16. Kian
KIAN
"They have no names," Alena said. "Bridget calls them John Doe One through Four, and every time I hear it, it grates on me."
"So, name them." Amanda reached across Dalhu for the bread. "Give them temporary names until they can object and choose their own. You could do John, Paul, George, and Ringo. Or Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo."
"I vote for the Beatles," Sari said. "They're not a mouthful."
"I like the Ninja Turtles," David countered. "They're named after famous artists. They have a nice ring to them and are easy to remember."
"They're a mouthful," Sari insisted.
Kian sat at the head of his table and let the conversation flow around him.
Sari had been home for less than two hours, and the noise from a dozen people, all eager to add their piece of information to her knowledge base, was reaching uncomfortable levels.
None of it was news to Sari because Alena had been updating her regularly, but it didn't matter. Everyone was excited to talk about Khiann, and Annani seemed content to watch her family get excited about her mate.
"How much can he actually understand?" Sari asked.
"Everything, as far as we can tell." Alena set down her fork. "But he retains very little of it. He'll be perfectly present for what Mother tells him, and the next day it's as if she hadn't told him anything. He remembered that Esag had visited but not that his name was Esag."
"So, he remembers the person, just not the name," Sari said. "I'm the same. I'm horrible with names."
"I liked Jasmine's voice before I could have told you whose voice it was," Ell-rom said.
"The mind can only absorb a limited amount of information after being barely active for so long.
Everything was confusing and overwhelming at first, but Jasmine was infinitely patient with me, and that helped a lot.
I didn't feel pressured to do more than I was able to. "
Annani put down her wine glass. "I wish I had Jasmine's patience. I am doing my best to give Khiann time and not pressure him, but I cannot help the disappointment I feel every time he forgets something I told him just the day before. Did you experience short-term memory problems at first?"
Ell-rom turned to Jasmine. "Did I?"
She frowned. "I don't think so, but then I didn't know anything about you, so I didn't try to dump your entire history on you at once." She winced. "I'm sorry, Clan Mother. I didn't mean to imply that this is what you're doing."
"No apology needed, since you are right.
I am trying not to dump too much on Khiann at once, but perhaps I need to dial back even the little I tell him.
" Annani turned to her brother. "I am trying to limit Khiann's exposure to new faces, which is why I have not invited you to see him yet.
Imagine me trying to explain your backstory to a male who still has trouble remembering his own name. "
"We didn't expect to be invited," Morelle said. "We are perfectly content to wait until Khiann leaves the clinic."
"Thank you for understanding. He can hold on to perhaps a dozen facts, and I even have to remind him of those. He cannot speak yet, so he cannot ask questions."
"He probably thinks that he's dreaming," Amanda said. "Or that he has somehow stumbled into an alternate reality."
"Is that what you thought?" Annani asked her brother.
"At times, I thought I was dreaming, but I had no concept of alternative realities, so I couldn't have thought that." Ell-rom took his mate's hand. "Jasmine sang to me. Her voice soothed and grounded me."
"Perhaps I should try that." Annani lifted her wine glass and took a sip.
"I'd like to meet Khiann when he's up to it," Ell-rom said.
"I'm curious to meet the male who captured my sister's heart and held it for thousands of years.
I also think it would be helpful for him to talk to someone who has been through the same thing.
" He smiled at Annani. "I will need a translator.
I don't know the gods' language. It was just one more thing I lost in stasis.
" He turned to Morelle. "How is your command of it? "
"So-so." She gestured with her hand. "We were taught it in the temple, but neither of us was proficient."
"William is working on incorporating it into the translation devices," Kian said. "Toven is helping his team, and so are Esag, Davuh and Roven."
"I want to meet Esag and his friends." Sari leaned back in her chair with her wine glass in hand.
"I will call Tula," Alena said. "You haven't met her or the harem ladies yet."
"Thank you. That would be wonderful. I also want to see the new grocery store."
"I can take you there," Syssi offered.
She hadn't said much during dinner, which wasn't like her. Syssi did not get moody for no reason, so when she went quiet like this, it was because she was bothered by something that she wasn't ready to talk about, and that something was usually a vision or a premonition.
He'd ask her later. If he asked her now, she'd smile and tell him it was nothing and then spend the rest of the evening pretending that everything was great and she didn't have a care in the world.
She did that often, and she did it for him. She didn't want to be one more burden on him. When he came home, he entered an oasis of positivity, and he appreciated that more than he could put into words, but he still wanted to know what troubled the woman he loved.
Across the table, David was having a quiet conversation with E.T.
