"He was gentle?" Tamira asked hopefully.
"That's one way to describe him. Darien could fight when he had to because he had no choice. All of us were trained to do that from an early age, and those who didn't do well suffered the consequences. But his heart wasn't in it. He was too smart to be just another cog in the Brotherhood's machine, and he valued life. All life. He questioned orders when he should have followed them blindly." Kalugal's lips quirked in a smile. "Navuh didn't know what to do with him. He didn't fit the mold."
"So, he put him under your command," Eluheed said.
"By no means was I what my father would consider a military prodigy, but I was competent, and I was his flesh and blood, so he entrusted me with the command of a platoon. I guess he assumed that I would be a good influence on Darien."
"Did Darien know I was his mother?" Tamira asked.
Kalugal shook his head. "I was lucky enough to remember my mother because Navuh allowed her to keep me longer than heallowed the others, and also because I had a few tricks up my sleeve that the others did not."
"Tricks?" Eluheed asked.
"I'm a compeller, and I could compel immortals from a very young age." He chuckled. "Not that I knew what I was doing. I just thought that I was so adorable that people did what I asked them to do. I got into the harem by just walking through the gates like I owned the place."
Tamira gasped. "I didn't know that! How?"
He shrugged. "I just commanded a soldier to drive me there and then commanded the guards to open the gates for me. This was long before surveillance cameras and instantaneous forms of communication, so I could get away with it. My mother told me to make sure no one remembered me coming to the harem, so I compelled them on my way out to forget. I did the same thing two more times before my mother told me to stop. It was too dangerous. She warned me that if my father found out what I could do, I might be in danger from him. Navuh didn't want competition. Not even from his own flesh-and-blood sons."
It was sad that Areana had felt that way, and even sadder that she had chosen to stay by Navuh's side despite it.
"How long had you been plotting to escape?" Eluheed asked.
"Since I can remember." Kalugal picked up his coffee cup, cradling it in his hands. "I was just waiting for the right opportunity and collecting males who hated the Brotherhood and everything it stood for as much as I did." He smiled. "Given my ability, it wasn't difficult to pry that information out of them. Darien didn't need much coaxing, let alone compulsion, to admit his disdain for the Brotherhood. He was eager to escapeand build a new life away from Navuh's control. When we were stationed in Japan during WW2, not far from one of the nuclear bombing sites, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to disappear. Even immortals couldn't survive a nuclear bomb, and since we were in the area, we would be assumed dead. Using the power of my compulsion, I smuggled us out of Japan and into the United States."
"What happened when you reached the States?" Tamira asked.
"I established myself here. Most of my men stayed with me, others scattered. Darien was eager to venture out on his own, and I gave him my blessing. We parted on good terms. I gave him money, documents, and my contact information in case he ever needed help."
"Did you ever hear from him?" Eluheed asked.
"A few times, in the beginning. He was living in New York, trying to build a life for himself. He seemed happy, or at least content, but as time went by, the calls grew less frequent and eventually stopped. The last time I heard from him was over forty years ago."
"That's a long time ago," Tamira whispered, desperation clawing at her heart. "How am I going to find him?"
"My mother asked Annani to help locate Darien, so I hired an investigator," Kalugal said.
Hope flared anew in Tamira's heart, and gratitude to Areana. The goddess hadn't told her that she'd asked for Annani's help. She couldn't because her communication with her sister had to be kept a secret.
"What did the investigator find?" Eluheed asked.
"Old tracks that had gone cold. Darien lived in New York for several decades under the name we gave him, which was Darien Croft. He had an apartment in Brooklyn and worked various jobs. But about thirty years ago, his tracks went cold. He must have changed his name and gotten a new identity."
Tamira's heart sank. "So, we don't know where he is now."
"We know he's still in New York." Kalugal leaned forward. "You said Elias saw you with him in Times Square. That means he's still there. And if he's there, he can be found."
"How?" Tamira looked at Eluheed, then back at Kalugal. "If he's changed his identity and gone into hiding, how do we find him?"
"There are ways." Kalugal set down his coffee cup. "We'll have to be creative. First, we can expand the search to include visual recognition. We have a very talented hacker in the clan who has access to various databases, like driver's licenses, security cameras' footage, and social media. If Darien's face appears anywhere, Roni can find him."
8
AREZOO
The Saturday morning rush at the Pearl was in full swing, and the checkout line was long. Arezoo stood behind the register, scanning items and making small talk with customers, but her mind was churning with the conversation she'd been trying to gather the courage for.
Amanda had said she could pull together a beautiful wedding in just two weeks, and she could even commission a custom wedding dress for Arezoo that would be ready in time.
