Page 48 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure (The Children Of The Gods #98)

ELUHEED

T he resort lobby gleamed with marble and crystal, a temple to excess that reminded Eluheed of the upper levels of the harem.

He stood in the lobby entrance, taking in the soaring ceilings, the beautiful flooring, and the elaborate fountains.

This was where Navuh's clients stayed when they came to indulge their darkest fantasies, where powerful men paid fortunes for experiences they couldn't find anywhere else.

Now it was overflowing with displaced servants, their simple clothes and worried faces a stark contrast to the opulent surroundings. Children who'd never seen such luxury ran through the halls, their laughter echoing off surfaces designed to impress jaded politicians and businessmen.

"This way, sirs," the bellhop said, leading Eluheed and Tony toward the elevators. The young man maintained his professional demeanor despite the chaos, though his eyes kept darting to the people camped in every available space.

They rode up in silence, Tony radiating misery. When the bellhop opened the door to their room, Eluheed's heart sank.

One bed. King-sized, draped in white linens and enough pillows to build a fort, but still—one bed.

"We don't have rooms with double beds," the bellhop said apologetically. "And this is the only room available."

"It's fine," Eluheed said. "Thank you."

The door closed, leaving them alone with the elephant in the room. Or rather, the bed.

"I'll take the couch." Eluheed gestured to the seating area. It looked comfortable enough, certainly better than many places he'd slept over the centuries and definitely better than sharing a bed with Tony.

The guy didn't argue. He simply walked to the bed and threw himself face down on it, still fully clothed. "This is bullshit," he said, his voice muffled by the pillows.

Eluheed chuckled. "Which part?"

"All of it." Tony rolled onto his back, staring at the ceiling. "The flood. The evacuation. Being stuck here while Tula's trapped in that modernist nightmare. Having to pretend we're nothing to each other while servants gawk at us like we're zoo animals."

"It won't last forever," Eluheed said, though the words felt hollow. How many times had he told himself the same thing about his own situation? Just a little longer. Just until he could find a way out. Just until...

"Won't it?" Tony sat up. "You know what I've learned? Nothing changes in Navuh's world unless he wants it to. And he likes his toys exactly where he puts them."

Eluheed tensed, and he glared at Tony, lifting his finger and pointing toward the ceiling. "Watch what you say in here."

Tony's eyes widened. "Right. I forgot about that."

"I'm going to explore the hotel," Eluheed said. "Get the lay of the land so to speak."

"Knock yourself out." Tony flopped back down. "I'm going to lie here and contemplate the meaninglessness of existence until I fall asleep."

"Enjoy."

Eluheed was exhausted, but he was also still wound up, and he needed to release some tension before he could sleep.

He left Tony to his sulking and headed back to the elevators.

As he waited, it occurred to him that it was strange that Navuh hadn't kept him at the mansion.

After all, the whole point of placing him in the harem had been to keep him away from the lord's sons and generals who might try to use his abilities against Navuh.

But perhaps keeping up appearances mattered more.

Everyone had been compelled to secrecy about the true nature of the harem and its inhabitants.

As far as the household staff knew, 'Elias' was just a spiritual advisor, a shaman who provided guidance and herbal remedies.

It gave Navuh an excuse to summon him whenever he wished while maintaining the fiction.

Once the elevator arrived, Eluheed entered and rode it down to the lobby. He remembered seeing a bar when they'd arrived, and he headed in that direction.

He needed a drink. Maybe several. The last twenty-four hours had been a blur of adrenaline and desperation, and now that the immediate crisis had passed, his body was demanding some form of chemical comfort.

The bar was exactly what he'd expect from a place like this—all dark wood and leather, dim lighting that made everyone look mysterious, bottles of liquor that cost more than most people could ever afford.

What surprised him was how empty it was.

Only one man sat at the bar, slouched on a stool like he'd been there for hours.

Eluheed took a seat a few stools down, catching the bartender's eye. "Whiskey, please. Whatever you recommend."

"Certainly, sir. Will you be charging it to your room?"

He'd forgotten about that. "Yes. Room..."

He and Tony had been told that they could charge whatever they pleased to the room, and it would be covered, but he realized that he didn't know the number.

"Elias, correct?" the bartender said smoothly.

"Yes. How did you know?"

The barman smiled mysteriously. "It's my job to know." He tapped on the screen. "You are in room 323."

"Thank you. I'll remember that."

Eluheed tried not to think about what the bartender meant when he'd said that it was his job to know. Had the hotel staff been given instructions to watch him and Tony?

Probably.

"Finally," the man a few stools down said loudly. "Someone who doesn't look like an inbred cretin."

