Page 5

KIAN

K ian spotted Syssi making her way through the crowd with Allegra perched on her hip.

His daughter's sparkly tiara had slipped to one side, and her chubby fingers were tangled in Syssi's necklace, but she looked utterly delighted with the attention she was receiving from everyone who stopped to coo at her.

His heart swelled at the sight of them.

In his two thousand years of existence, nothing had prepared him for the fierce, all-consuming love he felt for his daughter and her mother.

Before Syssi had entered his life, he'd dedicated himself to the clan, but now these two precious ladies were his entire world, and the clan's business took a back seat, at least as far as his heart was concerned.

It still took too much of his time and left too little for what really mattered.

"There they are," he murmured to Amanda, who stood beside him on the platform. "Perhaps this time, Allegra is ready to say a few words to her guests and wow them with her advanced vocabulary."

Amanda snorted. "The prodigy miracle child."

"That's right." He wasn't embarrassed in the least for thinking that the sun came out in the morning to shine on Allegra's golden curls and the moon came up at night just to sing her a lullaby.

"She certainly has your stubbornness," Amanda said. "It's right there in the set of her jaw."

"Can't deny that." He sighed. "As Syssi likes to say, it's the flip side of the same coin. You can't have determination and assertiveness without stubbornness, right? If she were sweet and mellow, she wouldn't have what it takes to be a leader."

Amanda nodded. "I agree a hundred percent, especially since the same can be said about me."

"Daddy!" Allegra cried when she spotted him, reaching out with grabby hands, nearly strangling Syssi with the necklace still clutched in her fist.

"Careful, sweetheart," Syssi untangled their daughter's fingers from the jewelry. "You're going to break Mommy's necklace."

"Come to Daddy, sweetheart." Kian lifted Allegra from Syssi's arms, planting a kiss on her rosy cheek. "Are you ready now for your big speech, Princess?"

Allegra nodded solemnly. "I say thank you."

"That's right," Kian confirmed, catching Syssi's eye with a smile. They'd practiced the simple words with Allegra for days, though whether she'd stick to the script was anyone's guess.

Allegra bobbed her head again, but there was a gleam in her eye that made Kian suspect she had ideas of her own.

She was supposed to have said the line after his mother's speech, but she'd refused because she'd wanted to get the doll first. It had taken Syssi some time to explain that no one was going to take the doll because if anyone but her did that, Uncle Gerard would be angry, and everyone was scared of Uncle Gerard.

It hadn't been a lie either and, evidently, even Allegra knew the power of Chef Gerard.

"I want to talk there," Allegra pointed to the microphone on the platform.

"Come on, then," Kian said. "Let's give the people what they want."

Together, the three of them climbed the steps to the platform. The crowd's attention immediately shifted toward them, and a hush fell over the lawn.

"Hello, everyone," Kian said into the microphone. "Thank you for joining us on this special day. Allegra has something she'd like to say."

He held the microphone up to his daughter's mouth, but suddenly confronted with the reality of addressing the crowd, Allegra ducked her head shyly against his neck.

"It's okay, sweetheart," Kian murmured. "Remember what we practiced?"

Allegra peeked out at the assembled guests, her blue eyes wide. Then, as if making a decision, she reached for the microphone with determined hands.

Kian surrendered it, keeping a firm grip on both his daughter and the mic to prevent any disasters.

Allegra took a deep breath, then proclaimed in a clear, high voice, "Thank you for coming to my birthday. Eat the cake, but don't touch the doll. She's mine."

As the crowd erupted in laughter and applause, Kian looked at Syssi, who was covering her mouth to stifle her own giggles.

He took the microphone back, bouncing a now-beaming Allegra on his hip. "Well, you heard the birthday girl. The cake is for eating, but the doll is spoken for."

More laughter rippled through the crowd. Kian scanned the faces below, feeling a surge of gratitude for this community they had all built. Two thousand and one years of existence, and these were the moments that made it all worthwhile.

"Before we cut the cake," he continued, "I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Amanda for organizing this wonderful celebration. As always, her ingenuity and creativity have made this day perfect."

Amanda waved from her spot near the buffet, her arm linked with Dalhu's.

"And special thanks to Gerard for the incredible cake that has everyone talking," Kian added. "It's not only beautiful but, I'm assured, delicious as well."

Gerard, standing beside the dessert table, gave a not-so-modest bow.

