Chapter 19 Kian
KIAN
"Good morning, Mother." Kian held the phone against his ear while watching Syssi help Allegra into her highchair. "Would you like to join us for breakfast? Okidu is making his famous waffles."
"Of course. Did you learn anything of value from Elias over lunch yesterday? I know you would not issue me a last-minute invitation to breakfast just because you suddenly miss your mother."
She knew him too well.
"I've seen you nearly every day for the past two weeks, so I've gotten used to the pleasure of your company, and I indeed miss you. You know the saying about absence making the heart grow fonder? I think it's the other way around. The more time I spend with you, the more I crave your company."
She laughed. "Oh, Kian. You seem in a good mood this morning, which means that you have good news for me."
"I might have some very good news for you. I'll tell you over breakfast."
"I do not know if I can stand the suspense. I am on my way." She ended the call.
Since she stayed in the house next door, it would take her no longer than five minutes to get there.
"I'll get another plate." Syssi disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Kian alone with his daughter.
Allegra banged her small fists on the highchair tray. "Waffles!"
"Okidu is still making them. Patience, princess."
"Nana likes waffles."
"Yes, she does." Kian bit back a laugh. "Everyone likes Okidu's waffles."
Syssi returned with another place setting for the breakfast table. "You should have seen Okidu when I told him that your mother is coming for breakfast. He couldn't have smiled more if he had won the lottery."
"Okidu doesn't care about the lottery."
"You'd be surprised." Syssi smiled conspiratorially. "I know for a fact that he buys a lottery ticket every time he goes grocery shopping."
That was news to Kian. "Why? What does he want to do with the money?"
"I don't know. I pretend not to notice that he buys them. If he wants to tell us, he will."
Great. Even his butler was keeping secrets.
Kian detested them, and now he had to keep Eluheed's secret from his mother.
It didn't sit right. Keeping her in the dark felt like a betrayal, even if the secret wasn't his to share.
He would have to talk to Eluheed and make it clear that continued cooperation depended on bringing Annani into the loop.
But that conversation would have to wait. Today was all about Khiann.
As the doorbell chimed, Okidu rushed from the kitchen to answer the door, and a moment later, Annani swept into the living room in a swirl of flowing green silk gown and hip-length red hair.
"Nana!" Allegra shrieked from her highchair, arms outstretched.
A big smile bloomed on Annani's face as she crossed to the highchair and scooped Allegra up, pressing kisses to her granddaughter's cheeks.
"Precious," Annani cooed. "Have you had any of Okidu's waffles yet?"
"No. They are not ready. Eat with Nana. Lots of whipped cream and stahbrees on top. Banana too."
"That sounds delicious. We will eat them together." Annani put Allegra back in her highchair and turned to Kian. "I am eager to hear your great news."
"After breakfast. If we don't eat his waffles while they're hot, Okidu will sulk the rest of the day, or week."
"He doesn't sulk," Syssi whispered. "He expresses his displeasure through passive-aggressive tea preparation."
Annani laughed. "We cannot risk it. Tea should be served with a side of calm."
As Okidu emerged from the kitchen with a platter of golden waffles, fresh berries, whipped cream, and warm maple syrup, Allegra lunged for the whipped cream. "For me!"
"Yes, sweetness. For you." Annani dolloped a modest spoonful onto Allegra's plate. "Do you want a waffle and strawberries with your whipped cream?"
Allegra nodded, but she was already dipping her spoon in the cream and bringing it to her mouth.
As his mother placed a waffle on Allegra's plate and cut it into small pieces, Kian was struck, as always, by the contrast between Annani the goddess and Annani the grandmother.
Except that the contrast was just in appearances.
Annani was regal and commanding when she presided over clan ceremonies or on the rare occasions that she attended council meetings, but she treated her extended family with the same love and care as she treated her little granddaughter.
Feeling his gaze on her, she shifted her eyes to him and smiled. "Now that the waffles are served and we have tea, tell me your news before I explode from curiosity."
Kian set his fork down. "Yesterday, Syssi and I had lunch with Elias and Tamira. Just as an aside, his real name is Eluheed. He used Elias because he thought it would raise fewer questions."
