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

54. Kian

54

KIAN

E ven after Vivian and Magnus had brought out snacks and drinks for everyone, and the adults had spent a few minutes talking about the welcome party tomorrow to give Parker a chance to relax a bit, the kid sat rigid on the couch with a tormented expression on his face, his hands gripping the fabric of his jeans so tightly that his knuckles were white.

With a nod from Toven, Onegus got to his feet and joined Kian, Magnus, and Vivian at the dining table, leaving Parker with Mia and Toven.

"Let's talk about some easy stuff," the god said, his voice soft and his tone warm. "How was your day at school today?"

"It was...okay, I guess," Parker said. "I knew that I had to see the Clan Mother when I got back."

He was probably trying to tell them that he had been nervous about her interrogation.

"I heard that you were home-schooled for a long time. Do you like going to a regular school better than learning by yourself? I'm curious about when Mia and I have children. I want to create the best learning environment for them."

Kian stifled a chuckle. That was an excellent way to divert Parker's thoughts to something other than what he had been caught doing. Kian wished to listen in without the earpieces filtering the sound, and since there was no one to fear in Magnus's living room, especially with Toven and Mia present, he put the earpieces back in their case.

"I learned more on my own," Parker said. "But I like being around other kids, even when they are jerks. The village can be a little stifling, and although Lisa and Cheryl are awesome, I need some guy friends, you know what I mean?"

Toven smiled sheepishly. "I can only imagine. My own childhood was a very long time ago in a different world."

"Right," Parker said. "I guess there weren't many young gods to play with when you were a kid."

"Precisely. Why do you think you were learning more on your own?"

"Because I was. There was no one to hold me back, and I could advance at my own pace, which is faster than most, and I'm not saying this to brag. It's just how it is."

Toven was doing an excellent job, and his questions seemed like he was genuinely interested in the kid's opinion.

Parker was visibly relaxing, and so were his parents.

Vivian smiled, a flicker of pride breaking through her concern.

The questioning continued, with Toven asking about what movies Parker had seen recently, sports teams he was rooting for, and when he was getting his driver's license.

With each question, Kian observed Parker's shoulders losing some of their rigidity.

"What do you usually do to pass the time after you are done with homework and chores?" Toven shifted gears.

Parker tensed again. "There isn't much to do around here. Just...hanging out."

"Do you go for walks around the village? Or maybe hit the gym?" Toven pressed gently.

"I jog. I don't really go to the gym much. It's too embarrassing to train next to the Guardians."

Onegus chuckled. "They weren't always Guardians, and they trained very hard to get to the level they are. They would love to have you training with them."

Toven cast him a reproachful glance, hinting that he shouldn't butt in, and then refocused on Parker. "How about the café or the playground? Do you spend time there?"

"I do," Parker said.

"Who do you usually hang out with?" Toven asked.

"Lisa and Cheryl."

"Oh, yes. You said so before." Toven's voice remained casual, but Kian could sense the slight tinge of compulsion. "I hear the Kra-ell kids like to hang out in the playground, too. Do you ever see them?"

Kian wanted to tell Toven that the smidgen of compulsion he'd used was not enough to work on Parker, who was a compeller himself, but the god probably knew what he was doing.

Parker nodded. "Yeah, I've met some of them there."

"Did you get along with any of them? Make any friends?" The compulsion in Toven's voice was more than a smidgen now, but it wasn't heavy yet.

Toven was slowly breaking through the layers of compulsion placed on Parker, peeling each layer back and revealing another beneath it. It was like watching a skilled surgeon perform a delicate operation.

There was a long pause. "I...I liked Drova," Parker finally said.

The name hung in the air like a thunderclap. Kian's eyes darted to Magnus and Vivian. They had both gone very still.

Toven leaned forward, "You said that you liked Drova? You don't anymore?"

Parker's discomfort was palpable now. "I don't."

Vivian made a small sound as if she wanted to say something, but Magnus placed a hand on her arm, shaking his head.

"It's okay, Parker," Toven soothed him. "You can tell me. Why did you stop liking her?"

