Chapter 15 Syssi
SYSSI
"That was a lot to process," Syssi said as Kian lifted Allegra into her stroller.
"Which part?" He secured the straps. "The alien shaman from another planet, or the possibility that my mother's truelove mate is buried under Navuh's mansion?"
"Both." She hung the baby bag over the stroller handles. "Although I have to admit, the alien immortal part is harder to wrap my head around, despite being surrounded by immortals and Kra-ell."
"Playground!" Allegra kicked her feet impatiently. "Now, Daddy!"
"We're going, sweetheart." Kian pushed the stroller toward the door.
It was a bit on the chilly side outside, but the sun was out, which made it pleasant, especially after a solid week of rain. Still, Syssi pulled out a blanket from under the stroller and wrapped it around Allegra.
"No, blanket!" Allegra kicked her feet, trying to dislodge the offending piece of fabric.
"Just until the playground, sweetie. Okay?"
"K," Allegra relented.
One of the surprising things about their daughter was her willingness to compromise. Not on everything, but at least on what was not overly important to her.
That was very mature for a child as young as her, and it was just one more way in which her intelligence shone through. She understood more than anyone suspected, or more than she should at her age, and Syssi was careful with what she said around her.
"Eluheed said the special trait was genetic," she said. "Not all of his people had it, and it needed to be activated, just in a different way than ours. So far, I see more similarities than differences."
"The absence of fangs and venom is a big difference," Kian said. "I assume that there are many more differences, but he's bound by vows not to reveal them, which is very convenient."
Syssi looked up. "You don't believe him?"
"I believe he's telling the truth as he knows it." Kian steered the stroller around a pebble in the path. "We know who made all the humanoids in this part of the universe, and I assume their methods didn't differ much from one planet to the next."
"We also know that they liked to experiment," she said. "That would account for some variations."
"True," Kian agreed. "What bothers me is that he didn't know about the gods or about Anumati, but since his people obviously had interstellar travel capabilities for him to get here, there was no way the gods didn't find out about it and make themselves known.
If one of their created species had developed that kind of technology, they would have either absorbed them into their empire or destroyed them. "
"Maybe the gods don't know about Eluheed's people?"
"How could they not know? Nothing happens in this galaxy without them being aware of it."
Syssi chewed on her lower lip. "Maybe Eluheed is from a different galaxy, or maybe his people developed a secret technology that is not detectable by the gods, or both."
"If they did, I would love to get my hands on it," Kian said. "It would open defensive and offensive capabilities that could potentially save us from the Eternal King's whims. It could be the difference between the continuation of life on Earth and its end."
"We should talk to Aru," Syssi said. "Maybe the rebels know about this."
Kian shook his head. "We vowed not to reveal Eluheed's secret."
"We don't have to tell Aru everything. We could just ask hypothetically. Say we're curious about whether there were other species in the galaxy with advanced technology that the rebels knew about."
"If he knew, he would have told us already. Aru is a junior operator, and he doesn't know much. The only reason he was entrusted by Ani for this mission was his telepathic connection with his sister on Anumati. Ani, on the other hand, would know if such a technology existed."
"But she's still on her tour of the colonies, and your mother has no way to contact her when Aria is not with her."
"Bird!" Allegra pointed excitedly at a sparrow hopping along the edge of the path. "Daddy, bird!"
"I see it, sweetheart." Kian's voice softened the way it always did when he spoke to their daughter. "It's a sparrow."
"Spah-wo."
"Close enough."
The playground came into view, a colorful oasis of slides and swings and climbing structures. Several Kra-ell mothers were there, their children playing on the jungle gym.
Kian pushed the stroller to one of the benches dotting the perimeter of the playground. "As fascinating as Eluheed's origins are, right now we need to focus on Khiann."
"I know." Syssi crouched in front of Allegra and removed her blanket. "Which complicates summoning a vision." She released the buckles and helped Allegra down. "Do you want to go on the swings, sweetie?"
"No. Gym." Allegra dropped her doll in the stroller and dashed toward the children playing on the jungle gym.
"Should we follow her?" Syssi asked.
The Kra-ell children could be wild sometimes, but Allegra was already immortal and quite resilient, and Syssi didn't want to be a helicopter mother who always hovered over her child and didn't let her develop confidence and independence.
Not that Allegra was deficient in either.
On the contrary. Their daughter was sometimes recklessly confident and independent.
"She'll manage on her own." Kian sat on the bench and patted the spot next to him. "Besides, with me around, the kids won't dare to do anything too wild."
