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)
“Getting out of the building will require a little luck,” Tyche said, his mouth twisting into a dark smirk. “I think I’ve got that covered.”
“No,” Shey snapped.
“Shey—”
The prince shook his head. “I know the argument that you’re going to make. That I’m going to be recognized or Adrian will be recognized. That we’ll drag Caspagir or Erya into a war. Well, we’re already at war. New Rosanthe is always searching for an excuse to attack Erya.”
“And there’s no reason to hand them one on a silver platter,” Tyche cut in. “I’m unique in that I am a creature of no country, but I can represent all of them. My people are the ones who are most at risk right now. It is my right to take the risk and kill Feng. Besides, I also have the best chance of surviving and escaping.”
“I want to go with you.”
“No.”
“Actually,” Jules held up one slightly trembling hand. “If Ty is part of team two, the other person who would accompany him is me. The best way to do this is with a small incursion party. Too many people will draw attention. The easiest way to move fast is with just two people. I’ve memorized the layout of the capitol building. All of it. The floor plan and all the exits. I swear to you, I will get Ty out of the building after leading him in.”
Shey frowned at Jules, but there was a bit of softness in his gaze. “Don’t make promises you can’t possibly be sure of keeping.”
Tyche reached up, grabbed Shey’s jaw, and forced the prince to look at him. “Then I promise to get us both out safely, but that’s only going to happen if you, Haru, and Adrian are outside making a big fuss.”
“Let me go with Ty in place of Jules,” Adrian suggested.
“What?” Haru gasped. His hand landed on Adrian’s shoulder and tightened to the point of pain. “You can’t.”
Adrian ignored him and leaned forward. “I can do it. No one can match my memory for directions. I can memorize the various routes through the building, plus I have more combat training than Jules. If there’s a fight, I have a better chance of keeping Ty safe.”
Tyche closed his eyes, his lips pressed into a hard line. There was a faint tingle in the air, and Adrian suddenly felt the urge to pull on the magic that he drew from Caelan. The urge to conjure a blade was almost an all-consuming itch, but he tamped it down.
“No,” Tyche said in a somewhat faraway voice. His eyes opened, and he blinked twice as if clearing his vision. Adrian wasn’t sure what Tyche was doing, but he had a feeling that he was sorting through odds and luck. “No, the best chance is for Jules to accompany me. Adrian, Haru, and Shey will work in the square. Haru will get Adrian and Shey out if things go wrong.”
“But—” Adrian argued, but Shey cut him off.
“Very well, but you have to survive this.”
Tyche snorted. “Of course. I’ve already started making plans for my apartment in Sirelis. It’s going to have a balcony that faces the mountains and I’m going to sit out there every day while I drink my morning coffee.”
Shey smiled, but it was tinged with sadness. “Okay. We’ll work on that as soon as we’re done here.”
Adrian swallowed against a sudden tightness in his throat. Come hell or high water, he was going to make sure that happened for Tyche.
By the time they escaped to their bedroom on the second floor, it was nearly midnight. They’d gone over the planning repeatedly, working through every possible complication and potential shift so that they were prepared.
Since Jules and Tyche would try to pass themselves off as police, Quill put them through hours of drilling, making sure they walked and stood as someone with training would. He gave them a variety of phrases to use to get them through potentially sticky situations that would remove them from suspicion.
All too soon, they would head out to the protests with the singular goal of assassinating Chancellor Feng to save them from something that could make the last god fight look like a vacation. So far, Tyche had been vague about the reaction of the gods if the killing continued, but Adrian was no fool. There was no way the gods would lie down and let themselves be slaughtered. Once word got around that some humans were hunting them and stealing their powers, the gods and goddesses could band together to declare war on all humans.
A pair of strong arms held Adrian from behind, and Adrian released the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. He’d simply stopped in the center of the room; his eyes locked on the far blank wall as if it held all the answers he sought.