Page 16 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope (The Children Of The Gods #100)

AREANA

T he breeze from the ocean below was a blessed relief from the heat, and as Areana sat on her usual stone bench at the lookout point, she took a moment to gaze at the dark, churning water below.

The cliff's edge was mere feet away, a sheer drop of hundreds of feet to the rocky shore beneath, and while most would find the precarious perch terrifying, to her it was a lifeline to the outside world.

Tula sat beside her, gazing into the distance with a longing that Areana couldn't decipher. Did she crave freedom?

They all did, but how was today different than all the others that came before it?

Areana pushed the thought aside. She had more important things on her mind.

Today was Wednesday, her scheduled call with Annani, and there was so much she needed to pack into those short minutes.

The easy part would be telling her sister that the harem had been restored, and their Wednesday calls would resume as usual.

A hard part of the conversation would be asking about Darien and whether he was one of the men who had escaped with Kalugal.

The hardest part, though, would be what to do with the information, and it didn't even matter whether she got good or bad news.

Even if the answer was that Darien was alive and well and living in the village among Kalugal's men, Areana couldn't tell Tamira about it because her communication with Annani was her most guarded secret.

Only Tula knew, and it was best that it stayed that way.

If this mode of communication were severed for whatever reason, losing her only connection to her sons and her sister would devastate Areana.

"Keep watch," she murmured to Tula.

"I always do." Tula turned so that she was sitting on the bench sideways, giving her a clear panoramic view of anyone approaching, allowing her to sound the alarm.

Areana pulled the earpiece from a hidden pocket in her purse and put it in her ear.

The second part of the device was hidden in the pendant she wore under the neckline of her dress, and she pulled it out as well.

Ironically, the pendant had been a gift from Navuh, and now it hid the means by which she communicated with his archenemy.

She wasn't betraying him because she never told Annani anything that could undermine Navuh, but if he ever found out, he would see it that way.

"Lady Areana," William said as soon as she activated the connection. "It's good to hear from you again. I'm patching you through to your sister."

The relay was almost instantaneous.

"Dearest sister of mine," Annani said. "I am so glad that you can finally call me. How are you?"

"I'm well." Areana kept her voice low, even though the wind and the sound of the crashing waves would mask her words. "The ladies and I are back in our quarters in the harem. The restoration is still in progress, but most of the structure is habitable."

"What remains in need of restoration?"

"Books, furnishings, some of the artwork, but let's not waste our time talking about that. How are you, Annani?"

"Over here, everything is fine. It is you I worry about."

"Thank the merciful Fates, things are back to normal.” Areana put a hand over her heart. “And how are my sons?"

"They are excellent. Lokan and Carol were put in charge of a group of humans with paranormal abilities, and Lokan is inducing the men. So far, no one has transitioned, but we are still hopeful."

It was good that Lokan had been put in charge of the project. After finally severing his connection to the Brotherhood and escaping his father for good, Areana worried about him finding a place in Annani's clan.

"Did Kalugal arrange for Lokan to get the position?" she asked.

"Oh, no. I believe Lokan volunteered."

"Good." Areana let out a breath. "I'm glad he has something to do. By the way, do you know the names of Kalugal's men? I'm particularly interested in someone named Darien."

"I know all of them, and none of them go by that name."

Areana's heart sank. "Are you sure? Darien is the son of one of the ladies."

"I am sure that none of those residing in the village is called Darien, but it is possible that some adopted new names.

Also, several of the men who escaped with Kalugal left the unit.

Some wanted to explore the world, others sought independence.

Kalugal did not try to stop them. Whoever wanted to leave was allowed to. "

"Could you ask Kalugal what happened to Darien?" Areana's fingers tightened on the pendant. "Or perhaps I should call him directly next week?"

"I can ask him," Annani said. "Whose son is he?"

"Tamira's. I didn't know that Darien served under Kalugal, or even that he retained the name she'd given him.

The ladies and I visited the beach, and one of the guards who was assigned to us told her that he knew Darien.

He immediately saw the resemblance. He told her that Darien served under Kalugal and was part of the unit that defected.

Now she thinks that I knew about it and kept it from her.

Naturally, I had no idea. Navuh told me that he believed that Kalugal survived and that he'd escaped, but he never mentioned the names of the men who went with him. "

"Oh." Annani's voice carried understanding and sympathy. "That must be difficult, especially since you cannot tell her anything, even if Kalugal sheds light on what happened to Darien. I will call him as soon as we are done."

"Thank you." Areana touched her earpiece, a nervous habit when she was emotional.

"Lady Areana!"

Tula's sharp call made her blood freeze. She looked back to see Tula standing to shield her from view, and beyond her, still distant but approaching, was an unmistakable figure.

Navuh.

"I have to go," Areana whispered urgently into the pendant.

"Be safe," Annani said, and the connection died.

Areana's hands trembled as she quickly pulled the earpiece from her ear and tucked it into the hidden compartment of her purse. The pendant required no adjustment, looking like an innocent piece of jewelry, but she still tucked it under the neckline of her gown.

"Ready?" Tula asked in a barely audible voice.

"I am. Thank you." Areana pulled out the ribbon she was embroidering and tried to thread the needle, but her fingers trembled too badly, and she stabbed herself instead.

