TYCHE #2
Caelan’s expression turned solemn, and he blinked at Tyche as if he were taking a moment to absorb his words.
“I agree. And I am more than happy with what I have. Personally, I could do without it, but I need what I have to keep a certain someone under control.” As he spoke, he lifted his right wrist and lowered the sleeve of his robe to reveal a golden cuff that shone brightly in the morning sun.
Yet it was more than a piece of fancy jewelry.
Raw power radiated from it that Tyche hadn’t noticed before.
He could feel more than see the links of a very long chain coming off the cuff.
The God of Hope had tied himself to another god, and Tyche had some terrifying guesses which one it was.
Tyche swallowed hard. “Yep. You keep what you’ve got, and the few of us that remain will be forever grateful.”
Caelan’s lips twisted into a sardonic sneer as he adjusted his sleeve, hiding away the cuff and the resonance of power.
“But back to the current problem,” Tyche said with a heavy draw of air.
“Haru wants to keep the orb to protect it until we can get it to Brightspire. He argues that we don’t have a good plan for protecting it.
Unfortunately, I must agree. Things haven’t changed a lot from when we were cornered in Bellcairn.
Cirina is still on the loose. No telling what Kaes is up to.
Plus, we still must fix the problem in Damardor. ”
“I don’t like him keeping that power,” Caelan stated in a near growl.
“Agreed. He’s learned to manage it, but it is exhausting. Also, I worry that Yesuntei’s powers will become entangled with Haru’s dragon magic. After too long, it may become impossible to separate the two. The sooner we get them removed, the better.”
“One option is to remove Yesuntei’s sarira now and have Nori send you to Brightspire with an entire squadron of dragons as protection.
They would keep you safe while you deposit her powers in the shrine.
” Caelan leaned closer to Tyche and dropped his voice.
“I’m assuming you know how to enshrine her powers. ”
Tyche smirked. “I do. Once placed in her shrine, another can never remove or touch them. It doesn’t matter how powerful the god is. Yesuntei’s gifts will be lost forever.”
Caelan straightened. His long fingers drummed on the arm of his chair for a moment before he sighed.
“That’s a shame. No more Goddess of Nightmares.
So many other gods and goddesses lost. I refuse to believe that they were all as feckless and troublesome as Tula, Kaes, and Nyx.
At least some of them had to have taken their roles in existence seriously.
” With his brow furrowed, he looked over at Tyche.
“Or at the very least, pursued a quiet existence like you.”
A giggle escaped Tyche, and he had to cover his mouth to hold the sound in. He glanced up to see lines crisscrossing Caelan’s brow and a frown forming.
“What?” the king inquired.
“It’s a very na?ve statement on your part.
That’s all.” Tyche dropped his hands to his lap and chuckled.
“Just because we’re minor gods doesn’t mean that we’re not reckless, petty, and stupid like humans.
Oh! And bored. So fucking bored sometimes.
The difference between us and the major gods is that usually our magic doesn’t create mass death and destruction.
But sometimes, our interference at the right or wrong time can have catastrophic results far beyond our expectations. Luckily, that is far rarer.”
Caelan’s expression turned sardonic. “You’re probably right.”
“But you can’t blame everything on the gods.
Sometimes humans are simply humans. They make plenty of their own messes.
” Tyche brushed his hands together as if washing them of all that nonsense that had nothing to do with him, and he jumped to his feet.
“I like your suggestion. If Omari Nori would loan me half a dozen dragons for a trip to Brightspire, we can get that sarira out of Haru now.”
Caelan pushed to his feet as well. “I don’t think it will be a problem.” He motioned for Tyche to precede him toward the doors that led into the building and out of the garden. “After you lay Yesuntei’s powers to rest, do you have plans?”
Tyche’s mouth popped open, ready to state that he would hurry to meet up with Shey, Adrian, and Haru to deal with the Damardor mess, but the words got caught in his throat.
Did that make sense? Why would he tag along with them when all he would do is hold them back?
He wasn’t a fighter, and his luck magic wasn’t reliably useful. What good would he be to them? None.
They didn’t need him.
He’d be a burden. A nuisance.
Tyche’s shoulders slumped, and his steps slowed to a stop.
He frowned at the pond. A minute ago, the day had seemed so bright and productive.
He’d had a plan to save Haru and get Teitei’s powers tucked away permanently.
Everything had been moving forward in a positive way, and now…
it was like a dark cloud had poured across the sky, blocking out the cheery sunlight.
What was left for him? Just his old, lonely life of traveling from one random city to another, scratching together a cheap existence pretending to tell fortunes and trying to escape the notice of more powerful gods.
“If you don’t have any specific plans, I would like to invite you to come stay in Stormbreak for a time.
I could have you set up in a comfortable residence.
As you’re aware, I don’t have anyone else I can ask questions about what it means to be a god, and I would appreciate the chance to pick your brain. ”
Caelan’s cautious and gentle comments brought a hint of a smile to Tyche’s lips, and he almost nodded. A visit to Stormbreak under the God of Hope’s protection was a very tempting offer. He’d not been in Erya in a long time, and seeing Stormbreak sounded interesting.
“I would love to see you, but I promised Shey—” The words were out of his mouth before he could catch all of them.
The king’s eyes widened, and he took a step closer to Tyche. “Prince Shey, huh?”
Tyche scoffed. “He promised to take me on a food tour of Sirelis. That’s all.”
But there was a glimmer of something in Caelan’s eyes that made Tyche think Caelan didn’t buy his excuse. Like he thought something else was going on. Which was pure bullshit. There wasn’t anything. At all.
So, naturally, Prince Shey and Megumi burst into the garden at that exact moment, sending Tyche’s heart rate skyrocketing.
“We got word that the dragons sent to Stormbreak are on their way here,” Megumi announced, her dark eyebrows knitting together over her nose.
Tyche’s brow furrowed as he gazed at Caelan. “You had more dragons in Stormbreak than Drayce?”
Caelan grunted. “When Nori reached out to me about Haru, I told him that Drayce and I would come immediately. In response, he sent a pair of dragons to Stormbreak in the event that there was an emergency and someone needed to reach me. There must be a serious problem if they’re returning.”
“Scouts say there are two riders on one of them,” Shey stated.
Caelan nodded. “That’s Rayne and Eno. Rayne hates flying, and he won’t ride alone. Let’s go meet them.”
Tyche’s stomach sank into his shoes. Not only did he not know what his future held, but he was about to meet the man who seemed to own Shey’s heart.
Great.
Just fucking great.