Chapter 28 Annani
ANNANI
Ogidu entered Annani's receiving room and bowed. "Master Kian is here to see you, Clan Mother."
She set her tablet aside and smoothed the silk of her gown, waiting for her son to enter.
"Good evening, Mother." Kian walked to where she was sitting and kissed the cheek she offered. "I apologize for not calling in advance. I hope it's okay."
She smiled. "You know that you are always welcome.
" She patted the spot next to her on the couch.
"In fact, I would love it if you stopped by my house every evening on your way home, but I know that your time is limited, and you want to spend it with your wife and daughter.
" She leaned away and regarded him with a smile.
"I assume that you want to discuss something with me that you thought was not appropriate for the phone. "
A slight smile tugged at his lips. "You know me too well."
"I raised you. I should hope I know you."
"Areana and the others are on their way," Kian said. "Areana and Navuh are with the Guardians on Kalugal's jet. Tula, with the other ladies and the two humans, are with Yamanu on the clan's plane. They'll arrive tomorrow."
Annani was aware of that, but hearing it again made it more real somehow.
She was going to see her sister. The weekly calls they had established since Carol had infiltrated the harem a couple of years ago could never bridge the chasm of time and distance that separated her and Areana.
Tomorrow, she would finally hold her sister in her arms for the first time in five thousand years.
Her hand rose to her chest. "I cannot wait to introduce her to Ell-rom and Morelle.
I could not tell her about them before, but now I finally can.
She will be so excited to discover that we have another half-brother and sister.
" She chuckled. "Our father was quite fruitful for a god.
I must have inherited my excellent fertility from him. "
Annani had given birth to five children, which was unheard of for a goddess, and if the soothsayer was right, she would have two more once she found Khiann.
"Good times." Kian smiled. "We've captured Navuh, we have a chance to finally halt the global rot he cultivated, and you have your sister back. I feel hopeful about the future for a change."
Annani laughed. "To hear you say that gladdens my heart, but as we both know, Navuh was the small big bad wolf. The real big bad wolf is on Anumati, plotting the Fates know what. I have not heard from my grandmother in months, and I am worried about her. "
Ani, the queen of Anumati, had embarked on a long tour of the colonies, not because she had been eager to do so but because the Eternal King had demanded it of her.
He either suspected her of plotting against him or had some other nefarious reason for getting her out of Anumati.
The good news was that Aru had not heard from his twin Aria, which meant that the queen was not dead.
Otherwise, all Anumatians would have been informed of her passing, and Aria would have contacted her brother telepathically to let him know.
Kian nodded. "I didn't forget about the Eternal King, but he's a worry for the future.
Navuh and his spreading rot was an immediate concern.
It still is. Whoever has taken over for him on the island is keeping the order because we didn't pick up any signs of fighting, and everything seems to be business as usual over there. "
Annani frowned. "One of his adopted sons could have taken over. Have you spoken with Lokan about it?"
"He says the only one who could possibly hold it together is Losham, but there must be more to it because the other brothers would not have accepted Losham as their new leader without a fight."
"I wish we had a spy in there."
Kian smiled. "Turner is working on it. With all the foreign construction workers on the island, it's possible to smuggle in a spy, just not an immortal one."
"We are so fortunate to have Turner." Annani lifted her hand to signal Ogidu. "Would you like some tea, Kian?"
"I would love some. Just no snacks. Syssi is expecting me for dinner."
Ogidu bowed. "I shall have tea ready momentarily."
"Thank you." Annani smiled at her Odu and turned her attention back to Kian.
"Let us worry about the war of succession on the Doomers' island some other time.
Right now, we need to focus on welcoming the new members of our community.
I assume you or Amanda have spoken with Ingrid about their accommodations? "
He nodded. "Ingrid is preparing a house for Tamira and Elias, and one for Tula and Tony. The other ladies will share two three-bedroom homes. Hopefully, they will find partners among our bachelors, and we will have to allocate more homes to them."
"Good times," Annani repeated Kian's phrase from before.
"Indeed."
"Wonder is so excited. She and Tula will probably want to live close to each other, but since there are no available houses in this section of the village, that is not possible unless Wonder and Anandur want to move to another section."
"I'll leave those matters to Ingrid to resolve."
Kian shifted his position, apparently impatient to get to the real reason for his visit. He had not come here to give her updates about what was happening on the Doomers' island or the housing accommodations for the newcomers.
"What about Navuh and Areana?" she asked after Ogidu had served them tea, and they were each holding a cup.
"The apartment in the keep's dungeon is being retrofitted with additional security measures," Kian said.
"The clinic in the keep as well. Everything will be ready by the time Navuh and Areana arrive.
" He took a sip from his tea and then put it down on the coffee table.
"I've spoken with Kalugal about building a house for them in the village, and he's happy to do so for Areana, but he doesn't want Navuh anywhere near him. "
"I see." Annani kept her voice neutral despite being upset about her nephew's response.
