73. Kian

73

KIAN

E ll-rom looked at Kian questioningly. "What do you do? How do you fight this evil?"

Kian sighed. "We have a limited number of fighters, but we have special abilities that are useful for raiding those dens of depravity. We rescue the victims and bring them to a sanctuary where our clan therapist is doing all she can to help them heal and to rehabilitate them until they are ready to re-enter society and be on their own. Julian, our esteemed physician, runs a halfway house for the rehabilitated former victims of trafficking, so they have a soft landing and can do things gradually and without pressure."

"Now I feel guilty." Ell-rom rubbed at his jaw. "Morelle and I are keeping Julian from doing his job."

"'Don't worry about it," Kian said. "Julian is the director, but there are many capable humans working in the halfway house, paid employees and volunteers. He can do most of what he does there from the office here." Kian smiled. "It's not like you and Morelle keep him busy all day long."

"What do you do with the monsters?" Ell-rom asked.

"We make them wait for the human authorities to collect, ready to confess their crimes."

Ell-rom lifted a brow. "With compulsion?"

Kian shook his head. "Compulsion is a rare ability. We use thralling, which most immortals can do, and on humans it's just as effective if not more so than compulsion. Thralling makes them believe that they want to do what we tell them. Compulsion only forces them to do that even if they try to fight it with all their might."

From the other side of the table, Aru groaned. "We did not continue your shrouding and thralling lessons. We should resume them."

Ell-rom nodded. "I've been working hard on my physical rehabilitation, and I forgot all about practicing my mind-manipulating abilities. But I guess I will need to master both if I want to join your efforts. I want to be part of this fight."

Kian approved of the sentiment, but Ell-rom was in no condition to fight anyone. "It takes many years to become a fully-fledged Guardian, and I'm sure that taking part in the missions is not the only thing you can do. You need to discover all of your abilities, learn English, and get a better understanding of this world before you decide what you want to do with your life."

"Wise advice," Jasmine said. "You should heed it."

"I know, but I can't just do nothing." Ell-rom kept his eyes trained on Kian. "Even if I can't fight, there must be something I can learn to do to put a dent in the fight."

"Oh, Ell-rom," Annani spoke up. "Your compassion does you credit. It is a quality that will serve you well in our community. But Kian is right. You need time to heal and learn." She smiled. "Only fools rush in."

"You are right, my sister." Ell-rom dipped his head. "I shall follow your advice."

As the evening wore on, the conversation drifted to lighter topics, and Kian found himself relaxing and enjoying the meal. Still, part of his mind remained focused on the real reason for their visit.

They needed to talk about Syssi's vision.

He waited until everyone was done eating, the boxes with leftovers were stored in the fridge, and the empty ones were discarded.

Glancing at his mother on one side and his wife on the other, he wasn't sure whose hand he should hold and finally decided that he should hold Syssi's. His mother never showed weakness, which holding her hand might imply.

"Syssi had a vision." He clasped her hand. "That's the main reason for our visit today." He scanned his audience. "I didn't come here expecting to solve all the evils of this world, but I hope you can help us solve one mystery that is very important to my mother."

A hush fell over the table once more, and as all eyes turned to Syssi, she straightened in her chair. "I asked the universe to show me whether Annani's husband still lived and was buried under the sands of the Arabian desert. What I was shown wasn't exactly what I asked for, though. I saw a vast desert, some ruins that looked ancient, half-buried in sand, and a woman with eyes flecked with gold, who was dressed in men's clothing appropriate for the region." She turned her gaze to Jasmine. "I believe the vision was showing us where we should start looking for Khiann and who can help us find him."

Aru leaned forward. "A desert with ancient ruins narrows it down somewhat, but not by much."

He must have missed the part about the woman with golden flakes in her eyes, but Jasmine hadn't. She looked stunned and said nothing, probably not wanting to assume that Syssi meant that the woman was her.

"Do you think that the woman with gold-flecked eyes is Jasmine?" Ell-rom asked.

Kian nodded. "We do. Her scrying abilities helped find your escape pod and might also be the key to pinpointing Khiann's location."