Chapter 29
Omari Haru
Waiting was the worst.
Despite being hundreds of years old, Haru had never learned to be patient. He hated waiting. He’d filled his hundreds of years of life with doing. Not waiting.
They’d returned to Bellcairn, and both Vitor and Adrian had demanded that he remain in the hotel room to wait.
They needed to see if Ruben would contact them after he left Milway.
His cover as the eccentric Yujian shouldn’t have been blown because of their actions in the forest. Anyone who had seen them helping Shey and Tyche after their escape was dead.
Besides, Ruben was still waiting on the godstone shard from Caspagir.
There was also the chance that their organization would need an infusion of funds after the latest Shey-related disaster at their hidden facility.
Considering he and Adrian had also destroyed The Pit in Voxmore, it was likely the shadow organization was floundering and could use some help.
In the meantime, Haru found himself unexpectedly bonding with the God of Luck. When Tyche stopped hiding behind Shey every time he approached, they quickly learned that they had some similar interests, such as good food and shiny objects.
“Haruuuuuu!” Tyche called, the sound stretching through the rooms of the penthouse suite as the strange god did a dance while holding a pair of to-go cups over his head with that special paper wrapping around the center.
His hair sparkled in the sunlight coming through the wall of windows, thanks to all the random rings and gems Haru had braided into Tyche’s long red hair.
“It’s here! The delivery boy just dropped them off. ”
Haru rose from where he was seated on the sofa and approached Tyche, while Adrian and Shey lifted their heads from the map they were studying for the hundredth time.
“What did you order now?” Shey inquired. To keep themselves occupied, they’d taken to using the hotel concierge service to set them up with various shops throughout the city. Both Shey and Tyche had new wardrobes and soaps. They’d also had all manner of food delivered.
Tyche sniffed and lifted his chin, looking down his nose at Shey. “None of your business since you spoke blasphemy last night.”
“What?” Adrian asked.
Shey rolled his eyes. “I said that all coffee tastes the same.”
“And he didn’t steal all your good luck for that?” Adrian teased.
“I thought about it,” Tyche muttered and then flashed Haru a smile as he handed over one of the to-go cups with the coffee shop’s logo. “The hotel concierge promised that this shop used Besan beans for their premium roast. I got yours like you prefer it—two sugars and three splashes of whole milk.”
Haru lifted the cup to his nose and drew in a deep breath, inhaling the rich scent of the coffee that Tyche swore was the very best in the world. “How do you drink your coffee?”
“Black like his soul,” Shey chimed in before Tyche could say a word.
Tyche shot him a scowl. His eyes were angry, but his lips were twitching into a grin.
“Only if it’s good coffee. Good beans need no enhancement.
I add cream and sugar if the coffee has been made from inferior beans.
” Tyche took a big drink, seeming indifferent to the blistering heat.
If he hadn’t been born a god, he would have made a magnificent dragon.
As soon as he swallowed, he let out a long moan.
His entire body sank two inches as if he were so relaxed he could barely keep himself upright.
“If you have an orgasm in front of everyone, I promise to never let you live it down,” Shey joked.
The bliss-filled expression didn’t waver. “I don’t care. This is perfect coffee.”
Haru glanced at Shey to find that the prince’s smile had softened as he continued to stare at Tyche as he swayed and sipped his coffee. Haru took a drink of his coffee and blinked, ripping his attention from Shey to the cup. “You’re right. Besan beans really are the best. I can taste a difference.”
“See! Great coffee is worth seeking out.” Tyche rushed to the kitchenette in their suite and picked up a plate of blueberry scones, which he thrust at Haru upon his return. “Here. Here. Take a bite of scone after taking a drink. They complement each other perfectly.”
Haru did as Tyche instructed and hummed happily as the two tastes blended together perfectly.
Adrian turned in his seat to watch them. “I never imagined I’d see the day where you were both losing your minds over coffee,” he said with a chuckle.
“Would you like a taste?” Haru offered, holding out his coffee cup.
“No, thank you. I’ve never been a big fan of coffee. I prefer tea.”
Tyche gasped. “Blasphemy! That’s the blasphemy table.”
“No, he has a good point. There are some lovely teas in the world. We don’t drink coffee on the Isle of Stone. We have tea.”
Tyche’s expression scrunched up. “But tea isn’t as strong as coffee.”
Haru smiled at him. “You’ve never had dragon tea.”
