Page 27 of Dark Chains: First Link
Kolhood was not an ideologue, though. He was pragmatic and cared more about power than Navuh's manufactured religion. IfLosham could get him on his side and agree to joint rulership, the others could be managed.
The problem was that Kolhood was the least susceptible to Dave's compulsion, and Losham needed to start planting in his brothers' minds the idea that Navuh was a hindrance rather than an asset.
Dave could still be helpful in that regard, even if his compulsion and thralling ability was not as effective on Kolhood as it was on the others. Dave could gather intelligence by reading the surface thoughts of Kolhood's supporters and perhaps even Kolhood himself.
The enhanced soldiers were the most valuable intelligence asset on the island, and Losham intended to maximize their utility.
11
KIAN
The dining room was full despite the absence of some of the Friday night usuals. It was noisy and a little chaotic, and Kian loved it, especially because the weekly family gatherings made his mother and wife happy.
Allegra was in her highchair between him and Syssi, stacking pieces of bread into a tower and then demolishing it with her spoon to the sound of Evie's delighted laughter.
"Big tower, boom." Evie clapped her little hands. "Again."
Phoenix, who was sitting across the table next to Nathalie, was watching Allegra's architectural efforts and provided sage advice. "You should use the cheese as glue. It's sticky."
"No cheese," Allegra declared. "Just bread."
"Bread doesn't stick."
"Yes, it sticks." Allegra slapped a piece of bread onto the top of her tower, and it promptly slid off and landed on Kian's sleeve.
"It fell," she announced.
Kian removed the bread from his arm and placed it on the edge of her plate. "Food is for eating, Princess. Not for building towers."
She looked at him with a frown as if he were talking nonsense. "Okidu makes towers from pancakes and waffles."
"She's making a good argument," Amanda said while feeding Evie a spoonful of mashed potatoes.
"That she is." Kian leaned to press a kiss to the top of Allegra's head. "I stand corrected."
That earned him another puzzled look from his daughter. "You're not standing, Daddy. You are sitting."
He shifted his gaze to Syssi, who took pity on him and started explaining what Daddy had meant.
Across the table, Andrew was telling Ell-rom something about a recent policy change at his agency. Ell-rom was listening with interest, fascinated by the intricacies of intelligence work he had never been exposed to. The guy and his twin sister had grown up in seclusion in a Kra-ell temple, and they were still learning about the new world they had awakened into.
Jasmine and Nathalie were talking about fashion, so Kian turned his attention to Morelle and Brandon, who were seated at the far end of the table. The two were such a new couple, yet they looked like they had known each other for decades.
His mother must have noticed the same thing because she was smiling benevolently at her half-sister and her mate.
Okidu was delivering courses, clearing plates, and refilling glasses. It was fortunate that he could keep going after only one hour of recharge because he had worked most of the day onpreparing food for tomorrow's party and was going to continue after the family dinner was over.
It was a warm and loud evening, full of casual chaos that Kian appreciated even when his mind was elsewhere, because these dinners were the reason he did what he did. The endless putting out of fires, strategizing, negotiating, and worrying were in service of this.
Family. Love.
The problem was that he was more preoccupied tonight than during previous Friday night dinners, even though there was always something to ensure that he couldn't enjoy himself fully.
The conversation with Volkov and the meetings that followed made it clear that this was a unique opportunity to shift the balance of power between the clan and the Brotherhood.
He hadn't told his mother yet. He should have called her immediately after the meeting, or at least before dinner, but the afternoon had been consumed by the planning session and the follow-up conversations. Annani did not appreciate being the last to know things, especially things that pertained to Khiann, and he needed to tell her as soon as possible about the new developments.
He waited until there was a lull in the many conversations going on simultaneously around the table.
