Caelan, he’d climb over the railing dressed as a unicorn in a sparkly tutu.
The cruiser grew steadily as they approached. The thing was a massive structure of pale gray sitting in the bay as if it owned the place. Huge guns rested on the deck, pointed toward the shore. So far, they’d been lucky the Empire hadn’t felt it necessary to fire upon the royal capital of Sirelis yet, but there was a good chance they would in response to what Prince Shey had planned.
For the most part, the city had been emptied. Anyone near the harbor had been evacuated to either the other side of the city or even into the countryside. While the people were safe, the damage to Caspagir’s royal city would be massive.
Drayce hoped they’d find a way to avoid that, but there was nothing he could do about it. His sole focus was on recovering Caelan.
His stomach churned and for the first time since stepping on the boat, he didn’t think it had anything to do with the bobbing on the waves. Nothing could happen to Caelan. He didn’t know what he’d do if something happened to the prince. Cael had been his best friend for years.
But it was way more than their friendship. Cael was his happiness, the beat of his heart, the sun on his face, and the wind in his hair. He couldn’t imagine a life without Caelan right there beside him, and he didn’t want to.
His skin crawled and his teeth ached from clenching them so hard. Drayce sucked in a deep breath through his nose, held it, and closed his eyes for only a moment before releasing it between his teeth. Calm. He needed to remain calm. Caelan was still alive, but Drayce would not be able to rescue his friend if he didn’t remain calm.
His eyes popped open when the low rumble of the boat stopped completely. Shey had provided them with one sleek-ass boat. The prince of Caspagir had said it was a new development by their navy. The design of the hull as well as the ridiculously quiet motor would help them to avoid detection. The thing was supposed to make stealth night attacks possible and so far, Drayce was a fucking believer.
Eno had launched the boat from a secret port and expertly maneuvered through the bay, bringing them right alongside the Empire’s cruiser. Drayce got why Eno wanted him to climb aboard first. He was the smallest and quickest. He’d be able to dart to the shadows and hide the fastest of the three of them.
The only problem was that his New Rosanthe accent was shit, and there was zero time to fix it. Rayne, on the other hand, sounded like a local, which was more than a little disturbing. Eno sounded believable, but it was agreed upon that if they had to do any fast talking, Rayne was their spokesperson. He could pass for an officer and head off any questions in the blink of an eye.
As the boat glided up alongside the cruiser, Drayce shoved to his feet. His knees were weak, and his entire body protested this idea of moving while still on water. Rayne’s hand grabbed his elbow and helped to steady him. He gave the man a sickly smile of thanks before crossing over to the metal ladder rungs that had been welded into the side of the ship.
With Eno’s help, he grabbed one and started to hoist himself up. A squeak might have escaped him when Eno planted his big hand against his ass and physically pushed him up. Yeah, that was a hell of a wake-up call and certainly helped to clear his mind from the seasick miasma that clung to his brain.
The metal rungs were wet and slick, making progress incredibly slow. But on the plus side, the large ship was considerably more stable than the tiny boat they’d ridden on. Adrenaline and fear surged through his system, flushing out the queasiness. There was no time to be seasick. He had a prince to rescue.
Okay, maybe this wasn’t a movie. But it was totally a fairy tale. He could definitely fill the role of the dashing knight infiltrating the lair of the evil villain to rescue the sweet prince.
Drayce snorted to himself. Oh, yeah. He couldn’t wait to tell Caelan about his role as the fair prince in this fairy tale. It would at least help to make up for the kiss-and-dash he’d pulled.