50. Kian

Kian ended the call with Aru and turned to Syssi, who had been sitting quietly by his side throughout the conversation. Her expression morphed from giddiness when she heard the news about the twins to sadness when she heard about the Kra-ell.

"You were right." He took her hand. "As always."

Syssi smiled sadly. "The Fates wanted them found, and evidently, it was urgent. That"s why they hijacked my vision and showed me a way to find them instead of showing me Khiann." Her eyes misted with tears as she looked at him. "I just hope it"s because he"s not in danger and can wait, and not because he"s gone."

"I hope so, too." He enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "It"s difficult for me to put my faith in the Fates and trust them to put us on the right path."

"It"s tragic that the Kra-ell didn"t make it. They were all young people who were promised a better life. I just keep wondering who"s to blame."

"Does it matter?"

Syssi nodded. "Maybe not to them, but it does to me. I want to know who to rage against."

Kian chuckled. "Raging is my job in this family. You are supposed to be the logical and composed one."

"Not this time. This wasn"t an accident. I know it, and you know it. What we don"t know is who was behind it. The queen of Anumati delayed the ship"s arrival but didn"t rig it to explode."

Kian arched a brow. "And you know that how? Because she said so? Think about it. She had every reason to sabotage that ship. It was carrying assassins sent by the king to murder her beloved son, who she wanted to protect at all costs. She delayed the ship so it wouldn"t be obvious that she was behind it, but she might have also ordered it to self-destruct upon arrival."

Chewing on her lower lip, Syssi contemplated his words for a while. "You are right. She would have done that even if she suspected that the royal twins were onboard and that they were her grandkids. They weren"t legitimate heirs, so she didn"t care about them."

"The queen might have cared a little, but not enough to endanger her son." Kian removed his arms. "I need to start making calls."

"Speaking of calls, we should inform your mother that the twins were found. She"ll be upset if we don"t tell her right away."

Kian hesitated momentarily, his mind leaping ahead to the calls he needed to make and the favors he needed to call in. "I have to start getting everything in motion. I don"t have time to call my mother."

She would have a thousand questions for which he didn"t have answers yet, and he was pressed for time.

Syssi squeezed his hand. "I"ll call her."

"Thank you," he said, kissing her cheek. "I don"t know what I"d do without you."

Syssi smiled. "Go." She shooed him towards his office with a wave of her hand.

Kian grabbed his half-finished coffee cup and headed to his home office. He settled into his chair, taking a moment to gather his thoughts and prioritize the calls he needed to make. Kalugal was first, he decided. His cousin had connections in China that would be invaluable for moving things quickly and efficiently. If he agreed to accompany Yamanu to Tibet, he could be of further help with his compulsion ability.

Kian chose Kalugal"s number from his favorites list and placed the call, his fingers drumming restlessly on the polished wood of his desk as he waited for the call to connect.

"Kian," Kalugal answered with the usual warmth in his voice, which Kian was starting to learn wasn"t fake. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

He explained the situation as briefly as he could. Jasmine, scrying, the pod"s discovery, the twins" precarious state, and the need for swift and covert action. He hadn"t told Kalugal what he needed from him, but his cousin was smart enough to figure that out.

Kalugal listened intently, his occasional hums of acknowledgment the only sign that he was still on the line. When Kian finished, there was a moment of thoughtful silence.

"Naturally, you need my connections in China, my plane, and my compulsion ability," Kalugal said with a note of humor. "All three are at your service."

Kian felt relieved, even though he had expected Kalugal"s response. His cousin was fascinated by the gods" technology, and the escape pod was a marvel he was eager to get his hands on. He wanted to know where it was and how to get it, and knowing him, he would find a way to extract the pod despite the Chinese military presence.

"Can your plane fit twenty stasis chambers? I think we"ll need both our planes for this mission. We"ll have to accommodate all the passengers and luggage and the medical equipment that Julian brought along. I assume that each stasis chamber is the size of a sarcophagus and probably just as heavy. Aru and Dagor are also trying to extract as much tech from the escape pod as possible, so there will also be a lot of equipment to transport."

