Chapter 33 Kian
KIAN
By the time Elias accepted his vow, Kian's curiosity had reached fever pitch, and he'd almost forgotten that he'd wanted to ask the guy about Navuh's enhancement program.
Perhaps it could wait for another time, though.
Elias was dead serious about whatever he was hiding.
This didn't seem like some elaborate con or a delusional fantasy.
The guy believed every word he was saying, and more importantly, he clearly had something significant at stake.
People didn't demand such specific oaths of secrecy unless they had serious secrets worth protecting.
"Now that we've established the terms, tell me what this is all about."
Elias took a breath, and something shifted in his expression—a steeling, as if he was preparing to leap off a cliff.
"I came to Earth over a thousand years ago," he said. "I was escaping a war zone and carrying sacred charges to safety."
A thousand years?
Elias was human. How could he have arrived a thousand years ago, and where had he arrived from?
Kian held up a hand. "Stop right there. Are you saying that you're immortal?"
Elias nodded. "Yes. But not like you. I don't have fangs or venom, and my eyes don't glow. That's how I was able to hide what I was from Navuh and all the other immortals on the island. I don't have any exterior tells to give me away."
"But you're immortal."
"I'm stronger and faster than regular humans, probably on a par with your kind of immortals, but I've never competed with one of you, so I can't be sure of that. The same goes for my hearing and eyesight. I don't get sick, and I heal quickly from injuries."
Kian leaned back in his chair, his mind working furiously. Another species of immortals. Another branch on a tree he'd thought he understood. First the gods, then the Kra-ell, and now a man who claimed to have arrived on Earth a thousand years ago from somewhere else in the universe.
"Where did you come from?" he asked.
"Another planet."
"That's not an answer." Kian's voice sharpened with impatience. "Where is your planet? What's it called? Where in the galaxy is it located?"
Elias shook his head. "I can't tell you that."
"Can't or won't?"
"Both." There was regret in his voice but also resolve. "Some secrets I'm not permitted to share, regardless of the circumstances. The location of my home world falls into that category."
Kian wanted to press harder, to demand answers, but he could see from Elias's expression that pushing would accomplish nothing. The man had drawn a line, and he wasn't going to cross it, no matter how much Kian insisted.
He could try to enter his mind and see the answers for himself, but that would be deceitful.
Besides, if Navuh hadn't found out what Elias was hiding, then his mind was impenetrable.
The male was immune to thralling and compulsion, either thanks to his unique genetics or just a random luck of the draw.
Perhaps he could get the guy to reveal more by coaxing him to talk about himself and his people. After keeping his identity a secret for so long, he was probably hungry to share that with someone.
"Are there any others like you on Earth?"
"As far as I know, I'm the only one."
"Are all of your people like you?" Kian asked.
Elias tilted his head. "In what way?"
"Immune to compulsion. If Navuh couldn't enter your mind to uncover your secrets, then you must be immune."
"I must be," Elias admitted. "But I don't know if all Elucians are immune."
Kian smiled. "So that's what your planet is called? Elucia?"
"Elucia is the name of my country. Our enemies are rumored to have compellers, but it has never been confirmed."
"What about your visions? Are all of your people psychic?"
"I'm a shaman, and that comes with individual gifts. I was given a modest gift of visions."
"By whom?"
Elias frowned. "What do you mean by whom? Shamanic gifts come from Elu. From God."
Kian stifled a groan. "Were you born with your gifts? Were they genetically engineered? Were they given to you through some special ritual?"
Elias shook his head. "The ritual helped bring forth what was already in me, but why are you asking all of these irrelevant questions?"
"Oh, I find them very relevant." Kian leaned forward. "I want to know who and what you are, and how you got here." It suddenly occurred to Kian that Elias might be a spy for the Eternal King. How else would he travel to Earth?
"As far as I know, only Anumatians have spacecraft capable of interstellar travel," he said, dropping the name intentionally to see Elias's reaction.
The shaman's eyes widened. "Who are Anumatians?"
