Chapter 7 Tamira #2
As they crossed the bridge to the section of the village where Kalugal lived, the architectural style changed to more modern, and Tamira noticed security cameras that were visible on some of the properties.
"Kalugal's section of the village is a separate compound within the larger community," Eluheed commented. "It feels a little less welcoming." He turned to her. "Is it just me, or do you get the same impression?"
"I agree. The style of the homes in the rest of the village is warmer. Perhaps because it's more traditional. I was never a fan of contemporary architecture unless it was for modern art museums and office buildings. I prefer the warmer tones, front porches, and flowerbeds."
The map led them to a house that didn't look much different from the others except for a really tall, red front door. Tamira pressed the intercom button, and a moment later, the red door swung open.
"Welcome." Kalugal grinned at them. "Please come in."
He was such an unmistakable mix of his mother and father that she didn't need him to introduce himself to know who he was.
He had Areana's eyes and Navuh's hair and skin color.
The confidence was Navuh's as well, but there was an aspect that was uniquely Kalugal's, and that was the humor that somehow radiated from him even though he hadn't said anything humorous yet.
Kalugal just seemed like the type who didn't take anything seriously.
"Thank you." She stepped inside with Eluheed by her side.
The first thing Tamira realized upon entering was that the modest exterior was a facade, and most of the house was built underground.
They descended a wide staircase into an enormous open-plan living area with soaring ceilings and elegant furnishings, but what struck her the most were the skylights. They were huge panels of glass set into the ceiling that flooded the room with natural light.
"This is ingenious," she breathed.
Kalugal smiled, looking proud. "Thank you.
I designed it myself, with some help from the clan's architect.
We were limited in regard to the aboveground square footage and building height, so we opted to build most of the structure underground, but we didn't want to live in a bunker, so the skylights were a perfect solution. "
Kalugal gestured toward a seating area arranged around a fireplace that wasn't lit. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. I'll get Jacki."
He disappeared down a hallway, and Tamira and Eluheed settled onto a plush sofa. The leather was soft, the cushions perfectly supportive. Everything in this room spoke of wealth and taste, but also of comfort. It was a home and a showpiece at the same time, which was not an easy feat to pull off.
A moment later, Kalugal returned with a tall, blond woman with blue eyes and a friendly smile. She carried a baby on her hip, a chubby-cheeked, serious little boy who regarded the visitors with solemn curiosity.
"This is my wife, Jacki," Kalugal said. "And our son, Darius."
"It's so nice to meet you." Jacki shifted the baby to shake Tamira's hand, then Eluheed's. "I've heard a lot about both of you. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Tea? Something stronger?"
"Coffee would be lovely," Tamira said, even though they'd just had some at the café.
"Same for me," Eluheed said.
Jacki handed the baby to his father and headed toward a bar that apparently housed a coffee station in addition to an impressive collection of spirits.
The baby watched them with curious eyes.
"He's beautiful," Tamira said to Kalugal. "How old is he?"
"Just over a year." Kalugal's expression softened when he spoke about his son. "He's starting to walk now, which means we can't take our eyes off him for a second. He gets into everything."
"They do at that age." The words came out before Tamira could stop them, and a familiar ache bloomed in her chest. She'd never seen Darien take his first steps. She'd never seen him do anything. He'd been taken from her when he was only a few days over three months old.
Kalugal sat on one of the armchairs and sat his son on his knee, bouncing him lightly. "You wanted to talk about Darien."
"Yes." Tamira clasped her hands in her lap.
"I know nothing about him. Not even what he looks like, except that he resembles me.
" She turned to Eluheed. "My partner, Elias, is a shaman, and he can summon visions.
He saw Darien and me walking hand in hand in a place called Times Square, and he said that he knew it was my son because he looked like me. "
"The vision is why we have hope that he can be found," Eluheed added.
Kalugal nodded. "The resemblance is uncanny." He paused, and then his face brightened. "I might have a picture of him."
He rose to his feet and offered Tamira his son, which surprised and delighted her at once.
"Can you hold him while I get it? If he fusses, give him to Jacki."
"I would love to hold him." Tamira extended her arms, and Darius went willingly to her.
The feeling of holding a baby was intoxicating. "Hello, precious one." She smiled at him. "My name is Tamira, and this handsome fellow next to me is Elias."
"Wias," Darius repeated.
"Close enough," Eluheed said. "Can you say Tamira?"
The boy lifted his face so he could see her and gave her a toothy smile. "Pwetty."
Eluheed laughed. "You have good taste, young man, but this pretty lady is mine. You will have to find your own."
Tamira was sure that Darius had no idea what Eluheed was saying, even though his serious expression suggested otherwise.
"Gwa," he said. "My."
"Oh boy." Kalugal sauntered into the living room holding a large photograph in his hand. "I'm glad Kian is not here. I'm sure he would have something to say about my son claiming his daughter as his."
Tamira's eyes widened. "Is Gwa what he calls Allegra?"
Kalugal nodded. "Darius is in love. I just hope that it goes away when he gets older because Allegra doesn't seem to be interested in younger men."
He plucked Darius from Tamira's arms with one hand while handing her the photograph with the other.
"This was taken for Darien's fake passport.
It was a long time ago, but since Darien is immortal, he should still look the same today.
The picture is old and faded, but with today's tools, that's not a problem. I enlarged and enhanced the image."
Tamira didn't breathe as she looked down at the photograph clasped in her hand.
And there he was.
Her beautiful son.
His features were refined, almost delicate, with high cheekbones and a strong jaw. His hair was dark, like hers, and his eyes were hers. The same color, the same shape, the same depth, and the same hint of sadness lurking behind the surface.
Tears blurred her vision, and she blinked them back furiously.
"He's beautiful," she whispered.
