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)
“The streets are smooth. Asphalt. Not cobblestone.”
Shey almost choked on his sigh of relief as the first slow words came from Caelan. He shoved aside his rising joy to focus on what he said.
“The most prominent spots in the city without cobblestone are the warehouse district and the poor quarter.” Rayne’s voice came through loud and clear. Caelan had put the phone on speaker so his advisor could hear everything they discussed.
“There was also a section of the harbor that was resurfaced from cobblestone to asphalt a couple of years ago,” Shey chimed in.
“The buildings are brick. Tall, but not too tall. Four, five stories. Close together. No, now it’s all trees. A forest. How did he get into a forest?”
Shey scowled at the phone. “A forest?” This didn’t make any sense.
“The nightmare.” Tyche’s words jerked Shey’s attention to him. He was standing near the railing of the balcony, looking toward the city, but he was listening to what he could hear of the conversation.
Shey lowered the phone and tapped the button to put it on speaker so Tyche could hear everything. He walked over to him and held the phone between them. Tyche offered a weak smile before turning his gaze to the city.
“No, the forest is gone. Buildings. Narrow streets.” Each time Caelan spoke, it sounded as if each word had to be pulled painfully from his throat.
“Can you see cars? Are they all pointed in the same direction?” Rayne demanded.
“Yes.”
“Poor Quarter!” Rayne and Shey said at the same time.
Officially known as Ash Row, it was one of the older parts of Sirelis that had never seen great renovations like many other districts. All the buildings were narrow and built close together. In addition, most of the streets were also slender, designed for horses and carriages rather than cars. Because of its older, faded appearance, the housing was much cheaper there than anywhere else in the capital, making it the unofficial Poor Quarter.
“The nightmares seem to get worse as he travels,” Caelan cut in.
Tyche grunted. “He’s trying to get to Haru.”
“Cael, work with Rayne. See if you can work out a specific location, whether it is by the name of a shop or a street. Text me what you learn. Tyche and I are going to cut through the city to pick up Adrian so we can take him to Haru.”
“Okay. Report back when you can.” Caelan ended the call, and Shey shoved the phone into his pocket. He reached for Tyche to pull him along, but the God of Luck stepped away, frowning.
“What?” Shey almost choked on the question. There was something in his expression that chilled Shey to the bone. The god was about to say something he didn’t want to hear.
“You locate Adrian. Bring him to Haru. I’m going to find Haru first.”
“What? No! That’s insane. You have no idea what kind of state you’re going to find him in. He could kill you.” He wasn’t listening to this. Gritting his teeth together, Shey reached for Tyche’s arm, prepared to pull him to the motor pool. They could find a fast way across town together and search for Adrian. But his hand never touched Tyche. He missed him somehow.
“Shey.” Infinite patience and compassion wrapped around his name. The gentleness of Tyche’s tone almost broke him.
“No,” he repeated, forcing the word out past the growing lump in his throat. “You can’t…”
Adrian was wounded and possibly being pursued by whoever had grabbed him. Haru was lost in a world of nightmares of pain. If something happened to Tyche next…
“Shey, I’ll be okay. It’s dangerous, but I have the best chance of getting through to Haru while we wait for you to bring us Adrian. I need to fix this.”
Those last five words left Shey sick. He didn’t know what Tyche meant by fixing it, but he hoped it wasn’t something dire.
“Come back to me. Both of you.”
A crooked grin spread across Tyche’s lips. “Of course. You know I’m not the self-sacrificing type. I’m a god.”
Shey smiled in return, though he didn’t feel it. Tyche was trying to make a joke, but Shey didn’t believe him for a second. Maybe Tyche wasn’t normally the type to sacrifice himself, but Shey knew he felt responsible for what was happening to Haru. He would fix this even if it meant jumping into harm’s way.
“Now”—Tyche slapped his hands together and rubbed them—“what do you have that’s fast and can get through that mess?”
Shey looked at his beloved city that was growing darker and more chaotic by the minute. The streets were going to be clogged with cars and people attempting to either escape or find shelter farther away from Haru’s location. An idea struck him, and he chuckled.
“Have you ever ridden on a motorcycle?”
Shey had never regretted words more in his life. Not only was the God of Luck familiar with motorcycles, but he loved them. The wily creature hopped onto the motorcycle that was reserved for the royal escort services when a member of the royal family traveled through the city on official business. Tyche had no problem revving the engine and almost rode off without a helmet, ready to race through the dangerous streets of Sirelis. Shey thrust a helmet into Tyche’s chest and stole a blistering kiss, his fingers tangled in all that silken red hair. A knot of emotions formed over his lungs, nearly choking him, but there was no time to untangle them. All he could do was kiss Tyche and pray that he had enough luck to survive what he had planned.