Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Haru did not feel comfortable holding something that had once been a prison for the Goddess of Life. Especially after some of the dark stories his cousin had told him about the gods. He preferred to have nothing to do with any of the old gods, but he could put his discomfort aside if it meant getting one step closer to Shey.
“My word,” Ruben whispered. He stood and closed the distance between them. His hands trembled as he reached up for the crystal, which Haru reluctantly placed in his palm. Ruben had not asked to purchase the crystal shard. They’d only wanted proof that he could get anything. The bar had been set at a somewhat impossible godstone shard.
To ensure a proper impression was made, a shard of the Erya Godstone had been sent from the private royal collection. That was where Haru intended to return it.
“I’ve seen a few other crystals from Erya, but most have been no bigger than my thumbnail. My own is the length of my pinky,” Ruben continued, still talking in hushed, almost reverent tones.
The godstone shard he held now was more than seven inches long and a full inch in diameter. Vitor explained that after the godstone in Stormbreak shattered, soldiers had gathered up all the shards in the name of protecting the people. Caelan hadn’t been sure if there was any residual magic in those bits of crystal, and he wanted to make sure they didn’t fall into the wrong hands. However, it wasn’t surprising that soldiers missed some tiny pieces in the chaos.
A look of avarice flashed through Ruben’s beady black eyes as he handed the crystal shard to Haru. The piece of Erya was returned to its case and shoved into his pocket, out of Ruben’s reach.
The stout man smiled and took a step back, appearing to be in control of his thoughts. “Our group would like to commission you to acquire shards from the godstones in Caspagir and the Isle of Stone.”
Haru rubbed the side of his nose and huffed out a laugh. “You don’t start with something simple, do you?” He could imagine why Ruben needed help with the Isle of Stone. That was the land of dragons, and they didn’t take kindly to humans trespassing. Besides, he was willing to bet that no human outside of Caelan’s group knew the location of the godstones unless one of the old gods whispered it into Ruben’s ear.
Caspagir represented a similar difficulty. Drayce had described the remote and tightly controlled location of the godstone for the God of Storms. Few would have access to those shards, and those people would be very difficult to locate and bribe.
“Can you do it?”
Haru shrugged one shoulder. “Of course. It may take a little time, but I can handle it.”
“Excellent! I—”
“However,” Haru interrupted, his voice as sharp as one of Adrian’s daggers. “I will want more than money for this service I am providing. For this job, my price is a slice of the pie.”
Ruben’s joyous expression fell away, and he watched Haru with shrewd, narrow eyes. “What kind of slice were you thinking of ?”
“I wish to be part of this endeavor. As you said, I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I don’t trust strangers to mind my interests. I need a better understanding of the operation. To see the actual workings. These magical people you have located.”
Ruben walked over to his chair and rested a hand on the back, making the leather creak under his weight. He seemed to stare off into space, his fat fingers tapping on the material. “I will need to discuss this with the other partners. We must be cautious.”
“Naturally,” Haru agreed, the word sliding out extra oily. “I’m assuming you already have shards from the Ordas, Ilon, and Zastrad.”
It wouldn’t be a stretch to believe. Those three locations either had governments in chaos or their godstones weren’t closely monitored. Haru could guess that Ruben bought them from sneaky people or had people on his own payroll collect the shards. No, the hard locations were the Isle of Stone and Caspagir.
“No, no. I have those,” Ruben murmured. He didn’t look up at Haru, appearing distracted.
There was no point in asking why Ruben was adamant about having a piece of each godstone. Haru knew he wouldn’t tell him, or at least wouldn’t tell the truth. There had to be something about the stones that helped them with the people who possessed magic. It left Haru feeling very uneasy about allowing Adrian to touch the crystal again.
“Very well. I’ll get my people started on this job. Contact me when you’ve made your decision about my request,” Haru stated. He turned to the door to rejoin Adrian at the party, but Ruben caught him with a word and stuck out his hand.