"He looks very much like you," Kalugal agreed. "What did his father look like?"
She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to contain the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
"I'm ashamed to admit that I don't remember his father.
He was just another human servant in the harem, and they all looked a little like Navuh.
Similar height and coloring. I made a point never to get attached to any of them. "
She traced her finger over the photograph. "But I got very attached to my Darien, even though I did my best not to. I loved him from the first time I felt him moving inside my womb. Then he was taken away from me, and part of me died that day."
Eluheed put his hand over hers, offering his support, and she appreciated the gesture because she needed it.
Jacki returned with a tray of coffee, setting it on the table before them. She took one look at Tamira's tear-streaked face, and the photograph in her hands, and her expression softened with understanding.
"Your son is so handsome," Jacki said quietly. "He has your face, but the masculine version of it."
"Thank you." Tamira carefully set the photograph on her lap, not wanting to let it go. "Can I—would it be possible to get a copy of this?"
"It's yours. I made this for you."
"Thank you," she whispered, because she was too choked up to speak. "This means the world to me."
"You're welcome." Kalugal transferred Darius back to his wife and crossed his legs at the knee.
"Let me see what I remember about Darien.
" He smoothed his hand over his goatee. "I was surprised when he was placed under my command.
My father preferred to keep his sons away from each other, the adopted ones as well as those who were his by blood, to prevent them from conspiring against him.
But Darien was young, and he didn't have the right constitution to be a warrior.
Navuh hoped I would be able to whip him into shape. "
"He was gentle?" Tamira asked hopefully.
"That's one way to describe him. Darien could fight when he had to because he had no choice.
All of us were trained to do that from an early age, and those who didn't do well suffered the consequences.
But his heart wasn't in it. He was too smart to be just another cog in the Brotherhood's machine, and he valued life.
All life. He questioned orders when he should have followed them blindly.
" Kalugal's lips quirked in a smile. "Navuh didn't know what to do with him. He didn't fit the mold."
"So, he put him under your command," Eluheed said.
"By no means was I what my father would consider a military prodigy, but I was competent, and I was his flesh and blood, so he entrusted me with the command of a platoon. I guess he assumed that I would be a good influence on Darien."
"Did Darien know I was his mother?" Tamira asked.
Kalugal shook his head. "I was lucky enough to remember my mother because Navuh allowed her to keep me longer than he allowed the others, and also because I had a few tricks up my sleeve that the others did not."
"Tricks?" Eluheed asked.
"I'm a compeller, and I could compel immortals from a very young age." He chuckled. "Not that I knew what I was doing. I just thought that I was so adorable that people did what I asked them to do. I got into the harem by just walking through the gates like I owned the place."
Tamira gasped. "I didn't know that! How?"
He shrugged. "I just commanded a soldier to drive me there and then commanded the guards to open the gates for me.
This was long before surveillance cameras and instantaneous forms of communication, so I could get away with it.
My mother told me to make sure no one remembered me coming to the harem, so I compelled them on my way out to forget.
I did the same thing two more times before my mother told me to stop.
It was too dangerous. She warned me that if my father found out what I could do, I might be in danger from him.
Navuh didn't want competition. Not even from his own flesh-and-blood sons. "
It was sad that Areana had felt that way, and even sadder that she had chosen to stay by Navuh's side despite it.
"How long had you been plotting to escape?" Eluheed asked.
"Since I can remember." Kalugal picked up his coffee cup, cradling it in his hands.
"I was just waiting for the right opportunity and collecting males who hated the Brotherhood and everything it stood for as much as I did.
" He smiled. "Given my ability, it wasn't difficult to pry that information out of them.
Darien didn't need much coaxing, let alone compulsion, to admit his disdain for the Brotherhood.
He was eager to escape and build a new life away from Navuh's control.
When we were stationed in Japan during WW2, not far from one of the nuclear bombing sites, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to disappear.
Even immortals couldn't survive a nuclear bomb, and since we were in the area, we would be assumed dead.
Using the power of my compulsion, I smuggled us out of Japan and into the United States. "
"What happened when you reached the States?" Tamira asked.
"I established myself here. Most of my men stayed with me, others scattered. Darien was eager to venture out on his own, and I gave him my blessing. We parted on good terms. I gave him money, documents, and my contact information in case he ever needed help."
"Did you ever hear from him?" Eluheed asked.
"A few times, in the beginning. He was living in New York, trying to build a life for himself. He seemed happy, or at least content, but as time went by, the calls grew less frequent and eventually stopped. The last time I heard from him was over forty years ago."
"That's a long time ago," Tamira whispered, desperation clawing at her heart. "How am I going to find him?"
"My mother asked Annani to help locate Darien, so I hired an investigator," Kalugal said.
Hope flared anew in Tamira's heart, and gratitude to Areana. The goddess hadn't told her that she'd asked for Annani's help. She couldn't because her communication with her sister had to be kept a secret.
"What did the investigator find?" Eluheed asked.
"Old tracks that had gone cold. Darien lived in New York for several decades under the name we gave him, which was Darien Croft. He had an apartment in Brooklyn and worked various jobs. But about thirty years ago, his tracks went cold. He must have changed his name and gotten a new identity."
Tamira's heart sank. "So, we don't know where he is now."
"We know he's still in New York." Kalugal leaned forward. "You said Elias saw you with him in Times Square. That means he's still there. And if he's there, he can be found."
"How?" Tamira looked at Eluheed, then back at Kalugal. "If he's changed his identity and gone into hiding, how do we find him?"
"There are ways." Kalugal set down his coffee cup.
"We'll have to be creative. First, we can expand the search to include visual recognition.
We have a very talented hacker in the clan who has access to various databases, like driver's licenses, security cameras' footage, and social media.
If Darien's face appears anywhere, Roni can find him. "