Page 42 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope (The Children Of The Gods #100)

ELUHEED

T he service corridor on the first level was just as nice as the rest of the floor, with plush carpets and cream-colored walls, but it was narrower, and no precious artwork hung on the walls or perched on top of pedestals.

Eluheed stood with Tamira and Tony near the service elevator, all three trying to look casual despite the hammering in their chests.

They shouldn't have been there. This area was restricted to staff, and the presence of a guard at the corridor entrance had been an unwelcome surprise.

"I didn't expect to see a guard in the servants' area," Tony whispered, shifting nervously. "You handled him brilliantly."

"Thank you." Tamira grinned. "I think so too. In fact, I'm getting better at it."

Eluheed had watched with admiration as she'd approached the guard with perfect confidence, her voice taking on that particular tone of authority that came from millennia of practice.

"We need someone with exceptional hearing in the courtyard.

There is a water leak somewhere, and we need to find it before it creates a problem.

You are the perfect man for that, and Lady Areana will be very grateful if you help solve the mystery of that leak. "

She'd later told them that she didn't need to speak the words. It was enough that she thought them and imagined herself pushing them into the guard's mind. She'd done that for them, so they would know what instructions she was giving him.

The guard hadn't hesitated. He'd practically run toward the staircase, leaving his post unmanned.

"How long do we have?" Tony asked again.

Tamira looked smug. "Since there is no leak, he will keep looking until I release him from the thrall. We don't need to worry about him anymore."

The service elevator dinged softly, and all three of them froze, but it was just a maid with folded linens. She gave them a curious look but said nothing and tried to hurry past them with her cart of freshly laundered towels and bedding.

"Wait," Tamira commanded.

The maid stopped and turned. "Yes, my lady?"

"You didn't see anyone standing out here." Tamira waved a hand. "Carry on with your duties."

The girl continued on her way in a less hurried way now that she was oblivious to anyone watching her.

"We should have done this last night after dinner," Tony muttered. "Less traffic."

Tamira shook her head. "The lord usually doesn't leave after dinner. I'd rather do it when he's not here."

"Right." Tony rubbed his chin. "I don't want him around either. Areana might show us mercy, but he won't."

"The maid with the dishes should be coming out soon," Tamira said. "I just hope that she comes out with plenty of glasses covered with his fingerprints."

Last night, they had practiced in Tony and Tula's bathroom, which they had turned into a makeshift laboratory, with tape, powder, and various glasses they'd borrowed from the trolley of dirty dishes from the dining room.

It had taken several tries until they managed to lift a full fingerprint and not just a fragment, but Tony's technique had worked exactly as he'd described, lifting prints from glass using tape and transferring them.

They'd practiced until they could do it quickly, cleanly, and without smudging.

The back door of Areana's suite opened, and the maid emerged backward, pulling a trolley laden with the remains of breakfast. There were several crystal glasses, which would do them no good with all that etching, but also regular glasses that were perfect for collecting fingerprints.

"Excuse me," Tamira said.

The maid started, her hand lifting to her chest. "My lady? How can I help you?"

"You can't, but I can help you. We will take some of these dishes for you and deliver them to the kitchen, you will forget that you saw us and that we took anything."

Tamira lifted her hand and brushed the girl's arm, just a light touch, but Eluheed saw the maid's eyelids drooping. "Rest a little bit. You look pale."

The girl nodded and leaned against the wall while they wrapped the glasses they needed in cloth, and the men stuffed them in their pockets.

"You can go now," Tamira told the maid.

The girl entered the service elevator with her trolley, sans just a few simple glasses that no one would miss, and pressed the button for the main kitchen on level seven.

As soon as the elevator door closed, the three of them rushed into the stairwell.

"Wait," Tony hissed as they reached the landing on the second level. "Someone's coming."

When the footsteps receded, Tamira opened the door and peered out into the second-level corridor. "All clear."

They stepped outside and rushed toward Tony and Tula's room. The ladies were hopefully still in the dining room, eating their breakfast and wondering where Tula, Tamira, and their partners were.

