"We're approaching the village," Kian explained. "The windows turn opaque so no one knows where the entrance to the tunnel is. It's a security measure."
"The vehicle is driving itself now," Anandur added from the front seat, turning around to face them. He'd released the steering wheel, and the SUV continued to glide forward smoothly without his input. "After we enter the secret tunnel that leads to the village underground, the vehicle will enter a lift that'll take us up to the parking garage. Then we'll take another elevator up to the surface."
A hidden entrance. An underground tunnel. A lift system for vehicles.
"Impressive," she murmured. And then, because the thought struck her and she couldn't resist, she leaned over Annani and smiled at Kian. "You have more in common with Navuh than you realize."
Kian's eyebrows rose. "I beg your pardon?"
"Navuh also had a secret tunnel. It connected the harem to his mansion, allowing him to come and go without being seen." She tilted her head. "Do you also have an escape submarine in a secret cove like he did?"
There was no longer any reason for keeping it a secret. Navuh wasn't going to use it to escape.
To her surprise, Kian laughed. "The village sits on a mountain top, not an island, so a submarine would do me no good. But I do have a helicopter."
"Of course you do."
She'd meant it as a tease, a way of lightening the tension that had hung over them since leaving the keep. But it was also true. Kian and Navuh were more alike than either would probably care to admit. Both were leaders, protectors, strategists. Both had built strongholds to shelter those they loved and had fortified them against every conceivable threat.
The difference, she supposed, was in what they were protecting, why, and how. The end goals, however, were in direct opposition to one another. While Navuh sought to enslave humanity because he deemed them unworthy or incapable of self-governance, Annani and her clan aimed to advance humanity in every possible way, granting every human freedom, equal opportunities for success, and equal treatment under the law.
Navuh's vision was dystopian, influenced by Mortdh, and Annani's was utopian, influenced by Ahn. It was unlikely that either vision would ever be realized. Humans were too complicated, too tribal, and too bloodthirsty.
Kian hadn't seemed offended by the comparison to his uncle. Perhaps he'd made peace with the complicated web of blood that connected him to the enemy he'd spent so long fighting.
Immortal familial connections were endlessly complicated. Navuh was Kian's uncle because he was mated to Areana, who was Kian's mother's sister. But he was also Kian's cousin, because Navuh was the grandson of Ekin, who had been Ahn's half-brother. Ahn was Annani and Areana's father.
This made Navuh both Kian's uncle by marriage and his second cousin by blood.
The temperature dropped as the SUV entered the tunnel, becoming cooler, and the engine's sound echoed off the tunnel walls. Then Areana felt a jolt as the vehicle came to a stop, followed by a subtle vibration beneath them.
"The lift," Kian said.
Areana counted the seconds silently, feeling the ascent in her stomach. Twenty-eight seconds later, the movement stopped, and the windows cleared.
They had emerged in a sprawling parking garage, still underground judging by the lack of natural light, but well-lit and impeccably maintained. Rows of vehicles stretched out in either direction, some fancier than others.
"Welcome to the village," Anandur said with a grin as he opened his door. "Underground portion, anyway. The good stuff is topside."
They exited the vehicle, and Areana took a moment to stretch her legs after the hour-long drive. The air was cool and dry, and smelled clean like someone had washed the floors recently.
"This way," Kian said, gesturing toward a bank of elevators at the far end of the garage.
Areana watched the numbers climb as they ascended past what must be several underground levels before finally reaching the one marked as the pavilion.
The doors opened onto a spectacular space.
The pavilion was built almost entirely of glass. It was flooded with afternoon sunlight, and its walls were lined with display cases containing archeological artifacts. Tablet fragments andcarved figurines, jewelry and weapons, pottery, and even pieces of fabric. Each display was lit and labeled.
"These are all Kalugal's," Kian said, noticing her interest. "He uses the pavilion to show his collection. He's passionate about archaeology, and he travels all around the world initiating and financing digs. He keeps rotating the artifacts on display so there is always something new and interesting to see."
Areana moved toward one of the cases, drawn by a small figurine that looked vaguely familiar. The plaque beside it read:Female fertility figure, circa 25,000 BCE. Discovered in the Czech Republic. One of the oldest known ceramic objects in the world.
Twenty-five thousand years old. Wow.
Pride swelled in Areana's chest, but it was tinged with sadness. Kalugal had mentioned something about going on a dig in one of their Wednesday communications, but he had never hinted at the extent of his hobby. There was still so much she didn't know about her sons.
Kalugal had become a scholar, a collector, a preserver of history, and she hadn't been there to witness any of it.
