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)
“Sorry about the delay. We ran into problems,” Shey murmured as he reached Tyche. He placed his hand on his lover’s shoulder and noticed how tense it was despite him looking completely at ease. Tyche was a master of disguise and subterfuge.
“No worries,” the stranger said with an easy wave of his hand and a wide grin. He started, eyes turning owlish. He bowed sharply, his whole body going stiff. “Forgive me, Your Highness.”
“So, you do recognize me.”
“Of course. I mean, your hair is different, but your features are very remarkable.”
Tyche tipped his head up and smirked. “Told you so.”
“I also know that you’re Adrian Westergren,” the man stated, pointing at Adrian. Excitement bubbled in his voice, making it sound as if he’d gotten over his fears about them. “You were identified pretty easily because you’re usually seen at King Caelan Talos’s side.” His expression clouded as he gazed at Tyche and Haru. “But I don’t recognize either of you.”
Haru stuck out his hand. “I am called Haru.”
“Jules. Jules Holly,” he replied, taking Haru’s hand without a bit of hesitation.
“Call me Ty.” The god didn’t offer his hand. Just a brief nod of his head.
Jules nodded a bit stiffly, as if something about Tyche continued to make him nervous, but he persevered. “It’s so great to have you here to help our cause. I’m part of an underground resistance group called The Citizens Restoration Group, and we’ve been fighting for years to get our voices heard. Our goal is to kick New Rosanthe out of Uris-Oladul so that we can return to being our own country, listening to the will of the citizens rather than our puppet masters back in Aswa. We have a sister organization in Damardor called the Golden Resistance, who are devoted to returning to their Golden Age before New Rosanthe conquered them.”
Tyche’s shoulders shook, and Shey squeezed, trying to shush the devilish creature. The names were a bit over the top, and Jule’s attitude seemed a touch naïve, but Shey respected their determination.
“Before we get into all your long-term plans, do you have any short-term ones, like where we are going to stay for the night?” Adrian shifted from his left foot to his right. He flicked his wrist, and a silver throwing knife appeared between his fingers. Shey couldn’t decide if Adrian was trying to intimidate Jules or was anxious about standing in the open.
“Oh, yes, of course. We have a safe house all lined up.” He stopped, and his nose wrinkled. “Well, I mean, it’s not really a safe house since no one is technically hunting you in Uris-Oladul. It’s just a house that the organization rented for the week. It’s secluded so no one should notice you coming and going.”
“Excellent!” Tyche clapped his hands together and rubbed them. “How about we get started? I could use a bath and a meal. Along the way, you could tell us more about The Citizens Restoration Group.”
Jules lit up, and he began talking faster than he could walk. Apparently, the vice president of the organization was waiting at the house to greet them. The president of their group was still in the capital of Olan, working with government representatives.
The walk to the house at the edge of Three Hills took an hour, and Jules talked the entire time without stopping. Adrian looked as if he were about to strangle the young man while Haru hung on his every word.
For the most part, Jules spoke of big ideas and dreams of what Uris-Oladul could one day become if they broke free of New Rosanthe. What Shey didn’t hear a lot of were concrete plans for how they were going to accomplish all of this. It was as if Jules believed that kicking New Rosanthe out would clear all their roadblocks. Shey didn’t have the heart to break it to him that New Rosanthe was only one of many problems in their path. There would always be opposition. People with different ideas of what the country should be. The path forward was always about collaboration so that everyone felt invested in the future of their home.
As they reached the house, Adrian, Haru, and Shey darted off to check out the woods that surrounded the structure.
“Don’t worry,” Tyche reassured Jules as Shey moved toward the rear of the house. “They’re just checking to make sure no one has been here while you were fetching us.”
Shey didn’t hear Jules’s response as he concentrated on conducting the security sweep. From the exterior, he could spot no cameras or other security features, which he took as a plus. There were no signs that anyone was there other than the car resting in the driveway. He pressed his hand to the hood and found that it was still warm. Whoever had arrived, they’d done it recently.