"The alert was triggered automatically." Losham kept his tone calm and reasonable. He and Dave had rehearsed this explanation, crafting a version of events that was close enough to the truth to be believable while hiding the most damaging details. "One of the chambers that collapsed contained a security system linked to Father's communication network. When the chamber was breached because of the explosion, the system interpreted it as an attack and sent out the emergency protocol."
"A security system," Hazok repeated from his end of the table. "In the basement."
"That's where Father stores his treasures." Losham spread his hands. "Surely you're not surprised by that. The point is, the alert was a false alarm. There is no betrayal. There is no traitor. You can all return to your posts and ignore the message."
The three brothers exchanged glances, and it was obvious that they didn't believe him despite the mental pressure that Dave was applying.
They were all Navuh's sons, strong-minded and used to operating under compulsion and able to resist more than most.
They'd been raised to trust no one, least of all each other.
Hazok leveled his eyes on Losham's. "If it was a false alarm, why didn't Father send a follow-up message? He must know by now that we've all received the alert and are responding to it."
Losham had anticipated this question and had prepared an answer.
He sighed heavily, letting his shoulders slump as if the weight of the world rested on them. "That brings me to the more delicate matter I need to discuss with you. What I'm about to tell you cannot leave this room. Understood?"
His brothers nodded, not because they intended to keep what he was about to tell them a secret but because they were curious to hear what he had to say.
"It has finally happened," he said. "Our father has snapped."
Ripples of shock and disbelief spread across his brothers' faces.
"Snapped?" Kolhood leaned forward. "What do you mean by snapped?"
"A jealous tantrum that went too far." Losham shook his head sadly. "He nearly killed his favorite concubine, and when he realized what he'd done, he locked himself in his quarters. He refuses to speak to anyone and opens the door only to receive food and to let a servant in to collect the dirty dishes. That's the only proof I have that he's still alive in there."
They had all witnessed Navuh's anger tantrums, and they were aware of the family history of insanity, so the story resonated.
"He's always had trouble controlling his anger, but he never snapped before. Why now?" Kolhood still seemed skeptical.
"The rebellion." Losham met each of his brothers' eyes in turn. "Especially since it happened right after Lokan's desertion. Both shook him more than he let on. Nothing like that has ever happened before, and it must have reinforced his paranoia. He started seeing betrayal in every shadow."
"He suspected the concubine of sleeping with other males, or of plotting to kill him?" Kolhood asked.
"Probably both. I don't have the details because I have no access to the harem." Losham let bitterness creep into his voice. "These females are our mothers, and he hurt one of them so badly that she nearly died. That's not easy to do to an immortal, even if it's just a female. It must have been brutal. I hope it wasn't my mother, and I know that each of you is thinking the same thing."
The silence that followed was tense with the anger each of them felt on behalf of their mystery mothers, or so Losham hoped. A male who didn't care about what happened to his mother, even a mother he didn't know, didn't care about anything, and that made him dangerous.
"So, you're governing in his name?" Kolhood stated rather than asked. "Under whose authority?"
"I'm doing my best to keep the Brotherhood from falling apart," Losham said firmly. "Father put me in charge before this happened, perhaps because he felt the strain building up, and he knew that he needed someone to handle the day-to-day operations. I know his objectives. I know his plans. I'm simply continuing his work until he recovers."
"If he recovers," Hocken muttered.
"He will." Losham injected fake confidence into his voice. "Our father is the most powerful immortal ever born, thedirect descendant of the god Mortdh. He won't be defeated by a nervous breakdown. He just needs time to regain his equilibrium."
Hocken's gaze drifted to the eight enhanced soldiers along the walls. "What about them? What are they even doing here? Are they your new bodyguards?"
Losham smiled. "They are the successful prototype for our new army of enhanced soldiers. The Russian scientists have perfected the protocol, and these eight represent proof of concept—enhanced strength, enhanced speed, enhanced durability, and most importantly, perfect control. The scientists are ready to begin the next phase of testing with a new batch of volunteers. This program is crucial to the future of the Brotherhood, and we need to keep it going even while our father is temporarily indisposed."
He'd presented it as if Dave was there to show off the program's progress, and with Dave's subtle mental manipulations, his brothers would likely accept that.
As another exchange of glances passed between them, Losham could almost see them calculating, weighing their options, and trying to determine what course of action would benefit them.
"I want to see Father," Hocken said. "I want to see him with my own eyes or at least talk to him even if it's from behind a closed door."
"That's unfortunately impossible." Losham shook his head. "Entering the harem is a capital offense. You know that as well as I do. He's always been adamant about being the only immortal male allowed in there."
