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)
There was no point in arguing with him. Adrian had been trying to reassure him for more than a day, and it seemed as though his words were going in one ear and out the other. The only thing that had helped his mood in the slightest was that he hadn’t hurt any innocent humans.
At last, the servant stopped and pulled open a door to reveal a darkly decorated room with a medium-sized table, a desk, and a leather love seat pushed up against the wall. Shey and Vitor sat at the table while Tyche lounged on the sofa.
The god jumped to his feet when he saw them, his wide eyes locked on Haru. Haru released Adrian’s hand and rushed into the room, moving directly to Tyche.
The two men started apologizing to each other. It became a cacophony of sympathy and blame-taking as they talked over each other. They couldn’t absolve each other fast enough.
Adrian glanced at Shey to find the prince watching them with a somewhat bemused expression on his face, as if he found the entire thing silly. The whole affair was a mess, and the real culprits—namely Kaes and the Order’s spies—weren’t even there to share in the blame.
Vitor groaned loud enough to cut through their clamor as he squeezed his eyes shut. “Do we really have time for this? You’re both a pain in my ass, and I don’t hear anyone apologizing to me.”
Adrian choked on a bark of laughter while Tyche and Haru stared at the spy in silent shock. Even Shey looked as if he were fighting to hold back his grin.
“Oh, we’re sorry we’ve made your life more difficult, Vitor,” Haru stated. He didn’t sound sorry at all.
“Yes, very sorry. We never intended for that to happen,” Tyche added, each word overflowing with sarcasm.
The dragon and the god had worked through their issues and were once again on the same page. Adrian wanted to weep for Thia. None of them were going to get out of this alive.
Shey cleared his throat and schooled his features, trying to be the responsible one. “Now that we’re all here, let’s sit and make plans.” He pulled out a chair at the head of the oblong table and sat with Vitor on his left. Tyche moved to sit on the other side of Shey while Vitor opened the slender laptop in front of him. Haru took the open seat next to Tyche and lifted his head to smile at Adrian. The guard placed his hand on the chair next to Haru, putting him at the end of the table opposite Shey. There was only one open chair next to Vitor.
Adrian jerked his chin toward the empty chair. “Is anyone else coming to the meeting?” Now that Caelan had taken on the position of king, he couldn’t do anything without having at least half a dozen advisors and ministers there to offer their opinions. He’d thought Rayne was bad, but these people had to argue about everything.
“Queen Noemi is handling the situation within the city in terms of relief and hunting spies. I am coordinating with our military generals and Princess Fiona in the defense of Caspagir while I’m in Sirelis. However, after we leave, all that shifts to my sister to handle. Once we decide on our next steps, I’ll report to Queen Noemi.” Shey paused and glanced at each person. “While she agrees that the people behind the hunting and killing of gods need to be stopped, she has stressed that I must de-escalate this war. Not make it worse.”
Adrian sent the prince a hard look as he dropped into the chair. “Why does that sound easier said than done?”
Shey smirked. “Because I’m sure it is.”
“Oh Great Spymaster,” Tyche started, leaning toward Vitor, “please tell us you’ve found something in all those electronic devices that we gifted you.”
Vitor glared at Tyche over the laptop screen. The God of Chaos was already living up to his name. “I have, though it’s probably not as much as you might be hoping.” Vitor sucked in a deep breath, and his fingers flew across the keys. A moment later, a large-screen TV on the wall behind him powered on, showing a map of Thia. “I have a feeling it won’t come as a great shock that we discovered that Ruben’s many emails and phone calls were all tied back to a member of the Feng family.”
“Feng, as in the new chancellor of the Federation of Order, Rati Feng?” Shey demanded.
“Correct.” The image on the screen changed to a large, barrel-chested man with short salt-and-pepper hair, a double chin, and watery blue eyes. “There isn’t a great deal of useful information on Rati Feng. He wasn’t someone who stood out in our research. His family hadn’t pursued a political position in the past. He is third-generation rich with his family’s money made primarily in mining. However, when Rati began handling many of the family businesses, he expanded into weapons, which naturally brought him into the sphere of political influence. The fact that he shifted from private citizen to ruler in the blink of an eye is something we’re still trying to trace.”