He wanted to dig into it to find out exactly who was assisting them before they were dragged into some internal politics they didn’t need to be involved in. But he had different dragons that needed his full attention right now.
That was why he’d sent Adrian to assist Mio on some errands. The man was friendly and charming. Maybe he could get some information out of Mio while he, Rayne, and Eno dealt with Clan Takahashi.
Eno stood by the front door, dressed in his formal uniform with his sword strapped to his back and a glare narrowing his eyes. “A car has been sent for you.”
“That was considerate,” Caelan murmured as Eno opened the door for him.
“And a way to make sure you didn’t skip the meeting,” Rayne added under his breath.
Caelan was going to stick to considerate, though he agreed with Rayne. It was surprising that they’d gotten their meeting with Masaru so quickly—but then, the dragon leader was probably eager to have them off the island as soon as possible. He was fully expecting Masaru to send them on their way within minutes of arriving at the manor.
They piled into the small black car with Rayne sitting in the front seat while Eno settled beside him. Not an easy task with the huge sword that had to be laid across their laps. Caelan had chosen to leave his behind. He had a couple of daggers secreted on his person, but he was willing to rely on the power of the gods at his fingertips if it came down to a fight with dragons. That was more likely to leave an impact than an edged weapon against dragons and fire.
The driver in his neat black robes said nothing as he whisked them into late-morning traffic. They’d not had much chance to explore the city that Mio simply referred to as The Chasm. It was too obvious they were outsiders, and they drew too much notice when they were walking around.
As it was, Mio had suffered through a steady stream of curious visitors to her house since they’d arrived. Caelan didn’t want to risk drawing more attention to her and putting her life in danger.
As they wound through the streets, buildings rose up, the glass reflecting the sunlight. The air was crisp and cool, the perfect temperature for snow, but the sky was a clear pale blue. The trees within town were all barren, but a thick blanket of green could be seen beyond the buildings on the rising hills. Some type of pine dotted the gently undulating mountains and obscured the road they would be taking. At times, he was reminded of being in Caspagir with its mountain resort and pleasant hideaways. Caelan might never have seen them personally, but the pictures were easy enough to find on the Internet, and Rayne had shared a few stories of winter skiing in Caspagir before he moved home to Stormbreak.
The moment the car slipped out of the city, they started to climb into the mountains. The road was narrow and winding, but they passed no other cars coming down the opposite side. No one spoke other than to comment on the beauty of the landscape. The driver was obviously a spy for Masaru, and there was no point in giving the man any information that would be useful.
Besides, the only thing Caelan wanted to ask about other than the godstone was Drayce. Where was he? What was Masaru planning to do to him? Could he see him?
No, seeing Drayce wasn’t enough. He needed to hold him. Shake him. Shout at him. Kiss him. And then, take him home where he belonged.
Unless this was where Drayce wanted to be.
Caelan’s heart lurched. He’d never thought of that. It hadn’t occurred to him that Drayce might prefer to be on the Isle of Stone with his own people. If given the chance, would Drayce want to remain behind?
There was no doubt in Caelan’s mind that Drayce cared greatly for him, but Caelan also understood the pull of home. Drayce had been in Stormbreak Point for years now. This could possibly be his first trip home. Caelan couldn’t blame him if he wanted to stay. It would be selfish of him to demand Drayce stay at his side.
Caelan turned his gaze out to the thick pine trees as they rose higher into the mountains. They didn’t seem to be anywhere near as lofty as the Tovala Mountains of Zastrad. There was no snow capping them, but that had to be only a matter of time. He didn’t know whether to feel relieved or disappointed that he’d not seen a single dragon in flight over the Isle of Stone yet. If they were all dragons, why did they spend so much time in their human form?
So many freaking questions, and he felt as though he were tap-dancing across eggshells with everyone. He needed to find Drayce. Now that the secret was out of the bag, he was sure that all the critical information would come tumbling from the man’s lips and Caelan wouldn’t have to worry about stomping on sensitive areas. Drayce would just shove him, say he couldn’t ask about that, and forgive him for not understanding.