14
KIAN
The Sunday morning traffic into downtown Los Angeles was light, which Kian regarded as the one redeeming factor for having to leave the house on the weekend and miss precious time with his family.
Sitting in the back of the SUV beside his mother, Kian watched the city pass by through the tinted windows. As usual, the brothers sat up front with Anandur behind the wheel and Brundar next to him, scanning their surroundings as if they expected assassins to jump out from every passing car, or just the barrel of a rifle. It had never happened before, but that didn't mean it was such a far-fetched scenario.
The SUV was bulletproof, but it wasn't a Batman car. It didn't have hidden machine guns that popped out of the hood, or missile launchers concealed in the trunk, or an ejector seat for unwanted passengers. There were no oil slicks to deploy against pursuers, no grappling hooks to swing between buildings, and definitely no capability to transform into a tank or a submarine. What it did have was reinforced armor plating, run-flat tires, and a security system that would make the Secret Serviceweep with envy. That should be enough, but perhaps Kian could challenge William's genius squad to come up with some upgrades.
"You seem amused," his mother said. "Care to share?"
He smiled. "I was just thinking about giving the SUV some upgrades."
"What kind of upgrades?"
"Have you seen any of the Batman movies?"
"Oh, yes." She laughed. "It was very entertaining, and Val Kilmer was so handsome."
That one had been five or six Batman movies ago, but he doubted his mother had watched any of the newer remakes.
"I was thinking of the Batmobile. It would be nice to have some gadgets installed in my SUV."
Annani frowned, all amusement leaching from her face. "Are you expecting villains to attack your car?"
"Not really." He took her tiny hand in his. "Don't worry about it. I was just having random thoughts."
She didn't look convinced. "Do you think anyone will come searching for Navuh?"
"I doubt it. His adopted sons are probably engaged in a game of thrones over who will rule the island, and none of them wants Navuh back." He shifted, turning to face her. "I still can't believe the Fates delivered him to us like this. Our greatest enemy just dropped into our laps, quite literally, without us having to lift a finger."
"The Fates work in mysterious ways." Annani put her other hand over their conjoined ones. "Perhaps this is their way of bringing to an end five thousand years of conflict."
He regretted having to tamp down her optimism. "I think it's a temporary reprieve until whoever took over the island gets settled and continues Navuh's work. They have to."
"Why?"
"Because the entire operation is built around exacting influence and gaining power, with the end goal being world domination. If they don't continue on the path that Navuh set and try to pivot, the Brotherhood will fall apart. Whoever is in charge can't allow that to happen, especially given that they are closer to their goal today than they have been in many centuries."
His mother smiled. "I agree with your assessment, but I am hopeful that without Navuh at the helm, the Brotherhood will be less effective. Perhaps his fall was just the thing needed to slow down their expansion, and things will go back to how they were just a few decades ago, when it seemed we were finally getting ahead."
His mother was the quintessential optimist, and he hated to remind her that the Brotherhood, along with its evil, ever-expanding taint, was not the only thing to worry about. The Eternal King was a much bigger threat because he was impossible to defend against. If he decided to annihilate every living being on Earth, it would be done in the blink of an eye and without warning.
"The Eternal King is a worry for another day," his mother said, evidently reading him with ease. "Right now, we should givethanks to the Fates for handing us Navuh. To do otherwise is to belittle their gift."
She was right, and Kian nodded in agreement, sending his heartfelt gratitude to the Fates and apologizing for always seeing the glass half empty.
"I wonder what Navuh wants to talk to you about."
His mother shrugged. "He wants to negotiate, but I am not interested in whatever he thinks I want."
"He might have precious relics from the time of the gods. Perhaps even another tablet that contains more information than the one you took from your uncle."
"Hmm." Annani pulled her hand out of his and leaned back. "That would indeed be valuable to me. But if Navuh has anything like that, why has he not used it? We have built an empire with Ekin's tablet, utilizing all the technological information he had stored in there. Navuh has never seemed to be able to catch up to our progress."
Kian smiled. "He doesn't have William. He alone was able to decipher what the tablet said."
Annani's brow furrowed. "Navuh had Tony, and yet he never used his knowledge. He was only interested in the smart sons Tony could produce for him. What a waste."
