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)
CHAPTER 24
Shey Thrudesh-Vo
Tyche was a god.
He was traveling with a fucking god.
How in the world had his life become so strange?
Oh, Tyche hadn’t come out and said the words, and the little sneak wouldn’t admit to it unless he was cornered, but Shey knew it. He felt it. Too many magical things happened around Tyche that didn’t make any sense. The only thing that did make sense was that Tyche was a god.
How the fuck is that the next logical step?
Magic came in three forms in this world: gods, dragons, and god-blessed acolytes like himself. Shey was the first to admit that he knew just a handful of dragons, but he couldn’t imagine Tyche being one of them. Okay, so maybe Drayce being a dragon was also a stunning surprise, but Tyche wasn’t Drayce. Besides, if he were a dragon, there was no way in hell he would have needed Shey to break out of that place.
Could his magic be god gifted? Maybe, but again, if he’d gotten his magic from one of the major gods, he should have been able to level the facility and leave at any time.
That left the minor gods that everyone had long ago forgotten about in favor of following the major gods and even worshiping the Godstone of Erya. Was it possible that they were still alive? And if that were true, what was Tyche the god of exactly? The magic he appeared to do was so small and subtle yet incredibly broad-reaching. He’d somehow broken the mechanism on his cell, but he hadn’t been able to heal Yesuntei. As they’d escaped, Tyche would whisper warnings to go one way or another. To pause or charge ahead as if he could see a glimpse of the future. It was as if the stars had all aligned for them to make a somewhat smooth escape.
Was it possible that he could see the future?
That didn’t seem likely. If that were the case, he should have been able to foresee his own capture and avoid it.
Shey kept his mouth shut and scrubbed his hand across his face as they trudged through the forest. The temperature was climbing, burning off any early-morning coolness to hammer them with heat and humidity. They were walking north. It was as good a direction as any. The one option that was stupid was to go east—the direction of the facility they had escaped from.
It was just as unlikely that Tyche was a god as it would be for him to be a dragon. Tyche was at least six inches shorter than him, with a slender, wiry frame and a mass of brownish-red hair that hung in various lengths around his head and down his back. He wasn’t bad-looking—but then, Shey had always seen him through bars. Tyche wasn’t at his best.
Of course, Shey had a feeling that even if Tyche hadn’t been locked in a prison, he would still be a lazy, snarky, grumpy person who would rather sip coffee and read a book than talk to another human being.
A low rumble rose from Tyche’s stomach, and Shey smirked. His stomach was trying to eat itself. They hadn’t enjoyed a single bite of food in a day. He wanted to put more distance between them and the facility, but they were going to need to hunt up something to eat soon if they were going to have the strength to keep walking.
“It’s a shame you didn’t get the chance to kill Scarella before we left,” Tyche announced with a whimsical sigh.
Shey snorted, nearly choking on his laugh. “I was sure you were going to say something about food or your favorite restaurant.”
“Well, I was trying to think of something other than food. Particularly a nice thick steak, cooked medium-rare, and a mound of mashed potatoes. Possibly a side of broccoli covered in hot, melty cheese. Oh! And fresh bread. The thick, crusty stuff that makes a mess when you pull it apart. Still so hot from the oven that steam comes out. Creamy butter—”
“All right! All right!” Shey pleaded, his stomach growling with Tyche’s. “You’ve made your point. Go back to the killing.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t have been heartbroken if you’d killed all the guards in the facility, but really, the top of my list was Scarella,” Tyche said, switching topics without blinking an eye.
“It would have been nice, but I suspect that if she were in the prison at the time, she would have locked herself in the command center, surrounded by guards. It would have been suicide to charge in there.”
Tyche picked up a thin stick and seemed to inspect it before snapping it in half and tossing the two pieces to the ground. “I know, but a guy can dream. She needs to get her comeuppance after all this. She had to have been the one to push Teitei over the edge. I know it.”