TYCHE
FIVE
Right now, the king was sitting on a flat rock next to the pond, tossing pieces of fish food to the gold, silver, orange, and white koi.
Their scales flashed in the sunlight as they’d dart up to the surface to snag a bite and then swim off again.
The king of Erya wore a white robe like the rest of the Omari clan, but dark green and gold edged his garments, giving him a very regal appearance.
That morning, he’d enjoyed a pleasant breakfast with Shey, Caelan, Drayce, and the key leaders of the Omari clan.
They’d avoided any kind of politically charged topics and instead had exchanged general information about their different kingdoms. Shey had been overflowing with questions about the Isle of Stone and the dragons, which it seemed Nori and the others were happy to answer.
Meanwhile, Haru and Adrian had slept in late. Nori had promised to have some food sent to Haru’s rooms so they could eat in private. They would catch up and make plans after Haru had some time to regain his strength.
Naturally, breakfast hadn’t been the best time to speak with Caelan about more private and pressing matters. Namely, Haru’s possession of Yesuntei’s powers.
It had been tempting to drag Prince Shey along.
Tyche had blabbed plenty of things he shouldn’t have to the prince, and Shey was on good terms with Caelan.
However, he had no way of knowing if they needed to discuss things that Caelan wouldn’t be comfortable talking about with Shey.
No, it was better to keep this between gods for now.
“You know, you’re the first minor god I’ve met,” Caelan said, his words edging above the trickle of water that burbled up from the pond. He twisted to gaze over his shoulder and smile at Tyche, but there was a hint of something in his eyes. Maybe a bit of trepidation.
Was it possible that Caelan was just as nervous?
Just the thought almost made Tyche laugh out loud.
What the hell did the God of Hope have to be afraid of? He’d already taken on the major gods and come out alive. That said plenty about his strength and intelligence.
But Tyche couldn’t deny that he looked uneasy. And yes, almost nervous.
“Actually, a little more than a year ago, I would have said the minor gods didn’t exist. I thought they were folktales. But then, I barely believed in Tula, and I’m a member of the Talos family.”
Tyche approached, one corner of his mouth kicked up. “Well, you’re the first new god I’ve met who isn’t trying to kill me.” He stopped when he was still several feet away, and his brow furrowed. “You’re not planning to kill me, right?”
Caelan tossed his head back and laughed.
“No! No, I have no plans to kill you.” After he stopped laughing, Caelan pushed to his feet and brushed off his hands.
He motioned to a pair of carved wooden chairs set up under a pink flowering tree on the other side of the pond.
They strolled together and sat in the shade, allowing Tyche to get a better view of the serene courtyard filled with ferns, large leafy plants, and a pond filled with colorful fish.
But it was Caelan who commanded his attention.
The king of Erya was a very handsome man with sharp, harsh features and large, dark-blue eyes that seemed to see everything. His hair was black, but there was an odd purple highlight to a few strands that whispered of a run-in with the God of Time.
“You’re so young!” Tyche burst out, making Caelan laugh again.
“You don’t look more than two or three years older than me.”
“Yeah, but…” Tyche motioned to him with both hands open and extended, as if struggling to find the right words.
“I can feel your powers pouring off you, which speaks to your youth, but there’s something else.
There’s a layer of humanity behind it all, and that’s what keeps crying out to me as young.
You don’t possess the same weight of humanity as an old man. ”
Caelan’s head canted to the side, and his eyes widened.
“Is that what you sense with all the gods? Their powers. I mean, I can feel yours, but they’re so subtle.
If I’d not been told you were the God of Luck, I would never have been able to guess what you were the god of.
” He shook his head and sighed. “There’s so much I don’t know. ”
And Tyche could guess that there wasn’t anyone Caelan would feel safe asking. His dealings had been limited to the major gods, and they were a bag of feral cats at the best of times. There was no way he could trust a damn thing they said.
“Obviously, I don’t sense any humanity from the other gods.
Zyros was the only other one I’ve met who started off as a human.
The rest of us came into existence as gods.
