31. Kian
As Aru”s telepathic connection with his sister ended, Kian turned his gaze to his mother. She avoided his eyes, but he could see the stiffness of her shoulders and the stubborn tilt of her chin.
Annani feared that he would dismiss this latest theory of hers as more wishful thinking and quash her hope again.
The prophecy she”d gotten five thousand years ago had kept that flicker of hope alive in her throughout the millennia, despite all the evidence stacked against it. He knew that, even though his mother didn”t talk about it. Or maybe she did, just not with him. Perhaps she”d confided in Alena.
The thing was, she should have trusted him to be open-minded and listen to her because what she had told the queen actually made perfect sense. In fact, he couldn”t understand how none of them had ever considered the possibility of Ahn manipulating the witnesses.
His grandfather had been a powerful compeller and a ruthless leader. If he wanted to eliminate the threat of Mortdh, Khiann”s untimely demise in the earthquake would have provided him with the perfect opportunity to frame Mortdh as his murderer.
Kian couldn”t understand how Ahn could have been so cruel to Annani, but then he himself was very different from his grandfather. He would never have sacrificed his own daughter on the altar of politics.
Hell, he would have killed Mortdh himself and screw the consequences.
Syssi reached out and touched Annani”s arm. ”I know you are disappointed that the oracle couldn”t help you, but perhaps I can help search for Khiann. If there”s even the slightest chance that he is alive, I will do everything I can to find a clue to his whereabouts. After all, if I could find David”s parents by inducing a vision, I might be able to find out the truth about Khiann”s fate as well.”
Kian hated it when Syssi did that. It was one thing when the visions came to her unbidden and another thing when she forced herself into a trance and invited them.
Every time she delved into the mists of time and possibility, she emerged drained and disoriented, sometimes taking days to fully recover. The thought of her subjecting herself to that again made his protective instincts surge to the fore.
True, he told himself that she wasn”t pregnant now and that there was no risk to her health, but he was still wary of the damn visions. Where did they come from? Was it from the Fates or from some malignant force that could leave its residue on Syssi”s soul?
Kian didn”t like anything that he didn”t understand, and out of all the paranormal abilities, seeing events that hadn”t happened yet or even past events that were unconnected to the seer had no logical explanation.
Still, he didn”t say a word.
The desperate hope his mother was trying to mask slew him, and if Syssi could help her, he would never stand in her way.
Annani turned a grateful smile at Syssi. ”If you wish to try, by all means, but there was a reason I did not turn to you first, my sweet child. Your visions are about the now or the future, not the distant past. Jacki might have been able to take a peek if I had anything of Khiann”s I could give her to hold, but regrettably, I have nothing of his.”
Kian frowned. ”Why not? Didn”t you take some mementos from your time together when you fled to the north?”
”There was no time. I knew that I would need to start a new civilization and to do that, I would need knowledge I did not possess. My first priority was to find Ekin”s tablet and steal it.” She sighed. ”I took some jewelry to barter with, and I used it wisely over the years. Keeping my children and grandchildren fed and sheltered was more important than keeping Khiann”s gifts. I have never assigned much value to possessions.” Her eyes suddenly widened. ”What about the Odus? They were also a gift from my Khiann. I could ask Jacki to touch them.”
Syssi pursed her lips. ”Jacki can definitely try, but I doubt it will work with the Odus. Then again, Jacki saw what happened to Wonder just from touching the little statue someone had made of her as Gulan, so maybe she can pull it off.” Syssi cast a sidelong glance at Kian. ”It”s a shame the amulet is depleted of power. Jacki could have used it to amplify her ability.”
Annani shook her head. ”That thing was evil. Even if it still held its potency, I would not resort to using it for this purpose. My Khiann was all bright light and love. To seek him through an instrument of darkness would be an affront to his memory.”
Kian nodded in agreement. ”I wouldn”t use that thing either. I hope that Kalugal stored it somewhere safe so no evil can find it and use it to amplify its darkness.”
His mother cast him a loving smile and reached for his hand. ”You might not be Khiann”s son, but I named you after him not just because I wanted to honor his memory, but because I saw so much of him in you, even when you were still a baby. You grew up to be just like him in so many ways. Your strength, compassion, and sense of justice, even your sense of humor. You also love your wife as fiercely as he loved me.”
Kian felt his throat tighten with emotion. ”Thank you. I”m honored to carry his name, and I hope Syssi or Jacki can help find him or at least find out what fate befell him.”
Annani squeezed his hand. ”I know it is not easy for you to watch your mate surrender to the visions, and I appreciate it.”
Syssi leaned back in her chair. ”If it wasn”t so late, I would do it now, but I”m tired, and it”s never good to summon visions when I”m not fully rested.”
Aru, who had listened to the exchange without saying a thing, pushed to his feet. ”If my services are no longer required, I would like to retire for the night.”
”Not yet,” Kian said. ”There is a matter I need to discuss with you before you go.”