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)
“There is you. I also saw the remains of the one you called Yesuntei.” His voice softened on her name. “I’m sorry for your loss. She was a good friend?”
Tyche hesitated and then finally sighed. He might have felt a strong kinship with her at the end out of desperation and fear, but if he was being honest with himself, he’d never been close to Teitei or her sister. They’d crossed paths several times over their long lifetimes, but their meetings had always been rather brief, never lasting for more than a day or two. Sometimes, they’d simply shared a meal. It had been friendly but always cautious because the gods and goddesses had never trusted each other. Especially after what had happened with Zyros. If a human could kill them for their powers, what was to stop another god from doing the same?
“We weren’t close, but we’d known each other for a long time. She was kind.” He frowned at his wet socks. There was nothing he could do about them. With a sigh, he pulled one onto his foot, cringing at the cold, uncomfortable material as it pulled at his skin. “I know you wouldn’t think it, being the Goddess of Nightmares, but she was a sweet and kind being. She liked quiet days, painting, and sitting in the woods watching the wildlife. Like a lot of us, she preferred to stay away from humans. She knew that if humans discovered who she was, they wouldn’t understand her.”
“But she had a sister.”
“Mn. Cirina. She’s…different.” That was an understatement. “Not evil, per se. Just…I don’t know how to put it. She’s the Goddess of Dreams, so her mind isn’t always locked into reality. But she was always very protective of Yesuntei. The fact that Teitei was kidnapped by those bastards makes me think maybe Cirina is already dead.” At least part of him hoped she was.
“So, gods and goddesses like you do not travel together. Is there not a central town or clan where you gather?”
Tyche stopped struggling with his other sock and pointed a finger at the dragon. “Ha! I’m on to you now. You’re acting nice to me to get information on the gods. Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you. There is no grand, hidden city of the gods. No central hub where you can go and wipe us all out in a single attack.”
Haru’s handsome face twisted up in confusion and maybe even shock. “That wasn’t what I was thinking at all. I-I just don’t understand your life, and I wish to.”
Tyche curled his finger back into his fist and stared at the dragon. “What do you mean? What’s to understand?”
“You’re a god, but where is your family? Where is your clan? Where were the people who should have come to save you? Did they not know about your capture?”
Each question hit like a physical blow. These were concepts he was aware of from watching humans for countless centuries, but they weren’t things that he’d experienced personally. He’d never had close friends. At least, he couldn’t remember having any. Traveling with Shey was already the longest he’d spent with a single human being, and that wasn’t even counting the weeks they’d spent talking to each other through a wall. Usually, a few hours with a human was more than enough to annoy him, and he was ready for the peace and quiet of solitude.
“Gods rarely have families, and very few have ever had friends. It’s…it’s too dangerous.”
“Is it not more dangerous to travel alone? To have no one?”
“Sometimes.”
Haru straightened from where he’d bent to see Tyche’s face better. He stared forward at the flowing stream. There was still a line cutting across his brow and the hint of a frown on his lips, as if he were struggling with the information he’d been given.
“Dragons grow up in clans, right? Mostly blood relatives, but also others who grow to be seen as brothers and sisters,” Tyche murmured.
Haru nodded. “There are always others. Even after I lost my parents in a battle with a rival clan, I still had my grandfather, Nori, and my uncle. There were others who held me close and taught me. I was never alone. And now, I have found my mate.” He glanced over his shoulder in the direction of where they’d left Shey and Adrian. A smile returned to his lips. “One day, I will…” But he didn’t finish the thought, and his lips flattened into a hard line. He turned and glared at the stream. “Traveling with my Adrian, this is the longest I have gone without seeing another dragon or being with a member of my clan. It can be unsettling. I don’t understand how you’ve lived your long life without friends or a clan.”
Tyche stared at the dragon for several seconds, taking in his obvious distress and worry over the idea of Tyche being alone in the world. It was a little touching. “With time, you can adjust to anything. Even being alone.”