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)
He glanced at Caelan, who was smiling, his entire expression softening. “I had three choices. Haru possessed combat training, dragon strength, and dragon magic.”
“A lethal combination, making him a formidable foe even without the powers of the goddess.”
“Prince Shey was tempting. He also has extraordinary strength and a lot of fight training. He is also a brilliant strategist and thinks well on his feet. I think he could have handled it, but…”
“Kaes.”
Tyche swallowed hard and nodded. “Kaes has always been a fucking troublemaker. When he’s not busy following Tula and fawning over her, he’s off searching for ways to create mischief and misery. This is a sticky enough problem without him shoving a finger into the pie.”
“Agreed. What about Adrian?”
Tyche sighed. “I like Adrian. He’s a good guy.”
“That has nothing to do with your assessment of him.”
“Yeah,” Tyche mumbled. He was impressed that Caelan could be so coldly focused even with his own people. Especially since it was clear that he viewed Adrian as more than a subject, he was his friend. “Adrian is a solid strategist, logical, compassionate, and a very skilled fighter. However, he possesses a lack of self-confidence that makes me nervous. There’s also this developing thing between him and Haru. Both concerns make me worry that if I were to give him Yesuntei’s powers, he wouldn’t give them up later. And Teitei deserves peace. That’s only going to happen at her temple in Brightspire.”
Caelan grunted and redirected his gaze to sweep out across the garden. A light morning breeze twirled through, rustling leaves and causing their hair to flutter. “I can’t argue with your appraisal. Personally, I would have kept it but would have likely regretted that decision later.”
“I think my caution is born from more experience.” Tyche’s lips quirked, and he leaned toward Caelan. “Kid.” The king rolled his eyes while a wide grin spread across his lips. “And I say that as one god talking to another. You were there at the end of things to kill Zyros, for which you have my endless gratitude.”
“You’re welcome.”
Tyche sat up straight, his body stiff in his chair. “But I was there when she was made. I watched her slaughter scores of my brethren. So many gods and goddesses were lost to the ether because she wanted more power. And each one that she killed drove her a little more insane. Let me save you the time and pain of learning it the hard way—more power is never the answer. Be happy with what you’ve got.”
Caelan’s expression turned solemn, and he blinked at Tyche as if he were taking a moment to absorb his words. “I agree. And I am more than happy with what I have. Personally, I could do without it, but I need what I have to keep a certain someone under control.” As he spoke, he lifted his right wrist and lowered the sleeve of his robe to reveal a golden cuff that shone brightly in the morning sun. Yet it was more than a piece of fancy jewelry. Raw power radiated from it that Tyche hadn’t noticed before. He could feel more than see the links of a very long chain coming off the cuff. The God of Hope had tied himself to another god, and Tyche had some terrifying guesses which one it was.
Tyche swallowed hard. “Yep. You keep what you’ve got, and the few of us that remain will be forever grateful.”
Caelan’s lips twisted into a sardonic sneer as he adjusted his sleeve, hiding away the cuff and the resonance of power.
“But back to the current problem,” Tyche said with a heavy draw of air. “Haru wants to keep the orb to protect it until we can get it to Brightspire. He argues that we don’t have a good plan for protecting it. Unfortunately, I must agree. Things haven’t changed a lot from when we were cornered in Bellcairn. Cirina is still on the loose. No telling what Kaes is up to. Plus, we still must fix the problem in Damardor.”
“I don’t like him keeping that power,” Caelan stated in a near growl.
“Agreed. He’s learned to manage it, but it is exhausting. Also, I worry that Yesuntei’s powers will become entangled with Haru’s dragon magic. After too long, it may become impossible to separate the two. The sooner we get them removed, the better.”
“One option is to remove Yesuntei’s sarira now and have Nori send you to Brightspire with an entire squadron of dragons as protection. They would keep you safe while you deposit her powers in the shrine.” Caelan leaned closer to Tyche and dropped his voice. “I’m assuming you know how to enshrine her powers.”
Tyche smirked. “I do. Once placed in her shrine, another can never remove or touch them. It doesn’t matter how powerful the god is. Yesuntei’s gifts will be lost forever.”