Chapter 6 Navuh #2
Kian arched a brow. "Has that ever happened, to be believable?"
Navuh had no choice but to admit it. "It was never a nervous breakdown, but I had periods of rage that required me to isolate myself from others. It has only happened twice."
It had happened more than that, but only twice had he isolated himself for days, fearing he would harm Areana or others who were crucial to his continuing rule.
"Losham could have been claiming that he's just been filling in for me. But now his brothers will be converging like vultures, each one hoping to claim the throne for himself. He'll be busy defending his position and consolidating power."
"You set your sons against each other," Annani said, and there was derision in her voice. "Your revenge on whoever might have eliminated you."
"Yes, but not just that. It's a test. The strongest will survive. The weak will be eliminated. Whoever emerges victorious will have proven himself worthy of leading the Brotherhood."
"That is so heartless," Annani said. "So like you."
"That's the way of the world." Navuh smiled. "Survival of the fittest."
"Where does Losham fit into this?" Kian asked.
"Losham is smart and capable, and he probably believes he's already won. Of all my sons, he's the only one who has a chance of holding the Brotherhood together. My instructions in the alert were for them to form a council and work together, but I doubt they will do that."
He hadn't groomed them to cooperate. On the contrary, he had done everything he could to alienate them from each other so they would not conspire against him.
Navuh watched as Annani and Kian exchanged glances, trying to gauge their reactions and figure out how this new information might shift the balance of power between them.
He was at a disadvantage, physically weakened and imprisoned, dependent on their goodwill for his very survival. But information was power, and right now, he had something that they desperately needed. That gave him leverage.
"So, what do we do now?" Annani asked finally. "How do we retrieve Khiann from that chamber?"
"First, you vow to set me free once Khiann is safely in your hands. A binding oath witnessed and sealed. Then I tell you everything you need to know."
"Your release is not on the table," Kian said. "Make a more reasonable demand, and we will talk terms."
Navuh smoothed his hands over the blanket. "It's freedom or nothing. I don't intend to live out the rest of my immortal life in a prison cell, no matter how nicely you decorate it."
Annani was silent for a long moment, her eyes fixed on some point in the distance. Navuh could almost see the wheels turning in her mind, weighing the costs and benefits, trying to find a way out of the trap he'd laid for her.
There wasn't one. Not as long as he stayed firm in his demand.
"Tell me this," she said at last. "The other sons you mentioned, the ones who received your alert. If they eliminate Losham, how likely are they to excavate the chamber and claim its contents for themselves?"
An astute question.
"It's very likely," he admitted. "I didn't keep my fancy glass enclosure a secret, but I didn't advertise it either.
I never told any of my sons what was inside.
They will all assume there is something extremely valuable in there.
But in the meantime, while Losham is still in charge, he might not prioritize excavation because he will have his hands full protecting his position. "
"We need to act quickly." Annani rose from her chair, her decision apparently made. "Before any of your sons get to the chests."
"Does that mean you agree to my terms?"
She looked down at him, and for a moment, Navuh saw something in her eyes that he hadn't expected. Not hatred, not fear, not even resignation.
Pity.
"You trapped yourself with your own schemes," she said quietly.
"You hid Khiann away as leverage, thinking it would protect you.
Instead, it has made you dependent on my mercy.
If I refuse your terms, you lose your only bargaining chip.
If I accept them, you go free—but only because I chose to let you. "
"That's one way to look at it, and it really does not matter to me what I have to do to reclaim my freedom." He smiled. "I'll take freedom over pride any day."
Annani straightened her shoulders. "I will consider your terms." She turned and walked toward the door, Kian falling into step beside her.
"Wait." He stopped her at the threshold. "At least tell me what's happening on the island. I can't help you retrieve Khiann if I don't know what's happening over there."
Annani glanced at him over her shoulder. "You will know what I choose to tell you. Nothing more."
The door closed behind her and Kian with a soft click, leaving Navuh alone with his thoughts.
Could it be that she and Kian were bluffing and they had no idea what the situation on the island was?
But then how could they have known about the booby traps being triggered?
What if they hadn't, and this was all an elaborate trick to get him to reveal more?
Navuh stared at the ceiling, running through the conversation in his mind, analyzing every word and gesture for hidden meanings. On the one hand, Annani had given away the existence of their spy, but on the other, he doubted she was that good of an actress.
The fear and desperation he had seen in her eyes had been real.
Kian, who wasn't nearly as good at hiding his feelings as his mother was, had also seemed agitated, so the booby traps getting triggered must have been true, but the method of obtaining the information might not have been a spy.
Perhaps satellite surveillance?
Kian had mentioned that part of the backyard had collapsed. What if their satellite imaging was that accurate?
The question now was how to turn this situation to his advantage. The booby traps had been triggered, and his adopted sons would soon start tearing each other apart, fighting for a throne that he had no intention of surrendering.
He was trapped in this bed, in this clinic, in this enemy stronghold, with nothing but his wits and his words to protect him.
The truth was that he didn't actually know how to retrieve Khiann from the buried chamber. Hell, he hadn't known how to retrieve him before this had happened. Not without returning to the island first.
But what if he could do that from here?
He would have to convince Annani and her son to let him contact Losham, preferably while he was still in control. He needed to find a way to make them think it was their idea.
Without him, their chances of retrieving Khiann were minimal at best. And they were running out of time. Every day that passed was another day for the situation on the island to deteriorate further.
Sooner or later, they would realize that this was their only option.