"I'll come up with another solution," Kian said. "But you cannot tell Areana about the house in the village for them or what I plan to do with Navuh."
"I gave her my word, Kian."
"I know, but your word was contingent on Navuh's cooperation," Kian said.
"We need leverage, Mother. If he believes he has a path to a comfortable life, he won't talk.
He needs to believe that I intend to put him in stasis, or at best, leave him and Areana in the dungeon apartment under constant guard.
If he believes that, he might be willing to negotiate better terms for him and Areana.
We need him to give us information on the island's defenses, his long-term plans, the enhanced soldiers program, and all the other schemes the Brotherhood is involved in. This is of crucial importance to us."
Annani closed her eyes. She understood that they needed to know everything Navuh knew, and that the only way to extract that information was through leverage.
"I understand, but I do not like this," she said. "I don't want Areana to suffer needlessly."
"Neither do I." Kian lifted his cup again.
"But we have to prioritize the safety of our people and possibly the whole of humanity.
If Navuh's cooperation gives us the information we need to prevent future attacks, which will no doubt save countless lives, then we have to do whatever is necessary to secure his cooperation. "
Annani was no stranger to difficult choices, to sacrificing personal desires for the greater good, but this was about her sister, and everything in her rebelled against causing Areana any more grief.
Still, Kian was right.
"I want to be at the keep when Areana arrives," she said. "Perhaps we could meet in the penthouse? I know you do not want me anywhere near the dungeon, although I have visited it often enough."
"That shouldn't be a problem, provided that Areana is willing to leave Navuh's side to see you." He leveled his eyes at her. "I don't want you anywhere near him."
"That is fine. Areana will want to see me," Annani said with more confidence than she felt.
A critically wounded truelove mate trumped a sister any day. If Khiann was fighting for his life, Annani would not leave his side, even to see a sister she had not seen in five thousand years.
"What are you going to do with the other prisoners currently held in the dungeon? Where will they go?"
Kian's expression grew carefully blank. "They've been mostly cleared out, and we are in the process of clearing the remaining ones. I don't want anyone in the dungeon when Navuh arrives."
"Cleared?" Annani tilted her head. "What does that mean exactly?"
"Do you really want to know?"
"Actually, I do."
She was never one to shy away from uncomfortable subjects.
Kian studied her for a moment, then nodded.
"As you know, we captured several enhanced Doomers when we raided their cells to prevent the terror attacks they planned to commit in Los Angeles.
We also had regular Doomers from the same cells who answered to the enhanced ones.
And there were the prisoners from that pedophile ring we broke up—some Doomers, but mostly humans. "
"That sounds like a very full dungeon."
"It was. Those who deserved death received it," Kian said matter-of-factly. "Those Doomers who might be salvageable were put in stasis and stored in the crypt."
It had been her wish to keep their enemies in stasis instead of executing them. She dreamt, perhaps naively, that one day they might be safely rehabilitated.
Some viewed it as mercy. Others as a weakness. She saw it as preventing the extinction of their kind. There were not many descendants of the gods left on Earth. In her long-term view, it was better to preserve even the rotten apples than to one day have none.
"I trust your judgment." Annani squeezed his hand. "I know the burden this places on you, Kian. I wish I could spare you from having to deal with it."
He smiled. "I'm glad I can do it so you don't have to."
"Thank you. I appreciate everything you do for the clan, my son. Do not ever think that I am taking it for granted."
"I know." He squeezed her hand back. "Anything else you would like to prepare for Areana's arrival?"
"Actually, yes." Annani felt a flutter of excitement. "I want to throw a party for Areana and introduce her to the family. We can do this in your penthouse."
"Lokan and Carol are staying there," Kian reminded her.
"I know, but I am sure they would not mind if I host the gathering for Areana in the penthouse.
Naturally, I shall ask, and if for some reason that I cannot imagine they refuse, I can do it in Amanda's old place.
That is where Areana will be staying until Navuh is released from the clinic and moved to the dungeon.
I am certain she would want to join him there. "
"Perhaps you should wait with the party and not do it on the actual day of Areana's arrival. She will be in no state to celebrate."
"Of course." Annani waved a hand in dismissal.
"The first meeting will be just us, her sons, their mates, and Darius.
Areana cannot wait to meet her grandson in person.
Possibly also Ell-rom and Morelle. She does not know about them, and I am sure she will be thrilled to discover that we have two more siblings.
No party, though. I will just bring Ogidu to serve some appetizers. "
"Lokan and Kalugal plan to meet their mother at the airstrip," Kian said. "They are as impatient as you are."
"Naturally." Annani took a sip from her tea and then put the cup down.
"They can give her a ride to the keep and then spend a pleasant time with her at the penthouse.
I want Areana to meet my children as well.
You, Syssi, and Allegra. Amanda, Dalhu, and little Evie.
Alena, Orion and baby E.T. and of course, Toven and Mia, although I believe Toven and Mia will have to wait for a later time, when Areana is no longer worried that her mate might expire if she is not constantly watching over him. "