Chapter 6 Navuh
NAVUH
Stunned by the news, Navuh kept his expression carefully neutral.
He wasn't surprised that Losham had taken control of the island or that he had breached the glass enclosure and triggered the booby trap. What surprised him was that Annani had somehow found out about it.
How could she possibly know?
If what she had said was true, the traps had been triggered mere hours ago on an island that hardly anyone knew about, with heavily restricted outgoing and incoming communication.
The clan must have a spy on the island. That was the only explanation.
But who could it be?
Lokan had probably been spying for the clan for years, but Navuh had suspected him and kept him away in China.
His suspicions had been confirmed when Lokan had chosen to take the final step and desert with his lover, who, as it turned out, was an immortal and a clan member.
The same one who had infiltrated the harem pretending to be human.
A brave female and a worthy mate for his son, but an enemy, nonetheless.
In a way, Navuh was grateful that Lokan had managed to flee successfully. If he had been caught, Navuh would have been forced to execute him. A leader could not show weakness by sparing a traitor, not even his own son, and Areana would never have forgiven him for that.
Perhaps he would never have forgiven himself either.
But that was in the past. Right now, he needed to focus on the present and the complication created by Losham. Getting Khiann out now would be much more complicated, and without getting Annani's mate to her, Navuh wasn't getting his freedom.
"How did you find out about the traps being sprung?" he asked.
Annani's expression didn't even flicker. "We have our ways."
They definitely had a spy on the island. The question was whether this spy was someone whom Losham trusted, and who had access to sensitive information. It could also be a low-level operative who had heard the explosions and managed to communicate with the outside world.
Either way, it was a bitter pill to swallow. Navuh had always assumed the island was impenetrable, its communications monitored and controlled, and its inhabitants compelled to obey.
Apparently, he had been wrong.
Again.
He hadn't foreseen his own son betraying him either.
"Since you seem to know what's happening on my island," he said as casually as he could, "perhaps you could fill me in on the details? I've been somewhat out of the loop lately."
Annani chuckled at that. "Really? You expect me to update you on the state of your island?"
He shrugged, enjoying finally being able to move his shoulders. "I thought you might enjoy gloating. I'm certain nothing good is happening over there, especially after the breach. Losham is going to have to fight for his life."
That got a reaction, not from Annani, whose composure remained infuriatingly perfect, but from her son.
Kian, who until now had been standing near the door and playing the part of a wall ornament, took a step forward so he was in Navuh's line of sight. "Why would Losham have to fight for his life?"
Navuh arched an eyebrow. "I thought you knew what was happening on my island."
"We know some things. Not everything."
"Clearly." Navuh let the word hang in the air for a moment, savoring the small victory. They had a spy, yes, but he had to be low-level, perhaps one of the many humans currently working on the island.
With Navuh gone, Losham had human construction crews arriving to perform repairs and no one to compel them into silence.
That provided the clan with ample opportunity to sneak in a spy, but a human wouldn't know much of value.
He could report on whether the place was orderly or if fighting had broken out, and he could report on the explosions in the mansion, but not much more than that.
Still, it was more than Navuh had at the moment.
"If you tell me what you know, perhaps I can fill in the gaps."
Kian's jaw tightened. "That's not how this works."
"Isn't it?" Navuh shifted on the bed, enjoying the fact that he could actually shift now.
He was regaining more functionality every day, his immortal body slowly healing the massive damage it had sustained.
Hopefully, he would be able to walk again in a matter of weeks, not months as Bridget had predicted.
"You came here for information. I have information.
It seems to me that an exchange would benefit both parties. "
Kian was about to answer when Annani lifted her hand to stop him. "I came here for answers about Khiann. I want to know if there is any chance that he survived the collapse."
Navuh studied her for a long moment. The goddess was good at hiding her emotions, but he was an excellent observer, and he could see the cracks in her armor that she was struggling to hide. She held herself too still, too rigid, as if any movement might reveal her panic.