"True." She sat next to him, and as he immediately wrapped his arm around her, she leaned her head on his arm. "Big, scary daddy."
"That's me." He kissed the top of her head. "What were you saying about the vision?"
It took Syssi a moment to gather her thoughts and remember what she'd wanted to say.
"I promised Eluheed to summon a vision that would help him find his charges, but with Khiann on my mind, the vision will most likely be about him.
" She paused, searching for the right words.
"Besides, Khiann feels more urgent. I have a sense that we're running out of time. "
He nodded. "I feel the same. If Losham gets to Khiann first, we will lose our advantage. Eluheed can wait. We need to prioritize Khiann."
Allegra rushed to them from the jungle gym, yelling, "Swing! Daddy, swing!"
"In a minute, sweetie." He pushed to his feet and turned to Syssi. "When are you going to summon it?"
"Tomorrow. I want to be well rested and have a clear head. The Fates will show me what they want me to see and not necessarily what I'm looking for, but I have a feeling that if I go looking for the hidden charges, what I'll find is Khiann anyway."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because everything seems to point to him." She rose to her feet and took Allegra's hand. "Let's go to the swings."
Kian lifted Allegra into the bucket seat, and Syssi began pushing her gently. "The Fates are weaving with gusto these days, and the threads are coming together."
Kian leaned against the swing set frame, watching their daughter soar through the air with her arms stretched wide.
"If you're right, and everything is connected, then maybe finding Khiann will help Eluheed, too.
Maybe the Fates are showing us that we need to solve one puzzle before we can solve the other. "
"Or maybe they're all pieces of the same puzzle, but right now I cannot see the connection."
"That's a terrifying thought," he murmured.
"Is it?" Syssi smiled. "I find it comforting. It means that there's a plan, and that we might have an answer to the Eternal King's threat. You said so yourself."
He chuckled. "It feels to me like we're stumbling in the dark while someone shines a flashlight in our eyes occasionally, but instead of illuminating the way, the flash of light only confuses us further."
"Still, a blinding light is better than no light at all."
Allegra's swing was slowing, and she kicked her feet impatiently. "Mommy! Higher!"
Syssi gave her another push, sending her arcing through the air again. The simple joy on her daughter's face was infectious, a reminder that life was precious and perfect despite all the cosmic mysteries and ancient secrets.
"I keep thinking about Navuh and why he decided to bring Khiann and the others to his island," Kian said quietly.
"He had no reason to suspect that he would ever get captured by us.
The Brotherhood was always much stronger than our clan, and direct confrontation was not feasible.
He was also paranoid and never left his island.
What made him think that he would one day need to use Khiann as leverage against my mother?
That's why I have a hard time believing that he has Khiann.
What makes more sense to me is that the chests he had removed from the flooded harem contained goods rather than people.
He knew we would learn about them from the ladies or even from Areana herself, so he concocted a story that would fit that scenario. "
What Kian said made sense, but her gut was saying that they would find Khiann in one of those chests. "We know that Navuh is paranoid. Maybe he collects leverage against everyone, just in case."
Syssi caught Allegra's swing and brought it to a gentle stop. Her daughter protested immediately. "More swing!"
"Maybe later, baby." She lifted Allegra out of the seat and set her on the ground. "Why don't you go play on the slide for a little bit?"
Allegra considered this offer, then nodded and ran off toward the colorful tubes.
"Stay where I can see you," Syssi called after her.
"She's not going to listen." Kian pushed his hands into his pockets.
"I know. But I have to say it anyway." She watched Allegra navigate the steps with careful concentration. "You might be right about Khiann not being there, but we still need to act as if he is. We don't have the luxury of dismissing the possibility."
A shriek from the climbing structure made them both turn. Allegra had made it to the top of the slide and was preparing to launch herself down with reckless abandon.
"Both hands on the sides!" Kian called out.
Allegra ignored him completely and slid down with her arms in the air, giggling the whole way.
"She gets that daredevil attitude from you," Syssi accused.
"I resemble that remark,” he said jokingly.
Syssi shook her head. "You're terrible."
"I know, but you love me anyway."
"I do." She wrapped her arm around his waist.
"I should call my mother and tell her what we suspect," Kian said, his tone shifting back to practical matters.
Allegra had climbed back up to the top of the slide and was preparing for another descent. This time, she at least put one hand on the rail before launching herself.
"Progress," Kian said dryly. "Maybe there is still hope for us, and we won't go gray before she reaches eighteen."
Syssi laughed. "We will never go gray. We are immortal, but we might go crazy. Immortality doesn't shield our minds."