As for…that.” He lifted his hands and motioned to the aura of energy that surrounded Caelan.
“Most of the gods learn with time to pull in their powers.”
“Oh, sorry. I guess I need to learn how to do that.”
Tyche smiled. “It’s okay. Your powers are enormous, but they don’t feel oppressive. They’re rather reassuring, which is interesting. Plus, the ones who can really sense it are other gods and the dragons. If the dragons don’t care, don’t worry about it.”
Caelan sat back in his chair, slumping as he peered out at the pond.
A silence grew between them, but Tyche was surprised to find that it wasn’t uncomfortable.
Maybe it was Caelan’s youth and straightforward manner that made him approachable.
Tyche was tempted to lower his guard, which was saying a lot because he’d never relaxed with other gods. Not even Yesuntei.
“There are hundreds of things that I would love to ask you. Things I’m sure I could never ask another soul,” Caelan murmured and flashed Tyche a wry grin. “But time is slipping away from us, and I have a feeling there are more important things we need to discuss.”
“Haru.”
Caelan hummed in agreement. What the fuck were they supposed to do about Haru and the powers from the Goddess of Nightmares?
“There’s a question I’ve been wanting to ask since I first learned about the situation,” Caelan confessed.
He paused and stared at Tyche until Tyche felt the need to squirm in his seat.
He could imagine that piercing gaze had made more than a few government officials in Stormbreak uncomfortable.
“Why didn’t you keep the power for yourself? ”
A bark of laughter jumped from Tyche. He ended up “gracefully” coughing like a pack-a-day smoker.
“Oh, yeah. That would have been brilliant. Me wildly flinging about bad luck and nightmares to everyone close to me.” He blew out a puff of air from his nose and glared at the pond in front of him.
“No, thank you. I like my quiet life. And I’m fully aware that I don’t have the kind of strength that’s useful in a fight. ”
He glanced at Caelan, who was smiling, his entire expression softening. “I had three choices. Haru possessed combat training, dragon strength, and dragon magic.”
“A lethal combination, making him a formidable foe even without the powers of the goddess.”
“Prince Shey was tempting. He also has extraordinary strength and a lot of fight training. He is also a brilliant strategist and thinks well on his feet. I think he could have handled it, but…”
“Kaes.”
Tyche swallowed hard and nodded. “Kaes has always been a fucking troublemaker. When he’s not busy following Tula and fawning over her, he’s off searching for ways to create mischief and misery. This is a sticky enough problem without him shoving a finger into the pie.”
“Agreed. What about Adrian?”
Tyche sighed. “I like Adrian. He’s a good guy.”
“That has nothing to do with your assessment of him.”
“Yeah,” Tyche mumbled. He was impressed that Caelan could be so coldly focused even with his own people.
Especially since it was clear that he viewed Adrian as more than a subject, he was his friend.
“Adrian is a solid strategist, logical, compassionate, and a very skilled fighter. However, he possesses a lack of self-confidence that makes me nervous. There’s also this developing thing between him and Haru.
Both concerns make me worry that if I were to give him Yesuntei’s powers, he wouldn’t give them up later.
And Teitei deserves peace. That’s only going to happen at her temple in Brightspire. ”
Caelan grunted and redirected his gaze to sweep out across the garden. A light morning breeze twirled through, rustling leaves and causing their hair to flutter. “I can’t argue with your appraisal. Personally, I would have kept it but would have likely regretted that decision later.”
“I think my caution is born from more experience.” Tyche’s lips quirked, and he leaned toward Caelan.
“Kid.” The king rolled his eyes while a wide grin spread across his lips.
“And I say that as one god talking to another. You were there at the end of things to kill Zyros, for which you have my endless gratitude.”
“You’re welcome.”
Tyche sat up straight, his body stiff in his chair.
“But I was there when she was made. I watched her slaughter scores of my brethren. So many gods and goddesses were lost to the ether because she wanted more power. And each one that she killed drove her a little more insane. Let me save you the time and pain of learning it the hard way—more power is never the answer. Be happy with what you’ve got. ”