Page 7 of Dark Shaman: Love Found (The Children Of The Gods #99)

ELUHEED

" T his is killing me." Tony scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Not knowing if Tula's okay."

Eluheed finished buttering his toast and reached for the jam. "They're safe." What else could he say when he felt the same gnawing worry for Tamira. "And they are treated like royalty. You've seen how the servants acted around them. Lord Navuh values them highly."

"Values them like property," Tony said bitterly, then caught himself. "Sorry. I know that you're in the same position. We're all just assets in his collection."

They were, but saying so aloud in the hotel restaurant with many ears around was dangerous.

Eluheed lifted the coffee carafe. "Do you want a refill?"

"Sure." He pushed his half-empty mug toward Eluheed. "Do you believe in fate?"

The question surprised him. "Why do you ask? "

"Well, you're a shaman, right? You must have an opinion on the flood, the displacement, everything. Is it random, or does fate have a hand in this?"

Eluheed thought of the vision he'd summoned for Navuh—fire and destruction that he'd later interpreted as the flooding of the harem. Now he was pretty certain that it had nothing to do with that and everything to do with the enhanced army Navuh was creating.

The enhanced soldiers were coming. Not today, perhaps not even this month, but soon.

And when they turned on their master, the island would burn just as his vision had shown.

The question was whether anything could prevent it, or whether fate, if such a thing existed, had already written the ending.

All Eluheed could do was what he'd always done: survive, protect those he could, and hope that someday he'd find redemption for the lies that now stained his soul.

In either case, though, he couldn't share his musings with Tony.

Everything that transpired between him and Navuh needed to remain a secret. Otherwise, the lord would realize that his compulsion didn't work on Eluheed, and his one advantage would disappear.

"I believe in patterns," he said. "Events that seem random often reveal design when viewed from a sufficient distance."

"Very shamanic of you," Tony said with a weak smile. "Speaking in generalities and riddles and never giving a straight answer because you are just as lost and confused as the rest of us mortals."

He was about to retort when a guard walked over to their table. "Lord Navuh wants to see you."

"Of course," he told the guard. "Let me return to my room and change my shirt for something more appropriate."

The guard nodded curtly. "You've got five minutes."

In his room, Eluheed quickly changed into the more formal shirt he'd been given, one that wouldn't look too out of place in Navuh's mansion. His hands moved automatically as he buttoned it up, his mind racing with what had been troubling him since his conversation with the scientist.

Navuh would probably want to know whether the flood was sabotage, and Eluheed needed to find a way to steer him toward his previous vision about fire and blood.

The question was how much to reveal, and how much to fabricate.

His stomach turned at the thought. His people considered lying a grave affront to their god, and as a spiritual leader, Eluheed was supposed to lead by example.

Except, he was a long way from home, and his people were probably gone, annihilated by their enemies.

As despair washed over him, his fingers trembled on the last button.

The Precepts of Truth were no longer relevant, and if he needed to lie to the despot to protect Tamira, so be it .

Sometimes the greater good demanded lesser evils.

The guard was waiting impatiently in the hallway. He said nothing during the ride to Navuh's mansion, which suited Eluheed just fine. He needed the time to prepare.

The mansion looked austere in the harsh morning light, but now the tall wall surrounding it and the guards posted in the towers along it provided Eluheed with a source of solace rather than worry.

Tamira and the ladies were safe on the other side.

They entered through a side entrance, the guard leading him through corridors that smelled of furniture polish and subtle menace.

Navuh's office occupied a corner of the third floor, with walls of windows that provided a beautiful view of the island. The lord sat behind a large desk, a predator surveying his domain.

"Leave us," Navuh commanded the guard without looking up.

Eluheed waited until the door closed before approaching. He knew better than to speak first or to sit without invitation. Navuh would set the pace, establish dominance through the small gestures of power that fed his need for control.

Finally, the lord looked up. His dark eyes were cold, flat. "Sit down."

"Thank you, my lord." Eluheed did as instructed .

"Tell me, shaman, what caused water to breach my most secure facility and destroy millions of dollars in infrastructure, nearly costing me some of my most valuable assets?"

