Page 43 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
Eluheed found it interesting that Tony hadn't mentioned Tula, who was supposed to be his partner.
Perhaps Tony didn't care for Lady Tula?
"If you don't mind me asking…" Eluheed spread his legs and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and interlacing his fingers. "Why are you in the harem? How did you end up here?"
Tony's smile turned rueful. "Probably for the same reason you're here, my friend. Quality breeders to provide Navuh with intelligent sons." He laughed, but there was no humor in it. "He got tired of having gardeners and maintenance workers father his adopted sons, and now he seeks quality."
The casual way Tony discussed being used for breeding made Eluheed's skin crawl. But he kept his expression neutral, maintaining the façade of mild curiosity. "Why doesn't the lord do it himself? The ladies belong to him, so he can do as hepleases with them. What better way to ensure quality offspring than to father them himself?"
Tony snorted. "Lord Navuh's only redeeming quality is his love for Lady Areana. He's devoted to her and her alone. He's not attracted to the others, although I don't understand why. They are all beautiful, and let me tell you, they are horny. I've never encountered females with such an appetite for sex."
Eluheed was starting to dislike Tony, even though he hadn't said anything particularly offensive about the ladies. A healthy sex drive was nothing to be ashamed of, especially in a place like this.
Still, even though he'd heard about Navuh's devotion to his wife, hearing it confirmed by Tony painted a complex picture of the ruler of this island—a terrifying, paranoid warlord on one hand and a loving husband on the other. It was an unusual combination.
"There are other ways to impregnate females that don't require unfaithfulness to his wife," he said casually. "Artificial insemination is a viable option."
Tony shrugged, a gesture that seemed to be his default response to the absurdities of their environment. "Who knows what goes through his mind? The lord might find masturbation distasteful. After all, he's as old as dirt, and back in the day that might have been considered immoral or unbecoming or something that only peasants did."
The comment about Navuh being older than dirt hung in the air between them, but Eluheed chose to ignore it. How much did Tony know? How much was safe to discuss in this room?
"What do you know about the lord?" Eluheed asked, keeping his tone low.
Tony's eyes sharpened. "What do you know about him?" He turned the question back on Eluheed.
Eluheed weighed his options. How much could he trust Tony? In a place built on secrets and surveillance, paranoia was a survival skill.
"He's a warlord, and he's the ultimate authority on this island. That's all I know."
Tony nodded. "That's true, but on a scale you probably can't imagine. Lord Navuh is plotting to take over the world."
As Eluheed's eyes darted around the room, searching for the telltale signs of listening devices, the movement wasn't lost on Tony, who understood his concern immediately.
"That's not a secret," Tony said with another of his casual waves. "Everyone in the harem knows it. The ladies discuss it openly. Well, as openly as one discusses anything around here."
Eluheed doubted that Navuh's plans for world domination were openly discussed in the harem. They might be known but not discussed. Then again, who were they going to tell?
He'd been told more than once that no one ever left the harem unless it was in a casket.
Tony shifted in his chair, his expression growing more animated. "I've been meaning to ask you about your herb garden. That's the real reason I am here. I'm fascinated by your knowledge of natural remedies. It's such an important skill to have, and I learned it the hard way when I needed something for my headaches and there was no doctor in the clinic to help me."
The sudden change of topic was jarring, but Eluheed recognized it for what it was. Tony was either eager to redirect the conversation to safer topics, or he was trying to hint at something.
"I'm happy to share what I know," Eluheed said. "I'm waiting for more seeds to arrive, so we will have a greater variety. Especially now, when the harem doesn't have a doctor, it is important to cultivate as many medicinal plants as possible in this climate and share my knowledge with the staff so they can use them in case something happens to me."
Tony frowned. "Are you expecting something to happen to you?"
Eluheed spread his arms out. "We are all human and susceptible to illnesses and other misfortunes, like the good old doctor who passed before his time. It is important to share what we know with others." He smiled benevolently. "That's how we get to be immortal."
It was bait, and Eluheed hoped Tony would bite and tell him that Navuh was immortal.
"That's true." Tony rose to his feet without taking the bait. "Would you mind showing me your garden? My knowledge of plants is embarrassingly lacking. I'm a bioinformatician, and I'm supposed to know those things, but I have a horrible memory."
"Of course." Eluheed immediately understood the subtext. "Would you like to go right now?"
"Why not?" Tony's face lit up. "Let me just grab a notebook and pencil from my room. I want to write everything down." He motioned for Eluheed to follow him.
The door to Tony's room was two down from Eluheed's, and when he opened it, the first thing that struck him was the books. They were everywhere—stacked on shelves, piled on the desk, even forming small towers on the floor.
