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)
Shey lifted his eyes to stare at Caelan, and the king met his gaze, his expression unyielding, but Shey knew Caelan had jumped in to protect Tyche’s secret and the secret of all the gods. Their powers could be stolen after death.
“You will be able to remove the power from him, correct?” Megumi asked.
Tyche nodded quickly. “Yes. That is the plan. We need to get him in his human form and calm. From there, I’ll remove the powers and work on getting them somewhere safe, away from Cirina and anyone else who might want to steal them.”
They spoke some more about the growing problems with Damardor and New Rosanthe. They hadn’t been able to learn much about the aftermath of the magical destruction of Bellcairn, but Shey hadn’t had the time or brainpower to spare for it as they’d raced to the Isle of Stone. And in truth, the Omari clan leader didn’t seem to have much interest in what was happening in Damardor. Their primary concern was helping Haru. Shey was hoping to catch up with Caelan later. The king would likely have more information on what was happening on the other side of the world.
A couple of hours later, they were shown to private rooms where they could wash up and sleep. Adrian was still demanding to see Haru, but Nori had a point. They needed to sleep and regain their strength.
However, Shey was sure Nori was underestimating Adrian’s stubbornness.
THREE
ADRIAN WESTERGREN
Adrian understood why Nori was so determined to get him to rest prior to seeing Haru. He was right. Adrian needed to be well-rested, with his head on straight. So did Haru.
However, what Nori didn’t understand was that there was no way he’d be able to rest until he got to see Haru. Adrian had to touch and hold him. He had to see with his own eyes that Haru was okay.
It also didn’t help that endless nightmares about the dragon had plagued him since Haru had flown away from Bellcairn. It had been like watching his heart leave him.
Caelan had described to him that heart-wrenching moment when he’d learned that Drayce was a dragon. He’d stood on the side of the mountain in Zastrad, icy winds whipping past him while he’d watched Drayce fly off, disappearing into black clouds. He now understood the king’s pain in an entirely new and unexpected way.
There was no point in trying to rest. He couldn’t rest. He had to see Haru.
Thankfully, it was nothing for him to sneak out of his chambers. He was familiar with the layout of the clan’s buildings and the security patrols. It was all too easy for him to slip past them all and get outside the wall. The only problem was finding Haru. He’d not been able to get the dragon’s location out of Nori or any of the other dragons.
However, he knew of a couple of old secret spots that belonged to the Omari Clan, such as the prison the Takehashi clan had used to hold Drayce, as well as the hiding place of the Isle of Stone godstone. Those were good starting locations. Even if those didn’t pan out for him, he’d keep searching until he found Haru. It didn’t matter how long it took him.
“You have the appearance of a man who is about to get into all sorts of trouble.”
Adrian whipped around, searching for the source of the voice within the overwhelming silence. He found Tyche peeking through an opening in the main doors of the massive wall he’d just scaled.
“What the hell? How did you get that open? They keep that locked tight at night!” Adrian berated him in a coarse whisper.
Tyche stared at him as if he were the densest man he’d ever met.
That was when it clicked.
“Oh. Magic.”
Tyche rolled his eyes and slipped through the slender opening before carefully closing the gate behind him. “I get it. My magic isn’t exciting, but I can use it for some practical purposes, so I don’t have to do crazy things like climb ten-foot walls.”
Adrian bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smirking. The god got so testy about his magic; it was kind of adorable.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. Let’s get going. I don’t want the dragons to spot us and eat us.” Tyche waved for Adrian to walk with him as he started down the gravel driveway toward the main road, but Adrian didn’t budge an inch.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Adrian crossed his arms over his chest and spread his legs.
Tyche twisted slightly. There were a few burning torches on the wall, casting enough flickering light to show the lines of confusion that crisscrossed Tyche’s brow. “What? I’m going with you to see Haru.” He stomped back to Adrian, scowling. “I knew there was no way in hell you were going to wait until morning.”