Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,25

from the same place as thralling and shrouding does. It’s just another facet of the same thing, some mysterious brain waves or energy field. Perhaps hitching a ride on sound waves amplifies it, making it more powerful than pure telepathy.”

Turner nodded. “Maybe one day we will discover a method to detect it, and then the paranormal will turn normal. The same way it happened with other inexplicable phenomena when science deciphered them.”

“Speaking of science and sound waves. Lokan came to me with an idea. Personally, I don’t want to get involved, and I don’t think it’s doable, but you might have a different opinion. He thinks that the sound technology that was used against us by the director could be utilized to conquer the island without too many casualties.”

Kian tilted his head. “It’s interesting how the same ideas inspire different responses. I was worried about Navuh discovering the technology and using it against us.”

It hadn’t crossed Kalugal’s mind, but Kian was right. Not only that, given the much smaller size of the village’s population, and that they all lived above ground, it might work better for Navuh than what Lokan had in mind for the island.

“You are right to worry. The island is too big for that sort of an attack, and most of the warriors live underground. But your village is much more vulnerable. I hope that you are working on a defense system.”

“William is on it.”

Kalugal glanced out the window at the treetops swaying gently in the wind. “You have a beautiful place here, but I wonder whether a more secluded location wouldn’t have been better. Perhaps an underground facility.”

“Seclusion has its own challenges. Many of my people work in the city, and the commute is already difficult as it is. Besides, no place on earth is completely safe. Your father’s island is as secluded as it gets, and even though it has taken us a long time, we eventually discovered its location.”

“Because you caught Lokan.”

“In time, we would have figured it out even without Lokan’s help. Technology is progressing rapidly, and Navuh is not keeping up.”

“True. So, what are your thoughts about Lokan’s idea?”

Kian leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “My agenda is different from Lokan’s. He wants to take control of the island, which I don’t think is possible. My agenda is to free the females, human and Dormant, who are trapped there. The noise technology might be enough for what I want to achieve, but not for Lokan’s ambitious goals.”

16

Kian

Not for the first time, Kian was surprised by how freely Kalugal was sharing information with him.

That didn’t mean that the guy had no secrets, though. His cousin only revealed things that he felt it was safe to reveal, which meant that he really had no interest in the island.

The other possibility was that he wanted to check whether Kian would be willing to help Lokan and him take over the place. Even if the brothers managed to disable every warrior on the island with the noise machine, they didn’t have enough men for a mission like that.

Thousands of people lived there, and Kalugal wasn’t a strong enough compeller to take control over everyone at once.

Could Annani do that?

The test she’d successfully conducted included only a couple of hundred immortals, but she’d been able to compel even Kalugal, who was immune to Navuh’s compulsion. It seemed that she was a stronger compeller than Navuh, but the question was whether she could spread her influence over thousands of people, and also how long her compulsion would last.

The other problem with her test was that no one had any reason to resist it. All she’d asked of them was to look for her earring, and everyone was happy to comply. Could she overpower resistant immortals?

They needed to test it, but knowing Annani, she would refuse to do that unless the motive behind it was purely altruistic.

And in any case, Kian would never risk her life on a mission that held questionable value. It would be nice to get rid of Navuh’s threat once and for all, but he doubted Lokan and Kalugal’s ability to keep the Doomers under control.

Besides, since Kalugal’s disinterest in the island seemed genuine, it was a futile mental exercise. Kian had to grudgingly concede that leaving Navuh in place was the lesser evil compared to the alternatives.

Kalugal sighed. “I told Lokan that my answer would most likely be a no. He’ll be disappointed, but the truth is that his utopian image