She was terrified, and beneath the fear there was also a desperate hope that she was trying very hard to suppress.
"Of course, he survived," Navuh said, waving a dismissive hand.
The hope in her eyes flared so bright it was almost painful to witness. "How?"
"Does not matter. What matters is that it is now much more difficult to retrieve Khiann because the entrance to his chamber is blocked by tons of debris. Did you really think I would risk damaging my most valuable bargaining chip? Khiann and his companions are perfectly safe."
He could see the hope spark in Annani's eyes, and he couldn't help but pity her just a little despite hating her and everything she stood for.
In her selfishness, Annani had caused the devastation of the ancient world and ended the rule of the gods. On the other hand, thanks to her, he had gotten Areana.
No, that was not the right way to think about this.
If Annani hadn't set in motion the chain of events that had forced Areana to take her place as Mortdh's bride, Navuh could have courted her slowly and won her heart over time. They were fated mates, so his success had been guaranteed.
Except, he hadn't known that back then, and he had believed that the goddess would never consider a mere immortal like him, even though he was the son of the second most powerful god on Earth.
Would he have had the courage to approach her?
He wanted to believe that he would.
Still, there was no point in ruminating on the past and entertaining what-ifs. He needed to focus on the future, and the way things were looking now, getting Khiann to Annani in exchange for his freedom had just gotten much more complicated.
His sons had received their call to action following the booby traps being sprung, and the house of cards Losham had built was about to crumble.
"You said that if the booby traps were sprung, Khiann would be lost forever. Now you are claiming that no harm came to him." Kian's voice was accusatory. "One of those statements is a lie. How do we know which one?"
"The threat of destruction was meant to motivate you to accept my terms quickly. If you had simply agreed to release me, none of this would have happened."
"Are you certain that Khiann survived the explosions?" Annani worked hard to mask the fragile hope in her tone, but she wasn't fooling him.
"As certain as I can be without being there personally.
" Navuh softened his tone slightly. There was no point in being unnecessarily cruel when he needed her cooperation.
"The chamber was built underneath the enclosure with reinforced walls, and the chests the bodies are in are nearly indestructible without being completely isolated because bodies in stasis still need some exposure to the elements to survive.
The problem is that reaching them has become much more complicated.
Digging through all of that debris will take weeks because they need to be careful, or the entire mansion will collapse.
It also depends on how determined Losham is to discover what I was hiding in there.
I have a feeling that he will be very busy very soon. "
"Why?" Kian asked. "What was triggered by those explosions other than the collapse of your basement and part of your backyard?"
Was it prudent to tell them about the emails that had gone out to all of his sons? It might create a sense of urgency because the island would become chaotic, but then chaos was an advantage for the clan. A divided enemy was easier to conquer, and Navuh didn't want the clan to win.
Then again, his freedom should be his top priority in his negotiations with the clan. Without him, the Brotherhood would not survive for long, so even if he didn't prioritize himself, he wouldn't be doing the island and the Brotherhood any favors.
"The explosion triggered an alert that went out to all of my sons.
" He folded the edge of his blanket to give himself a moment to gather his thoughts.
"I got the idea while building the enclosure.
I decided to build three of its walls from glass purely for my own personal enjoyment, knowing that it was safe in the basement of my mansion.
But then it occurred to me that if I were no longer around, whoever took my place would want what's in there, imagining that it was some great treasure.
My next realization was that whoever took my place was probably the one who eliminated me, and I wasn't going to allow the bastard to enjoy what was mine after killing me.
That was how I got the idea to booby-trap the enclosure, and if the traps were sprung, an email would go out to all of my sons, informing them that I had been murdered and that either a traitor or an occupying force was taking possession of what was supposed to be divided between them.
I could not have foreseen these circumstances. "
He waved a hand over the blanket. "I don't know how Losham is holding on to power, but I suspect that he's hiding my absence, claiming that I suffered a nervous breakdown and refuse to see anyone."