Page 10 of Dark Rover's Luck

Max felt a shiver of foreboding at her words. Jade's tribe had lived in China until Igor had found out about them and killed the males in her group, but until then, she'd learned a thing or two about the way the Chinese regime operated. Their global ambitions were no secret, and neither were their unholy alliances with shadow organizations. As far as the clan knew, the Brotherhood didn't have much of a foothold in China yet, and Lokan, who had been sent by his father to infiltrate and influence the Chinese regime, was in no rush to do so because his interests were thankfully not aligned with Navuh's.

Did Jade even know about Lokan and his mission in China?

Max wasn't sure, so he decided not to bring it up until he verified it was okay.

"What makes you think the CCP is working with the Brotherhood?" Onegus asked.

"I'm not suggesting they are working with the Doomers knowingly," Jade said. "The Chinese Communist Party supports any group or organization undermining the United States so that China can emerge as the lone superpower. But we know that's folly. The Brotherhood is not anyone's ally."

6

KIAN

"The problem is that no one is going to believe a random staffer popping up near a leader of a country," Onegus said. "We can't just slip our people in as top aides overnight."

Yamanu's lips quirked. "But we can thrall key aides who are already in place. That might be more discreet. Instead of forging a new identity for an immortal, we pick a staffer close to the seat of power and manipulate them."

Kian liked that idea. It was simple enough and much more doable than training people and then seeding them.

"That's crossing an even darker line," Onegus said. "But it might be necessary for certain high-value positions."

The conversation shifted into more practical logistics—who to target, how to maintain secrecy, how to ensure the thrall remained stable. Kian listened, letting them hash out the details.

He disliked every word.

The clan had rules for a reason, rules forbidding forced subjugation of humans outside dire emergencies. But then this was a dire emergency on a global scale.

He rubbed his temples, a headache starting at the base of his skull. "We also need to consider the possibility that the Doomers have done exactly that—thralling staffers around major leaders. We might be walking into a hall of mirrors where everyone is already compromised."

Jade nodded. "We need a chain of watchers, a network, not just one or two people. And that's an enormous undertaking." She shifted her gaze to Turner. "We don't necessarily need immortals for that. We can use humans."

Turner let out a breath. "My network is comprised of military operatives, not politicians. I don't think I can help with that."

"Which leads us back to how far we take this?" Kian's gaze swept over the group he'd assembled.

He hadn't intended to go into global politics in this meeting. It was definitely above Max's pay grade and probably Yamanu's as well. The Guardian had been right when he'd suggested that Kian talk it over with his mother and sisters first.

"We're possibly talking about a shadow empire," Turner said. "Covert watchers in every major capital. Controlling or at least influencing policy from behind the scenes." He exhaled. "That's how the Doomers operate. We'd just be flipping the board. But the logistics of that are daunting."

"Not just the logistics," Onegus said. "It doesn't feel right, but we have no choice. We are forced to do this to counterbalance Navuh's influence."

"We do it to preserve life and freedom," Kian said. "He does it to enslave and destroy. That is a key difference."

Onegus tapped the table once more. "We can do this discriminately—use mind control only to block catastrophic decisions or to weed out Doomer influences. We don't need to control every decision leadership makes, only the ones that can lead to existential threats."

"Like allowing fanatics to build nuclear bombs," Max said. "Or policies that allow extremist infiltration."

Kian appreciated the Guardian's perspective. "I like your suggestion. We can focus on critical threat scenarios." He raked a hand through his hair. "I still need to think this through and maybe brainstorm it with all the head guardians and council members. I like the idea of intervening only in the highest-stakes contexts—nuclear weapons, major war escalations, and policies that allow Doomers' influence to spread uncontrollably. I don't want us to become puppet masters."

"There's one more angle to consider," Turner said. "We keep referencing China's involvement, but it's bigger than that. We know that Doomers are playing a multi-continental game. They stir up conflict in smaller countries, pit them against each other, and distract the United States while focusing on nuclear ambitions in Iran and other places that should never have access to such devastating weaponry. This is a Hydra with many heads. Even if we cut one off, others might be sprouting in Africa or Latin America."

"It's overwhelming," Max muttered. "But we have to start somewhere."

Kian couldn't agree more.

"What about Eastern Europe?" Yamanu asked. "I bet the Doomers are also trying to get a foothold there."

Kian nodded. "We'll add that to the to-do list. Let's keep an eye on Eastern Europe, but we can't spread ourselves too thin."

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