“He was just helping me with something.” I was not eager to explain myself any more than I had to. “When I go to Elfi, he will return to Eldoren and marry Leticia.” I tried to make myself sound like I didn’t care, but I didn’t think I succeeded.
“Probably, but he is not thinking very clearly right now. Rafael’s very presence is a danger to you. He is recognized throughout the land and is much more conspicuous than you would be if you were traveling with someone else.”
“Like you?” I said bluntly.
Brandon shrugged. “I am the likely candidate. I will make sure you get to Elfi safely, I give you my word. But you must be the one to tell Rafe to go back. If you don’t do it now, he will lose his crown, and Morgana will be one step closer to becoming high queen of all Avalonia.”
I looked down. He was right, I was being selfish. I wanted Rafe to stay with me as long as he could before he went back, but if he did, he might not have anything to go back to. Without Rafe, Brandon was the only other person who could get me to Elfi. No one else wanted anything to do with me. They wanted to lock me up and throw away the key.
“I see you are besotted with him, however much you may try to hide it.” Brandon didn’t smile. “But there is no future for you with Rafael. He will never marry you.” He looked away. “I know I shouldn’t be telling you any of this, and he is one of my oldest friends, but I can’t sit by and see such a wonderful girl get hurt by him again.”
“How many women has he been with?”
Brandon gave me a half-smile. “Quite a few more than I can keep track of, I can tell you that.”
“I thought he’s been betrothed to Leticia for years?”
“That part is true, but it didn’t stop Rafael from breaking hearts all the way from Andrysia to Brandor.”
My face fell and Brandon shook his head. “I am sorry, Aurora. I should not have overstepped my bounds. It is not my place to tell you or Rafael what to do. I can only give you advice on the matter. And I don’t want him to know we had this conversation.”
“I won’t mention it.”
“If you care for him, you must convince him to go back as soon as possible,” Brandon added.
I nodded, burying myself further into my cloak and ending our talk. Brandon did seem very concerned about Rafe, and maybe he was being sincere about his eagerness to help me. But he didn’t mind speaking negatively about one of his oldest friends, and I couldn’t help wondering what Brandon’s agenda was. I was going to have to be more careful around him. If he wanted me to trust him, he was going to have to prove himself first.
On the fourth day of our journey we reached Calos, a big seaside town that lay farther east along the Emerald Coast of Eldoren. Autumn had come and gone, and fallen leaves in shades of gold and brown crunched beneath the horses’ hooves. Although Calos wasn’t anywhere near as big as Neris, the capital city of Eldoren, I had read in my books at the academy that it was a big trading hub and shipping town.
A cold November thunderstorm had washed clean the approaching winter air. The wheels of our carriage clattered over the cobblestones and splashed through muddy puddles as the coach lurched and jolted its way toward the docks. The smell of fish permeated the air with a thick stench, and the streets were crowded and bustling with merchants going about their daily business. Warehouses seemed to be stocked to full capacity, and traders from all parts of Avalonia were haggling and selling their wares at street corners and along the quay.
Brandon pointed out two massive warships. “We need to stay away from those,” he said as our carriage rolled up the main cobbled avenue of the seaside town. “They are part of the royal Eldorean fleet posted here in Calos.”
I looked out of the window, studying the area and the ships anchored in the bay. There were whalers from Andrysia and small fishing boats from the villages and towns on the Eldorean Coast. Some of the big ships were passenger schooners from Illiador and many looked like merchant galleons, which Brandon explained were actually slave ships from the far eastern kingdoms of Brandor and Rohron. I wondered which one belonged to the pirate prince, Santino Valasis; I felt intrigued and a little apprehensive about meeting him. I hoped Brandon would manage to convince him to take us to Sanria.
“The customs guards here are more interested in making money than checking the cargo,” Brandon informed me. “Many a pirate and slaver has dealings with the people of Calos. It is one of the major southern ports, and the main trade here is smuggling slaves and black market items from the far reaches of Avalonia. I’m sure Marcus will feel right at home.”
Finally, we stopped at a large whitewashed inn. Brandon opened the door of the carriage, jumping out as I gazed up at the structure. Pretty wooden shutters opened out to a wonderful view of the azure-blue coast of the Stardust Sea. Wisteria cascaded down from every windowsill, and the roof was painted a beautiful powder blue, complementing the violet flowers.
Brandon gave me his hand and helped me out of the carriage. My legs were stiff from sitting for so long. And my backside, although not quite so sore as it would be after riding, was still hurting after all the numerous bumps along the road from Roth to Calos.
Calos was an interesting town, rising on one side of a hill and overlooking the vast coastline. All the streets connected to a main avenue,
