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

52. Kian

52

KIAN

T he cool night air hit Kian as he stepped outside, but he didn't mind. He preferred it to the heat of the day and the glaring sun. He stopped for a moment to send a message to Toven.

The god confirmed that he and Mia were on their way as well.

As he made his way toward Magnus's house, Kian couldn't shake the feeling that they were standing on the precipice of something monumental. The thefts and sabotage had been troubling enough, but this was a whole new level of threat.

He thought back to his earlier musings about Ell-rom's abilities, the potential uses and dangers they represented. Now, faced with the possibility of a young Kra-ell with unprecedented compulsion powers, those concerns seemed almost quaint in comparison.

Drova was the daughter of Igor and Jade. Both were powerful, and both were smart. Igor was a sociopath who didn't care about anyone other than himself, but Jade was a good leader who cared about her people and tried her best for them.

Drova was still just a kid, so even if she had the conscience of her mother, she was volatile, and having Igor's level of power was like having a nuclear bomb in the village ready to explode.

Kian still remembered vividly his encounter with Igor and how helpless he had felt when the despot took hold of his mind.

He never wanted to be in that position again.

From now until they figured out the Drova situation, Kian was going to wear the filtering earpieces even in the village. Pulling them out of his pocket, he put them in his ears and activated them. Suddenly, the night's sounds changed as they were transmitted through the filter of the earpieces. This model was leaps and bounds better than the original William had built, but they still left a lot to be desired. Wearing them all day was not going to be fun.

Kian arrived at Magnus's house before Toven and Mia, and as he waited outside for them to arrive, he thought about Drova and whether she'd compelled just Parker or if she had done it to others as well.

How long had this been going on?

What did she hope to achieve?

And most importantly, how would he deal with her without alienating her mother?

The girl would have to be placed under house arrest, and her contact with people supervised to ensure that everyone wore earpieces around her. But that wasn't a long-term solution.

"Hello," Toven said as he and Mia stopped next to him. "You are a fast walker. We saw you and couldn't catch up."

"Because of me," Mia said with a smile. "My new legs are just as short as my old ones were. I'm still only five foot three."

Toven regarded her with adoration in his eyes. "I offered to carry you, but you refused. I could have caught up to Kian in under a minute." He leaned toward her. "I hope you still remember how fast I can run."

She lifted on her toes and kissed his cheek. "My own Flash."

The door opened, revealing Magnus's worried face. "Thank you for coming," he said, stepping aside to let them enter. "Parker's in the living room with Onegus."

Kian nodded. "How is he doing? I hope my text helped."

"It did," Magnus said. "But he's still distraught."

"Naturally," Kian said.

This wasn't just about solving a series of thefts and sabotage anymore, or even the unrest and division in their community.

This was about a much bigger problem.

In the living room, Parker sat on the couch, his head in his hands and his shoulders slumped. Onegus sat beside him, a comforting hand on the boy's back.

The chief looked up as they entered. "The cavalry has arrived, my boy. Cheer up."

Parker lifted his head, and when he saw Toven, he seemed anything but cheered up. He looked terrified, which further convinced Kian that their suspicions were spot on.

"Don't worry, Parker," Kian said. "We know this isn't your fault, and we're here to help."

"I didn't steal anything," Parker said as if he was repeating a mantra.

"You didn't want to steal anything," Toven said. "But someone forced you to do it and then lie about it. Kian and I know how difficult it is to resist compulsion." He sat on the armchair across from Parker, and Mia squeezed in beside him.

"Hi, Parker," she said softly. "I'm going to help Toven to break through the compulsion. We are going to set you free."

Relief flashed through the boy's eyes, but that was the only indication that he was hiding something.