Page 24 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope (The Children Of The Gods #100)

LOKAN

T he keep's gym smelled of cleaning solution and perspiration, a combination that reminded Lokan of the exclusive gym in the Beijing high-rise he'd been living in for the past two years.

But this was different.

Instead of bored business executives hoping to maintain their health by paying their dues on the long row of treadmills, the participants in tonight's ceremony hoped to join the ranks of the immortals by facing one of them on the wrestling mat.

The paranormals filed in with expressions ranging from nervous to excited.

Jeremy led the group, elected as their unofficial leader.

Behind him came Spencer and Dylan, who were also trying one more time to be induced.

James and Mollie entered holding hands, while Abigail, Sofia, and Naomi walked in chatting among themselves and looking nervous.

The door opened again, and Kian entered with Anandur and Brundar flanking him like bookends of opposite temperaments—one grinning broadly, the other wearing his usual stoic expression. Carol followed, catching Lokan's eye and giving him a smile that could melt ice.

Kian took a bag from Anandur that Lokan hadn't noticed him carrying and pulled out a bottle of wine.

"I've been thinking about why the inductions didn't work before.

Maybe we've been too casual about it and offended the Fates.

We shouldn't have skipped the ritual. It has always been part of the process. "

"You surprise me." Lokan took the sleeve of paper cups that Anandur handed him. "You're usually too pragmatic and skeptical to believe that a ceremony might change the outcome."

Kian set the wine on a bench and started separating the paper cups. "Over the past five years, I've gradually changed from a skeptic to a believer. If there's even a sliver of a chance that the ceremony is what's been missing, it's worth the few extra minutes it will take."

Anandur clapped his hands together, the sound echoing in the gym. "Any excuse for a party, right? Even a small one with crappy sweet wine in paper cups."

"It's not crappy," Kian protested. "It's ceremonial wine."

Anandur shrugged. "That doesn't make it taste any better, and it still goes into paper cups."

Lokan studied Kian's face, wondering if Carol had told the boss about his crisis of confidence after his failures to induce the paranormals.

He'd started to believe there was something fundamentally wrong with his venom, despite everyone's assurances that being three-quarters god should make it the most potent available.

But Kian didn't look like he was humoring anyone.

He seemed genuinely convinced that the wine and the traditional words would make a difference.

Lokan didn't want to mention that the Brotherhood never bothered with a ceremony or wine.

The induction ceremony at thirteen years of age was a brutal and humiliating affair, and the young dormant males subjected to it still managed to transition to immortality.

Lokan had been born immortal because his mother was a goddess, and so had Kalugal, but Navuh had manipulated everyone to believe that they'd gone through a privately held induction ceremony like all his other so-called sons.

"Alright, everyone, gather round," Kian said. "We're going to do this properly this time."

The paranormals formed a loose semicircle, their partners standing beside them.

"Before we begin," Kian said, pouring wine into the small cups Carol was distributing, "I want to make something clear. Whether this works or not, you've all shown tremendous courage by coming here, trusting us, and being willing to go out on a limb."

"Hear, hear," Anandur boomed, already holding his cup high.

Kian cast him a reproachful look and then cleared his throat.

"We are gathered here to present these brave three souls to their elders.

" His voice carried a formal cadence. "They stand ready to attempt transition into immortality, if the Fates will it.

I vouch for each of them as being worthy of the honor. "

The atmosphere in the gym shifted, became charged with something that hadn't been there during the previous attempts. Even Anandur seemed to stand straighter, taking the ceremony seriously.

"Jeremy, please come forward," Kian continued. "Who volunteers to take on the burden of initiating Jeremy into immortality?"

"I do." Anandur raised his hand.

Kian nodded. "Jeremy, do you accept Guardian Anandur as your initiator? As your mentor and protector, to honor him with your friendship, your respect, and your loyalty from this day forward?"

Jeremy glanced at Naomi, who squeezed his hand encouragingly. "I do," he said.

"Does anyone have any objections to Jeremy becoming Anandur's protégé?"

Silence filled the gym, but it was supportive rather than awkward.

"Then let's seal it with a toast." Kian raised his paper cup. "To Jeremy and Anandur."

"To Jeremy and Anandur," everyone echoed, taking sips of the ceremonial wine.

Lokan had to admit that the ceremony made a difference. Before, there had been a clinical efficiency to the induction—get in, inject the venom, wait for results. This had weight to it, a meaning beyond two guys on the mat, one with fangs and the other without.

"Now then, ready to dance, Jeremy?" Anandur asked, his grin tempered with purpose. "I promise I'll go easy on you."