That was an odd comment.

Eluheed glanced over at the man. Asian features, expensive casual wear that screamed designer labels, thick glasses that gave him an owlish appearance. He was clearly drunk or at least well on his way there.

"Rough afternoon?" Eluheed asked politely, hoping the man would take the hint and leave him alone.

Instead, the stranger picked up his drink and moved to the stool directly next to Eluheed. The smell of alcohol wafted off him in waves.

"Rough afternoon? Try rough month. Rough year." He gestured broadly, nearly knocking over his glass. "Do you have any idea what it's like to be surrounded by idiots? To be the only person in a hundred-mile radius who understands basic biochemistry?"

Evidently, the guy hadn't heard of Tony.

The bartender placed a glass of whiskey in front of Eluheed.

He took a grateful sip, savoring the burn. "That must be frustrating."

"Frustrating?" The man laughed, high and slightly hysterical. "That's like saying the ocean is damp." He lifted his hand and offered it to Eluheed. "I'm Dr. Marcus Zhao, by the way. Biochemist. Genius, really."

"Elias," Eluheed offered, regretting engaging with the man.

Anyone who introduced himself as a genius had problems that needed professional help.

"Elias? That's an unusual name." Dr. Zhao squinted at him through his thick glasses. "You're new here. Are you one of the evacuees?"

"Yes."

The guy frowned. "What I saw so far was a bunch of servants. What do you do?"

"I grow medicinal herbs," Eluheed said. "So, I guess you can say I'm a gardener."

Zhao pursed his thick lips. "An herbalist. Interesting. My grandmother grew medicinal herbs. She had no formal education, but she was brilliant." He tapped his temple. "I got my brains from her."

If the guy could appreciate his grandmother, perhaps he wasn't a total loss.

"I wish she were still alive," Zhao said. "I wish she could see what I am now. What I have become."

"And what's that?" Eluheed asked despite himself.

The guy straightened on the stool. "I'm the fucking future, that's what I am. I'm the man who's going to change everything. I can make the strong stronger, the fast faster. Pushing human potential beyond all known limits."

"That sounds ambitious."

"Ambitious?" Zhao laughed again. "It's not ambitious, it's genius. I've already done it. Well," he amended, taking another swig of his drink. "There are some minor side effects, but I'm working on it."

"Such as?"

"Sorry, Elias." Zhao patted his arm. "Can't talk about it.

Not allowed." He waved a hand dismissively.

"It's not important. The point is, I can make people stronger, faster, better.

Evolution in a bottle." He leaned closer to Eluheed.

"The antidote to artificial intelligence.

" He snorted. "Brawn over brains. I never expected to be working on that. But hey, someone needs to do it."

Eluheed kept his expression neutral despite the cold dread spreading through his chest. This drunk fool was talking about creating monsters, turning men into weapons.

"Isn't what you're doing dangerous?" he asked without expecting a response. The guy was obviously working for Navuh and, therefore, compelled to keep his work a secret.

"Of course, it is," Zhao said. "That kind of power doesn't come without sacrifice."

"Everything has a price." Eluheed took another sip of whiskey.

"Exactly! You understand." Zhao clapped him on the shoulder with drunken enthusiasm. "These muscle-bound idiots don't understand the science, the beauty of what I've achieved."

He kept talking, the words flowing in an increasingly slurred stream. Eluheed nodded at appropriate moments, filing away every piece of information the guy blurted. Something about enhancement drugs and warriors who couldn't be stopped by conventional means.

The implications were staggering.

"The real problem is that people are limited in their thinking," Zhao said. "Small minds, small ambitions. They see my work as just another tool, but it's so much more than that. It's the next step in human evolution. Survival of the chemically enhanced fittest."

"You seem very passionate about your work." Eluheed lifted his glass, signaling to the bartender that he needed a refill.

Zhao laughed bitterly. "I'm trying to elevate humanity, and I'm stuck on this godforsaken island surrounded by thugs and whores.

Present company excepted, of course." He squinted at Eluheed again.

"Are you sure you're just a gardener? You seem intelligent.

Not like these inbred imbeciles I have to deal with. "

The bartender smiled as he poured more whiskey into Eluheed's glass, probably pitying him for the company he had to endure.

"Open minds, that's what we need." Zhao signaled for yet another drink, though he was swaying on his stool. "People who can see the bigger picture. What did you say your name was again?"

"Elias," Eluheed repeated.

A smile spread across Zhao's face, predatory despite his drunken state. "Well, Elias," he said, raising his fresh drink in a toast, "let's drink to the next stage in evolution. The giant leap forward." He laughed maniacally. "One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."