"Questions about what?" Annani asked.
"His origins. I can't say more because I promised him I would not reveal his secrets until he approves it. I'm sorry. I don't like keeping things from you."
Annani nodded. "I hope this is leading to the good news you mentioned."
"It is. As I told you, I wanted to question Eluheed about the visions he provided Navuh and whether he saw anything in them that might hint at Khiann's location.
He didn't, but Tamira mentioned the treasure chests that Navuh's guards removed from the flooded harem, the ones that Areana talked about, and she added that Navuh built a very secure and peculiar glass enclosure in the basement of his mansion and filled it with sand.
She speculated that he did it to store the chests from the harem.
Five chests, each large enough to contain a body.
" He leaned toward his mother. "Remember Cyra's drawing of the five stick figures sleeping in the sand? "
"How could I forget?"
"Allegra drew five golden stars and brought them to Eluheed as a present. It could all be a coincidence, but it looks to me like the Fates are pointing us in a certain direction."
Annani's eyes shone brighter with each detail, and by the time he finished, she was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Five chests, each big enough to hold a person," she repeated his words.
"Yes. According to Eluheed, the enclosure also had its own climate control, which is another clue."
Annani closed her eyes momentarily, and when she opened them again, they blazed with so much fury that Kian leaned away.
"That monster." Her voice was low and controlled, but it vibrated with barely contained rage. "For five thousand years, he hoarded my mate like a stolen treasure."
"We don't know for certain that he has always had Khiann. He might—"
"No." Annani cut him off. "That is precisely what Navuh would do. He knew that a day would come when he would have to negotiate with me, and he held on to Khiann for that day. "
Sensing the tension, Allegra patted Annani's cheek. "Nana sad?"
"No, precious one." Annani kissed her forehead. "Nana is angry. There is a difference."
"Angry at waffles?"
"I am angry at someone who does not deserve waffles and is never going to get them."
Allegra nodded solemnly, as if this made perfect sense.
Annani turned to Kian, and her expression hardened. "I want to see him. Today. I want to look into his eyes and tell him that I know. That his leverage is gone. That he will rot in a tiny prison cell without ever even smelling freedom."
Kian had expected this. "I know that it will be incredibly satisfying for you to see his face when you tell him that his leverage is gone, but I think it would be better if I went alone."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why?"
"Because Navuh will try to manipulate you.
He'll use your emotions against you and find a way to twist every word into a weapon.
He's prepared for you, but he's not prepared for me.
With me, it's business. With you, it's personal.
" Kian met her gaze steadily. "Let me deliver the blow.
Let me be the one to wipe that smug smile off his face.
You can watch the surveillance feed if you want, but don't give him the satisfaction of seeing your pain in person. "
Annani was quiet for a long moment.
Syssi reached across the table and touched her hand. "Kian is right. Navuh feeds on your emotional reactions. Don't give him that power."
"I am not some fragile creature who cannot control her emotions."
"No one said you were," Kian said. "But why make it harder than it needs to be? Let me handle Navuh while you spend some time with Areana. Kalugal and Lokan are with her today, so it would be a nice get-together."
"Very well." Annani sighed, the fight draining out of her. "I hate that you are right, but I cannot argue with your logic."
Kian blinked. He'd expected more resistance. His mother was not known for yielding gracefully. "You're agreeing with me? Just like that?"
"Do not sound so shocked. I can see reason when it is presented clearly and intelligently.
" She lifted her chin. "I know that Navuh will try to manipulate me.
It will be far more effective if you are the one who delivers the news.
He will not be able to use your emotions against you because you do not have any. "
"I have emotions."
"Not about Khiann."
"That's not true. He is important to you, so he is important to me."
"I know." She reached over and patted his hand. "But compared to my hundred percent emotional involvement, yours is about one tenth."
It was more than that, but it was pointless to argue about semantics.
"Let's settle on one fifth."
She laughed, which had been his intention. "Deal. Just tell me every detail of his reaction. Every flicker of his expression. I want to know the exact moment he realizes that his five-thousand-year game has come to an end."
