“Tell them Eno wants to meet with them. We need a location. If we can’t reach Tomas or Melita on our own, we’ll return here. Leave a message in the basement stating where they will be.”
Maris cocked her hip and gave the thumbs up. “Got it.”
Rayne kneeled and dug around in his bag until he found a piece of paper and a pen. He quickly scratched out some names and an address before handing it over to Maris. “If you find yourself in a situation where you need some help, I want you to go to this address. Ask for Lord Stanton Laurent, Lady Ingrid Laurent, or Zephyr Laurent. They are my parents and my sister. Tell them you are my friend, and they will help you. I promise.”
She took the slip of paper with trembling fingers and stared at it. After a couple of silent seconds, her chin snapped up and she glared at Rayne. “I don’t need anyone’s help. I’m doing fine on my own.”
His advisor’s smile softened. “Yes, you are. This is just in case. We all need help every once in a while.” Rayne glanced over his shoulder at Caelan. “Even princes.”
Drayce grinned. “Especially princes. They are really good at finding trouble.”
Caelan glared at his companion. “I would argue that a certain friend is the one who brings the majority of the trouble into a prince’s life.”
Drayce placed both of his hands behind his head and grinned. “Maybe. But if I didn’t, you’d be so bored.”
Rayne made a disgusted noise, clearly done with both of them, but at least Maris was looking a little more relaxed and happy again. “Keep that piece of paper close, Maris. Go to them if you need help.”
Maris nodded and tucked the paper into the pocket of her dirty jeans. “I will. I promise. I’ll also get your message to the soldiers.”
Caelan gazed out at his city. They were back. Now it was time to see what they could do about getting rid of the Empire.
11
Rayne Laurent
Rayne reached up and wiped the fog from the mirror and winced at his own reflection. He looked haggard, exhausted, and terrified. But then, they were all at least two of those three things. They’d spent the past two days on the run through Stormbreak and had yet to get more than a block into King’s Square.
Of course, part of it was due to getting sidetracked time and again saving citizens from Empire harassment. On their own, they’d taken out two dozen Empire soldiers, but it still felt like they’d hardly made a dent.
At the same time, rumors were steadily spreading with each appearance that Crown Prince Caelan Talos was in Stormbreak and slaughtering New Rosanthe soldiers. While it might be giving hope to the people of Erya, it was whipping the Empire forces into a frenzy. There were now more of them on the streets than there had been when they’d first sneaked into the city.
This last fight had been a bad one. They’d gotten overwhelmed quickly and had been forced to run. Eno had gotten shot in the gut. Caelan had lost his control and brought Kaes down on all their heads. When it was over, the Empire soldiers were dead and one building demolished. In addition, it appeared as if the power had been knocked out for several blocks and was likely to stay that way for a long time.
Rayne shook his head. He didn’t know whether to praise or curse the God of Storms. The power given to Caelan had saved their asses more than once, but the devastation that tended to follow was disturbing. If only Caelan had more time to practice with this new gift, maybe the power could be focused and honed to a precise razor’s edge. Unfortunately, they didn’t have that kind of time on their hands. The only good thing other than their escape was that the practice was building Caelan’s tolerance for Kaes since he’d yet to pass out as he had during the battle of Sirelis.
It also didn’t hurt that Tula seemed to be less destructive. They managed to locate an empty town house to hide in for the night. It looked as if the previous owners had packed up and escaped the city recently. The food was gone along with any valuables and most personal effects. However, there were linens, soap, and soft beds for the night.
Digging the bullet out of Eno’s stomach and sewing him up was going down as one of the worst moments of Rayne’s life. He’d managed to shut away all emotion for the time it took, clinging to his logical mind all while Eno grunted and fought to remain perfectly still through the procedure despite the agonizing pain.
The second Eno was closed up again, Caelan stepped in to use what little power he could pull from the Goddess of Life to speed his healing along and relieve his pain. Rayne had needed to leave. His control had been winnowed to a slender thread that was going to snap if he’d lingered another second.