, who was sitting on his knee and looking at the uncle he did not remember as if he was trying to figure him out.
The little boy had been passed around the table from one relative to the next, which he tolerated with stoic calm, and when he had ended up with David, he accepted it without fussing.
David shifted E.T. to his other knee so he was facing the table. "He's such a calm little boy."
"He usually is not," Orion said. "And he doesn't like being held by people he doesn't know."
Alena grimaced. "I hope it's not what I'm thinking."
"What are you thinking?" Sari asked.
"You know." Alena waved a hand. "That reincarnation thing that David claims happens in families. I don't want my sweet little E.T. to house the soul of a berserker."
David's eyes widened. "You think that's what it is? That he's Jonah?"
"I don't mind Jonah." She held out her arms, and David handed the baby to her. "What I'm worried about is Jonah's previous life cycle as Gudbrand."
Kian's phone buzzed in his pocket.
He got it out, turned it face up under the edge of the table, and then looked at his mother. "It's Onegus. He wouldn't call unless it was important."
Annani did not appreciate phones at a family dinner, but she made exceptions for emergencies.
She inclined her head.
Kian excused himself and answered the call as he walked down the hallway to his home office.
"What's up, Onegus?"
"Burda called in."
Kian stopped walking. "When?"
"Five minutes ago. She's somewhere she says is safe, and she's waiting for a callback. Otherwise, I wouldn't have interrupted your family dinner. We need Toven to translate, unless you think the Clan Mother would like to do that."
His mother was enjoying time with a daughter she hadn't seen in months, and she was planning to return to sitting next to her mate immediately after. He wasn't about to take even a minute away from that.
"Get Toven. If he's not available, get Esag."
"William's already on it. Do we warn her about the upcoming attack?"
"No. It doesn't concern her or the enclosure, and I will not undermine the operation by giving her that information."
"That's what I thought, but I wanted to make sure we are on the same page."
"Patch me in when you have Toven on the line."
It took two minutes to get Toven on the line, and then he spoke with Burda for fifteen more, of which Kian understood almost nothing.
Burda didn't sound frightened, which was a relief. She delivered her report, listened to what Toven told her, and chuckled dryly once.
Then Toven said goodbye and told Burda to call again in two weeks. That much Kian had understood. She said she would if she could, and Toven ended the call.
"She says that the power returned six days ago," Toven reported. "Food delivery is back on schedule. When it was not, her garden filled in the gaps. She was very proud of that."
"What are they saying about the missing women and children?"
Kian had caught a few words he understood, so he knew the topic had been discussed.
"Ah. That is the interesting part. The Sacred Mothers have spread a rumor that the missing women were executed for apostasy. They betrayed the god Mortdh."
"That's convenient. I hope Burda is not trying to refute their claim."
"She is not. She is a smart woman, and she realizes that the story stops anyone from questioning what happened to the missing people."
"What about the children? Is anyone asking about them?"
"She did not say, and I did not think to ask."
It wasn't critical information, but Kian was curious, and he made a mental note to ask the next time they talked with Burda.
"Anything else?" Kian asked.
"She asked about the women and children. I told her they were safe and happy, but she didn't fully believe me. She asked if it was possible to talk to Sullha. I told her it could be arranged for the next call in two weeks. I hope that's not a problem."
"It's not. What else?"
"That's it." Toven sighed. "If you can find someone else to talk to Burda, I would appreciate it. I have to talk to Losham because of the compulsion, but you do not need me to compel her."
"You're right." Kian transferred the phone to his other ear. "I think I'll make Sullha the contact person. Both of them will appreciate it."
"Perfect," Toven said. "Until tomorrow morning." He ended the call.
"Using Sullha as the contact person for Burda is a great idea," Onegus said. "Sorry for interrupting your dinner, boss."
"It was for a good cause. See you tomorrow, Chief."
Kian slipped the phone back into his pocket and went back to the dining room.
Everyone looked at him when he entered.
"Burda made contact," he said. "The enclosure is back to normal, and we will talk to her in two weeks."
"Who is Burda?" Sari asked.
"One of the women in the enclosure who were told about the escape plan and chose to stay," Alena said. "She's on the older side, and she's like the village elder for the enclosure women. She feels responsible for them."
That about summed it up.
"I need to let Sullha know." Amanda pulled out her phone.
"After dinner," Annani said. "Not now."
"I'll call her later." Kian reached for the wine bottle, refilled his mother's and wife's glasses, and then his own. "Toven asked me to find someone else to talk to Burda, and Sullha came to mind. I'll make her the contact person with Burda. She will be happy to do that."