"Define 'easy,'" Jeremy said, managing a nervous laugh.

"I won't break anything important."

Carol moved to stand beside Lokan as the others cleared a space for the two combatants. "Was this your idea?" he asked quietly.

"Not at all. It was all Kian."

"He truly thinks the ritual will make a difference?"

"It can't hurt." Carol shrugged. "The ceremony creates a bond between the initiator and the initiate. Perhaps the psychology of it matters as much as the physicality."

Lokan watched as Anandur and Jeremy circled each other, the Guardian moving with deliberate slowness to let the human track him.

"You know, the key to a good fight is not thinking too much," Anandur said conversationally as they moved. "Jeremy, my friend, you're thinking so hard I can hear the gears grinding from here."

"Hard not to think about my upcoming demise when someone your size is about to attack me," Jeremy replied.

"I'm not attacking. I'm initiating. That's a completely different thing." Anandur feinted left, and Jeremy jerked back. "See? You're anticipating. Don't anticipate. React."

"Easy for you to say."

"Actually, it took me about two hundred years to learn that lesson, so no, not easy at all."

The exchange continued, Anandur keeping up a steady stream of instruction and encouragement while gradually increasing the pace. Jeremy was sweating, breathing hard, but there was a determination in his eyes that hadn't been there during the first attempt.

Anandur finally made his move, a lightning-fast grab that caught Jeremy's arm. They went down in a controlled fall, Anandur's fangs extending as he bit down on Jeremy's neck.

Jeremy gasped but didn't cry out, his body going rigid as the venom entered his system.

"Well done," Anandur said as he released the guy. "He took that like a champ."

"Did it work?" Naomi rushed forward, dropping to her knees beside Jeremy.

"We won't know for a few days," Kian said.

"My turn?" Spencer asked.

Kian nodded and lifted the wine bottle again. "Who volunteers to be Spencer's initiator?"

"I do," Brundar said, stepping forward.

"Spencer," Kian continued after refilling everyone's cups. "Do you accept Guardian Brundar as your initiator? As your mentor and protector, to honor him with your friendship, your respect, and your loyalty from this day forward?"

Spencer studied Brundar for a long moment. Where others might have been intimidated by the Guardian's silence and intensity, Spencer seemed to appreciate it. "I do."

"Does anyone object to Spencer becoming Brundar's protégé?"

Again, supportive silence.

"Then we toast. To Spencer and Brundar."

The contrast between the two sparring pairs couldn't have been more pronounced. Where Anandur had been vocal and encouraging, Brundar was silent and intense. But Spencer seemed to understand the Guardian's style, matching his quiet focus with equal concentration.

They moved like dancers who'd rehearsed together, despite this being their first real encounter. Spencer, like everyone else in the government paranormal program, had military training, and it showed in the way he moved and his ability to read Brundar's intentions.

When Brundar struck, it was swift and precise. Spencer's jaw clenched as Brundar's fangs pierced his skin, but he didn't cry out.

Once he was taken off the mat, Kian turned to Dylan. "Lokan has volunteered to be your initiator again. Do you accept him as your mentor and protector, to honor him with your friendship, respect, and loyalty?"

Dylan met Lokan's eyes, and Lokan saw his own uncertainty reflected there. But then Dylan nodded. "I do."

"Any objections?" Kian asked.

The silence felt heavier this time, and Lokan wondered if everyone was thinking about his previous failures. But no one spoke against it.

"Then we seal it. To Dylan and Lokan."

As the wine touched his lips, Lokan felt something shift. This wasn't just about successfully inducing a transformation anymore. He'd just taken responsibility for this man, ceremony or not, success or not.

"Ready?" he asked Dylan as they moved to the sparring area.

"Are you?" Dylan countered, and there was understanding in his voice.

"No," Lokan admitted quietly. "But that has never stopped me before."

Dylan smiled. "Good enough for me."

They circled each other, and Lokan found himself talking like Anandur had, partly to calm Dylan but mostly to calm himself.

"You know what the interesting thing about the transition is?

" he said as they moved. "It's not really about the venom.

I mean, yes, the venom is necessary, but it's just a catalyst. The real change comes from within.

The venom just gives your body permission to become what it always had the potential to be. "

"Provided that the potential is there," Dylan said, maintaining his guard.

Lokan struck then, not giving Dylan time to tense up in anticipation. His fangs pierced the skin cleanly, venom flowing from his glands.

When Dylan passed out, Jeremy started waking up, and Spencer followed a few minutes later.

"What now?" Spencer asked, sounding as if he were drunk, still loopy from the venom effect.

"Now we wait," Kian said.