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

23. Kalugal

23

KALUGAL

A s the meeting drew to a close and the others began to file out, Kian walked up to Kalugal. "Can you stay a little longer? There is something I need to talk to you about that's on a completely different subject."

Kalugal's interest was piqued. "Gladly. I just wish it was later in the day, and we could adjourn to your rooftop to smoke cigars. We haven't done that in a while."

"True." Kian put his hand on his shoulder. "What's preventing us from doing that now? We are immortals. We are not bound by human conventions."

"Absolutely." Kalugal grinned.

Once they were seated on the lounge chairs under the big rooftop umbrella, Kian pulled out his small cigar box from his pocket and offered Kalugal one of the two cigars he kept there. "I only bring cigarillos and Short Stories to the office."

"That's perfect." Kalugal took one of the stubby cigars. "We both have a busy day in front of us, so we can't spend the next hour puffing away like it's a holiday." He accepted the cutter that Kian handed him and clipped the tip of his cigar. "So, what is this important thing you wanted to talk to me about?"

Kian lit up his cigar and then lit Kalugal's. "I don't know if you are aware of my mother's latest hypothesis. She now thinks that Khiann wasn't murdered by Mortdh and that the two witnesses who reported the murder had been compelled by her father to incriminate Mortdh so Ahn could get rid of him. She believes that Khiann suffered a fate similar to Wonder's, got caught in the desert during that same massive earthquake, and was buried under the sand. Being a god, he would have entered stasis and remained alive to this day. We just have to find him."

Kalugal tilted his head. "What has brought about these suspicions after all the years she believed that what the witnesses reported was true?"

Kian took a puff of his cigar and looked into the distance. "I don't think it was anything specific. Being exposed to compellers and compulsion and political machination must have started her thinking."

Kalugal had a feeling that Kian wasn't telling him the truth. Something else must have sparked such a stark departure from what Annani had believed over five thousand years. Perhaps while talking to Aru, Annani had learned things about her father that she hadn't known before.

Ahn had been a ruthless leader who had also been a great politician who had managed to convince the other gods that everything he was doing was for the greater good.

So, yeah, Navuh's opinion of Ahn was probably skewed, but it rang true when he ranted about the king of the gods to Kalugal all those years ago.

It was also possible that Annani had learned things about her grandfather that got her thinking. According to Aru and the two other gods, the Eternal King was a piece of work who used his compulsion power in creative ways.

Puffing on the excellent cigar, Kalugal didn't let Kian see that he doubted his answer. "So, what do you need from me?"

Kian smiled. "Hold on, I'm getting there. My mother asked Syssi to summon a vision to see whether Khiann was still alive."

"Aha." Kalugal smiled. "Now we are getting to the interesting part. What did your lovely wife see?"

"She didn't see Khiann, but she saw someone who reminded her of Jasmine standing on a dune and looking into the distance. She also saw ruins, which might be a clue to where to look. That's what I need your expertise for. Syssi made a sketch, and Shai did an internet search, but he didn't find anything that resembled those ruins."

"Of course, he didn't." Kalugal took another puff. "Not everything can be found on the internet."

Kian smiled. "Those were my mother's precise words. She said that old findings might be recorded in some obscure academic writings, which made me think of you. You are an archeologist, and you might know others in the field."

Kalugal nodded. "I know several scholars I could consult. If you can provide me with the sketch, I can email it to my acquaintances."

"Thank you." Kian pulled out his phone. "I'm sending it to you right now."

When Kalugal's phone pinged in his pocket, he patted it. "Got it. Now, I need a story to go along with it. How should I say I got ahold of the sketch, and what am I looking for?"

"Perhaps you could say you found the sketch among the belongings of a deceased archaeologist? Or maybe that the archeologist's family sent you their research papers because they didn't know what to do with them?"

Kalugal regarded his cousin with newfound appreciation. "I like it. I would never have expected you to come up with such convincing lies. You are such a straight-laced guy."

Kian's face broke into a grin. "I'm not completely devoid of imagination."

"So it would appear." Kalugal tapped his cigar on the ashtray to dislodge the ash. "Or maybe being a father has loosened you up a little."

"Maybe." Kian leaned back. "Speaking of fatherhood, how is Darius doing? You said that he's sleeping through the night now."

At the mention of his son, warmth spread throughout Kalugal's chest. "He's incredible. Now that he no longer has colic, he's just a sweetheart of a child. He hardly ever cries, eats well, and he loves listening to stories. You and Syssi should come visit and bring Allegra with you. Who knows? Maybe these two will become each other's fated mates?"

He loved teasing Kian with the idea, but secretly, he hoped it would become true.

Allegra and Darius were special, and they wouldn't find suitable matches elsewhere.

"Thankfully, we have plenty of time until they are old enough to think of such things." Kian took another puff. "Although, according to Syssi, growing up together, they might think of each other more as siblings than potential romantic partners."

That reminded him. "Speaking of siblings. How are the twins doing?"

"Morelle is still unconscious, but Ell-rom is doing very well. We are moving them to the village in a couple of days, so you will get to see them."

"I've already seen them," Kalugal reminded Kian. "But that was when they still looked like corpses. I'm looking forward to seeing Ell-rom restored to health."

"You will shortly. How are things with Brandon and InstaTock progressing?"

"They are not." Kalugal put his cigar down. "Not yet, anyway. He promised to come up with a few ideas and show them to me, but he's still working on them."