“Long live King Caelan Talos the First, Ruler of Erya and Guardian of the Godstone.” Rayne’s voice rang out loud and clear in the room. The cry was repeated by everyone there as Eno, Tomas, and Johanna each dropped to one knee. Prince Shey bowed deeply, his fist over his heart.
“May all your years be filled with wisdom and glory, Your Majesty,” Rayne said in a softer tone with a small nod of his head.
Caelan reached out and patted Rayne on the arm, but quickly drew his hand away when he noticed it trembling again. He clung to his smile while fisting his hand at his side. The trembling had started after releasing Kaes’s power and falling into Drayce’s arms. It was troubling, but there wasn’t time to worry about it now.
“Thank you, but that will have to be the end of our formality for now. We have too much business to settle and too little time to deal with it all.” Caelan turned his attention to Shey. “With your presence here, I’m assuming the blockade has been broken.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, though I am sorry to report that half a dozen Empire ships did escape us. They were headed west toward Ilon,” Shey reported.
“No apologies necessary. You’ve done us a great service.” He then turned his attention to Morgan. “Can you send word to Ilon that trouble might be headed in their direction and to keep a careful watch?”
Morgan nodded. “Consider it done.”
“All foreign diplomats left Stormbreak immediately following the attack, including those from Ilon,” Tomas volunteered.
“Do you know if anyone has heard from our people in Ilon?”
Tomas shook his head. “I don’t know, Your Majesty. News outside of Erya has been light and relatively unreliable.”
“Men on my team have already begun work on re-establishing lines of communication,” Morgan said with a proud smile. She took a small step forward. “I believe that we should be able share information directly with Ilon before the end of the day.”
“Excellent. Keep me and Rayne updated. I want to know if our ally has been hurt by New Rosanthe. They also need to be able to tell our refugees that it’s safe to return home.” He paused and sent the woman a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry that I have an additional duty to place on your shoulders, General.”
Morgan stepped forward, head held high. “Whatever you need, Your Majesty, I will do it to the best of my ability.”
“I know you will. That’s why I’m asking you to oversee Erya while I’m gone.”
For several seconds, no one moved or even breathed. It was the reaction that he’d been expecting, though at least his trusted companions had known it was coming. “The Goddess of Life has charged me with a mission of the utmost importance—saving Thia. If it weren’t for the protection of all of us, I wouldn’t be leaving. I will be taking Eno, Rayne, and Drayce with me for guidance and protection, but I need someone I can trust here to protect our people until I can return.”
“Your Majesty, I’m not worthy of this honor,” Morgan gasped before dropping to her knees.
Caelan jumped from his seat and closed the distance between him and Morgan in a few strides. Grabbing the soldier by the shoulder, he helped her to her feet. “You are, and you will be great. You’ve spent a lifetime leading people and protecting them. I need you to do it on a slightly grander scale.” He flashed Morgan a smile, but it didn’t remove the worry from her large brown eyes. “And as you already know, no leader ever leads alone. You will have Tomas at your side every step of the way.”
Tomas stepped forward and bowed sharply. “Yes, Your Majesty. I will make you proud.”
“Also, I’m giving Rayne twenty-four hours to prepare notes for you on possible resources and things you will need to know.”
There was a sharp gasp behind him, and he turned to see Rayne raggedly sucking in air, looking as if he were having a heart attack.
“Your Majesty, notes on the scale that you’re talking about, to prepare them properly, it would take days.”
Caelan gave Morgan a final pat on the shoulder before returning to the throne with a smile for Rayne. “Notes, Lord Laurent. Not an entire treatise on how to properly run an agrarian-based kingdom on a budget.”
“Your Majesty is quite droll,” Rayne replied, speaking through clenched teeth, “but I still need more time to prepare what General Morgan might need.”
“We can’t spare much more. Do what you can. Focus on those who are the most trustworthy and most likely to be of use to Morgan.” He turned to Eno. “I want you to go with Tomas, and work on making a list of which of the Royal Guards of the Towers survived. We also need a full accounting of our military resources. If they are not actively engaged in defending our towns and borders, I want them here helping to get Stormbreak pulled together. Our people deserve to return to their normal lives.” He paused and smiled. “If you have a free moment, could you also check on Rayne? Make sure he doesn’t need oxygen in the midst of his panic attack.”