58. Kian

58

KIAN

K ian rapped his fingers on the conference table. "After much deliberation, I have decided that we have no choice but to compel the truth from the Kra-ell. Since we don't want to appear as if we are discriminating against them and assuming they are to blame without having proof, we will need to question everyone. Toven will use his ability to compel the Kra-ell, my mother will question clan members, Kalugal will handle his men, and Arwel will deal with the humans. Any objections?"

Jade shook her head, which was a relief. If anyone had reason to oppose his plan, it would have been her, but then refusing to subject her people to Toven's compulsion would have cast suspicion on her as well.

Kalugal leaned back, a smirk playing on his lips. "Are you sure that you trust me to conduct an internal investigation?"

Kian met his gaze. "To be frank, I don't suspect your men or our clan members. As I said, the Kra-ell remain our primary suspects, but in the interest of fairness and to avoid any accusations of discrimination, we will question everyone. You are a compeller, so you can compel the truth from your people."

Edna lifted her hand to get his attention. "When do you propose to begin this questioning?"

Kian considered for a moment. "Wednesday. That gives us time to summon the big assembly on Tuesday and inform everyone of what's about to happen and why. We want to be transparent about this process to avoid any further rumors or speculation."

Jade turned to Toven. "We need to talk logistics. Where do you want to do this, and is there any particular order in which you want me to bring the people to you?"

After they had agreed on a system and a few more questions had been floated around, the issue was concluded, and Kian was ready to wrap up the meeting.

He swept his gaze over the assembled company. "Any other items you want to bring up to the council's attention?"

Bridget raised her hand. "I have some potentially exciting news to share."

Curious, Kian gestured for her to continue.

The doctor's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "I've started a new experiment that could have far-reaching implications for our community. Two young human women—Marina and Lusha—have agreed to be test subjects in a study to determine whether prolonged exposure to immortal venom can significantly prolong a human's life."

A ripple of excitement passed through the room, but Kian didn't share their enthusiasm. "Can you elaborate, please?"

"Of course. We've long known that immortal venom has healing properties and that it has a positive, short-lived effect on humans. We've never conducted a long-term study of the effects. The hypothesis is that regular exposure to venom might slow down the aging process in humans, potentially extending their lifespans by a significant margin."

Amanda's eyes widened. "That could be a game-changer for those seeking a mate but are impatient for their one and only to show up."

Kian shook his head. "That still doesn't solve the problem of children born to human mothers who will not have the godly genes. No parents want to outlive their children." He grimaced. "Except for the Eternal King and other degenerates, that is."

"It could be very helpful to the clan females," Amanda said. "They could finally have partners to raise their children with, but those men would have to engage in frequent wrestling matches with immortal males to keep a steady supply of venom. It will be difficult, but it would help to keep our birthrate from plummeting even further. Have you given any thought to what would happen if, by some miracle, all clan members find immortal mates? Our birth rate would become even more dismal."

"I did, but if the clan males all found Dormants to turn immortal, and they could finally father immortal children, that would have compensated for the reduction in conceptions."

"That's a good point." Amanda leaned back in her chair. "We also have Merlin's potions, but the jury is still out on that. I was hoping for many more pregnancies."

So was Kian, but he hadn't lost hope yet. If the potions had helped him and Syssi to conceive, they would help others.

"How long do you expect it will take to see results?" he asked Bridget.

"I will be monitoring cellular aging markers, telomere length, and other biological indicators of aging. I should have preliminary results within a few months, but to truly understand the long-term effects, we'll need to continue the study for years."

Toven shook his head. "I hate to disappoint everyone, but Orion was married to a human woman who knew he was immortal. I don't think his frequent venom bites prolonged her life, but you should talk with him. I might be wrong about that."

Bridget regarded him with a look that said she was aware of his son's history. "Orion's wife died at the age of fifty-three, which was a good lifespan for that time. Still, I suspect that there were underlying genetic issues that the venom couldn't solve on its own. I will know more after I conduct my experiment in a controlled environment, where I know the test subject's health markers before I start and can monitor them along the way."

Onegus shifted to face Kian. "If the test results are positive, this could have long-term security implications. These humans will have to be restricted to the village and not allowed to visit their friends and relatives in Safe Haven. We don't want anyone noticing that they are aging much more slowly than normal."

Kian nodded. "Let's wait for the initial results of Bridget's tests before changing our policy on human partners and making plans for the future."

Brandon cleared his throat, drawing Kian's attention. "If I may, I think we should also consider the ethical implications. Provided that it works, who gets access to this life-extending treatment? Just the partners of clan members? What about their family members? Or the family of recently transitioned Dormants who do not share their godly genes or are too old to transition?"

It was a thorny question, and Kian could see the council members shifting uncomfortably as they contemplated it.

Even if they restricted the venom treatments to love partners, the males would have to participate in frequent fights to get regular injections, and that would not go well with the male immortals. Who wanted to spend their days in the ring fighting defenseless humans?

"These are excellent points, Brandon," he said. "We'll need to address them if, and it's still a big if, this experiment proves successful. For now, let's focus on the study itself and cross those bridges when we come to them."