ANNANI
She had been given an earpiece, and so had Amanda and Alena, who had insisted on accompanying her to provide emotional support.
Finally, after all the setbacks, she was about to get her Khiann back.
She still found it hard to believe that it was actually happening. She had believed Khiann had been murdered by Mortdh, and when she had fled the assembly of gods who had been deliberating how to bring Mortdh to justice, she had believed that he would come after her next.
She had no idea how true that gut feeling was.
Annani had fled with her Odus and her aircraft and continued mourning her Khiann in the far north, which had become her sanctuary.
Five thousand years of mourning had passed before it occurred to her that Mortdh had not lied when he had claimed innocence, that her own father might have compelled the witnesses to incriminate Mortdh so he could get rid of the upstart god who wanted to rule in his stead.
Then Navuh had confirmed her newfound theory, or at least the part about Khiann not being dead but rather in stasis.
She had not had a moment of peace since that day.
To know that Khiann was alive but unreachable to her was its own kind of torture.
A cheer went up when the crew uncovered the chests, and died out quickly, probably silenced by Yamanu or Anandur. Annani's heart leaped in her chest. "Are they intact?" she asked.
"Yes, Clan Mother," Yamanu said through the comms. "They don't seem to be damaged."
Annani released a breath, and Alena tightened her hold on her hand. "Soon, Mother. You will have him back soon."
She nodded because she was too choked up to speak.
Instead, she listened to Yamanu narrating the extraction. "We are getting the first one out now."
On Annani's right, her hand tightened around Amanda's, as Alena's had a moment ago on her left.
"For someone as tiny as you, you sure have a strong grip," Amanda murmured.
"I am so sorry." Annani let go of Amanda's hand. "I did not realize I was crushing your fingers."
"It's okay." Amanda shook out her hand. "I'm immortal, so no lasting damage done."
"I caused you pain." Annani patted Amanda's arm. "I am sorry for that."
Across the room, Ogidu was fussing with the platter of sandwiches he had prepared for this morning's war room meeting.
When he was done rearranging the small triangles of soft bread to his satisfaction, he lifted the silver carafe and started refilling cups that did not need refilling.
Her Odu was glad to be here. She could tell that it gave him pleasure to be included, or at least satisfaction. The Odus' sentience was growing, and with it their ability to truly feel emotions and not just mimic their appearance.
They remembered Khiann, probably better than she did because their brains retained everything precisely, while her memories had been fraying at the edges for centuries.
The Odus also remembered her mourning.
They had carried her through the long years after she fled, when she had wept for everyone and most of all for Khiann, but they had no capacity then for comfort beyond keeping her safe, warm, and fed.
"One," Yamanu said. "Four to go."
The one they had secured could be Khiann, or it could be one of his guards.
There was no way to know, not even if they were allowed to open the chests during transit.
The bodies were completely emaciated, and all identifiable features were absent except for height, and Khiann hadn't been remarkably tall or short.
He was average height for a god, an inch or two shorter than his namesake.
Kian was six feet and four inches.
"It'll go faster now," Turner said. "The hard part was getting through the debris, and they did that in record time because they brought enough muscle to move a mountain."
"My Onidu is helping," Amanda said. "Donating his services is my small part in this mission." She chuckled. "Well, not small for me. I have no one to cook and clean and keep Evie occupied when I want a few quiet moments with Dalhu. It has been really difficult without him."
Kian nodded. "I know what you mean. I can't wait for Okidu to return."
Annani smiled at her children. "You have grown spoiled because of the Odus. I gave one to each of you for your protection, not realizing how dependent you would become on their services." She turned to Amanda. "You did not know how to clean a bathtub or how to launder your clothing."
"I still don't." Amanda grimaced. "And that's how it's going to stay. There are more important things to learn than how to properly scrub a tub. I'm okay with being domestically challenged."
"Two," Yamanu reported on the comms. "Three to go."
Two chests meant double the odds of Khiann being in one of them.
Annani had never been as impatient as she was now, listening to Yamanu report on the progress of retrieving the chests.
"Breathe, Mother," Alena murmured.
Annani had not realized that she had been holding her breath. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, filling her chest cavity. "The waiting is very stressful."
"It is," Alena agreed. "Perhaps you should eat something."
Annani turned to look at her eldest. "I do not think I can, dear. Perhaps after all five chests are out."
The next chest came out, and the tightness in Annani's belly started to ease. They were almost done. She even remembered to breathe.
"What was that?" she heard Anandur ask in the comms, and breathing became optional again.
"A warning." Yamanu sounded alarmed. "Out! Clear the site!"
Annani's throat closed up.
"What's going on?" Kian asked.
"A collapse," Onegus said. "Another one."
The roar guttered and died, and then came the silence, and Annani felt her heart squeeze so tight that it could escape her body in the space between her ribs.
She prayed to the Fates, as she had prayed to them all her life, the three who spun, measured, and cut, and who saw the whole length of every thread when mortals and gods alike could see only a fraction of them.
Let Khiann be among the three. Please let him be out.
"Report," Onegus said. "Any casualties?"
There was no answer.
The seconds stretched. Ogidu had risen from his chair and come to stand behind her, and she felt his hands settle on the back of her chair, not touching her, but signaling that he was there to do whatever she needed from him.
The comms cracked to life. "There was another collapse," Yamanu said. "Hold on."
The comms died, and Annani wondered whether Yamanu had turned it off to focus on whatever he had to deal with or whether something had happened that prevented him from speaking.
When the comms came alive again, it was a fragmented relief.
"Brody has two broken legs, but everyone else is fine. The three chests we cleared are undamaged. We will need another day to get to the other two. Maybe more."
The Fates had given her three chances in five that Khiann was among those that had been cleared, and they had protected the team. Despite the anxiety over the last two chests, she was grateful that there had been only one injury.
"Thank the Fates," Annani whispered.
"What's Julian's assessment of Brody's injury?" Onegus asked.
"Both legs are broken below the knee, which is good because a shattered knee is the worst. We are moving him and the three chests to the sub."
"This is not good." Kian raked his fingers through his hair. "You can't stay down there for another day." He looked at Turner. "We might need to implement the backup plan after all."