Kian studied him carefully, looking for any sign of artifice, but found none. The man appeared genuinely ignorant of the existence of Anumati.
"How can you be a space traveler and not know who they are?
Anumati is the home of the gods. The ones who seeded this galaxy with intelligent life, meaning humans, Kra-ell, your people, and countless others.
All the humanoids are their creations. They have colonies scattered across countless worlds.
If you arrived from another planet, you should have encountered them or at least heard of them. "
Elias shook his head. "I've never heard of them."
Kian's skepticism was growing.
An immortal from another planet who had never heard of the gods, who claimed to have arrived on Earth a millennium ago with no explanation of how.
Perhaps Elias was simply a delusional human?
He seemed earnest, worried, and desperate for help, but then many insane people believed in their delusions.
"Can you prove to me that you're immortal?" Kian asked.
"What kind of proof do you require?"
Kian looked around his office, searching for something that could serve as a test. His desk was heavy, but a strong human could probably lift it with effort.
His eyes fell on a document sitting on his desk—a printout of financial projections that Shai had prepared for him. He rose and lifted it, then held it up so that Elias could see it from across the room.
"Can you read this?"
Elias squinted at the paper. "Fourth quarter projections for MacBain Industries. Revenue up twelve percent, operating expenses down by four percent due to restructuring. Margin improved to—"
"Good enough." Kian lowered the paper. The print size was small, and Elias was sitting at least fifteen feet away. A human would have struggled to read anything at that distance.
But enhanced vision wasn't conclusive proof. There were humans with exceptional eyesight, and there were technological aids that could improve vision without being obvious. He needed something more definitive.
Kian turned away from Elias and whispered so quietly that even an immortal would struggle to hear: "If you can hear this, scratch your left ear."
He waited. Elias didn't move.
"Did you hear what I just said?" Kian asked.
Elias shook his head. "No. I heard you whispering, but I couldn't make out the words."
It still wasn't proof, but it was something.
"Let's set aside the question of your origins for now," Kian said, returning to his seat. "Tell me about these sacred charges you mentioned. What are they, and why do you need my help?"
Relief flickered across Elias's face. "When I arrived on Earth, I brought my charges with me. They are sacred to my people, and our future depends on their survival. I was tasked with keeping them safe until the time came for them to be retrieved."
"What are they?" Kian pressed. "Artifacts? Relics? Elucian technology?"
"I cannot say precisely what they are." Elias held up a hand before Kian could object. "I know that's frustrating, but there are limits to what I'm permitted to reveal. What I can tell you is that they pose no threat to your clan or to anyone else. They are inert."
"Until they are retrieved?"
Elias nodded.
"How and when will they be retrieved?"
"I don't know, and that's the truth. I'm waiting for someone to come for me.
But if anyone comes, they will look for me on Mount Ararat, where I was supposed to wait.
" Elias's expression grew distant, haunted.
"I hid them in a cave, and for centuries, I watched over them, making sure they were protected and unharmed.
But then the mountain erupted. It was the 1840 eruption, the second of July to be exact.
I barely escaped with my life, and my charges were buried under tons of volcanic rock.
Lava and basalt and debris, hundreds of feet deep.
I've been trying to find a way to reach them ever since, but I don't have the means.
I don't have the resources or the technology or the manpower. "
"And you think the clan does?"
"You are my last hope." Elias met his eyes. "I saw what you did to rescue Tula. You have wealth and connections. If anyone can help me excavate a site buried under a volcanic eruption, it's you."
It was an extraordinary ask. The kind of excavation Elias was describing would require resources that Kian couldn't even begin to imagine.
Heavy equipment, expert personnel, permits and permissions from whatever government controlled the land, and probably years of work.
It wasn't the kind of thing that could be accomplished quietly or cheaply.
"I don't know if what you're asking is even possible," Kian said honestly.
"I'd have to investigate, consult with experts, and get a sense of what would actually be required.
But I can tell you right now that it would be a monumental undertaking.
The clan might not have the resources for something of this scale. "
Elias's face fell. "I understand."