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

44. Kian

44

KIAN

K ian rose to his feet and walked over to the window, gazing at the village square below. The trafficker the Guardians had captured last night was in the keep's dungeon, ready for the experiment of transferring the tracker from one of the gods to his body, but for that, they needed the keep clinic vacated, and now Kian wasn't sure that he could move Morelle out of there.

With Ell-rom's newfound ability throwing yet another variable into the mix, Kian questioned the wisdom of moving his uncle and aunt to the village as planned.

He needed to talk to his mother again, but that wasn't the kind of talk he wanted to have over the phone.

Striding out of his office, he stopped by Shai's. "I'm going to have tea with my mother. If you need me for anything, call."

His assistant never asked unnecessary questions and just nodded. "Enjoy your tea."

"Thank you."

Exiting the building, he called her. "Good morning, Mother. I'm coming over."

"Excellent. I will tell Ogidu to start brewing tea."

His mother had probably guessed what this was about and refrained from asking.

The walk to her house was short, but it gave Kian time to organize his thoughts. The early risers among the villagers nodded and smiled as he passed, and he returned their greetings in the same manner.

When he rang the doorbell, Ogidu opened the door, bowed, and ushered him inside. "The Clan Mother is awaiting you, Master Kian."

"Thank you." Kian walked into the living room, where his mother was seated on her ornate couch.

"Good morning, my son." She lifted her cheek for him to kiss. "I had a feeling you would be stopping by this morning." She gestured for him to take a seat right next to her.

Kian settled on the couch. "I've been thinking about Ell-rom and Morelle's move to the village. Given the recent developments, I think we shouldn't rush. On the other hand, I need the clinic vacated for the experiment we are about to run, so it's a conundrum."

"Nothing has changed, Kian." Annani lifted the carafe, poured tea into two cups, and handed him one. "I have given a lot of thought to Ell-rom's ability, and even if it is real and not imagined, there is no reason to fear him."

Kian arched a brow. "You're not concerned?"

Annani shook her head. "As I said, I have devoted a lot of thought to this, and I came up with a possible solution. I could compel him, with his agreement of course, to never use his ability against any of our people. If it works, his power would be bound, and we will have nothing to fear."

It was a good idea, in theory. But...

"I'm not sure that Ell-rom can be compelled. There's a good chance that he has a powerful compulsion ability he hasn't discovered yet or that his lethal wishing is a form of compulsion. If that is the case, he might be immune to your compulsion."

Annani nodded. "Still, it is worth a try. Besides, Ell-rom is a decent person, Kian. Having the ability to kill does not make one a killer. Any immortal can kill a human with relative ease, but that does not mean that we go around doing so. We believe in the sanctity of life."

Ell-rom seemed like a good person, but he was still discovering who he was, and there was a slight possibility that a sinister side of him would manifest at some point.

As if killing with a thought wasn't sinister enough.

But his mother was right that the ability to do harm did not make one evil.

"I agree. In that case, what do you think about bringing Ell-rom, Morelle, and Jasmine to the village today instead of tomorrow? I need that clinic vacated."

"Absolutely not." Annani's tone brooked no argument. "The welcome party has to be on Friday. Sari is coming, and she will get here late tonight. Also, the investigation is still ongoing, and I want that to be over before the party."

Kian felt a flicker of exasperation, but he swallowed it down. "Fine. We can wait one more day. It's not like the scumbag we are using for the experiment is going anywhere. He's chilling in the dungeon."

His mother's expression did not change. She was a compassionate soul, she abhorred violence, and she was a great believer in redemption, but some crimes were not redeemable, and the trafficking and monstrous abuse of children was one of them.

"I know you are eager to get it done, Kian. This is an important moment for our family and our community, and it deserves to be done right."

"You're correct, of course," he conceded. "Would you like to go see Ell-rom today? If you want to try compelling him, it should be done before he arrives at the village tomorrow."

Annani's face lit up at the suggestion. "Yes, I would like that very much. I have nothing else planned for today, so whenever you are ready, we can go."

With the ongoing investigation, it was bad timing for him to leave the village, but under no circumstances would he send his mother to the keep without him.

Kian knew it wasn't rational. Not only was she more powerful than he was, the Guardians escorting her would protect her better than he could.

Nevertheless, he was going with her.

"I need to finish a few things in the office first. I'll call you when I'm on my way."

"I will be ready."

As Kian stood to leave, a thought occurred to him. "Perhaps you should call Ell-rom to let him know that we are on our way. He is likely distraught over what happened and worrying about our reaction. Just make sure that he is not around anyone who is not supposed to know when you talk to him."

He also needed to inform William to stop the monitoring of Ell-rom's phone.

"Do you mean the gods and their mates?"

Kian nodded as he pulled out his phone and texted William.

"Did anyone tell him that he should not talk about his ability?" Annani asked.

Kian frowned. "I just assumed he would not want the information to get out and that Julian would warn him about it too, but maybe you should make sure when you call him."

"I shall do that," Annani said.

After Kian departed his mother's house, William replied to his text that it was done and, thankfully, did not ask why.

On the way back to the office building, Kian called Aru.

"Good morning, Kian," Aru greeted him.

"Good morning. We have the guy in the dungeon, but my mother does not want the twins moved into the village until tomorrow because of the welcome party she is planning for them. That means we can't remove Morelle from the clinic, and I don't want the experiment done while she is still there."

There was a beat of silence. "Why not? The room Ell-rom was in is available. We don't have time. Every day we delay puts us at greater risk of discovery."

Kian pinched the bridge of his nose. "I understand your urgency and share it, but we need both rooms for the experiment, and my mother is set on this party. One more day will not make a difference. But if you think you can convince her otherwise, you're welcome to try."

Aru sighed. "I know better than to argue with your mother. We'll just have to wait."