Page 30 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope (The Children Of The Gods #100)

KIAN

K ian stood with his coffee mug in hand, looking through his office windows down at the village square below, where his people were gathering at the outdoor café. Beyond, the playground still stood empty, the swings and the jungle gym awaiting their little enthusiasts.

It had been peaceful for a while now, and that worried him.

In his experience, a long period of quiet usually preceded a storm of spectacular proportions, and he wondered if Kalugal's ambitious island project would be the catalyst.

Building an army under Navuh's nose, on an island just a little over a hundred miles away from his, was daring to say the least, but Kian couldn't argue with the obvious advantages.

With Lokan finally jumping ship, the clan had lost their eyes and ears in the Brotherhood's stronghold, and having a base so close opened up new surveillance possibilities.

Other than that, the paranormal project was still proceeding, albeit with mixed results, but Kian didn't anticipate any problems on that front.

The female spy corps that Carol was training showed promise, but since it was just in its initial stages and not operational yet, he didn't expect any trouble from there either.

The unusually quiet period of time allowed him to catch up on piles of neglected work, and he even had made dinner reservations for him and Syssi at By Invitation Only for tonight. Hopefully, nothing would happen to interfere with their plans.

Taking another sip of coffee, Kian watched a group of Guardians emerge from the pavilion and head for the café. They had also been taking it easy lately, which was perfectly fine. They needed a break just like everyone else.

As his phone buzzed on the desk behind him, he turned from the window, and when he picked it up, he saw Kalugal's picture on the display.

"Good morning." Kian put his mug down and sat down behind his desk.

"It is." Kalugal's voice carried its usual mix of dry humor and a tinge of superiority. "But I suppose that depends on one's definition of good. Mine was excellent because Darius gave me a big hug before heading out with Jacki. What made your morning good, cousin?"

"The same." Kian thought about Allegra twirling in her new dress and then running up to him at full speed, knowing he would catch her, and then the triple hug with his wife and daughter. "There is nothing better than family."

"I agree," Kalugal said. "But back to our business, I wanted to tell you that I'll be flying out to the island in three weeks. Jade, Phinas, and Drova will be accompanying me. I wondered if you would like to join us."

Kian was curious, and if Syssi was game, he might take Kalugal up on his offer. Combining a family vacation with work was not a bad idea.

"Where will you be staying?"

"We have most of the buildings renovated by now, and furniture will be delivered by the time we get there. I wouldn't have suggested for you to come if I didn't have proper accommodations ready."

"If I come, it will be with Syssi, Allegra, and a cadre of Guardians. Do you have space for all of us?"

Kian would have liked to invite Turner and Bridget as well, and get their opinion on the island, but that could wait for a later visit.

Kalugal was quiet for a long moment. "If Syssi and Allegra come, I'll bring Jacki and Darius, and that means I will have to bring along a cadre of guards as well."

"We can share the security detail," Kian offered.

"True. Let me check with Jacki, and I'll get back to you on that."

"Same here. I don't know if Syssi can take a break from the university."

Kalugal chuckled. "Her boss is your sister. I'm sure something can be arranged."

"That's not necessarily true. If the lab has important tests scheduled for that time, Amanda might have a problem with letting Syssi go."

"We can fly out Friday night and return Sunday evening," Kalugal suggested. "The jet lag will be bad, though. It's not a problem for us, but the kids might have trouble adjusting."

Darius might struggle because he was still human, but Allegra had already transitioned thanks to Annani's blood, and her sleep needs had changed accordingly.

Still, Kian wasn't going to share that information with his cousin.

The goddess's blood only helped little dormant girls transition.

It didn't work on boys. Darius would have to stay human until he was old enough to fight an immortal and be induced the traditional way.

"Kids are resilient," he said instead. "I wonder about your timing, though. The first human recruits aren't scheduled to arrive for another month. I thought you would want to be there for that."

"I don't. Jade and Phinas are bringing Drova, and she can handle the compulsion with ease.

She's as strong a compeller as I am, if not stronger.

