by I. T. Lucas
Still reeling from the powerful experience, Edna bowed her head. “Thank you, Clan Mother. That was indescribable.”
Smiling, Annani threaded her arm through hers. “Walk with me.”
“Of course.”
The plan was for the council members, the goddess’s daughters, and Syssi to escort her to her home, and for Kian to conclude the welcome.
Edna had hoped to be done with that quickly so she could return to Rufsur, but if the goddess wanted to talk to her, she would need to stay until Annani released her.
Perhaps her daughters could take over?
Casting a quick glance over her shoulder, Edna verified that Alena, Amanda, Sari, and Syssi were a couple of steps behind them, the other council members a little farther away, and a large Guardian force surrounded the entire procession.
“I surprised even myself,” Annani admitted. “I do not know where that power came from. Even my father, who was the most powerful of the gods, never used compulsion so strong.” She put a hand over her chest. “It must have come from my heart. I spoke with my sister this morning, and we both lamented the mistrust between our sons. After that, I decided to do my best to remedy the situation.”
Amanda fell in step with her mother. “It was awesome. In two minutes, you solved what it would have taken us months or even years to achieve. If we could get you on television and broadcast your speech to the entire world, you could end all conflicts.”
Annani shook her head. “Mass compulsion does not work like that. Eventually, its effect will dissipate. For some, it takes longer than others, but an intelligent man like Kalugal will burn through it in a matter of days. Unless I keep hammering it day in and day out, it is not going to hold. What I hope to achieve is peace during this visit, which will help Edna’s cause. Her presentation will be received with open minds that are unclouded by mistrust.”
“How do you know that it’s not going to hold?” Alena asked. “You’ve never compelled a crowd this large to change their attitudes. It was a positive message, so maybe it will last?”
Amanda chuckled. “With humans, a message of hate is better received than a message of peace. They love rallying behind negative causes.” She waved her hand. “Hatred and anger are stronger emotions, and they lend themselves better to compulsion. Just look at the Nazis, the Marxists, and others who enticed their followers to murder millions. I can’t think of a single example of the opposite taking place. When was the last time entire nations marched to end hunger, oppression, or trafficking?”
Annani nodded. “When I was young, and my ability started to manifest, my father cautioned me not to resort to compulsion unless it was absolutely necessary. Free will might be an illusion because immortals and humans alike are driven by emotions, and emotions are driven by chemical processes in our bodies, but it is crucially important to adhere to this principle nonetheless. Compulsion is only a Band-Aid, a temporary fix, and it needs constant fueling. In the long run, inner convictions and attitudes can only be changed from the inside, and the only way to do that is to supply the information people need to make the right choices.” Annani smiled. “Regrettably, Amanda is right, and the unscrupulous, like Navuh and other despots, feed their people false information. I am not averse to a little embellishment if it helps drive good ideas home, but I will not stand for outright lies and manipulation.”
“Even if it is for a good cause?” Syssi asked.
“If it is a good cause, lies are not needed. Only bad causes that try to masquerade as good require lies to sustain them.” Annani sighed. “I am proof that there are no shortcuts. I have been working on improving the lives of everyone on this planet for over five thousand years, and the progress is painfully slow. I have suffered setback after setback, but I have never given up. Persistence and perseverance are the only keys to success.” She lifted her hand and smiled. “But, sometimes little white lies are necessary. That is why I want you to escort me back to the house. I need to release you from the compulsion against subterfuge. Otherwise, our beautiful plan for Sunday will be revealed too soon.”
63
Rufsur
Rufsur filled his plate and went searching for Edna. He’d seen her leaving with Annani but hoped she was back already.
The other council members had returned, and so had her daughters. Sari was talking with Kalugal and Jacki, while Alena was making the rounds and introducing herself to his men. There was nothing flirtatious in her manner, though, and it was obvious that she was just fulfilling her duty as a gracious hostess.