"I don't know how it happened, my lord. It was a freak occurrence."

"Really?" Navuh's voice dropped to a whisper that was somehow more threatening than a shout.

"A volcanic island that has been stable for decades suddenly experiences tremors.

Water finds its way through barriers that were supposedly impregnable.

My fortress becomes a death trap in a matter of minutes.

Does that sound like a freak occurrence to you? "

Eluheed chose his words carefully. "Even the best engineering cannot stand against the full force of nature when the earth chooses to move."

"Nature." Navuh tasted the word like wine, finding it bitter. "Or sabotage designed to look like nature?"

There it was—the paranoia that both protected and imprisoned the lord. Everything was a potential plot, every disaster a possible attack. It would be easy to feed that paranoia, to redirect it where it might do some good.

"Do you believe someone caused the flood deliberately?" Eluheed let surprise color his voice.

"I believe in examining all possibilities.

" Navuh stood and walked over to the window.

"The timing was convenient. I was there, as I am every night.

The perpetrator might have sought to eliminate me along with everyone else in the harem.

Luckily, Nabin and Hassan acted fast and prevented an even worse disaster. "

Navuh hadn't mentioned Eluheed's contribution to the rescue efforts, but that suited the shaman.

"Perhaps a vision might provide clarity?" he offered instead.

Navuh turned, his expression sharp with interest. "Yes. That's why I asked for you to be brought here. I need you to tell me whether the flooding was sabotage and whether anyone is threatening me."

"I'll need to touch you, my lord."

The familiar dance ensued, with Navuh sitting down and extending his hand with the air of someone making a great sacrifice. His fingers were cool and dry, the skin smooth. In fact, touching the lord was not revolting, even though Eluheed always expected it to be.

It wasn't about the feel of the despot's skin either. Through the touch, Eluheed could feel the many layers that made Navuh who he was, and not all of them were evil.

Just most.

He took the lord's offered hand between both of his and opened himself to the connection.

True visions came rarely, usually showing personal connections and emotional betrayals rather than grand conspiracies.

But today, he would have to weave truth with elaborate fabrication, creating something that served his purpose while seeming genuine .

The real vision came first, as he'd known it would.

Fire and smoke, chaos sweeping across the island.

The same apocalyptic images he'd seen before, but a little clearer now.

Soldiers in uniforms battling each other, people fleeing, and through it all, a sense of an inevitable ending.

He didn't see Navuh's demise, and he didn't see what would bring about the collapse. It was just a general sense of chaos.

He could tell Navuh what he'd seen and not mention the enhanced soldiers. After all, he had only seen warriors turning on each other. He assumed that the enhanced ones would rise up against their brethren, but he hadn't seen it.

It was a relief.

He didn't need to lie.

He would keep the vision's emotional core while blurring the details. The fire remained, but its source was ambiguous. The destruction stayed, but the perpetrators were unclear, hints rather than clear images. And through it all, he wove a thread of betrayal that was both true and misdirected.

When he released Navuh's hand, Eluheed let his breath shudder, adding a tremor to his voice. "My lord...what I saw..."

"Tell me." The command cracked like a whip.

"Fire," Eluheed said. "The island burning. Smoke so thick it chokes the sky, but it might be a metaphysical fire rather than real. Fire signifies betrayal, getting burned by someone you trust. "

Navuh's eyes narrowed. "Who?"

"The vision wasn't clear on identity. But I sensed power that felt unnatural and was turned against you. Perhaps someone is dabbling in the black arts?"

The misdirection was an attempt to muddy the waters so Navuh wouldn't feel like Eluheed was leading him toward a certain conclusion.

The lord waved a dismissive hand. "I don't believe in voodoo or any of that nonsense. If someone is stabbing a doll that looks like me, the best they can hope for is a pricked finger."

Eluheed dipped his head. "With all due respect, my lord, I wouldn't be so dismissive of the black arts. Strong intentions can manifest in the real world. I've seen that with my own eyes."

Navuh looked exasperated. "Who then? One of my sons? My generals? Those on the island or those scattered around the world on missions?"