The three of them will make sure that everything is properly prepared.

What I want to do is verify that the living quarters and training facilities are ready for the recruits and get a general feel for the place.

" He snorted. "Didn't you always want an island like Navuh's?

Maybe we can one day turn it into the clan's sanctuary. "

"No, thank you." Kian lifted the coffee mug and took a sip. "I don't want my people anywhere near the Brotherhood. What about the exoskeletons? How many are ready for training?"

"We'll have ten functional exoskeleton units ready for testing when the recruits arrive. The training simulators are already installed and operational."

Kalugal was exceptionally efficient. When he put his mind to something, he got it done faster and better than anyone could. It was scary to think that his father was the same way or better.

"There's one problem," Kalugal continued.

"The power requirements, which exceed the capacity of what the current facility can generate.

We're installing additional generators, but long-term, we need to consider alternative energy sources.

Can the firm that installed the mini nuclear reactor in the village install one on the island? "

"I'll check, but we will probably need to provide transportation. It's not something that you can easily put on a commercial ship or even easily export out of the country."

"That's why I'm leaving this to you," Kalugal said. "I don't have the right connections."

Kian chuckled. "And you are admitting that?"

"I have no problem admitting that I need help or accepting it, cousin. That's something that you struggle with."

"I do not." Kian let out a breath. "On some things I do. By the way, have you made any progress finding Darien?"

There was a pause. "Your mother told you about that?"

"Of course. She takes Areana's requests seriously and makes sure they are honored."

"I have an excellent private investigator working on it.

Preston King is known as the best, but so far, he has had no luck.

Darien must have changed his name and obtained a new identity.

We have his old passport photo, and Preston is using facial recognition software to search for matches, but we both know that it is quite easy to manipulate images to avoid detection, especially when someone is deliberately trying to stay under the radar. "

"It's to be expected. Darien is probably still hiding from the Brotherhood. Maybe ask William to run the photo through our resources? I suspect that we may have access to better data and software than your guy could ever hope for," Kian offered.

"I didn’t want to bother Roni when he’s so busy, but I will do that if Preston fails to find him." Kalugal sighed. "The other possibilities are less optimistic. He might have been found by Brotherhood operatives years ago or got killed some other way."

"I hope he's alive," Kian said. "It would mean a lot to both our mothers, even if Areana can't tell Tamira about her findings."

"I know. I'll call you after I speak with Jacki."

"Please do. I'll speak with Syssi."

Kian had barely set the phone down when it rang again, and this time it was Kalugal's brother.

"Good morning, Lokan," Kian answered. "I heard the good news about Jeremy."

"Did Julian call you?"

"He did. He said Jeremy's fever is holding steady and he's showing all the classic signs of transition."

"He's still conscious," Lokan said, and there was something in his voice—relief mixed with something else. Vindication, perhaps? "His temperature has been hovering around thirty-nine degrees Celsius for the past twelve hours. Julian says that's good for someone his age and level of health."

"Excellent. How are Spencer and Dylan taking it?"

There was a pause, and Kian could practically feel Lokan's mood shift through the phone. "Not well. They are disappointed, but not ready to call it quits yet. Onegus has volunteered to induce them, and they both seemed happy to accept his offer."

Kian doubted another attempt would prove more effective than the preceding ones, but he wasn't about to voice that opinion. "It's nice of Onegus to offer. He's a busy guy. When does he plan to do it?"

"He said they should wait a couple of weeks."

"Based on what?"

"He mentioned Roni and how long it took him and how many trials he went through. I think Onegus just wanted to give them hope."

"Hope is important," Kian said, though privately he wondered if false hope was crueler than acceptance. "Let them try again if they want to. We're in no rush to end the program. Keep me updated on the inductions."

"I will."

After Lokan hung up, Kian returned to the window. The square was busier now, with more people arriving at the café, others heading toward their respective duties for the day. A regular Friday morning in their hidden sanctuary, peaceful and productive.

So why did he still feel like he was waiting for something to go wrong?