She didn’t even notice Atzil hovering near her. He was keeping as careful an eye on Alena as the Guardians assigned to her, but not because he feared for her safety.
Hopefully, the guy was just curious and hadn’t set his sights on Annani’s daughter. Atzil was a fine male, but he wasn’t in her league. None of the men were, except maybe for Phinas, but there was no way those two could happen.
Not that Alena had noticed Phinas either. Ingrid, on the other hand, was all over him, and the guy seemed quite happy with the attention he was getting from the buxom blonde.
Rufsur wished them good luck, or at least a night of passion or two. After having sex with an immortal female, Phinas, as well as the other men, would be forever ruined for human females.
There was just no comparison. Making love to a human female was like operating an eight-cylinder engine, with six of them disabled. They were just too fragile, and they ran out of steam way too soon.
Damn. Where was Edna?
She looked so damn good today, and the kiss she’d given him had just whetted his appetite for more. He couldn’t wait to get her in bed. Just thinking about it got him so hard that he had to adjust himself discreetly. The moment she showed up, he was going to drag her home and have his way with her, or let her have her way with him.
Either one was good.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Greggory leaning against the tree with a plate in his hand but no Eleanor in sight. Apparently, she either hadn’t shown up for the welcome party or had slunk away as soon as Annani had finished her speech.
Rufsur hoped it was the former and not the latter, and that Annani’s compulsion had worked on her. If anyone needed to internalize the messages of peace and cooperation it was her. The woman was an emotional mess, and therefore unpredictable. Who knew what she was capable of? Or what crazy idea she might get into her head?
Except, Jacki hadn’t been affected, and if Eleanor’s immunity worked the same as Jacki’s, then Annani had no power over her.
It was strange that Kalugal, who was immune to Navuh’s compulsion, was susceptible to Annani’s, while Jacki, who was a weak, newly-minted immortal, hadn’t felt a thing.
“Where is Edna?” Jay clapped him on the back. “Why aren’t you with her?”
“She escorted the goddess and didn’t come back yet. How have you been?”
Jay glanced at the small groups of Kalugal’s men, standing on the lawn with plates in their hands and chatting with his clansmen and women. “I wish you had immortal females for us as well. I wonder how many of yours will end up hooking up with ours tonight.”
“The more, the merrier. And if the Fates smile upon you, we will soon have an influx of Dormant females from the government database.”
“That will take time, but yeah. I hope so too.”
“Are you assigned to us again? I don’t know what the arrangements are yet.”
“Ingrid said that you’d be staying with Edna. Phinas and Atzil are staying with Kalugal and Jacki.”
Rufsur grinned. “Remind me to thank Ingrid for that. Now I have the perfect excuse to spend all my time with Edna.”
“Did Kalugal want you with him? Because your things were already delivered to her house.”
“We haven’t discussed accommodations, but since Ingrid assigned Phinas and Atzil to him, I’m excused.”
Feeling Edna coming up behind him, Rufsur clapped Jay on his back. “It was nice talking to you, but my lad
y is here.”
He turned around and walked toward her. “Has Annani kept you all this time?”
Edna glanced around to ensure that no one was paying attention to them and leaned to whisper in his ear, “She wanted to see my presentation, and she also told me to get you so she could modify her compulsion so you don’t spill the beans to Kalugal.”
“She’s right. No subterfuge means that I can’t keep our Sunday plans a secret from him. Jacki would have to clobber me over the head if the subject came up in any shape or form.”
Edna smiled. “I’d rather Annani took care of it in a gentler manner.”
“Me too. Did she like the presentation?”
“She said it was perfect, and if Kian is not swayed by it, he would have to deal with her.”
Rufsur closed his eyes and tilted his head heavenward. “Thank you, lovely Fates.” He opened his eyes and took in a deep breath. “I can already smell our victory.”
“Don’t jinx it.” Edna slapped his arm, then looked at his plate. “Are you done?”
“I can be. Did you have a chance to grab something?”