"You are probably correct. Only some of the stasis chambers containing the Kra-ell can go in the cargo hold of each plane, but maybe they could all fit in one plane if both the cargo and the passenger cabin are utilized. The clan"s plane will need to be the cargo carrier, as mine has more seating. Naturally, the twins will need to be fitted into my plane between the seats so Julian can keep an eye on them. I have enough room for all the passengers and their baggage."

"The other alternative is to charter a larger plane. That may be the better option."

"I don"t know if you can get one as quickly as you"d like."

"True. How soon can you be ready to go?" Kian asked.

There was a long silence, and Kian imagined Kalugal checking with Jacki. "My pilot will probably need a few hours to get to the plane, get the flight details sorted out, get fuel, file the flight plan, and do the pre-flight check. I will be at the hangar, packed and ready to go by then. I assume that Yamanu is coming along?"

"You assume correctly. I didn"t call him yet, but I"m about to."

"Have him meet me in the garage in two hours," Kalugal said. "I"ll have one of my men drive us. I"m not taking any with me except for the pilot and copilot. Are you sending anyone in addition to Yamanu?"

"We need to sort the radar risk from the Chinese base. Even if Yamanu shrouds the helicopter from view, they will still see it on the radar, and twenty round trips are bound to raise suspicion. I will check with William if he needs to join you for that personally, or if he can give Yamanu a quick demonstration on how to use his signal scrambler or whatever other device he will choose. I will let you know. I"ll call you if there is any change of plans. Call me if you are having trouble with anything."

Kalugal snorted. "I don"t have trouble with anyone."

His cousin ended the call before Kian had a chance to thank him.

He dialed Yamanu next, and as Kian explained the situation, he could practically hear Yamanu"s excitement building, the man"s love of a challenge and a good adventure shining through.

"Mey, my love, do you want to come along?" Yamanu called out, his voice slightly muffled as he turned away from the phone.

There was a pause, followed by an indistinct conversation that Kian couldn"t quite make out. Then Yamanu was back. "I"m afraid I"ll have to travel by my lonesome this time," he said with a hint of disappointment in his tone. "Mey and Jin have an important meeting they can"t miss with a major online retailer who insists on meeting them in person. Am I the only one who sees the irony in that?"

"You are onto something," Kian agreed. "An online retailer should be fine with online communications with the suppliers. Back to the mission, it will be a quick in-and-out job. You fly in, help them remove the stasis chambers without anyone seeing anything, and then cover them when they bury the pod. I don"t think Jacki is joining Kalugal either so you can spend some quality time together."

"I"m looking forward to it," Yamanu said, and Kian wasn"t sure if he was being sarcastic or meant it.

"Kalugal asked that you meet him in the underground garage in two hours, and you will probably hear from William shortly about operating the scrambler. I doubt he needs to join you on the mission just for that."

"Got it, boss."

Once Kian ended the call with Yamanu, he called Charlie to alert him to get the plane ready.

Next was William.

"I don"t need to be there in person. The device is easy to operate. I"ll call Yamanu and get him all set up."

Kian made his final call to Jade, the leader of the Kra-ell.

He delivered the news with as much tact as he could muster, and Jade received it in her usual no-nonsense manner. "It"s regrettable, but I suspected as much, so I"m not surprised. I"m only surprised that the twins survived. I hope you told your people to be careful around them."

"I did, and the plan is to revive them in our clinic at the keep. You are welcome to join us for that, and if you want to bring some of your people to witness it, that"s fine."

"Thank you. You honor me, Kian. And thank you for bringing my people to the catacombs for a proper Kra-ell farewell ceremony. Their remains will be treated with the respect and reverence they deserve."

As he ended the call and leaned back in his chair, Kian felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him, the events of the day catching up to him all at once. With a sigh, he pushed himself up and went to the kitchen, following the rich, inviting scent of brewing coffee.

Syssi was there, her back to him as she busied herself with the cappuccino machine. Kian paused for a moment in the doorway, simply drinking in the sight of her.

"How did my mother take the news?" he asked, moving to stand beside her.

Syssi turned to him with a smile. "She"s excited," she said, reaching up to brush a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "She"s on her way over."