Chapter 4 Kian
KIAN
Annani was quiet for a long moment, tracing the rim of her cup with her finger. "True love cannot die," she said, so softly that it was nearly a murmur.
The words hung in the air, oddly formal, almost ceremonial. It sounded like a line from a song or an ancient poem, but the way Annani had said it was not poetic. She said it like reciting a prayer. As if she was clinging to it like a mantra, and it was her anchor in the storm.
Kian studied her. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that Khiann is alive. I feel it. The bond between us has not been severed, and as long as true love persists, so does the one you love."
It was a beautiful sentiment. The kind of thing that sounded profound and offered comfort. But Kian wasn't sure he believed in it, at least not in the literal sense like his mother seemed to.
He'd been listening to a podcast recently about consciousness as the fundamental reality of the universe, one of those intellectual deep dives that Syssi kept recommending.
The argument was that consciousness wasn't a byproduct of neurons firing and chemicals reacting, but rather the other way around.
That the material world was secondary, derived from a universal consciousness that permeated everything.
In theory, it had all sounded wonderful.
If consciousness were fundamental, then love as an expression of consciousness could transcend the physical.
It wouldn't be bound by bodies or brains or the border between the living and the dead.
It would persist in some form, woven into the fabric of reality.
But after sitting with the idea for a while, Kian wasn't buying it.
The philosopher on the podcast had been eloquent and persuasive, but eloquence wasn't evidence.
The theory was unfalsifiable, which made it beautiful but also conveniently immune to disproof, and Kian had always been more comfortable with things he could test, measure, and verify.
Still, his mother believed it, and right now that mattered more than whether it was objectively true.
"You might be right," he said.
Annani gave him a look that said she knew exactly what he was doing, but she smiled anyway.
"On a happier note," Syssi said, "Tony's confirmation ceremony was lovely. It's wonderful to welcome a new immortal into the clan."
"It is," Kian agreed. "I'm happy for him and Shira. I hope their relationship will blossom into something permanent, even if they are not truelove mates. Atzil and Ingrid are great together, and they are not truelove mates either." He shook his head. "Now I sound like Amanda."
Syssi patted his hand. "There is nothing wrong with wanting to see people happily mated. That and having children are the greatest joys in life. Everyone with a good heart should want that for everyone else."
"Not everyone," Kian muttered under his breath. "Some people should never mate or have children, and we all know who I'm talking about."
Syssi arched a brow. "We do? There are so many types of evildoers in the world that it is hard to pick."
"I meant all of them."
"Speaking of transitions," Annani said, redirecting the conversation, "what about Eluheed? He should attempt it as well."
The question was casual, tossed out as if it had just occurred to her, but Annani's casual questions were rarely casual.
Kian felt Syssi stiffen beside him, and their eyes met in one of those wordless exchanges that communicated entire conversations in a fraction of a second.
What do we say?
We can't tell her the truth that he's already immortal, but not from this world.
Kian looked back at his mother. "Eluheed's situation is complicated."
Annani's eyebrows rose. "Why? Either he has dormant genes, or he does not. The test is simple. It is not particularly pleasant, but the potential rewards are far greater than the small inconvenience of having to fight an immortal and get bitten."
"That's not the problem." Kian chose his words carefully, acutely aware that every word was being weighed by a goddess who had millennia of experience extracting information from reluctant sources.
"Eluheed shared some things with Syssi and me in confidence.
Things about who he is and where he comes from.
He hasn't authorized us to discuss them with anyone else. I gave him my word."
Annani set her cup down, and Kian could see the wheels turning behind her eyes.
"I see." Her tone was measured, but a flicker of hurt crossed her eyes. "He trusts you and Syssi but not me?"
"It's not about trust, Mother. Eluheed barely knows you.
He told us because he needed our help with something specific, and that was the only reason he revealed what he did.
It wasn't a social confidence. Once that project moves forward, I'm sure he'll be willing to expand the circle, but for now…
" Kian spread his hands. "I can't break a promise. "
The project in question, which was the rescue of whatever sacred charges Eluheed had hidden in a collapsed cave on Mount Ararat, would have to wait until Khiann's extraction was complete and Navuh's situation was resolved.
