Closing his eyes, Caelan swallowed hard against the lump that had grown in his throat. His grandfather was right. He needed to find Rayne and apologize. There were things he’d said in the heat of the moment that needed to be taken back. He needed to fix this rift between them.
He just kept cursing himself. In Zastrad, he’d thought that he needed to talk to Rayne about boundaries and what he wanted to do with his reign, but they’d never had that talk. Never made the time because there were always a hundred other things that needed his attention and felt more urgent. He’d failed Rayne by not making the time.
The hand on his shoulder shifted to rub the top of his head. “We all get lost in the darkness, Little One. That’s why we surround ourselves with people we trust to lead us to the light when we stray.”
“Grandfather, I think you will have to return to Stormbreak with me,” Caelan declared in a rough voice. He forced out a laugh. “Even with my friends, I don’t know how I’m going to do this without you.”
Nori laughed and pulled him into a half hug. It was like being hugged by Eno, full of suffocation and bruised ribs, but Caelan loved it. “Little One, you don’t need me. You’ve got plenty of good people to help you. But since you asked so nicely, I will see about expanding dragon-human relations once we get this Takahashi kerfuffle cleaned up. I would like to see your Stormbreak.”
Caelan nodded, his eyes closed against unshed tears that burned. Yes, Nori would come to Stormbreak for a visit. He’d stay for a time and they’d catch up on all the stories of their lives. He liked this plan very much. The image alone would carry him through the hard days ahead. A new, solid thing to fight for in all the bleakness.
“But about these gods…”
Caelan’s shoulders slumped and he straightened, pulling out of Nori’s hold. “I know you’re not happy about it, but it’s my duty. I was born to be the Guardian of the Godstones.”
“Godstone. Singular. Godstone. Not this nonsense they’ve wrangled you into about saving the world,” Nori growled. Caelan winced and Nori instantly relented. “I’m sorry. That’s not to say that I’m not incredibly proud of you, but I also see you suffering with them. I don’t want that for you. I would prefer you live a long, quiet life with that crazy dragon of yours. Not this, Caelan.”
“I know, Grandfather. But if I can protect the people I love, it’s worth it.”
Nori nodded. “Fine. Fine. Then we need to work on finding a way to create more of a buffer between you and those troublesome gods. Did your father teach you to meditate?”
Caelan shook his head and Nori released a long, heavy sigh. “That son of mine,” he muttered. “When we finally meet in the afterlife, we are having a very long talk.”
“Would meditating actually help?”
“Yes, now go sit on that flat rock over there beside the pond,” Nori instructed, waving to the large boulder in question. “Legs crossed, back straight, hands on your knees.”
With a smile, Caelan crossed to where he was supposed to and sat exactly how Nori had told him. He wasn’t exactly sure how meditation was supposed to help with his problem corralling the gods, but if it gave him even a tiny bit more control, he’d welcome it.
“Now close your eyes and clear your mind. Block out everything around you but the sound of my voice and the water in the pond. There is nothing else but that pond. The water is splashing over the rocks and lapping at the sides.” As Nori spoke, his voice grew softer and more hypnotic. The world fell away.
Layers of stress and tension sloughed off his shoulders and he could feel himself growing lighter. It was easier to breathe, his lungs filling with air as though he’d just surfaced from a long swim. In his mind, he could see the pond with the fish darting about, the sunlight glinting off their white-and-orange scales. Quick and beautiful.
Save Rayne! Tula screamed across his brain.
Caelan gasped, his eyes jumping open and his heart leaping into his throat. The peace was torn away while panic flooded his entire body. He didn’t know what had happened. There was only one cold, hard fact in his brain: Rayne was in danger.
He tore through the building, guided by the pull of Tula and the vague notion that Rayne was likely to be in his room. “Rayne! Rayne!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. But there was no answer. No sound of a fight.
Eno was entering the house from one of the rear doors. His face was red and he was sweaty. Confusion slashed across his face, but he didn’t ask questions as he fell into step behind Caelan, running along the corridor that held their bedrooms.