They made it to the room without incident, and as Tula opened the door, the four of them immediately continued to the bathroom.

"Finally! I was starting to think something had gone wrong."

"The maid took a long time to come out," Eluheed said. "But we need to leave everything here and go to breakfast, or the others will get suspicious. If anyone asks, you felt nauseous, and we didn't want to leave you alone."

Tula nodded, although she was just as eager as they were to get on with the fingerprint transfer. "Let's get this over with."

They made their way to the dining room, where the other ladies were already halfway through the meal, and several heads turned as they entered.

"There you are," Sarah said. "We were beginning to wonder what happened to you."

"I wasn't feeling well," Tula said, one hand on her stomach. "They stayed with me out of solidarity."

"You should eat something," Beulah suggested. "Even if it's just toast."

They took their seats, and servants immediately appeared with fresh plates. Eluheed forced himself to eat normally, though he couldn't taste anything. Tomorrow, at the same time, they would either be free or dead.

"Good morning, everyone." Areana entered with her usual flourish.

She took her seat at the head of the table and smiled at the other ladies before her gaze settled on Eluheed. "Good morning, Elias. Did you find what you were looking for in the gardens yesterday?"

The question caught him off guard for a moment before he remembered his alibi. He and Tony had supposedly been searching for a rare plant while everyone else was enjoying the picnic.

"I did not," he said. "But I'm not giving up. I know I will eventually find it." Maybe he would, but not on this island.

"Persistence often pays off," Areana said, and something in her tone made him wonder if she meant more than just plants.

"We should organize more picnics," Tamira said, changing the subject. "It was nice being outside together."

"When it's not that hot," Tula added. "Maybe in the evening next time."

"That's a lovely idea," Liliat agreed. "We could have lanterns to make it festive. The kids loved the morning picnic, and I'm sure they would love a nighttime picnic as well. We can even have bonfires and roast some potatoes."

The conversation continued, flowing around different topics that felt surreal in the context of their impending escape. They were discussing future picnics when they planned to be gone.

Every word felt like another lie added to the pile.

Raviki was describing a picnic they had all attended centuries ago in the old compound when Tula suddenly pushed back from the table.

"Excuse me," she said, her face pale. "I'm not feeling well again."

"I'll go with you," Tamira said immediately, rising to her feet.

Tony and Eluheed stood as well.

"I'll mix a herbal remedy for you that might ease your symptoms."

"Thank you." Tula smiled at him weakly.

"The poor dear," Beulah said sympathetically. "The heat isn't helping her condition."

They left the dining room quickly, with Tula playing up her nausea just enough to be believable. Once they were back in her bathroom, she straightened.

"That was awful," she said. "I hated sitting there and talking about future plans."

"It was necessary," Tamira said. "Now let's get to work, or no one will be leaving tomorrow."

Tony pulled on a pair of latex gloves. "The orange juice glass first," he said, unwrapping it carefully. "Multiple big prints here."

The fingerprints were visible even without powder, oil whirls, and ridges catching the light. Tony applied tape with the delicacy of a surgeon, pressing gently to capture every detail.

"That's perfect," Eluheed murmured, seeing the complete print transfer to the tape.

They worked methodically, lifting prints from each glass and creating multiple copies on the thin latex membranes. Each one had to be perfect.

They wouldn't get a second chance.

"Three good prints of the index finger on the right hand," Tony announced finally. "We also have several others that we will take with us just in case the index is not the right fingerprint."

Eluheed held one of the latex prints up to the light, seeing Navuh's identity captured in the swirls and ridges. Such a small thing to represent their freedom.

They cleaned everything meticulously, removing any trace of their work. The glasses would need to be returned to the kitchen somehow, but that could wait for later. For now, they had what they needed.

"We should keep to our normal routines," Tamira said. "We need to be visible." She looked at Tula. "You can stay here if you want. You have a good excuse."

Tula shook her head, and Eluheed caught a sheen of tears in her eyes. "I'm never going to see them again," she said. "I might as well spend the last day here with my sisters."