Page 91 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

Given the slight widening of Kian's eyes, he hadn't expected Navuh's reaction to be so dismissive.

Navuh chuckled. "Did I spoil your fun? Should I pretend to mourn those incompetent fools so you will get what you came for?"

Kian shook his head. "You are a cold bastard, aren't you?"

At the bar, three feet to the right, Areana dropped a spoon.

"Sorry about that," she said in a near whisper.

Kian turned to look at her. "Did the news upset you?"

"I did not know these males, but I might know their mothers."

So that was what bothered her, Navuh thought. Not Kian calling her mate a cold bastard. Not that he was wrong, but still. It was her duty to protect his honor.

"None of them were the sons of your harem sisters," he said. "That's why they were inferior stock."

Areana let out a breath. "Thank the merciful Fates."

Kian shifted in his chair. "I'm glad to hear that, but the other three were probably the sons of the harem ladies."

"What other three?" Navuh asked.

"Kolhood, Hocken, and Hazok. They have been dead for a while, but it just occurred to me that you haven't been told."

Those three hurt, or rather one of them. Kolhood was a great loss to the Brotherhood. The other two, less so.

"Did you kill them too?" he asked.

"No. That was Losham's doing, with help from the Eight enhanced soldiers, and it was executed brilliantly."

Navuh was curious.

"Do tell." He leaned forward. "I'm eager to hear the details."

Again, the slight widening of Kian's eyes showed this was not the response he'd expected.

The regent regarded him for a long time, and Navuh saw the exact moment he decided to share the details.

"Since your fall, Losham has been pretending you are sequestering yourself in the harem. The Eight enhanced soldiers have reinforced that story with compulsion."

Now it was Navuh's eyes that widened involuntarily. He tried to cover his surprise. "They can compel?" He asked in a tone that implied he already knew the answer.

"Yes, and their compulsion is unlike anything previously known. It doesn't require sound to work. It travels on thralling."

How was that possible? They hadn't had that ability on the island. Or had they? No wonder they had managed to escape.

"Continue," he said.

"Kolhood, Hocken, and Hazok did not buy the story and wanted to see for themselves that you were indeed in the harem. They entered the harem grounds, which everyone on the island knows are forbidden to immortals, and they met someone they thought was you at the cliff's edge. It was one of the Eight wearing your robe. Long story short, the three ended up at the bottom of the cliff, and the story was that you killed them in a fit of rage because they defied your orders."

"Brilliant." Navuh clapped his hands. "Losham is an exceptional strategist. So everyone on the island still believes I'm in the harem?"

"They do. But I guess Losham doesn't need to hide behind your authority anymore. He has no opposition left on the island, and after the strike, everyone thinks he commands a secret army."

Navuh grinned. "That's my son. Not by blood, but in spirit. He makes me proud."

Kian chuckled. "I've just told you that you lost eight of your adopted sons, and all you can think is that you're proud of the one who orchestrated it?"