68. Aru

As Norbu navigated the helicopter over the mountainous terrain, Aru was glad that the winds had subsided and that the flight was less eventful than the one he and Dagor had experienced the day before.

Thankfully, they had transported only some of the equipment they had removed, so he hadn"t had to worry about a stasis chamber getting loose when they were hit with one of the more forceful gusts.

Still, that had worried him much less than what the queen might order him to do today. He would have no trouble thralling the immortals and Jasmine to forget that they had found the twins alive, but he couldn"t do that to those in the know in the village. If the queen ordered him to get rid of the twins, he would have to somehow engineer an accident without implicating himself, so he would suffer no repercussions other than a permanent stain on his soul.

He was not a murderer.

There was a big difference between killing defenseless people in cold blood and killing in battle. Both left a mark on the soul, but the former introduced a rot that could not be redeemed on either side of the veil.

Or at least that was how it should be. Coldblooded murderers should not be allowed redemption, not even by forfeiting their own lives. The problem was that aside from the Supreme Oracle, no one got to glimpse the afterlife, and since she wasn"t sharing what she"d seen, he needed substantiation for his belief. Nevertheless, he had to stick to it to keep his sanity and moral compass.

As they touched down, Aru saw Negal and Edgar sitting on the two boulders to which the ropes were tied.

Kalugal was out of the helicopter as soon as the skids touched the ground, and Aru was forced to do the same.

The guy was a council member and an important figure in the clan, but he probably knew nothing about rappelling and would injure himself going down.

"Hello, gentlemen," Kalugal said as he reached Edgar and Negal, offering each his hand. "I would very much like to see the pod."

Negal lifted a brow. "Do you know how to rappel?"

Aru was glad that Negal had saved him the need to ask the same question.

Yamanu, who had been leaning over the edge of the chasm and trying to get a glimpse of the pod, turned and lifted his hand. "All Guardians train to do that."

Aru had assumed as much, but Kalugal wasn"t a Guardian.

Kalugal lifted a brow. "Of course. I"m not some soft technocrat." He chuckled. "Well, lately, that"s precisely what I"ve become, but once upon a time, I was a well-trained warrior, and I haven"t forgotten what was instilled in me since I turned thirteen. Besides, the pod is the main reason I volunteered to come here." He smiled. "And also, because my compulsion ability might be needed with that Chinese military base over there."

Aru felt unease at the reminder that Kalugal was the son of Annani"s archenemy and a powerful compeller. Kian trusted him not to betray the clan, and so did his mother, but that trust didn"t extend to Kalugal"s thirst for knowledge and how far he was willing to go to gain it.

Being a compeller, he could overpower Aru, Negal, and Dagor with the same ease that he could overpower Edgar.

"We"ve got the base covered," Aru said. "Their radar is out."

Kalugal"s eyes shone with excitement. "I was wondering about that. Kian told me that he was sending William"s disruptor. Later, he said you found a different solution and to leave it on the plane. How did you do that?"

"Anumati tech. I really can"t tell you more about it." He couldn"t even if he wanted to because he had no idea how it worked, only that it did.

The damage to the equipment in the base would be irreparable, but their techs wouldn"t know why or how. There would be no trace of evidence.

Aru smiled, thinking about what he had told the soldier who had bumped into them when they had first crossed through the base while shrouding themselves. Maybe he would spread a rumor about the spirits being angry because no weapons were allowed on the mountain"s hallowed ground. The Chinese were highly superstitious people, so they might believe that was why their equipment malfunctioned.

The glow in Kalugal"s eyes dimmed. "You"re no fun."

Chuckling, Aru turned to Negal. "Were you able to recover anything valuable from the pod?"

"We managed to extract a few more components," Negal said. "Once we clear out all the stasis chambers, we can access more of the pod"s systems."

"Good work." Aru clapped Negal on the shoulder. "You and Edgar focus on getting the chambers out while Dagor and I handle the loading and transport."

He turned to Yamanu. "We will only extract the chambers when you are here to shroud the operation. I know that will mean that it will take more time, but I don"t want to chance a patrol catching a glimpse of them."

Yamanu nodded. "No problem. You are the boss here, and you decide how this operation is run, but I would like to see the pod before we begin."

Aru tilted his head. "I thought that you regarded the pod as bad luck."

"I do. But I"m too curious to let that stop me from seeing it."

"Very well." Aru turned to Kalugal. "You and I will go first. I want to make sure that you get down in one piece." He looked at Negal and Dagor. "Watch over the ropes in case Kalugal needs to be pulled up."

Kalugal shook his head. "You insult me."

"My apologies." Aru dipped his head and looked pointedly at Kalugal"s loafers. "Not the best shoes for rappelling."

"I agree." Kalugal shrugged. "But they were custom-made for me and will not fall off. I"m even willing to wager on that."

Aru knew better than to bet against a master manipulator.

"I"ll take your word for it."

As Kalugal started gearing up, Aru realized his fears about the guy"s abilities had been baseless.

The councilman approached it like a pro, pulling gloves from his pockets before getting into the harness, tightening the straps, and ensuring the harness fit snugly around his waist and legs.

Then, he double-checked that the anchor was secured around the boulder. Once satisfied with his inspection, he attached the controller to the harness using a locking carabiner and threaded the rope through the device. As an extra precaution, he tied a Prusik knot around the rope and clipped it to his harness, a backup that would catch him if he lost control.

"You"ve done this once or twice before," Aru remarked.

Kalugal grinned. "I told you that I was well-trained." Positioning himself at the edge, he leaned back into the harness and descended.

Aru controlled his speed so it matched Kalugal"s. The cavern walls closed around them as they got deeper. When they reached the bottom, Aru unclipped the controller from his harness, removed it, and then attached it back so the others could pull it up and use it.

Next to him, Kalugal did the same. "She"s a beauty," he said as he surveyed the pile of salvaged components. "The stasis chambers alone are worth a king"s ransom." He traced his fingers over the smooth, seamless metal with an almost reverent touch.

Behind them, Yamanu and Dagor unclipped their controllers and joined them.

Yamanu peered at the glass of one of the chambers. "Are you sure they are dead? They look like they are sleeping."

"I wish they were," Aru said. "Julian confirmed that they are gone."