Eluheed closed his eyes. "The men in the vision wore uniforms. I didn't see their faces. I assume that those you send on missions abroad wear civilian clothing, so the perpetrators must be here on the island. They had an aura of superiority about them."

Hopefully, that would be enough to hint at the enhanced soldiers, but Navuh would interpret it through his own suspicious lens.

Eluheed remained silent, letting Navuh's paranoia build its own narrative.

It was safer than trying to direct it too specifically.

The lord's mind would create more elaborate conspiracies than Eluheed could ever suggest.

"Was there more?" Navuh demanded.

"The visions are rarely clear, my lord. They merely hint at things.

I've gotten a sense of power coupled with patience.

Whoever is planning this betrayal isn't about to attack immediately.

It builds over time, gathering strength until the moment is right.

I wouldn't be surprised if the flood was a test, a way to probe your defenses and see how you respond to a crisis. "

"A test." Navuh's voice dropped to a menacing whisper. "They think to test me?"

The lord turned to his computer and pulled up some reports on the screen. His fingers flew across the keyboard with surprising speed for someone who hadn't grown up with such devices.

"Tell me about the ones with power," he said without looking up. "You said the betrayal comes from powerful warriors. What did you mean?"

Evidently, Navuh had not missed a single word of what Eluheed had said.

"The power seemed unnatural. It was as if they were using drugs."

Navuh's fingers stilled on the keyboard. "Continue."

"It made them delusional. Drugs can do that to people. They begin to see themselves as more than they are. The weak-minded especially become drunk on their perceived power. They forget gratitude, forget loyalty, and they only know that they are now strong enough to take what they want."

Hopefully, the vague reference to drugs had not revealed his hand. Navuh was a sharp guy who didn't miss much.

"Your description could match anyone in my military organization," Navuh said. "Are they all potential traitors?"

Eluheed needed to narrow it down. "The threat comes not from those who oppose you or your goals, but from those who believe they are your betters."

It was a delicate balance—specific enough to be useful, but hopefully vague enough to avoid suspicion. Eluheed watched Navuh process the information, saw the paranoid mind turning over possibilities.

"Was the betrayal successful?" Navuh asked.

"The vision ended in fire and smoke. The outcome was unclear. But I sensed that forewarned is forearmed. Knowing the threat exists may be enough to prevent it."

"That may be." Navuh's tone suggested he found little comfort in possibilities. "What's the timeline? You said it builds over time. Is it days, weeks, or years?"

"Time moves strangely in visions, my lord. But the sense I got was of a gathering storm. Not imminent, but not distant either. The kind of threat that requires vigilance rather than panic."

"I'm always vigilant," Navuh said .

"Of course, my lord. You know best how to prepare for such a threat. I wouldn't presume to give you any suggestions, but perhaps you should question loyalties."

Navuh was quiet for a long moment, and Eluheed could practically see the gears turning in his mind. The lord would now suspect everyone and trust no one. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than him being blindsided when his enhanced soldiers eventually turned.

"What do you know of loyalty, shaman?" The question came unexpectedly.

Eluheed weighed his response. "I know it cannot be forced, my lord. True loyalty comes from respect, from shared purpose, from the belief that serving brings more benefit than betraying."

"A pragmatic view."

"An honest one, my lord. Those who serve from fear alone will abandon that service the moment they no longer feel afraid.

Those who serve from greed will sell themselves to the highest bidder.

But those who serve because they believe in the cause, in the leader—they are the ones who remain steadfast."

"And which are you, Elias?" Navuh turned to face him. "What keeps you loyal? Fear? Greed? Belief?"

The question was a trap, but Eluheed had navigated such waters before. "Necessity, my lord. I am loyal because the alternative serves no purpose. What would I gain from betrayal? Where would I go? My life here, limited though it may be, provides purpose and structure. That is enough. "

"Enough." Navuh seemed to taste the word. "How refreshingly modest. Most men always want more."

"Wanting more is a good way to end up with nothing, my lord."

"Indeed." Navuh returned to his screen. "You've given me much to consider, shaman. You may go."

"Thank you, my lord." Eluheed rose and bowed. "I'm always at your service."