The rebels had entered stasis a long time ago, and no one woke up from stasis spontaneously without being doused with fresh water. But what if the high humidity was enough to resurrect them? What if, in addition to structural damage, a pipe had burst somewhere?
He turned to Rami. "Check the water meter and compare the readouts to those taken before the collapse. I want to make sure we don't have any burst pipes under there."
"Yes, my lord. I shall do that right away."
Navuh had sealed that tunnel with enough concrete and steel to hold back an army, so it wasn't likely that a secondary collapse would have breached those barriers. If anything, it would have added more debris to their tomb.
Still, a burst pipe could undermine the integrity of the building, so it was worth checking. And just from an abundance of caution, it would be prudent to inspect the tunnel itself.
"Also, have a team inspect the seals," Losham said. "The ones my father installed after the rebellion. I want confirmation that they're still intact."
Rami arched a brow, but he didn't question the order. "Yes, my lord. I'll ask the engineer to check them."
After his assistant left, Losham regarded the crater for a few more moments before turning away from it and heading back to the mansion. The cleanup would take weeks, and the repairs even longer.
The only saving grace was that Navuh was gone.
Losham didn't mind the mess as he picked his way through the debris that littered the once-pristine lawn. He didn't care aboutthe resources required for the repairs either. The only thing he cared about was keeping up the pretense that his father was still around and was running things from the harem.
For now, the gas leak story seemed to be holding. The guards had spread the word, and with Dave's reinforcements, people seemed to have accepted the explanation without question.
A few of the more senior commanders had given Losham skeptical looks, but none had challenged him openly.
Not yet, anyway.
He was almost to the back entrance when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Then buzzed again. The vibrations were coming so rapidly that they blended into one continuous hum.
Losham pulled out the device and stared at the screen.
UNIVERSAL ALERT. PRIORITY ALPHA
His blood went cold.
Priority Alpha alerts were reserved for the most critical communications—declarations of war, imminent threats to the island, or urgent messages directly from Navuh himself. Even the rebellion hadn't merited that. In fact, Losham hadn't seen one in years.
He opened the message with trembling fingers.
To all my sons,
A traitor has sprung the traps I've set up, which means that I'm either dead or compromised, and that the traitor is most likely one of you.
It is your duty to identify the traitor and deal with him accordingly. Those who are currently off island are to return immediately and join your brothers in the investigation.
You are to form a council and arrive at all decisions unanimously. If even one disagrees, negotiations are to continue until you are all in agreement.
Follow my instructions, and more will arrive later. Disobey them and suffer the consequences.
Your father, Lord Navuh
The words blurred before Losham's eyes. He read them again, then a third time, his mind struggling to contain his rising panic.
This was impossible.
His father was dead. Had been dead for weeks, his body presumably rotting at the bottom of the cliff he'd thrown himself from, but he had planned all this in advance as if knowing precisely what would happen…
The shaman.
He must have seen the future and warned Navuh.
