Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 105164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105164 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 526(@200wpm)___ 421(@250wpm)___ 351(@300wpm)
“Sorry. I’m sorry,” he panted, trying to get the last of the chuckles under control. “I just…I wasn’t even there from the beginning, but it’s all so…”
“It’s madness,” Shey filled in, his voice kinder than it had been. “The gods are involved. This…this quest they have Cael on, it’s all madness.”
Adrian jerked his head up to find that Shey’s expression had turned grimmer, but it wasn’t directed at Adrian. It seemed more that it was related to his own thoughts.
“Yes,” Adrian agreed, his voice barely more than a whisper. “Madness. And the king is trapped in the middle of it. He’s also the only one who can stop it.”
He started from the beginning, reciting the story that Lore, the God of Wisdom, told of how the Goddess of the Hunt was born. He talked about Caelan’s quest to bond with all the gods so he could stop the rise of Zyros, though he skipped the part about Caelan dying and returning a god. He talked about how Ilon stole children and apparently sent a bunch of them into the Ordas. He finished with how Ilon had made some kind of deal with New Rosanthe to give them access to the Light Stone.
“Before we descended to the caves, Feroz shot himself in the head. He knew the king would be blamed for it. I think he wanted to add one more complication to our lives,” Adrian concluded hoarsely, his throat and mouth dry from so much talking.
He lifted his eyes to find both Morgan and Soto appearing very dazed and overwhelmed. But then, neither of them knew the full details about the gods and the godstones. Caelan had kept that bit of information back.
Shey looked less overwhelmed but angrier.
“If you have doubts about the kidnappings, we have someone gathering together the proof,” Adrian said to the prince. “I know that the king wants it sent to you.”
“He already has,” Shey countered sharply. “Or maybe it was his man who sent it. I don’t know. But I’ve read it over. It’s despicable. Hideous.” He paused and shook his head. “No, I didn’t doubt Cael when he sent that over. I was shocked, but I never doubted him.” The prince narrowed his eyes on Adrian. “But the godstones? They’re all broken?”
Something twisted in Adrian’s stomach as he nodded. The prince must have wondered if the Caspagir godstone was the only one to break.
“Shards were found at the foot of the Tower the king created,” Morgan revealed. Her voice was shaky, and Adrian was sure he’d never heard her sound so haunted in all of his life. She was always a pillar of strength, but to discover the Godstone—the source of pride and honor for all Erya citizens—had broken while under her watch had to be horrifying.
Adrian nodded. “They’re all broken. I watched the Light Stone shatter. I saw them.”
“What?” Tomas demanded. “Saw who?”
“The gods. Tula, Kaes, Caris, Nyx, and Lore. I saw them all, and I swear I don’t ever want to see them again.”
Shey cursed, his rough words tearing through the otherwise silent room. “So, they’re going to help him?”
Adrian wasn’t sure how to answer that question. “I think that’s the hope. The plan. Lore has sided with Zyros, and something about the Goddess of the Hunt’s magic is keeping the other gods out. The king can enter. He and the others are heading straight to Green Spring in the Ordas. He’s trying to find Zyros, Safa, and Lore to stop them.”
“All while we suspect that New Rosanthe has entered the Ordas from the south and is preparing to block or intercept him,” Morgan added, her voice sounding firmer.
“How big of a force does he need in support?” Shey asked.
Adrian looked at the prince and slowly smiled. “As big as you can send, and as quickly as you can send it.”
“How are we supposed to find the king once we enter the Ordas? Electronics don’t work there. It’s all thick forests and jungle,” Tomas countered.
“Me.” Adrian’s smile might have wavered here.
“What?”
“The king tied a sort of magical tether to me, linking us together. I can follow it back to him and the others,” Adrian explained to their shocked expressions.
“You can feel him now?” Shey inquired.
Adrian nodded. “I can feel the link. Not him so much. It’s not like I can feel his emotions or read his thoughts. It’s just a line that connects us.”
Heading into the Ordas didn’t seem like a big surprise to anyone. Apparently, the king had floated the idea to Morgan and Shey when he’d regained control of Stormbreak in the summer and then pushed it more when he returned from Zastrad. Both Erya and Caspagir had started working on soldier transports that were steam powered, allowing them to move through the Ordas despite the limitations created by magic.
The conversation flowed around Adrian without his need for input. Morgan and Crown Prince Shey talked about staging Caspagir troops in Erya near the border with the Ordas and how quickly they could get them in place. Caspagir was already having trouble in spots along its border with the Ordas, thanks to Empire troops. They were fighting random attacks on cities and bases that were wasting supplies and men. It was slowing up Caspagir’s attempt to ready their men to support Erya in the Ordas.