Chapter 9 Kian
KIAN
Kian found Syssi in the living room, curled up on the sofa with a book she didn't seem to be reading. Her eyes were distant and unfocused, and he knew exactly where her mind had gone.
The same place he had been circling since yesterday.
If his mother's gut feeling was correct and Khiann was indeed alive and in stasis, why had her intuition been silent for five thousand years? Why had her suspicions arisen only recently?
Then again, it was possible that those thoughts had been lurking in her subconscious, which would explain how she'd managed to remain positive and accomplish all that she had after losing her truelove mate. In her heart of hearts, she must have known that he wasn't dead.
Then there was Navuh, who claimed to have known that for a fact and also where Khiann could be found, but he hadn't breathed a word of it to anyone for thousands of years.
"I can't stop thinking about it," Syssi said without looking up. "Your poor mother's face yesterday at dinner. She looked so torn. I don't envy her the decision she must make."
They had talked about nothing else at the family's Friday night dinner, with Amanda saying that Navuh could go back to his island in exchange for Khiann because they could always defeat him later.
There was something to that. Since Navuh was the only one who knew where Khiann was buried, they couldn't kill him before finding out. Then again, was Khiann worth the countless lives Navuh would destroy if allowed back on his island?
Even Annani couldn't make that call.
Which meant that they had to find another way to get Navuh to tell them where Khiann was.
Annani hadn't tried compelling him yet, and she should, even though he was probably immune.
Mia could come with her and enhance her power, while Morelle might be able to siphon Navuh's supernatural ability, weakening him enough to make him more susceptible to Annani's compulsion.
The other method could be threatening to harm Areana, who was the only person on the entire planet that Navuh cared about, but he would never believe they would go through with their threats.
Syssi set the book aside. "Do you think Navuh is manipulating her?"
"I don't know." Kian sat next to her and took her hand. "Navuh is a clever bastard, and if he was lying, his performance was incredible."
"You can have Andrew assess him," she suggested.
Kian shook his head. "Did you forget the filtering earpieces? They diminish the signals Andrew gets and mess with his ability to tell truth from lies."
"Then have him approach Navuh without them.
" She lifted a hand to stop Kian's retort.
"You can have Andrew handcuffed so Navuh won't be able to use him to attack anyone or to get him free.
Or even better, you could have Andrew wearing fake earpieces.
Navuh would think that they were the filtering kind and not even try to compel him.
We could dress him up in scrubs and claim that he's a nurse or a medical technician checking the equipment. "
Those were all excellent ideas, and Kian intended to implement them, provided that his mother didn't lose patience and give Navuh what he wanted first.
The best scenario, though, would be if Eluheed had glimpsed a clue as to Khiann's whereabouts while providing visions for Navuh.
"First, I'm going to question the shaman. If he saw something that can point us to Khiann's location, we won't need to implement any of those creative measures."
Syssi smiled. "I'm glad that you are thinking of them as creative rather than useless."
"Your ideas are never useless." He lifted her hand to his lips and brushed them over her knuckles. "I trust your opinion above all others."
"That's sweet." She leaned her head on his arm. "But you still didn't tell me why you invited Elias and Tamira over. I know it wasn't to ask Elias if he had glimpsed something while serving Navuh because you invited them before Navuh made his offer."
Kian sighed. "He wants to present his case to you in person so he can decide whether he trusts you with his secret. You know I would tell you if I could, but I promised him that I wouldn't. What I can tell you, though, is that his real name is Eluheed, not Elias."
"Eluheed. That's such a beautiful name. Why did he call himself something else?"
"He thought that it would invite questions about its origin because it was so unique. He didn't want to attract attention."
Syssi lifted her head off his shoulder. "Why? What does he have to hide?"
"That's part of what I cannot tell you." Kian let out a breath. "If he decides to trust you with his secret, he might ask you to help him with a vision."
Her eyes widened. "And you agreed to that?"
Kian nodded. "What he wants help with might be beyond what I can do, so I offered him your vision as a sort of consolation prize."
"Now I'm really curious. I'm also curious about how his visions differ from mine and why he thinks I can see things he cannot."