"You can watch everything on your phone. I can link it to the surveillance feed."
She considered it for a moment. "I would rather not. I will get too angry."
"As you wish." He dipped his head. "If you change your mind later, the recording is not going anywhere. I'll save it for you in a separate file."
"That would be nice." She turned to Allegra. "Shall we finish our waffles?"
"More cream and stahbrees?"
"Naturally."
While Annani and Allegra negotiated the terms of whipped cream distribution, Kian caught Syssi's eye across the table. She gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. One hurdle was cleared, but another was still pending.
"There's more," Kian said. "Syssi summoned a vision this morning."
Annani looked up, instantly alert. "About Khiann?"
"I asked about Khiann," Syssi said. "But as usual, the Fates showed me other things."
She described the vision—the laboratory, Dimitri and Dave, the two couples finding love in captivity, and finally the portal at Mount Ararat. Kian watched his mother's face as Syssi spoke, trying to gauge her reaction.
When Syssi finished, Annani smiled. "How beautiful."
Kian frowned. "Beautiful? We don't even understand what the vision means. How does a portal at Ararat connect to Khiann? Why did the Fates show Syssi those four prisoners instead of something useful?"
"Because love is the strongest power in the universe. The Fates wanted Syssi to see that love can flourish in the most unlikely places. In the darkness of Navuh's island, in the shadow of cruelty and captivity, two couples found each other. They found light and breathed life into the flame."
Kian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. His mother had always been sentimental, but this seemed like a stretch even for her.
"With respect, Mother, I don't think the Fates answered Syssi's question about your lost mate with a message about the power of love."
"Why not? Love truly is the strongest force in the universe, Kian. It has toppled empires and built new ones. It has driven people to madness and sometimes to greatness. It is the thread that connects all living things."
"It's also not particularly helpful when we're trying to figure out how to extract five desiccated immortals from a sand-filled enclosure in an enemy stronghold."
Annani waved a dismissive hand. "Logistics can be solved. What matters is the why. Why did the Fates show Syssi those couples? Perhaps because they will play a role in what comes next. Perhaps because their love will be the key that unlocks something we cannot yet see."
"Or perhaps the Fates were just being cryptic, as usual."
"The Fates are never cryptic without purpose."
Kian bit back his response. Arguing with his mother about the nature of destiny and love was a losing battle, and he had more pressing concerns.
"What about the portal?" he asked instead. "Any thoughts on what that might mean?"
Annani's expression grew thoughtful. "Mount Ararat is significant to many cultures. It is where Noah's Ark supposedly came to rest. It has been a place of pilgrimage and mystery for millennia."
"That doesn't explain a portal to another world."
"No, it does not."
Syssi cleared her throat. "The important thing is that we now know that Dr. Petrov and his assistant have some important roles to play that are not limited to their work with the enhanced soldiers. They might be valuable allies on the island if we find a way to contact them."
"They don't know us," Kian said. "They have no reason to trust us."
"They have every reason to want off that island," Syssi countered. "That might be enough."
"Perhaps." Annani pushed her plate away. "But first things first. You must speak with Navuh, Kian. Learn what he knows and what he planned. Make it clear that his bargaining position has crumbled."
"I'll go this afternoon." He hated having to chip away at his time with his family, but this was important to his mother.
"Perhaps we can all go?" She turned to Syssi. "You can come with me to see Areana. Allegra will be happy to see Darius."
"Darius," Allegra repeated. "Go to Darius."
"Oh, boy." Syssi let out a breath. "Those two are developing a bond. I hope for Kian's sake that it's a sibling kind of bond."
"Let's make sure that this is all it is." Kian mock-glared at his daughter. "I don't want Kalugal as my in-law. Having him as a cousin is insufferable enough."
"You love him." Syssi rose to her feet and kissed his temple. "Admit it."
"Let's not get carried away. At best, I tolerate him."
“Right.” Syssi patted his arm. “Anyway, I think I’ll pass on the visit today. Allegra hasn’t napped yet, and we all know what happens when she’s tired.”