Page 17 of Dark Chains: First Link
The phone rang a few times before the god answered. "Hello, Kian. Any new developments with the island?"
"You could say so, but it has nothing to do with Khiann or the chests. We've just gotten a call on Lokan's phone from Doctor Dimitri Volkov, who was using Losham's. He, Petrov, a woman working in their lab, and the eight enhanced soldiers want to escape the island and are asking for our help."
Toven chuckled. "Not much surprises me anymore, but this is definitely unexpected."
"It is. I need to brainstorm this. Can you come to my office at four-thirty? Turner, Onegus, and Lokan will be joining us."
"Naturally. Thank you for inviting me. I'm looking forward to a stimulating brainstorming session."
The god sounded excited, which was uncharacteristic. As the oldest being on the planet, Toven rarely got excited over anything.
After ending the call, Kian pressed the intercom. "Shai?"
"Yes, boss?"
"I'm having an emergency meeting with Turner, Toven, Onegus, and Lokan in my office at half past four. Can you please get an assortment of sandwiches and pastries from the café? I don't want people to get impatient and leave because they are hungry."
"I'm on it, boss. I just want to remind you that you are hosting a family dinner at seven tonight. If you think the meeting will run longer than that, you should let Syssi know."
"I think we will wrap it up by then."
"Do you need me to stay for the meeting?" Shai asked.
"Only if you want to."
"I would love to, but Geraldine invited our branch of the family over for dinner, and I need to help her set things up. That also means that you can't hold Toven and Onegus for too long either. They are invited."
"Of course they are." Kian smiled. "I'll do my best to be done by six." He ended the call.
It was sometimes easy to forget that Toven was Shai's father-in-law, and that Shai was Onegus's stepfather-in-law because Geraldine's daughter was mated to the chief.
The web of familial connections in the clan certainly made life interesting.
Kian turned to the window and looked out at the village below.
It was a beautiful afternoon, the kind that reminded people why they tolerated the traffic, the insane regulations, the taxes, and the earthquakes. California wasn't everyone's cup of tea, and Kian wasn't a fan of the harsh summer sun or the heat that came with it, but he loved living hidden in a large metropolitan area that provided plenty of entertainment and dining opportunities, even though he rarely had the time to enjoy either.
Somewhere on the other side of the world, on an island in the Indian Ocean, twelve hundred women were living behind a walland raising children whose childhood ended at thirteen. The boys were taken away and turned into ruthless warriors, and the girls were turned into reluctant breeders like their mothers.
Those soldiers were his enemies, but they didn't choose to be. If he got them out before the brainwashing changed them into monsters, he would gain allies instead of more adversaries.
Then again, Navuh was no longer calling the shots on the island, and Losham was essentially the clan's puppet. Perhaps the clan could effect change from afar without ever having to resort to bloodshed?
If only things could be that simple.
Losham's position was tenuous, and Kian had a feeling that he wouldn't last long before his so-called brothers would do away with him.
8
AREZOO
The dress was stunning.
It made Arezoo feel like she had wandered into someone else's life, someone glamorous, and at any moment she would be discovered for the fraud she was and asked to leave.
She stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom and stared at her reflection, trying to reconcile the woman looking back at her with the girl who had arrived at the village barely able to speak above a whisper.
The dress was red. Not a shy, muted red that could be mistaken for dark pink if the lighting cooperated, but a deep, unapologetic, look-at-me red that announced itself from across a room. The bodice was structured like a corset, with thin boning visible through sheer fabric that hugged her torso and made her waist look impossibly small. The thin spaghetti straps were so delicate that she was afraid a strong exhale might snap them, and the neckline was the lowest she'd ever worn.
