Chapter 15 Annani
ANNANI
At sunrise, Annani stepped out of her home and took a deep breath. The morning air was crisp, carrying the scent of dew and jasmine from the gardens. Behind her, Ogidu's steady footsteps followed—close enough to assist if needed, far enough to give her the illusion of solitude.
This was her favorite time of day, before the village stirred to life, when she could walk the paths without having to stop and chat with anyone. She made a point of meeting with at least three clan members every day, but the early mornings were her own.
Mostly.
A tall figure was walking toward her, and she recognized the shape and the long gait. Wonder opened the café at six-thirty in the morning, but this wasn't the way to the café, so that was not where she was heading.
"Good morning," she said as she reached Annani. "May I join you on your walk?"
She was dressed for work in jeans and a soft cream-colored sweater, her long dark hair pulled back in a practical ponytail.
"Of course. But who is going to open the café if you are here?"
"I asked Aliya to open for me. I wanted to catch you before I started my day."
"So, you did." Annani continued walking.
Wonder fell in step with her. "Did you talk to Kian?"
"Not yet."
"Annani—"
"I know." Annani paused to smell a rosebush, though her mind was elsewhere. "I did not want to bother him before we have confirmation."
"I just think that it would be beneficial if he had some warning. If he could start thinking about options."
Annani resumed walking. "Did you tell Anandur about Esag's vision?"
Wonder shook her head. "We talked last night, but I didn't mention it. I thought it would be better coming directly from you and not hearsay. Your word carries weight."
"I appreciate your restraint." Annani glanced at her old friend. "Though I suspect Kian would take anything Anandur reports seriously, despite your mate's reputation. Kian knows when Anandur is clowning around and when he is serious."
"Maybe. But this is about mobilizing clan resources for a rescue mission, and Kian might give it more serious consideration if it comes from you."
Wonder was so anxious that Annani decided to humor her despite her reservations. "I will call Kian when I return home from my walk. It is still early enough in Safe Harbor so I know he is not in bed yet."
"Thank you." Wonder let out a breath. "Would you mind if I join you? I would like to be there when you talk to him."
"Of course, you can join me." She threaded her arm through Wonder's.
As Annani completed her regular circuit, the sun climbed higher, and Ogidu rushed over with her sunglasses.
"Thank you." She took them from him and put them on. "I am working on my sun tolerance." She told Wonder. "I try to expose my eyes to the early morning sun and then again in the evening."
Wonder frowned. "I don't think it works like that, Annani. Your eyes are sensitive to sunlight because of how they are designed. You can't build up tolerance."
Annani looked at Wonder down her nose, which was quite a feat since Wonder was a whole head taller than her. "I can do whatever I put my mind to."
Wonder chuckled. "That I believe."
Back at her house, Ogidu prepared fresh tea while Annani and Wonder sat on the couch in the reception room.
When Annani pulled out her phone from the hidden pocket in her gown, Wonder glanced at the big screen television hanging over the mantel. "You know that you can initiate a video call. We can have Kian and whoever is with him on that big screen over there."
"I know, but what I do not know is whether Kian is in the middle of something, and whether he is with people he is comfortable seeing me or not. I never initiate a video call."
Wonder nodded. "That's smart."
Annani selected Kian's contact and pressed the call button. The fact that he did not answer right away confirmed what she had just told Wonder. If he were alone, he would have picked up immediately.
She could just imagine him excusing himself from whatever meeting he was attending and searching for a private spot to answer the call.
"Hello, Mother. Is everything all right?"
"Everything is fine. Are you free to talk, or am I interrupting something?"
"Nothing that cannot wait." There was rustling, footsteps on gravel. "I was in a meeting with Kalugal and the others. I stepped out of the room in case what you wanted to talk about required privacy."
Annani glanced at Wonder, who could hear everything even though Annani had not switched the speaker on yet. "I'm here with Wonder. Do you mind if I activate the speaker function? This concerns her."
"Please, go ahead."
"Hi, Kian," Wonder said.
"Hello." He sounded impatient.
"We will keep it short," Annani said. "Esag had a vision about Tula. You remember Tula, right?"
"Of course. Wonder's younger sister and Areana's co-conspirator."
Wonder chuckled. "I'm not sure Tula would appreciate being called a co-conspirator, but I guess it fits."