A drop of blood welled on her fingertip, and she immediately put the finger in her mouth.

"Let me," Tula said, taking the needle and thread. With steady hands, she threaded it and handed it back just as Navuh's footsteps became audible on the gravel path.

Areana forced herself to make a stitch, then another, creating the illusion that she'd been sitting there peacefully embroidering while enjoying the morning air.

"Areana," Navuh's deep voice carried a note of surprise. "I didn't expect to find you out here."

She looked up, composing her features into a pleased smile. "This is when I usually sit out here. The morning breeze cools the air, and the ocean is relatively calm. This is the best time of day to be here."

He moved closer, his dark eyes studying her face with an intensity that made her want to fidget. After five thousand years together, he could read her moods with uncanny accuracy.

"You look perturbed," he observed, sitting on the bench beside her. His presence was overwhelming, as always—not because he was a large male, but because of the force of his personality, the power that radiated from him, and the intensity. "What's troubling you?"

"It's nothing," she said, then caught herself. Navuh hated it when she dismissed her own concerns. "I just had an upsetting thought."

"About what?" His tone was patient, but she knew that his patience had limits.

Areana set down her embroidery, using the moment to gather her thoughts. She needed something believable, something that would genuinely upset her but wouldn't invite further investigation.

"The enhanced soldiers," she said, meeting his eyes. "I was thinking about what might have happened if they'd succeeded. If they'd gotten into the basement during the rebellion."

His expression softened, but not by much. He wasn't a soft male, and he never pretended to be anything other than who he was. "I would never allow anything to happen to you, and that's not an empty promise. I would have fought them with my own hands if I had to."

Areana felt the tension ease from her shoulders.

"I know." She leaned and kissed his cheek, even though Tula was standing behind them.

"My imagination sometimes runs away with me.

Sitting here, looking at this drop, I was thinking about how we're always perched on the edge of disaster.

One wrong step, one failure of vigilance, and everything falls apart. "

Navuh was quiet for a moment, his gaze moving from her face to the cliff's edge. "The enhanced soldiers are contained. They won't threaten you again."

"I'm surprised that you didn't have them executed." She let curiosity color her voice.

"They're too valuable to waste." He leaned back. "I took Elias to see them today. His insight was interesting."

Areana felt Tula shift slightly behind them.

Navuh had told her about the shaman's special abilities, but Tula wasn't supposed to know, and Areana was surprised that he was telling her about this when Tula was within earshot.

"Was it wise to let Elias near them?" she asked. "That seems dangerous."

"It was a risky move." Navuh sounded smug.

"But it was productive. He confirmed what I suspected.

The enhanced ones are connected, able to communicate through some form of shared consciousness.

The enhancement process broke down barriers in their minds, allowing them to access something beyond individual awareness. "

"That sounds…terrifying."

"Or revolutionary." His eyes gleamed with the kind of fervor that always made her nervous. "Imagine an army that needs no communication devices, no chain of command in the traditional sense. They could have perfect coordination through shared thought."

"But you can't control them," Areana pointed out.

"That's the most important thing. What good is a weapon that does whatever it wants?

It's worse than useless. It's like sitting on top of a volcano and boasting about being its king.

" She stopped herself from continuing to say that the volcano was the true ruler and would consume the foolish human, immortal, or even a god sitting on its summit.

"The first iteration had flaws," Navuh admitted.

"But that's the nature of progress. The next version will be better.

More stable. Perhaps even hierarchical, with less enhanced soldiers at the bottom and generals who can connect to the collective but maintain individual will without losing themselves. "

Areana suppressed a shudder. Sometimes she forgot how differently they saw the world. To her, the idea of minds merged into a collective was nightmarish. To him, it was just another tool to be perfected and wielded.

"What did Elias say?" She deflected from her own discomfort.

"When he touched the soldier, he was pulled into their shared consciousness briefly. Lesser minds would have been overwhelmed, but he managed to maintain his identity and extract useful information."

"That's remarkable," Areana agreed.

"Indeed. I hope Tamira bears him a child," Navuh said. "The offspring of a female of her intelligence and a man with Elias's gifts would be exceptional. I could use more clever minds in my command structure."

"They seem well suited," she offered, glad to change the subject. "As are Tula and Tony." She glanced at Tula, who was still standing behind them.

"I'm less certain about the potential of their offspring," Navuh said with no regard for Tula's feelings. "Tony is intelligent in his narrow field, but he lacks broader vision."

Behind them, Tula remained perfectly still, but Areana could feel her tension.

"Not everyone can be a general," Areana said mildly. "Or should be."

"True." Navuh stood, offering her his hand. "Come, my mate. It's nearly time for lunch."

Areana packed her embroidery carefully, aware of him watching her.

"You pricked yourself?" He looked at the black ribbon, and as Areana followed his gaze, she noted the slight red smear she hadn't noticed before.

"The needle slipped." She smiled. "I was distracted by my foolish worries."

He took her hand and kissed her fingers. "Your worries aren't foolish. Vigilance is what keeps us safe. But you're protected, Areana. I would burn the world before I let harm come to you."

The declaration should have been romantic. Instead, it chilled her. Because she knew he meant it literally—he would indeed burn the world for her and count the ashes of all that had been consumed a small price to pay.

"I know," she said, and let him lead her back toward the harem.