"And now," Kian announced, "I'd like to invite Jasmine to come up and lead us in singing 'Happy Birthday.'"

As Jasmine ascended the steps, Ell-rom watched her from below, his eyes full of pride.

"Thank you, Kian," Jasmine said, taking the microphone. She turned to face the crowd. "Everyone ready? One, two, three..."

As everyone broke into song, their voices rising in harmony, Allegra's face lit up with delight. Syssi leaned against his side, her hand resting on their daughter's back, and for a moment, the world narrowed to just the three of them amidst the music.

When the song ended, they moved to the cake table where Gerard stood ready with a knife. He handed it to Kian with a flourish.

"The honor is yours, Regent," Gerard said with a wink at Allegra.

Kian positioned the knife at the base of the towering creation, then paused. "Do you want to help?" he asked his daughter.

She nodded with a solemn expression and put her little hand over his.

"Ready?" he asked. "Push down."

Together, they cut into the bottom tier of the cake, eliciting more applause.

"And now." Kian lifted Allegra higher. "The moment our princess has been waiting for."

He allowed her to reach up and remove the doll that crowned the cake. She clutched it to her chest with a triumphant grin, as if she'd just claimed a hard-won prize, ignoring the frosting that she was smearing over her party dress.

"Mine," she declared again, just in case anyone had missed her earlier announcement.

"Yes, yours," Syssi agreed, smoothing her daughter's curls. "But what do we say when we receive a gift?"

Allegra looked down at the doll, then back up at her mother. "Thank you," she said dutifully, though Kian wasn't sure if she was thanking Gerard for the cake or the universe at large for the doll.

As the Odus took over and began slicing and distributing cake, Kian spotted Kalugal and Jacki standing at the other side of the buffet table with little Darius in his father's arms.

"Look who's here," he said, pointing in their direction. "Your cousin Darius is back from Egypt. Do you want to say hello?"

"Darius," Allegra repeated, then looked at her doll and shook her head.

"He's not going to take your doll away, sweetie."

She shook her head again.

"I'll take her," Syssi said. "Say hello for both of us."

She took their daughter, who was now having an intense one-sided whispered conversation with the doll.

Kian kissed Syssi's cheek, then Allegra's, and then made his way toward Kalugal, Jacki, and their son.

"Happy birthday, cousin." Kalugal pulled Kian into a brief embrace.

"Thank you for cutting your trip short to be here," Kian said, offering his hand to Jacki. "I know how much you've been looking forward to exploring Egypt."

Jacki smiled. "It was time to come home. Egypt is fascinating, but it's very stressful there these days."

"How so?" Kian asked.

The political situation in Egypt had been tense for years, but he hadn't heard of any specific threats to tourists lately.

"It's just the general vibe. We needed a cadre of bodyguards with us at all times. It became rather oppressive after a while."

"The Brotherhood's influence has grown there," Kalugal added in a lower voice. "I had to keep a low profile and use my Professor Gunter disguise."

"It was still an incredible trip," Jacki said. "Despite the security concerns, it felt like a treasure hunt. The digs were fruitful, and the markets were a treasure trove! I found several pieces that set my intuition humming."

Jacki's psychometric abilities made her uniquely suited for archaeological work. Her ability to touch an object and glean its history was very useful, but it also potentially exposed her to things she would rather not see, so she was discriminating about the objects she allowed herself to touch.

"We brought some interesting finds back with us," Kalugal said. "I can't wait to show them to the family."

Kian's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of finds?"

A mysterious smile played across Kalugal's lips. "I'd rather keep it as a surprise for later. I don't want to compete with your birthday celebration."

Kian raised an eyebrow but didn't press the matter. Kalugal enjoyed drama almost as much as Annani, and Kian had no problem letting his cousin have his moment.

"As you wish," Kian said. "By the way, have you met our guest Din yet? He's an archaeology professor at the University of Edinburgh. I thought you two might have a lot to chat about."

"I haven't had the pleasure of meeting the professor yet."

"Let me introduce you," Kian offered. "He's mentioned something about some artifacts from predynastic Egypt, but I might be mistaken."

"Predynastic?" Kalugal's interest was immediately captured. "That's an era that's always fascinated me. The transition period was when early Egyptian culture was still forming its identity. This is when the gods' influence was most prominent."

Kian scanned the crowd, finally spotting Din and Fenella sitting at a table near the dance floor.

"There they are," Kian said, pointing them out. "Let's walk over and I'll make the introductions."