"He's not as gifted as you are, my love." Kian leaned over and kissed her temple. "His gift is small. Yours is stronger by an order of magnitude."
The sound of small feet thundering down the hallway announced Allegra's arrival before she burst into the living room, her blond curls bouncing, and her expression excited.
"I help Okidu," she announced. "Come see."
"Did you, now?" Kian scooped her up, earning a delighted squeal.
"Let me go, Daddy." She wiggled in his arms until he set her down. "I bring napkins. Come see."
She ran back out, leaving Kian and Syssi smiling after her.
"We'd better follow," Syssi said. "We need to be supportive of our child's domestic endeavors. After all, she won't have an Okidu to do everything for her when she lives in her own house."
"Don't say that." Kian took her hand. "I don't want to even think about her being all grown up and living on her own. Besides, by then we will have a whole production line of Odu Juniors going."
"Is that what we are going to call them? Odu Junior?"
"It's a place-holder name. They will not be as sophisticated as the Odus because the materials that were used in their production don't exist on Earth."
Kaia had made great progress after decoding several key symbols, but the technology was so advanced that William was scratching his head at the specifications.
They would not be able to produce anything even close to the Odus, but they could make functional robots that would fulfill many of the same functions, just with less flair and elegance.
Watching Okidu set the table was like watching the inner workings of a Swiss watch. Everything was done with grace and precision, placing each plate, each piece of silverware, and each glass in perfect alignment.
"Daddy!" Allegra ran up to him with a napkin clutched in both hands. "Look!"
Kian examined the napkin, which was wrinkled and folded into something that might charitably be called a triangle if viewed from the right perspective. "Beautiful work, sweetheart."
"It is a masterpiece," Okidu said solemnly, taking the napkin and placing it beside a plate with great ceremony. "Your folding skills are marvelous, little mistress."
Allegra beamed.
Okidu had always been good with her, but it had been easy when she was younger. Now she required more patience and encouragement that he somehow knew how to provide.
Was he emulating behavior from one of the soap operas he watched? Or was it his growing sentience?
Then again, how did anyone learn appropriate behavior?
Children learned by observing their parents, mimicking what they saw, and internalizing patterns of interaction.
Okidu was learning from soap operas how adults praised children, how families interacted, and how to show warmth and encouragement.
Was that any different from a child learning from their environment?
"Can I make tea?" Allegra asked.
"The kettle is very hot," Okidu said. "But you can help me arrange the cookies on a plate. That is a very important job."
The word cookies had a magical effect.
"Okay!" Allegra skipped after him toward the kitchen.
When the doorbell rang, Okidu changed direction and rushed to the door with Allegra trailing behind him like his little shadow.
Kian and Syssi followed them, arriving at the foyer just as Okidu opened the door with a formal bow that would have been more appropriate for visiting royalty than lunch guests.
"Master Elias and Mistress Tamira. Welcome." Okidu stepped aside. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," Eluheed said, stepping inside. "And please call me Eluheed. Your boss convinced me that my real name didn't sound as strange as I thought it did."
Okidu froze for a moment as if confused by what the shaman had just said. "It is a very pleasant-sounding name, Master Eluheed."
Allegra, who had been standing beside Okidu, suddenly stepped forward and lifted her hands, a cookie clutched in each. "Do you want a cookie?"
When had she managed to snatch them?
Tamira looked lost and turned to Syssi. "Should we?"
Syssi nodded. "You don't have to eat them."
They were slightly crumbled.
Eluheed smiled and took a cookie from Allegra's hand. "Thank you. They look yummy."
"They are." Allegra extended her other hand to Tamira. "Okidu made them."
Eluheed smiled. "Then they must be wonderful."
"Welcome," Syssi said, ushering everyone toward the dining room. "Can I offer you anything to drink before lunch is served?"
"Water is fine." Tamira reached for the carafe and poured some into her glass.
"After lunch, then." Syssi sat down. "You have to try my cappuccinos. I'm quite famous for them."
As the conversation moved to Tamira's acclimation to village life and the book rebinding business that she and the other ladies were endeavoring to start, Kian listened impatiently, waiting for the right moment to ask the questions that were burning in his mind.