6. Kian

6

KIAN

A s Kian led Aru to his office, curiosity gnawed at him, but he held off asking the god what he wanted to talk about until they were inside, and he closed the door behind them.

He moved to lean against the edge of the conference table, crossing his arms over his chest as he fixed Aru with a steady gaze. "Let me guess. This has to do with your queen."

"Good guess." Aru pulled out one of the chairs and sat down. "We can't let the Eternal King know the twins survived. The best way to go about it is for me to report that everyone in the pod we found was dead. The problem is proving that to him, and before you suggest it, let me assure you that computer manipulation won't work with Anumatian technology. They'll instantly see through any digital or computer tricks."

"I wasn't about to suggest that. I know better." Kian pulled out a chair and sat next to Aru. "So, what's your idea?"

"It's not mine. It's the queen's. She suggests that we fake a funeral pyre for them like we intend to do for the Kra-ell, but I have no idea how we can do that without actually incinerating them."

Kian drummed his fingers on the conference table. "I wouldn't know the first thing about faking a funeral pyre, but I can ask our media expert for help. After all, they were doing that in movies long before computers and digital manipulation were a thing."

Aru nodded. "That's good. There is another problem that we need to take into consideration. The twins are emaciated, while the Kra-ell bodies are perfectly preserved. The difference is self-explanatory. Being half gods, the twins could enter stasis unaided, while the Kra-ell did not, and that's why their bodies consumed themselves to preserve basic function. Anyone on Anumati will figure it out at a glance."

Trying to figure out a solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem, Kian was silent for a long moment, his brow furrowed in concentration as he turned it over in his mind. Perhaps he should call Turner and Kalugal and ask them for ideas. After all, the queen wasn't the only one who knew that the Eternal King must never find out that the twins were alive, and he could ask their advice without mentioning her.

A thought, or rather a memory, was trying to push itself to the forefront of his mind—something about faking death.

Then it hit him. "I know what we can do. We will wait until the twins have recovered from their stasis so they look as whole as the Kra-ell, and then Bridget will administer a drug that will slow their vitals to a crawl even more so than stasis and make them appear dead to even the most advanced scanners. Once you record their lack of vitals, she will administer the antidote and revive them."

Aru's eyes widened. "If she can do that, it would be perfect. We can forgo recording the funeral pyres altogether. After all, no one expects us to give the Kra-ell their proper funeral rites." He tilted his head with a frown. "Did you base your idea on anything concrete, or was it only a hypothesis?"

"We've done something like that in the past." Kian pushed to his feet and motioned for Aru to follow him. "We needed to infiltrate the Doomers' island. The problem was that getting in was easy, but getting out was impossible. The plan was for our operative to fake her own death by administering a drug, getting out of there in a casket, and then being revived. In the end, her escape happened differently, but Bridget tried the method on her, and it worked."

"Who was your operative?" Aru asked.

Kian smiled. "Carol. Lokan's mate."

The god gasped. "That sweet little angel infiltrated the Doomers' island alone?"

"She did," Kian said. "Don't let her delicate appearance fool you. She's the gutsiest and most resilient person I know."

They strode down the hall together, their footsteps echoing off the concrete walls.

As they entered the clinic, Kian caught sight of Bridget, her red hair pulled back in a ponytail. She stood still next to the prince's open stasis chamber, partially obscuring Merlin while observing him scanning the prince.

"I need a word with you," Kian said. "Can we talk in your office?"

"Of course." She cast one last look at the emaciated figure and then at Merlin. "If you need my help to maneuver the prince carefully, let me know."

Merlin remained focused on the prince. "I think I got it, but thank you, I will." Kian walked toward the doctor's office. "Merlin seems to have it in hand; I just hope there are no trackers we need to cut out of them in their condition."

"Why haven't you sent Jasmine away?" Bridget grumbled, redirecting her frustration to another subject. "There is no need for her to be hanging around the clinic."

"I owe her." Kian opened the door. "Without her, we would have never found them. Besides, do you really want to stand in the way of the Fates' plan?"

"Good point." Bridget walked around the desk and sat behind it. "So, what's going on? What did you want to talk to me about?"

After Kian explained his idea, she was silent for a long moment, her lips pursed in thought.

"Carol was an immortal," she said at last. "I knew her physiology inside and out. But these twins are half Kra-ell, half god, and I'm not as sure that I can predict how their bodies will react to the drugs. The Kra-ell get tipsy from painkillers, so obviously, their chemistry is a little different than ours. Also, it will take a long time for the twins to regain their health, and I won't be able to experiment on them until they are back to full strength."

Kian turned to Aru. "It's your call. How long can you wait before reporting to your commander?"

The god closed his eyes for a moment. "As long as I want, but within reason. I can tell him that the mission to Tibet failed, and that we are back in Los Angeles to investigate another lead. Once we have a good plan, I will schedule another expedition to Tibet and report my findings then." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "I need to tell Dagor to erase his recordings. Thankfully, we had the foresight to record with an offline device."

Kian canted his head. "You must have subconsciously known that you would need to delay the report."

"I guess I did." Aru turned to Bridget. "So, what's next, doctor?"

"As soon as Merlin is done, we will start reviving one of them and then the other. I don't want to risk doing it to them both at once."