“The odds are fairly good.”
“For what?”
Tyche turned his head to Shey and smirked. “Whether you would meet me at the gates of the royal palace if I came to visit you in Sirelis.”
CHAPTER 28
Adrian Westergren
“Thank you.”
The king’s voice was filled with such gratitude and relief that Adrian blushed. He half covered his face with his hand and didn’t dare look up at Haru, who was sitting across from him. They’d placed the phone on the coffee table between them as Adrian made the call to Stormbreak.
When they’d reached the outskirts of Milway, he’d sent a two-word text to Caelan:Got him.That was enough for the king to at least notify Queen Noemi that they’d located and recovered Prince Shey. People could take a deep breath and relax. Adrian hadn’t wanted to say more until he’d been able talk to Shey in private to make sure the prince was truly okay and maybe get a better assessment of the situation.
Shey had gone to the other hotel room they’d reserved to chat with Tyche for a while, giving Adrian a chance to report to Cael.
“He’s okay. Battered, bruised, and could probably use a little therapy, but he’s good,” Adrian replied.
“Couldn’t we all,” Drayce joked, followed by a soft shushing noise from Caelan.
“Is Shey around?”
“He stepped next door to speak with Tyche,” Haru explained. “It seems he made a friend while he was incarcerated. Another god.”
“What?” Drayce squawked, while Adrian shot Haru a dark look. He had been trying to work his way up to that bit of information, hoping to stay focused on Shey for a bit longer.
Adrian sighed and pointed at Haru to keep his mouth shut. Naturally, the dragon just grinned slyly, so there was no telling what he’d say next.
“The facility our new contact took us to had held Shey along with at least two minor gods. Shey and Tyche, who is the God of Luck, escaped.” Adrian ran his fingers through his hair, pushing it from his face. “We caught up to them, saved their lives from some overzealous guards, and have brought them to Milway.”
“You said two gods,” Caelan reminded him.
“Yesuntei, Goddess of Nightmares. She died in the facility.”
A long, tense silence followed. Adrian glanced up at Haru, lifting one eyebrow in question, but Haru shrugged his shoulders.
“Cael? Babe? What’s wrong?” Drayce said over the open line, worry threading his tone, causing it to waver.
“Adrian, who else is in the room? Can anyone else hear this call?” Caelan demanded sharply.
All the hair stood up on Adrian’s arms, and a cold sweat broke out across his skin. He snatched up the phone and lifted it closer to his mouth, preparing to take it off speaker. “Just me and Haru. Vitor is still in Bellcairn. Shey and Tyche are across the hall in another hotel room. I can take you off speaker?—”
“No. Haru, you were there at the facility? You saw the goddess’s body?”
Adrian stood, intending to move the phone closer to Haru, but Haru also stood and walked around the table to perch onthe arm of Adrian’s chair. Adrian sat again, while Haru braced a hand on the back so that he was surrounding Adrian.
“I was there and saw her,” Haru confirmed.
“Did you…” Caelan began and stopped. “Could you sense any magic from her?”
“Apparently, she lost control of her magic while she was being tortured. When we entered the facility, I could sense her magic everywhere, but it was fading. By the time we reached her body, I could sense a faint magic that I believe was hers. However, the lingering magic in the air from Shey and Tyche was stronger.” Haru gave his answer carefully, his brow furrowed as he stared at the phone. There was something particular Caelan was worried about, but he wasn’t willing to share his thoughts.
“Okay. Thank you. I…I need to think about this.”
There was another lengthy pause, and not for the first time, Adrian hated the distance between them. After spending months with Caelan, he’d gotten good at reading the king’s expressions. Being unable to see Caelan’s face was driving him crazy. So much of his job was being able to anticipate the king’s needs and thoughts. How could he be effective at his job if he couldn’t guess at what the king needed?
“So, this other god? The God of Luck, you said?” Drayce interjected. His voice was stiff as if he were trying to be lighthearted, but Adrian could hear that he was concerned as well. “What’s he like? Big and scary?”
