Annani was quiet for a long moment.
Syssi reached across the table and touched her hand. "Kian is right. Navuh feeds on your emotional reactions. Don't give him that power."
"I am not some fragile creature who cannot control her emotions."
"No one said you were," Kian said. "But why make it harder than it needs to be? Let me handle Navuh while you spend some time with Areana. Kalugal and Lokan are with her today, so it would be a nice get-together."
"Very well." Annani sighed, the fight draining out of her. "I hate that you are right, but I cannot argue with your logic."
Kian blinked. He'd expected more resistance. His mother was not known for yielding gracefully. "You're agreeing with me? Just like that?"
"Do not sound so shocked. I can see reason when it is presented clearly and intelligently." She lifted her chin. "I know that Navuh will try to manipulate me. It will be far more effective if you are the one who delivers the news. He will not be able to use your emotions against you because you do not have any."
"I have emotions."
"Not about Khiann."
"That's not true. He is important to you, so he is important to me."
"I know." She reached over and patted his hand. "But compared to my hundred percent emotional involvement, yours is about one tenth."
It was more than that, but it was pointless to argue about semantics.
"Let's settle on one fifth."
She laughed, which had been his intention. "Deal. Just tell me every detail of his reaction. Every flicker of his expression. I want to know the exact moment he realizes that his five-thousand-year game has come to an end."
"You can watch everything on your phone. I can link it to the surveillance feed."
She considered it for a moment. "I would rather not. I will get too angry."
"As you wish." He dipped his head. "If you change your mind later, the recording is not going anywhere. I'll save it for you in a separate file."
"That would be nice." She turned to Allegra. "Shall we finish our waffles?"
"More cream and stahbrees?"
"Naturally."
While Annani and Allegra negotiated the terms of whipped cream distribution, Kian caught Syssi's eye across the table. She gave him a small nod of acknowledgement. One hurdle was cleared, but another was still pending.
"There's more," Kian said. "Syssi summoned a vision this morning."
Annani looked up, instantly alert. "About Khiann?"
"I asked about Khiann," Syssi said. "But as usual, the Fates showed me other things."
She described the vision—the laboratory, Dimitri and Dave, the two couples finding love in captivity, and finally the portal at Mount Ararat. Kian watched his mother's face as Syssi spoke, trying to gauge her reaction.
When Syssi finished, Annani smiled. "How beautiful."
Kian frowned. "Beautiful? We don't even understand what the vision means. How does a portal at Ararat connect to Khiann? Why did the Fates show Syssi those four prisoners instead of something useful?"
"Because love is the strongest power in the universe. The Fates wanted Syssi to see that love can flourish in the most unlikely places. In the darkness of Navuh's island, in the shadow of cruelty and captivity, two couples found each other. They found light and breathed life into the flame."
Kian suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. His mother had always been sentimental, but this seemed like a stretch even for her.
"With respect, Mother, I don't think the Fates answered Syssi's question about your lost mate with a message about the power of love."
