Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

22. Kian

22

KIAN

S hai placed a water bottle in front of every seat on the conference table in Kian's office. "I'm surprised that you haven't invited Turner to the meeting."

"What we are dealing with is an annoyance, not a military operation that requires a strategist. It's beneath him."

Shai arched a brow. "Are you going to exempt him from attending the Clan Mother's gatherings today? After all, he's an absolute immune, so it's not like she can compel him."

It was such a rare and valuable talent. Most immunes were only partially resistant to compulsion, and it largely depended on the strength of the compeller, which meant that Annani could compel them.

"It didn't occur to me, but I will exempt him unless he wants to go. It's not like we expect the culprit to be any of ours anyway, and especially not someone of Turner's caliber."

A knock on the office door announced the arrival of Kian's invited guests, and as Shai opened the door, Onegus walked in with Arwel, and a moment later, Toven walked in with Mia. The last one to arrive was Kalugal.

His cousin took a look at the table and frowned. "What? No coffees? Coffee is mandatory for early-morning meetings." He took a seat and crossed his arms over his chest.

"It's eight o'clock," Kian said. "That's not an early morning for me, but if you want, we can place a call to the café and have coffee delivered."

Kalugal gave him a grateful smile. "Yes, please."

Kian motioned to Shai to make the order and sat at the head of the table. "Before we begin today's interrogations, you should be informed of last night's criminal activity."

"There was more?" Mia asked, looking surprised. "I thought that just the threat of an investigation would keep them from doing more damage."

"Apparently, our saboteurs and thieves wanted to make a point," Onegus said. "Last night, while we were all gathered at the assembly, someone sabotaged the automatic shutter system in one of the houses in the main village. The occupants went home directly after the assembly, which means that the act occurred either during our meeting or while they were at home. Since everyone was at the assembly, I assume that it was done while they were on their way or after they got there, which, naturally, freaked them out."

Mia nodded. "I bet. Not being safe in their own home is scary."

Kian agreed. "Perhaps that was the idea behind this particular intrusion. They wanted to undermine the trust we have in one another. The saboteur also took a framed photograph from their home, and since it has no real value other than sentimental, we have to assume that it was taken as a trophy. That's another indication that the saboteur wanted to send a message. The three females living in that house had to spend the evening in the dark because their shutters didn't work. William's crew is fixing them as we speak."

"Three other homes were infiltrated later in the evening," Onegus said. "Minor items were stolen, none of them personal or valuable, but noticeable, so the owners would know right away that something was taken. Again, it was obviously done to send a message that they are not afraid of our investigation."

Toven leaned back. "You sound like you think that there is more than one perpetrator."

The chief nodded. "There are at least two of them. Two of the thefts happened simultaneously while the occupants met at the café, and their houses are not next to each other. One is in the old part of the village, and the other is in phase two."

"Then you are right," Toven said. "It seems the perpetrators want to drive home the message that they don't expect to be caught."

It suddenly occurred to Kian that only someone who was immune to compulsion would be dismissive of the interrogation that was about to start.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I wonder if we have any immunes in the village that we are not aware of?"

"Parker is somewhat immune," Onegus said. "Because he is a compeller. But he is not the type to be behind something like this. Eleanor is in Safe Haven, and even she would never do anything of the sort. That leaves Toven, the Clan Mother, Kalugal, Jackie, and Turner."

Kalugal lifted his hands in the air. "It wasn't me. I swear."

Kian chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe you were sleepwalking and doing mischief?"

Kalugal shook his head with a smile. "Now that Darius is finally sleeping through the night, I'm no longer impersonating a zombie."

Toven reached for the bottle of water in front of him and removed the cap. "The pureblooded Kra-ell are difficult to compel but not immune. However, it's possible that someone was only pretending to be affected by the compulsion so they could carry out these acts later."

Kian had the same thoughts. "If that someone is immune to even Annani's compulsion, that's a big problem."

"I will be on guard," Toven said. "Perhaps I can develop a test that won't be immediately obvious."

Kian's lips tightened. "Any intelligent person trying to hide their ability will be on the lookout for such tests."

Kalugal nodded in agreement. "When I was still in the Brotherhood, I needed to hide my ability from my father. I was hyper-alert to any trickery he employed. Navuh knew there was a high chance that his sons would inherit his compulsion ability, so he kept checking. Lokan's ability was weak compared to Navuh's, so our father didn't mind it. But mine, even though it wasn't as strong as his at the time, was much stronger than Lokan's, so I had to keep it a secret from him. I couldn't let him think of me as a threat."

Kian's gaze shifted to Jade, and he hated what he had to say next. "I'm sorry, Jade, but in my opinion, the main suspect is Drova. Given her parentage, she might be immune."

Igor was an astoundingly strong compeller. Annani had managed to compel him to reveal his secrets, but that was after they had drugged him with a truth serum. His daughter might grow up to be even more formidable, or maybe she already was.

Jade's eyes flashed with indignation. "I would have noticed. Besides, Drova might be a little rough around the edges, but she's loyal. She is also a great fighter, and that requires discipline." There was unmistakable pride in her tone.

Kian hated to think what would happen if Drova turned out to be the culprit. Her mother would be devastated. Worse, he had no clue what they would do with the girl if she couldn't be compelled.

He hoped it was someone else who only thought they were immune but were not and would soon be unmasked.