Caelan didn’t get far before two new sets of brisk footsteps drew close. The tiniest smirk lifted one corner of Caelan’s mouth. He easily recognized Rayne’s cadence, particularly sharp when he was pissed. Logic said the second set was most likely to be Eno’s.
As they neared an intersection in the Armory dungeon, Rayne appeared around the corner and came to a sharp halt. His pale cheeks were slightly flushed as though he’d been running through the halls in search of his wayward king. Behind him was Eno, looking not nearly as out of breath but definitely perturbed.
And why wouldn’t they be? It wasn’t as if Caelan had purposefully waited for both his advisor and personal bodyguard to be trapped in meetings prior to visiting the captured spies.
They didn’t want Caelan anywhere near the New Rosanthe prisoners. While he managed to keep a controlled, distant façade in front of the rest of the people working in the Armory, he allowed the act to fall away when he was alone with Rayne and Eno. They had seen hints of the anger boiling inside of him and wanted to protect him from making a mistake when it came to New Rosanthe.
“Your Majesty.” Rayne’s tone was crisp and a touch tart as he bowed deeply to him. “I didn’t realize you planned to interrogate the prisoners this afternoon.”
Caelan wanted to laugh at how Rayne had managed to say that without an ounce of censure in his voice. But he knew Rayne. The man was itching to chastise him. He saw it in the way Rayne’s eyes darted to Caelan’s shadow before carefully choosing his words.
His advisor glanced past Caelan’s shoulder and narrowed his eyes on the poor guard. “You should have messaged me of the change in His Majesty’s schedule,” Rayne sharply criticized.
“I told him not to,” Caelan interrupted. Rayne was pissed and justifiably so, but Caelan wasn’t going to let him take it out on Adrian when he really wanted to rant at Caelan.
Rayne stiffened even further so that it appeared as if all his bones were now made of steel. Somehow, he still managed to bow his head to Caelan, but it was painful to watch. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
Caelan swallowed a groan. He could deal with the “Your Majesty” crap most of the time, but not when they were alone. Eno and Rayne had been his family for more years than he could easily count at this point. They’d been through danger, death, gods, and even a dragon together. The constant reminder of his status separating him from the people he loved grated on already raw nerves.
Pushing Rayne and Eno out of his way, Caelan peered down one long hallway and then another, checking to make sure they were alone. With no one in sight, Caelan released the sigh he’d been holding in most of the day and shuffled over to one of the walls. He leaned against it, his arms folded over his chest.
“Has it been decided whether Westergren is going with us?” Caelan asked, jerking his head toward Adrian.
Eno nodded. “We need another guard for your protection, and Adrian has the necessary skills. He’s coming with us.”
Adrian immediately dropped to one knee in front of Calean, his right hand in a fist over his heart and his head bowed. “I offer up my life to the protection of the crown, Your Majesty.”
Caelan frowned at the bowed brownish-blond head in front of him. It was on the tip of his tongue to say that he was tired of people dying to keep him safe. He dropped a hand to the man’s shoulder and lightly squeezed. “I accept your life, but keep in mind that it would be really useful if you could keep me safe and stay alive on this journey.”
Adrian’s head popped up and he stared at Caelan for a second in confused wonder. So that might have been the first time Caelan had cracked the smallest of jokes around this man. Good grief. He was in for a rude awakening when they finally left the walls of Stormbreak.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he turned his attention to Rayne while Adrian rose to his feet. “Good. That’s settled. He’s with us. That means you can’t possibly think to hold on to this propriety over the coming weeks just because Adrian is with us. Let it out, Rayne.”
The muscles in Rayne’s jaw jumped and flexed as if he were grinding his molars together. That silence lasted for three heartbeats, and then he exploded.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted, his voice filling the dungeon. Adrian flinched and took a step back as if Rayne had hit him, but he was quickly moving forward, trying to position himself between Rayne and Caelan. At least when Rayne continued, he’d dropped his voice down to more normal speaking levels. “You can’t be anywhere near the Empire soldiers without me or Eno present. Not only are they a threat to your person, but we’re concerned about your health. You’re under a great deal of strain after Zastrad. We’ve seen it since leaving Mount Langbo, and you’ve not truly improved since arriving in Stormbreak.”