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Esag nodded. "I carved it right after I had that dream. It was still painfully fresh, and I transferred the pain into my work."

"It's a beautiful piece," Kalugal said. "The next one we found was even more exquisite.

It was one of Annani. This time, Fenella read it.

She has a similar talent to my Jacki, but she needs Kyra and Jasmine's boost." The two lifted their hands when Kalugal said their names.

"Anyway, the figurine wasn't your original.

Someone was copying your work, and she saw in the memories he had embedded in his work the original he was copying.

When he lifted the figurine to examine it, she saw the engraving on the bottom with your name and your dedication to the princess. "

"And then Kalugal's people found Tula's figurine," Fenella said. "The breadcrumbs, or rather the figurines, led us here."

Tears misted Esag's blue eyes. "I thought they were all dead."

"Most are," Kalugal said. "But some survived."

Esag looked up at Kalugal with eyes that held millennia of pain. "Where is Annani? Can we see her?"

Kalugal nodded. "She is in America. But first, I need you to know that Navuh survived as well, and he's not a friend of hers. He has an army of immortals at his command, and he wants to do away with Annani and her clan."

"That son of a traitor." Esag spat on the floor. "The murderer. I wish he were dead."

Kalugal shifted uncomfortably on the bench, causing everyone else sitting on it to move a few inches over. "Well, I can't really blame you for that sentiment, but without him, I wouldn't be here."

Esag looked like Kalugal had just dumped a bucket of ice on his head. "Did he send you?"

Kalugal threw his hands in the air. "Oh, no.

I'm here on behalf of Annani, and this handsome, tall guy sitting on Roven's other side is Annani's half-brother, Ell-rom, and he is the son of Ahn and a lady you've never heard of.

Max and Din are Annani's great-great-great-grandsons.

" He pointed at each of them when he said their names.

"Fenella, Kyra, and Jasmine are all the descendants of a mystery Dormant who lived eight hundred years ago. "

Davuh frowned. "So, what did you mean by saying that without Navuh, you wouldn't be here?"

Kalugal sighed dramatically. "Do you remember that Princess Areana left the palace to join Mortdh in his northern estate?

" When Esag nodded, he continued. "Navuh escorted her part of the way, and they fell in love.

When Mortdh bombed the assembly and died along with the other gods, Navuh took over his father's harem and married Areana.

I am their son, but I escaped my father's tyranny, and the merciful Fates led me to the clan.

I'm now the beloved nephew of Annani and a dear cousin to her children.

" He flashed the three immortals a charming smile. "Any questions?"

Esag's expression was unreadable. "A million of them. But first and foremost is, what do you want with us?"

The smile slid off Kalugal's face, and Fenella expected him to say that the Clan Mother needed Esag to help her find Khiann, but something in Kalugal's eyes shifted, and the smile returned.

"I'm here to welcome you to the clan. All three of you.

There is no reason for you to live alone in this hellhole.

We have a beautiful place in America, with many single immortal females that would be delighted to meet three strapping immortal males. "

At that, Roven straightened, and his eyes started glowing. "Count me in."

"How do the three of you speak such good English?" Fenella blurted.

Esag smiled. "You might be too young to know this, but Britain occupied Egypt for about forty years, and it maintained its presence even after declaring Egypt independent.

The last British troops left in 1956. That's a very long time for an immortal to learn a language.

" He looked at Kalugal. "How old are you if you don't mind me asking? "

"I'm a little older than Fenella, but not by much.

I escaped my father's tyranny during World War II.

" Kalugal continued with his story of how he and a group of select soldiers had found their way to America, and then one day, the Fates had decided that it was time for them to find a home with Annani and her clan.

Fenella listened with interest, Kalugal's story filling some of the gaps in what she knew about his history and how he'd come to be part of the clan.

"Did you carve the figurines to make a living?" Jasmine asked. "Or did you carve them to commemorate everyone you thought you lost?"

Esag's hand went to a pendant at his throat—a small carved stone Fenella hadn't noticed before.

"I had some talent when I started, and it was a good way to make a living in relative anonymity, but when I got better, I started creating figurines of people I cared about.

" He sighed. "Forgive me for getting emotional, but this is difficult for me.

For us." He looked at his friends. "After all these years of mourning them, we find out that the princesses are alive.

But one is married to Navuh, and the other is the mother of an entire clan. "

"Annani is waiting to meet you," Fenella said. "And I'm sure that you want to meet her and Wonder, I mean Gulan. From what I was told, you won't recognize her. She's not the shy girl she used to be."

Esag looked down at his hands. "I wronged Gulan. I hope she forgave me."

"She did," Jasmine said. "She is happily mated to a redheaded Guardian who looks a little like you."

A smile bloomed over Esag's face. "I'm happy for her."

"We haven't had family in so long," Roven said.

"You can have it now." Jasmine reached for his hand over the table. "The clan is more than just a safe haven. It's a community. A place where you can be yourself and not hide anymore. I'm also a newcomer to the clan, and I was welcomed with open arms. You will be too."

Esag looked around his workshop. "I don't mind leaving this place behind, but I want to take my work with me. At least some of it."

"Don't worry about that," Kalugal said. "I can have a crew pack everything up and ship it to the States, and as for your travel arrangements, I have enough seats on my private jet to offer you a ride. The three of you will be traveling in style."