Syssi had never encountered a child who liked mashed potatoes as much as Evie did, especially when the ratio between potatoes and butter was equal parts.
"They grow so fast." Alena cradled little E.T. against her shoulder. "I try to savor every moment."
Orion leaned over and kissed her cheek. "We can have more, you know. Seventeen sounds like a good number to me."
Instead of laughing him off, Alena smiled. "Fates willing. I thought I was done at thirteen, and then this little miracle arrived. I wouldn't mind three more."
As all eyes turned to Jacki for some reason, she lifted her hands in the air. "It's up to the Fates. By the way, do you know that the grand opening of the village's first grocery store is this Monday?"
Syssi shook her head. "This morning they were still assembling shelves, and they are planning to open on Monday? What's the rush?"
"I don't know, but I'm happy that it's happening before we leave for Egypt." Jacki reached for a piece of baguette. "I'm curious to see what they've done with the place."
"They want it to be a gathering place, not just a store," Syssi said. "Somewhere people can get a taste of different foods. I like the idea of having more dining options in the village. When the permanent store is up and running, it will have a seating area where people can eat the prepared food they bought at the store."
As Annani and Alena discussed the kinds of ready-made foods they would appreciate in the store, and later Amanda and Alena assembled a playlist for the karaoke party, the mood around thetable appeared to be relaxed, but Syssi sensed an undercurrent of tension—the more bothersome topics dancing at the edge of discussion but not quite breaking the surface.
The recent terror threat, Lokan's escape and current fugitive status—these heavier matters waited like storm clouds on the horizon.
"I spoke with Lokan right before coming over here." Kalugal set down his fork, apparently deciding to end the pleasant veneer they had all been maintaining. "He and Carol are in Mongolia, doing their best to evade our father's minions."
Kian frowned. "I wasn't aware they were followed into Mongolia. I thought they ditched the bodyguards at the airport and escaped."
"They did, and Turner found them a safe house across the border for the night, but when they boarded the train the next morning, they encountered Doomers. Lokan thralled them to get rid of them, and he and Carol got off at the first stop after that. He bought an old van so they wouldn't have to rely on public transportation, where they are easier to find. I told him to take it slow and continue in a roundabout way."
Kian didn't look happy, his fingers drumming a staccato beat on the table. "I should send Guardians to help them. The Doomers Lokan encountered must have been the normal rank-and-file. If your father sends enhanced Doomers after them, Lokan might not be able to enter their minds and redirect them as easily."
Kalugal nodded. "I warned him, and I contacted Turner about finding them another safe house, but I agree that they might need help. It will take time for Guardians to get to them, though,and in the meantime, they should just lie low. Perhaps stay in the safe house."
Kian leaned back in his chair. "I still don't understand why Navuh suspected Lokan. We didn't act on any of the information he provided in a way that could have exposed him."
"Navuh could have sensed that something was off," Jacki said. "He knows his son."
"I regret not being able to be here when Lokan and Carol arrive at the village," Kalugal said, returning to his meal. "Jacki and I could have thrown a big welcome party for them."
"Do you want to postpone your trip to Egypt?" Kian asked. "The search for Khiann has waited this long?—"
"No," Annani interrupted. "We cannot delay. Every day matters. I feel it..." She trailed off, but Syssi understood. The goddess had her own form of knowing, not visions exactly, but a deep intuition honed over millennia.
"I wasn't planning on postponing." Kalugal gave her a small smile. "My people found another figurine that might have been made by the same artisan who made yours, Clan Mother, or it could be a copy of a copy."
"Another one of me?" Annani asked.
"No, it's a different one. There is also a possible additional figurine in a private collection of someone I know by reputation, and I plan to make him an offer he can't refuse to purchase it."
"Antiques dealers are worse than arms dealers sometimes," Orion said.
Kalugal cast him a smile. "That's not an issue for compellers, right?"
Orion shrugged. "Snakes are stubborn, and many of them are immune to mind manipulation. Don't assume that your tricks will always work."
Kalugal sighed. "You are right. Let's hope this guy has a malleable mind."
Syssi tuned out the artifact acquisition discussion, her mind circling back to Lokan and Carol, stranded somewhere in Mongolia, hunted by Doomers sent by his own father.
"If Navuh catches them, would he… eliminate Lokan?" Syssi phrased her questions in a way the young children wouldn't understand, but they seemed to sense the increased tension in the adults around them.
E.T. whimpered softly, and Alena adjusted him against her shoulder.