Taking his hand, Edna gripped it and smirked. “I just did. Let’s go to Annani and then home.”
64
Kalugal
Kalugal stretched his legs in front of him and took a small sip from the finest whiskey he’d ever tasted. “Where did you get this stuff? And who makes it?”
Kian hadn’t shown him the bottle, only saying that he’d been saving it for a special occasion.
Lighting yet another cigarillo, Kian leaned back in his lounger. “It’s from a distillery that no longer exists, and I got it at an auction. Don’t ask how much it cost.”
Kalugal snorted. “I’m not easily impressed. I don’t collect fine whiskeys, but I do collect fine wines, and some of those bottles are worth tens of thousands. Next time you visit me, I’ll open one that I’ve been saving for a special occasion as well.”
Kian waved with the cigarillo. “I don’t plan on having a second wedding. Save it for something really special.”
“But you are about to become a father. I’d say that’s a special occasion.” Kalugal leaned forward. “I would consider it a great honor to be your child’s godfather.”
Kian seemed surprised by the offer. “We don’t have that tradition in the clan, but Syssi used to be a human, so she might want that. I’ll need to ask her.”
“Of course.”
While Kalugal, his groomsmen, and several of his and Kian’s friends chilled in Kian’s house drinking and smoking and generally just relaxing, Syssi, together with the other bridesmaids and some of their friends were with Jacki. He imagined the ladies sipping on margaritas while entertaining his bride before the wedding ceremony, which was scheduled to start at ten tonight. Hopefully, she was enjoying herself as much as he was.
Regrettably, he couldn’t invite all of his men to Kian’s house, for the simple reason that it was too small. Besides, Kalugal figured that some, if not most, were still sleeping off a night of passion.
Rufsur and Phinas were there, as well as Atzil and Ruvon and several of the others, but he was quite sure that all of them had partied the night away as well.
Annani’s compulsion had done wonders for everyone involved. The mood was relaxed, Kian wasn’t wearing his earplugs, and Turner was inside the house talking with Lokan instead of hovering nearby to stop Kalugal from compelling Kian or anyone else.
As much as he resented not getting a prior warning, Kalugal enjoyed the peace of mind it had given him. Annani hadn’t demanded his secrets, she hadn’t compelled him or his men to do anything they weren’t ready to do. She’d only ensured everyone’s safety, her people and his.
He was spending a most pleasant time with his cousin, and the two of them were going to get ready for the ceremony together. He would have preferred to spend the day with Jacki, but following the clan’s tradition, he was not allowed to see her before the wedding.
“Sari told me that you want to visit her castle.” Kian refilled both of their glasses. “She suggested that you celebrate your honeymoon there.”
“Are you okay with that?”
Kian snorted. “After my mother’s speech, I’m okay with joining you there together with Syssi. I wonder how long Annani’s compulsory effect is going to last.”
It was good that Kian had broached the subject first. “Don’t tell me that you didn’t know that she was going to do that.”
“Oh, I knew. In fact, I asked her to do it as a preemptive measure. I just didn’t expect it to be so powerful. I feel as if I’ve smoked weed or ingested some other recreational drug. Not that I would know how that feels since I’ve never partaken, but this careless, relaxed mood is definitely not my natural state.”
Kalugal reached for the box of cigarillos and pulled one out. “I have to admit that it feels nice. The only time I usually feel so relaxed is when I’m deciphering ancient texts or putting tablet fragments together.”
“I wish I had a hobby like that. I’m relaxed only when I’m alone with my wife.” Kian chuckled. “I guess she’s my recreational drug.”
“Perhaps it’s not such a crazy idea for you two to join Jacki and me on our honeymoon in Scotland. We can spend a pleasant time together. I can take a few of my men with me and introduce them to the ladies over there. Provided that there will be any left unspoken for.”
Kian waved with his cigarillo. “If not for Annani’s compulsion, I would have thought that you wanted to plant spies in the castle. But I know that you can’t even think of subterfuge.”