Hopefully, the clan would have enough resources left for an excavating expedition to Eastern Turkey.
Annani respected the sanctity of a given word.
She might not like being on the outside of a secret, but she wouldn't pressure him to break a promise.
"Very well." She picked her coffee cup up again. "I trust your judgment. But I hope Eluheed is ready to expand his circle of confidence soon. I am curious, and I am not patient, but right now my mind is occupied by different things, so Eluheed's story can wait."
"Indeed. And the same goes for the help he expects from us. I have my plate full at the moment."
Kian considered the other item that had been weighing on his mind.
"I need your advice on something," he said. "Arezoo and Ruvon's wedding is scheduled for this Saturday."
"I know." Syssi smiled. "Arezoo has been counting down the days."
"That's what makes this difficult." Kian set his cup down.
"Onegus needs to deploy half the Guardian force to Safe Harbor by midweek so that we can move forward with the extraction mission on short notice.
If Losham's excavation team reaches the chests on schedule, we need to be ready to move and be on the island with no delay.
That means many of the Guardians won't be here to attend the wedding, and neither will several other clan members who are essential to the operation. "
Syssi's smile faded. "You are right. We should tell her."
"It gets worse. Drova wants to be at the wedding. She and Arezoo are best friends, and Drova is one of the bridesmaids, but we might need Drova for the mission. Her compulsion ability makes her one of our most valuable assets, and we need her on standby at Safe Harbor."
Annani tilted her head. "Are you proposing to postpone the wedding?"
"I'm asking how to approach Arezoo and Ruvon about it."
"Don't tell them to postpone," Syssi said. "Give them the option. Explain the situation and let them decide. They can go ahead knowing that many people won't be able to attend, or they can choose to wait until after the mission when everyone can be there."
It was a reasonable approach, and Kian should have thought of it himself, but he had a tendency to frame things as directives rather than employ diplomacy. It was one of his weaknesses, and he relied on Syssi to balance him out.
"Drova's absence might be the deciding factor for Arezoo," Syssi added. "Arezoo wants her best friend there, and if she knows that Drova can't come because of the mission, she might prefer to postpone rather than have the wedding without her."
Annani smiled, and the shadows that had been lurking behind her eyes retreated.
"I am so glad to hear that those two girls have become such close friends.
If a pureblooded Kra-ell with a powerful compulsion ability and a warrior's temperament can become the dearest friend of a gentle dormant girl who insists on waiting until marriage before fully joining with her beloved, then there is real hope for the future of our community. "
It was such a quintessentially Annani observation to find a grand philosophical meaning in a personal friendship that Kian had to smile.
"They are an unlikely pair," he admitted.
"They have more in common than you think." Syssi selected a strawberry from the fruit plate. "Both had terrible fathers. Both escaped their tyranny. They understand each other's scars in a way that most people can't."
"Shared suffering creates bonds that transcend differences," Annani said. "It is one of the few beautiful things that emerge from pain."
Kian thought about Drova, who had arrived at the village fierce and wary and not trusting anyone, and Arezoo, who had arrived quiet and frightened and barely speaking above a whisper.
Two women from worlds that couldn't be more different, who had found in each other the kind of unconditional acceptance that allowed them to connect.
"I'll talk to Arezoo and Ruvon tomorrow," he said. "I'll present the situation and let them decide."
"Do you want me to do it?" Syssi asked. "Together with Amanda, that is. As their wedding planner, Amanda has more sway than anyone."
That was a good idea, and Kian was relieved that he could cross this task off his to-do list.
"I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you."
From the living room, a crash was followed by Allegra's delighted shriek. "I built a frog house!"
"Wonderful, sweetheart," Syssi called out. "Is it sturdy?"
Another crash.
"Not anymore!" Okidu supplied.
Kian shook his head and reached for another pancake. Sundays were supposed to be relaxed, and this one hadn't been, but it was still good because he was surrounded by his family.
His mother was right about one thing. Even if he wasn't sure about the metaphysics behind it, love persisted, and as long as it did, the rest could be managed, even if he wasn't convinced that consciousness was the fundamental reality of the universe.