They made their way to the café, which was bustling with the late-morning crowd. Tamira ordered cappuccinos and pastries for both of them, and they were lucky to catch a table when its occupants rose to leave just as they were passing by.
"What are you going to say to Kian?" Tamira asked, wrapping her hands around the warm cup.
Eluheed glanced around the crowded café, his expression guarded. "I'm not sure yet."
She got the hint. This wasn't the place to discuss his most guarded secrets, not with so many ears potentially listening. But part of her was frustrated by his stubborn reluctance to reveal his true identity.
He was in a community of immortals who had embraced an alien race. The Kra-ell alone were proof that the universe was largerand more complicated than most humans could imagine. Would his revelation really shock anyone here?
But she kept these thoughts to herself. Eluheed would reveal what he chose to reveal, in his own time and in his own way. She had to trust that he knew what he was doing.
"Are you planning to touch Kian?" she asked quietly. "To get a reading on him?"
It was no longer a secret that Eluheed was a shaman with occasional visions, so there was no reason to hide it here, but she didn't need to shout it from the rooftops either.
"That's actually a good idea. I wouldn't do it without his permission, of course. But I might suggest it as a gesture of goodwill." He took a sip from his cappuccino. "Perhaps Kian would appreciate knowing if anyone is plotting against him."
"Kian is not Navuh." Tamira took a bite of her pastry. "I don't think he sees conspiracies everywhere, but he might be interested in visions about potential threats to the clan."
"I'm better with conspiracies, but I can try." Eluheed glanced at his watch. "I need to go." He rose and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek.
"Wish me luck," he said.
"Good luck."
"Thanks." He squeezed her fingers once, then released them. "I'll find you when I'm done."
32
ELUHEED
As Eluheed walked through the office building's front door, he was surprised that he hadn't encountered guards yet.
There was no receptionist either, and he had no idea where to go. Standing in the lobby, he scanned for some indication of where Kian's office was, but there was nothing, except for a few visible security cameras.
Maybe that was how the occupants of this building were alerted about visitors?
But since no one had come out to greet him yet, perhaps that wasn't how it was done. Should he just go searching for someone who could point him in the right direction?
He started toward the first-floor corridor when the front door opened behind him, and a well-dressed blond man walked in, carrying a paper bag that bore the café's logo. He looked pleasant, with an open and friendly face.
"Can I help you?" the man asked.
"Yes," Eluheed said. "I have a meeting with Kian at eleven-thirty, but I don't know where his office is."
"I'll take you to him." The man smiled and shifted the bag to his other hand so he could offer a handshake. "I'm Shai, Kian's assistant. Follow me. His office is on the second floor."
As they climbed the wide stairs, Shai asked how Eluheed was settling into the village, and how Tamira was adjusting to life in the modern world. It was such a normal conversation that Eluheed found himself momentarily disoriented.
On Navuh's island, a meeting with the leader would have involved armed escorts, multiple security checkpoints, and an atmosphere thick with tension. Here, he was being led to Kian's office by a friendly assistant carrying pastries, as if this were a casual visit between colleagues or business associates rather than a monumental meeting that might reveal incredible secrets.
The difference between this and Navuh's island couldn't be starker. This wasn't a military organization run by a dictator. There was no fear and no oppression. This was a community, a family, and the realization settled something in Eluheed's chest that had been wound tight.
Perhaps he could trust Kian with his secrets. First, though, he had to get a feel for the guy. He didn't know him well enough to make up his mind yet.
Shai led him down the second-floor hallway and stopped at a set of double doors. "Here we are." He knocked once, then pushed the door open. "Kian, Elias is here." He gestured for Eluheed to go in.
The office was large, designed to accommodate group meetings. A conference table with eight chairs dominated the center of theroom, while Kian's desk sat near the back, positioned in front of a wall of windows overlooking the village below.