Kalugal lifted his glass. “To Annani.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
“And to Sari.”
Kian nodded. “I’ll drink to that as well.”
Out of Kian’s three sisters, Kalugal liked Sari the most. She wasn’t as flamboyant as Amanda, and not as soft as Alena. She was a born leader, intelligent, capable, and assertive, but not in a gruff and abrasive way like her brother.
For some reason, as soon as he and Sari had been introduced, Kalugal had thought of Professor Levinson as the perfect partner for her. Other than the affinity he’d felt for the guy, he had no other reason to suspect the professor of being a Dormant, but perhaps he could try to induce him, and if it worked, he could introduce him to Sari. Or perhaps the other way around?
Kian had mentioned his theory about why Richard hadn’t transitioned yet despite the strong indicators that he was a Dormant. Jacki’s friend had a paranormal ability, he made friends easily with Kian’s clan members, male and female, which implied affinity, but he hadn’t bonded with anyone. Kian suspected that that was the missing ingredient for an adult Dormant to transition, and there was something to it.
According to Kian, Annani had told him that during the gods’ era, Dormant teenage girls had transitioned just from being bitten by an immortal male, and no sex had been required. Today’s adult female Dormants needed both, and in most cases, the sex was with a male they had bonded with. There were two exceptions. One was Eva, who he’d had sex with but not a bond, but that could be explained by his strong godly genes and her being closer to the source than the other Dormants. The other was Eleanor, who had also transitioned seemingly without a bond, but it was possible she and Greggory had bonded the first time they’d hooked up.
The guy had sure seemed miserable after she’d been shipped off to the clan, and he’d looked even more miserable when she hadn’t shown up for the welcoming party. Hopefully, she’d come to the wedding.
Kian refilled their glasses for the third time. “Since we are drinking to our siblings, let’s drink to Amanda, Alena, and Lokan as well. Where is he, by the way?”
“With Turner and William inside the house. He’s probably pumping them for information regarding the noise cannon technology. He still hasn't given up on the idea of using acoustics to conquer the island.”
“I assume that you told him not to count on your help.”
“I did. But afte
r your mother’s impressive demonstration, his hopes might have gotten rekindled.”
Kian shook his head. “Never. I’m not exposing my mother to Navuh and his hordes of warriors.”
“Obviously. But don’t be surprised if Lokan comes to talk with you about that.”
65
Edna
As Edna passed the first gate, she waved at the guards and stepped into the area between the two fences. Then she had to wait for the second gate to open, which they did remotely.
The security measures seemed so superfluous now, and not only because of Annani’s compulsion speech from the day before. Or maybe that was why Edna felt so safe entering an area dedicated to housing Kalugal and his party. Annani had removed part of the compulsion from her, but not all. She could keep Sunday’s plans a secret from Kian, but she still felt unnaturally calm and connected to everyone in the village.
They were all one big family. How nice. It was hard to distinguish between her own feelings and the ones Annani compelled everyone to feel.
But the truth was that Edna had stopped viewing Kalugal and his men as a threat even before that. She knew Rufsur as only a mate could know her man, and there was no subterfuge or hostility in him. There was no way he had been hiding a secret agenda from her and planning to harm her clan while pretending to be in love with her.
She was a woman in love, but she was still over three hundred years old, and not a naive girl.
When she got to the house, the door was open, and inside her friends and relatives were busy having fun.
“Edna.” Amanda waved her over. “You are just in time for the second round of margaritas. Which flavor do you want? I have strawberry, watermelon, and apple.”
“I’ve never tried the apple flavor. I’ll go for that.”
“Awesome.” Amanda poured the mix into the blender with loads of ice and turned it on. “Usually, Onidu makes them for me, but he is busy with the other Odus preparing for the wedding. I’m so glad that we have all seven of them in here. The cleanup is going to be a breeze.”