Total pages in book: 119
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 110079 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 550(@200wpm)___ 440(@250wpm)___ 367(@300wpm)
Muffled voices from the first floor filtered up, and he listened for a few minutes, but they said nothing to indicate they were plotting evil things against them. It was mostly idle curiosity about their new guests and wanting more details on their journey.
Once all was quiet in Tyche’s room, Haru slipped out of his bedroom, padded down the hall, and knocked on Tyche’s door. He didn’t wait for the god to reply but opened the door and slipped into the room. Tyche stood at the window, peering out through a tiny crack he’d opened in the curtain. He also had one window, but Haru was pretty sure Ty’s window faced the backyard while his own bedroom window faced the street.
Tyche allowed the curtain to fall closed as he turned to Haru. “Something wrong?”
Haru shook his head. “Worried. Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.”
“That thing you do with the bones. Can you read them for me?”
Ty grinned and shoved his hand into his pocket. He pulled out his fist and showed Haru the slender sticks carved from chicken bones. He plopped on his bed with a bounce and rattled the bones together in his palm. “What would you like to know? Remember that I can’t guarantee true fortune-telling. This is about odds and luck.”
Haru nodded, knowing that Tyche couldn’t guarantee him anything. He was grasping at straws. “I wish to know if Adrian is safe. Shey, too.”
Tyche rolled his eyes. They both knew that while Haru wished for Shey to be unharmed, all of his mind was turned toward the well-being of his mate. He cupped his hands together and rattled the bones together. “That’s a little vague. We need something more concrete. How about…what are the odds that Adrian and Shey will reach this house without serious injury?”
“Yes, that will work for me.” Haru walked to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge, facing Tyche. The God of Luck closed his eyes and shook his hands together. A small line of concentration cut across his forehead, and he pursed his lips together. There was a faint tingle in the air of magic that danced across Haru’s flesh, and something deep inside him answered with an ache to shift.
With a final shake, Tyche opened his hands and tossed the bones onto the bright-yellow comforter. Haru leaned forward to get a closer look at the sticks at the same time as Tyche, even though he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. He trusted Tyche to tell him the truth.
“What does it say?” Haru demanded.
“Out of the six sticks that were thrown, only four came back with a reading, which is pretty darn good. That means this reading has a relatively high accuracy. Those two there that landed sideways don’t count in the reading.” As he spoke, Tyche plucked up the two that didn’t count. “Now, out of the four, we had two readings that are ‘very good,’ one ‘good,’ and one ‘very bad.’ That means, overall, the chance of them returning without an injury is very good.”
Haru frowned at the “very bad” stick as if it personally insulted him, but he was relieved that the chances were still positive.
“How about another one?” he asked.
“What are you thinking?”
Haru lifted his gaze to Tyche and lowered his voice to a whisper. “Are we in danger in this house?”
Tyche matched his tone. “From within or from without?”
“Yes.”
The God of Luck scooped up the bones and shook them in his hands, slower than the last time. He kept his eyes open and stared at the far wall for a while before grunting. “How about what are the odds that we will be attacked in this house?”
Haru nodded, and Tyche worked his magic yet again, causing another slight tingle. When Ty threw the bones this time, none of them landed sideways, but Tyche’s mouth curled into a hard frown and his brow crinkled. Without saying a word, he scooped up the bones, shook them, and tossed them onto the bedcover a second time. And then a third.
As Tyche reached for them a fourth time, Haru extended his hand and covered both of Ty’s, stopping him. “What are you seeing?”
“It’s a mess. I’m getting everything from very good to very bad. There’s no clear answer. I thought maybe I had asked the wrong question.”
“Or maybe there are too many factors in motion right now. It is not only that we are in a dangerous situation with the Order’s government, but we must trust people we do not know.”
Tyche grunted. “You’re right. I will say that I don’t think those people downstairs are a threat to us. Even if they have ulterior motives, they need us alive to carry out their plan. The greater danger comes from the Feng family and the Order military.”
Haru lifted his hand from Tyche’s and nodded. “I agree. Thank you for your help.” He started to roll off the bed, but Tyche caught him as his feet touched the floor.