Was Toven finding a roundabout way to ask questions about Drova that Parker could answer despite her compulsion?

Parker straightened on the couch. "She stopped being nice and became demanding."

It seemed that the boy had figured out Toven's approach and was working with it, not against it.

"In what way did she become demanding?" Toven pressed on.

"I can't say," Parker choked out.

Toven took Mia's hand. "Parker, listen to me. I give you permission to say anything you want. No one and nothing will stop you from telling me anything and everything. Drova no longer has power over you."

The sudden wave of compulsion that Toven released was so intense that Kian felt nauseous.

Parker opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "She told me to take things and mess with stuff." Parker's eyes widened, and then a smile bloomed on his face. "She compelled me, Lisa, and Cheryl to do things. We stole trinkets for her, and we brought them to the playground." He laughed. "Thank you. You broke through her compulsion. I was afraid no one could do that. I thought I would be forced to be her slave forever."

"I'm glad I could help," Toven said, his voice devoid of compulsion. "What else can you tell us?"

"She told us to forget about what we were doing and who we were doing it for after every time we stole for her, and to come to the playground again at the same time the next day or the day after. Since I'm a compeller, or maybe because I'm the only immortal, I remembered what I did and for how long, but couldn't talk about it."

"It's probably a combination of both," Toven said. "Anything else that you can tell us?"

"We started meeting there every couple of days," Parker continued, his words coming faster now. "She'd given us missions. Small things at first. Taking something from the mailroom, messing with the trash incinerators. It got bigger from there."

"Did Drova tell you what her objective was?" Kian asked.

Parker shook his head. "She talked a little about what was bothering her before she enslaved us. After that, she treated us like mindless minions because she knew we hated her for what she was forcing us to do. She talked about how unhappy she was with the Kra-ell living in the village."

"What do you mean?" Onegus asked.

Parker shifted his gaze to the chief. "She said it wasn't natural for them to be confined to such a small area. She said that they needed hunting grounds to run through, and she compared it to keeping a wild animal in a cage. Even if the cage is comfortable, it's still a cage."

Kian had heard that sentiment before, but he'd thought they would adjust and that the hunting field trips would be enough.

Evidently, they weren't.

"Did Drova ever mention working with any other Kra-ell?" Kian asked.

Again, Parker shook his head. "I don't think so. She never brought anyone else to our meetings or talked about other collaborators. It was always just us four."

"What else did she say about the village?" Toven prompted.

Parker's face scrunched up in concentration. "She said that the immortals think the village is a utopia, but for the Kra-ell, it's hell. She compared us to domesticated animals who forgot what it was like to live in the wild and be the apex predators at the top of the food chain. She said it made us weak."

"Anything else?" Toven asked.

"No, that's it." Parker looked at his father. "I'm sorry. I didn't want any of this, and I'm so relieved it's over."

"I know, son." Magnus pushed to his feet and walked over to sit next to him. "What do we do now?"

Vivian joined him on Parker's other side, and the sight of the three sitting together was heartwarming.

Kian dreaded having to ruin similar dynamics at Jade and Phinas's home.

Drova seemed fond of Phinas, and he seemed fond of her. Their household appeared to be working well together.

Maybe it was. Maybe Drova's discontent had nothing to do with her mother's chosen mate but was more political and ideological in nature.

She was powerful, she was smart, and she wanted to leave her mark, but she'd gone the wrong way about it. Now, she was deemed a danger to the community, and Kian didn't know what to do with her.

He took a deep breath. "I need to talk to Jade first to prevent this from sparking a war in our community. For now, the most important thing is to keep Parker safe from Drova. Until we can get him a pair of filtering earpieces, he needs to stay home." He looked at Magnus. "You will need to stay home with him and wear your earpieces to protect him from her."

Magnus patted his son's shoulder. "We'll have a good time together. It has been too long since we have done anything crafty."

Parker's eyes brightened. "We can build…"

Kian ran a hand through his hair, thinking how to handle the situation diplomatically.

Jade was the Kra-ell leader first and Drova's mother second, and she would do what she thought was the right thing.

The question was what that might be.