Page 3 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
He would use Navuh's own paranoia against him, feed into his fears of betrayal and loss of control. It might be enough to make the master of this island take the threat seriously and perhaps limit the enhancement program or at least develop better containment protocols.
The problem was that it might make things worse instead of mitigating the risk.
Navuh's paranoia was a double-edged sword; it kept him in power, but it also made him unpredictable. There was no telling how he'd react to Eluheed's new interpretation of the vision.
2
TAMIRA
The morning heat was already oppressive, and it wasn't even nine o'clock yet. Not that Tamira was affected by it inside the lord's air-conditioned mansion, but she could feel the heat on her palm as she held it to her bedroom window. Outside, the gardeners scurried across the manicured lawn like ants following invisible trails,.
Just like the household staff, they seemed to be part of an elaborate surveillance network that spied on every move she and the other ladies made.
It should make her feel important. If Lord Navuh believed that she was worthy of such scrutiny, he must value her greatly. But all it did was add to the suffocating sensation that had been her companion ever since she'd arrived at the mansion.
With a sigh, Tamira let the curtain fall back into place and turned around to look at her new prison cell. The room was modern and sleek, all clean lines and sharp angles that madeher long for the soft curves and warm colors of her quarters in the harem. Everything here was black, white, red, or chrome. Even the bed, with its leather headboard and crisp black and white linens, didn't feel inviting. It looked more like a mausoleum than a place anyone would want to sleep in.
Then again, the alien feeling could have more to do with Elias's absence than the decor. It had been just one day since he had been taken to the hotel with Tony, and already Tamira felt like there was a gaping hole in her chest that only he could fill with his warmth and intellect.
How was it possible to miss someone so acutely after knowing them for such a short time?
A knock at her door interrupted her brooding. "Tamira? Are you ready?" Liliat's voice carried through the wood—if that was what the door was made of. Tamira wasn't sure. It could have been metal or a composite material.
It was red, like the bolsters dotting the white couch, and like the painting depicting nothing that hung over the bed.
"Coming," she called.
Smoothing a hand over the side of the too-short dress, she resisted the urge to tug on it to make it longer and opened the door.
Liliat stood in the hallway, looking just as uncomfortable in a linen dress that looked like something a maid would wear. "We are heading out to the garden. Do you want to join?"
"Of course." It was the only place where they could breathe freely without feeling like they were being dissected.
Tamira closed the door behind her and threaded her arm through Liliat's. "I miss our morning walks in the harem."
Liliat sighed. "So do I. Here we have to walk in circles around the backyard just to get some exercise."
The corridors they passed smelled of lemon polish and fresh paint. Everything was aggressively clean and perfectly maintained. Not a speck of dust anywhere or even a grain of sand, although the beach was mere meters away.
Would Lord Navuh allow them to enjoy it?
The harem overlooked the ocean, and they had a nice vantage point with a couple of stone benches, but they couldn't wade into the water or feel the sand between their toes. Perhaps Lady Areana could arrange an outing for them.
"I hate it here," Liliat said quietly as they descended the stairs. "I know that sounds ungrateful, considering the alternative was drowning, but I'd rather sleep in a tent without air-conditioning on the harem grounds than stay here until our quarters are restored."
"I know. I feel the same." Tamira laughed. "Isn't it funny that when we are finally freed from our cage, all we want to do is go back?"
"We weren't freed." Liliat patted her hand. "We were moved from one cage to another one that is less comfortable and more restrictive."
They emerged into the blazing sunshine, and Tamira immediately felt sweat beading on her forehead. The garden, if it could be called that, was another study in modern minimalism. Geometric hedges, gravel paths, and a few sculptured trees that provided no shade whatsoever. The only relief came from the fountain at its center—a contemporary monstrosity of twisted metal and cascading water.
The other ladies had already claimed spots around the fountain's edge, letting the spray mist over them. Raviki had her feet in the water, shoes discarded on the gravel beside her. Sarah sat with a book in her lap, though Tamira noticed that she was gazing into the distance instead of reading. Beulah and Rolenna were engaged in conversation, but they were not as animated as they usually were when they got into discussing something both were passionate about.
Tula, though, seemed the most distraught of the bunch, which was odd. The female was usually a pillar of strength who provided support to Lady Areana, but now it seemed that the roles had reversed. There was something fragile about Tula's posture that went beyond her missing Tony.
"Finally," Raviki said. "We were starting to think you'd gotten lost in that maze of a house."
Tamira chuckled. "It's not that complicated." She sat on the fountain's edge. The stone was hot from the sun, but the water's spray provided a blessed relief. "It's the eyes that follow us around that are distracting. I was thinking about searching for hidden passages. I bet our lord had some built into the structure."
