Page 29 of Dark Chains: First Link
Annani closed her eyes. "I hope this is not going to backfire. I am not comfortable with them knowing about the chests."
"Neither am I, but it is what it is." He put his hand over hers. "We will make the best of it, Mother. It will be okay."
"You said there was something else they're offering," Morelle said from her spot at the end of the table.
Kian nodded. "It's actually something that they want us to help them with. Volkov asked us to help liberate the Dormants and their children," Kian said. "It would be great if we could, and not just from the humanitarian standpoint. It would halt the growth of the Doomer army. But we can't liberate two thousand people. I told him it wasn't feasible. We don't have the numbers to overtake the island, which is the only way to do that."
"What was Volkov's response?" Syssi asked.
"He was disappointed, but I think he was expecting that to be my answer. He didn't sound surprised. I told him I would think it through and tell him my plan when he calls again. Turner proposed a phased approach. We recover Khiann first because that takes precedence, and in exchange for their help, we will provide the scientists and the soldiers with what they need, a safe haven, a lab, and resources. If they can manage to extractsome of the women, we will naturally offer them sanctuary as well, but it's up to the soldiers to decide how many women they can take along."
"That's smart," Andrew said. "You're not refusing to help. You're just not taking operational responsibility for the extraction."
"Precisely."
"Can't we do something for the other women?" Amanda asked.
Kian shook his head. "For now, they have to remain on the island. We estimate that our military development, the humans training with the exoskeletons, the drones, and the assault robots that William is designing will be ready in about two years. We can't engage the Brotherhood before that."
He had hoped to build an army of Odus, but that would take even longer, so it was decided to build a more conventional robotic army with existing materials and technology. The work on the Odus would continue, but neither William nor Kian wanted to rush it.
"Two years is a long time," Annani said.
"I know, and I hate it too." He cast her an apologetic look. "But we need to be realistic about our capabilities."
She nodded. "Khiann must come first, and this new path is preferable to the EMP plan. I'm also curious about these enhanced soldiers and want to meet them."
"So do I," Kian said. "The hive mind that Eluheed talked about fascinates me. It might be the next step in immortal evolution. Something that even the gods didn't foresee."
Across the table, Ell-rom nodded. "Despite what they believe about themselves, the gods are not omnipotent or all-knowing."
Annani sighed. "Arrogance is usually the Achilles heel of the powerful. When my Khiann was about to embark on his final journey, my father assigned ten immortal warriors to accompany his caravan. He refused."
"Why?" Amanda asked.
Annani smiled sadly. "Because my Khiann was stubborn and a little arrogant. He said that he did not need ten warriors. Before becoming my husband, he had never taken more than two immortal guards with him. I tried to explain that being the husband of the heir was a dangerous position, and that the area he was traveling through was infested with bandits who would try to kidnap him for ransom. He laughed, saying that humans could never kidnap a god. That he could freeze them with a thought."
"He could," Amanda said. "But only when he was awake. What if they ambushed him at night?"
Annani smiled at her. "That was precisely what I said, but Khiann thought that I was being unreasonably protective of him, and that traveling with ten immortal warriors would send the wrong message."
Syssi frowned. "What message?"
"That he was fearful. That he expected an assassination or kidnapping attempt. He said it would reflect badly on my father's court."
"That's stupid," Amanda said. "No offense, but really. What was he thinking?"
Annani chuckled. "That is exactly what I told him, but Khiann insisted, and after a lot of arguing, he agreed to take four immortal guards. I have always regretted not putting my foot down and demanding that he take all ten. For thousands of years, I have replayed that argument and imagined what might have happened differently if I had been more forceful. If I had commanded instead of negotiating." She took a slow breath. "But as it turned out, it would not have made a difference. Khiann was not murdered by Mortdh or ambushed by bandits, as I had feared. He was claimed by an earthquake, a force of nature that no number of warriors could have saved him from."
12
DAVE
Losham's temporary office was on the third floor of the hotel, in what had been a luxury suite before the rebellion that had turned the resort side of the island into a construction zone. The room still had marble floors and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbor, and Losham had turned the dining room table into a desk.
Dave hadn't been privy to the fancy side of the island before the rebellion, so they could only imagine what the view from the windows looked like before the scaffolding had been erected and work crews had been brought to the island to fix the damage.
Rami was sitting on the other side of the dining table, looking uncomfortable and trying to occupy as little space as possible.