“It’s true,” Adrian agreed. “I had some teas while staying with the Omari clan that were way stronger than coffee, with some interesting, complicated flavors.” He turned his gaze up to Haru. “Don’t the different clans specialize in making their own signature blends?”
Haru’s heart skipped and raced at Adrian’s question.
He’d remembered that. With everything that had been happening during that visit, he’d recalled such an insignificant detail like a cherished shiny bauble.
“We do. The Omari clan blend, though, isn’t known for its strength, but for its delicate taste and fragrant aroma. It’s a soothing tea.”
Adrian sighed and shifted toward the map he’d been studying. “I know. I miss it.”
Haru opened his mouth to say that he would contact Caelan immediately to have him request Nori send a pound of Omari tea to Damardor. But the words never left his tongue.
He felt it.
A new but familiar magic had returned to the city. It was a soft, faint hint of power—almost completely lost under the presence of the God of Luck’s magic and Shey’s stormy magic from Kaes.
“Ruben has returned to Bellcairn,” Haru announced.
The room exploded. Both Shey and Adrian launched from their chairs and crowded close. Even Tyche bounced on the balls of his feet, his cheeks puffed out after he’d stuffed an entire scone into his mouth.
“What do you mean? How do you know?” Shey demanded.
“The shard! You sensed the shard,” Adrian guessed, winning a wide smile from Haru.
“Yes, that’s it. I can feel the magic from the godstone shard. It’s much closer now. In Bellcairn.” He’d been feeling a faint signature from miles away for a week now, confirming that Ruben had remained in Milway to oversee operations at the hidden facility.
“Does this mean we can go kill him now?” Tyche inquired around a mouthful of scone.
Shey’s lips twitched as if he were trying not to laugh, but it was Haru who answered.
“We must hold off on killing him. Vitor and Adrian are confident that there is someone else issuing orders for Ruben and his followers. We must learn this person’s identity first, and then we may kill him.”
Tyche’s shoulders slumped, and he loudly slurped his coffee, an evil expression falling over his face as if he were murdering Ruben in his mind.
“How should we handle this?” Adrian asked.
“We need to make contact. You told me that Haru was pretending to be an investor to get in with them. Maybe he reaches out to see how he can get more involved,” Shey suggested.
“He is waiting for me to gain the shard of godstone from Sirelis. We could tell him I have it,” Haru suggested.
“Except you don’t,” Adrian pointed out as he walked back to the chair he’d been sitting in and threw himself into it again.
Caelan had reported that Queen Noemi was not excited about sending a godstone shard to them but was willing to do it to help her son.
The only problem was getting the shard quickly from Caspagir to Damardor.
The one from the Isle of Stone had arrived so fast because it had traveled by dragon.
Unfortunately, Shou returned to the Isle of Stone shortly after they left Milway.
By their estimate, the shard from Caspagir was likely on a ship near Uris-Uladol right now.
“He doesn’t need to know that,” Haru said with a smirk. “He was very excited to acquire the one from Caspagir. It might be the pick-me-up he needs after the disaster that was Milway.”
“Not nearly enough of a disaster,” Tyche muttered.
Shey nodded. “True, but we can still fix that.” A wicked grin spread across the prince’s face, and Haru lifted his eyebrows. “I want to accompany you and Adrian to the meeting.”
“What? Are you crazy?” Adrian gasped. He jumped out of his chair and stomped over to where Haru, Shey, and Tyche stood. “He’s going to recognize you.”
Shey shrugged. “He’ll recognize me as the prisoner he threatened. I think it’s time that he faced who I really am.”
“Ooooooh!” Tyche’s eyes were so wide they had bugged out. “You mean you’re going to tell him he kidnapped and nearly killed the fucking prince of Caspagir!”
“Why not?”
“I want to go too!” the little god shouted. He jumped and sloshed some of his coffee out onto his hand. He cried and licked it off his hand, making Shey chuckle as he crossed to the counter to grab a towel for him.
“Fuck,” Adrian growled. He shoved both hands into his hair and paced away, moving toward the wall of windows that looked out over the city. “Maybe we should call Caelan before we do anything. Or at least contact Vitor.”
The spy had left town briefly to check on the operations of the facility in Milway, wanting to know whether it had been shut down permanently or if Ruben had gotten it working.
They didn’t expect him in Bellcairn for another couple of days.
And if he was at the facility, they wouldn’t be able to reach him anyway.
“Didn’t Caelan say that your mission was done the moment you found me?” Shey inquired. “Right now, you’re not working for him.”