"What did Esag see in the vision that prompted a call from you two?"
"He saw her pregnant and frightened," Annani said.
"When was that?"
"Yesterday, but I did not want to bother you before confirming with Areana. Wonder insists that we should let you know so you can start thinking about possible extraction plans."
There was a moment of silence on the other side. "What makes you think she wants to be extracted? Carol offered for her to join her, but she refused, saying that she needed to stay with Areana."
"She's pregnant," Wonder repeated as if that should be enough for Kian to deduce the implications.
Annani realized that Kian might need some more information that both Wonder and she had, but he did not.
"Tula did everything in her power not to get pregnant because she did not want her son to be taken away or her daughter to be doomed to mortality.
There is no doubt in my mind that if she is indeed pregnant, she wants off the island.
The question is whether what Esag saw was the present or the future. "
There was another moment of silence. "The father would be Tony," Kian said, his voice shifting into what Annani recognized as his tactical mode. "Kaia's friend, the bioinformatician who was lured to the island under false pretenses."
"One and the same," Annani confirmed. "He has been Tula's exclusive paramour since shortly after arriving at the harem."
"We have to help her," Wonder said.
"If she is indeed pregnant and wants to be rescued, we will see what we can do, but it won't be easy."
"You extracted Carol successfully," Wonder said. "We can do the same for Tula."
"Carol was one person with months of preparation. This would be a minimum of two people. Tula will insist on Tony coming with her."
"So, we'll need a different plan," Wonder said.
Kian sighed, and Annani could picture him running his hand through his hair. "Let's get confirmation first and then discuss options."
"Can you start thinking of possibilities?" Wonder asked. "When Annani talks with Areana tomorrow, it would be nice if she could offer Tula some hope. Provided, of course, that the vision was true and Tula is pregnant and in need of rescuing."
"We could theoretically use a variation of Carol's extraction, but the logistics would be much more complex."
Kian was echoing Annani's thoughts.
"Because it's two people this time?" Wonder asked.
"Because of everything. Security has been tightened since Carol's extraction. The rebellion damaged parts of the compound, so there's construction everywhere, which means more eyes but also more chaos. Could work for us or against us."
"But you think it's possible," Wonder pressed.
"I need more information. Confirmation of the pregnancy, how far along, and whether Areana is willing to help."
"She loves Tula like a daughter," Annani said.
"But she loves Navuh as her mate, and she will always choose him over anyone else. That's a fact we can't ignore."
Wonder made a frustrated sound. "So, what do we do?"
"I'll start playing with ideas, maybe bring this to the team. Kalugal might come up with something creative."
Annani cast Wonder an amused glance and took her hand. "You were right. He's already planning."
"I'm considering options. There's a difference. Let me know what you learn after speaking with Areana."
"I will," Annani said. "Hugs and kisses to Syssi and Allegra."
After Annani disconnected, Wonder let out a long breath. "I knew the wheels in Kian's head would start spinning."
Annani set her teacup down and studied her old friend. "You know what I find interesting?"
"What?"
"Kian immediately started talking about logistics. Not whether we should do it, but how. He had already accepted the necessity the moment he heard Tula was pregnant."
"He said he needs confirmation first," Wonder pointed out.
"This is Kian being Kian. Cautious and methodical. He is not waiting for confirmation to start planning."
Wonder leaned back against the couch cushions. "What if Areana doesn't know or knows and doesn't want to help? Kian is right about her always choosing Navuh over everyone else, including her own sons."
"I know my sister. Areana will help," Annani said with certainty. "She may not leave Navuh, but she will not sacrifice Tula. If she can, she will help."
"She's going to be so scared," Wonder said. "Even if Areana agrees to help, even if we have a perfect plan, Tula will be terrified."
"Fear can be useful. It keeps people sharp, careful."
"Or it paralyzes them."
Annani turned back to her friend. "Not Tula. I remember that little girl who used to follow you and me around the palace. She was afraid of many things, but she never let fear stop her from doing what needed to be done."
"That was five thousand years ago."
"People don't fundamentally change. That brave little girl is still in there, and when her child is threatened, she'll find her courage."
Wonder stood to leave, then paused at the door. "I hope Areana doesn't refuse to help."
"She will help," Annani said with more confidence than she felt. "And if not, we will find another way. We always do."