Page 2 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
Not a man, she corrected herself—an immortal.
It had only been a few days since he had revealed his true identity to her and confessed his love for her. Knowing that she wasn't going to lose him to mortality, which had been her greatest concern, and that they could be together forever, had her soaring on a happy cloud. The problem was that if they didn't find a way to escape the island and Eluheed's immortality was discovered, their happiness would be short-lived.
For now, she had to remember to call him Elias unless they were alone and to keep his immortality and his alien identity a secret.
Stifling a sigh, she selected a simple pair of black swim shorts that matched the swimsuit she'd chosen for herself but then grabbed a second pair in navy blue just in case he didn't like black.
"Should we get cover-ups?" Tula asked, eyeing a display of light fabric wraps.
"Definitely," Areana said. "It's not like swimming in our private pool in the harem, where we have privacy. Here, we are being watched constantly, and we need to be mindful of that."
Tamira glanced at the guards who were keeping some distance so as not to crowd them, but they could still hear every word they were saying.
These males believed Mortdh's teachings, or the bastardized version of them that Navuh was passing off as his father's words. They thought that women were created for the sole purpose of serving men, and even wearing a tent wouldn't deter them. She knew that they wouldn't dare to touch Lord Navuh's possessions, but just knowing what they were thinking was enough to make Tamira's skin crawl.
Not all of them, she reminded herself. Some must be able to think for themselves and not believe the hateful teachings.
She hoped her son was one of the enlightened ones. Navuh would have claimed him as his own, so he was probably a commander by now, a general even. Provided that he was still alive.
What if he had been one of the enhanced ones?
No, that couldn't be.
Surely, Navuh would not experiment on his sons, certainly not those who were his by blood and hopefully not even those he had merely claimed as his.
"How are we going to pay?" Tula asked when they'd exhausted what the store had to offer. "We don't have any money."
Areana laughed, and as always, the sound of her laugh raised goosebumps on Tamira's arms. Its unearthly beauty was one of the few things that identified her as a goddess.
Tula cleared her throat to remind Areana that she shouldn't laugh in front of the guards.
Tamira doubted any of them could recognize a goddess's laugh, but they might notice the different quality of it and wonder.
No one was supposed to know that Areana was more than an immortal and that she wasn't like the rest of the harem ladies. The secret of her existence had been kept for over five thousand years, and Navuh would do anything to keep it that way. If any of those guards were to suspect anything, they would be put to death immediately.
"I'm sorry." Areana put a hand over her mouth. "It's just that I find it funny none of you thought about money until we were ready to go. Naturally, Lord Navuh will pay for everything." She turned to the shopkeeper. "Prepare the invoice for me to sign. You can forward it to Lord Navuh's purser."
"Yes, my lady." The woman bowed.
As the shopkeeper's assistant folded their purchases into bags, Tamira looked out through the store windows, her gaze drifting to the mountain that separated this part of the island from the part that housed the underground barracks and other Brotherhood facilities.
The answers to the question that had been haunting her for over a century were somewhere out there, so close, and yet so far.
She moved to stand next to Areana. "You know, this could be an opportunity to find out what happened to our sons," she whispered.
Areana's face went pale, then flushed with what might have been anger or fear. "Don't even think that."
"The harem is nearly restored, and once we are back there, we will be completely isolated again. When will we have another chance like this?"
Areana shook her head. "Even if we could find out anything, which I assure you we can't, abusing our hard-won, limited freedoms will only backfire. We should enjoy them while they last."
"But—" Tamira started.
"No." Areana's tone brooked no argument. "Lord Navuh is being generous, allowing us this outing, and even permitting Tony and Elias to join us at the beach. Don't ruin it for the rest of us by being foolish."
Tamira wanted to argue, but she recognized the fear beneath Areana's stern words. The lady had also lost her sons to Navuh's system. Perhaps not knowing their fates was better than confirming their worst fears. Then again, Areana might not be kept in the dark like the rest of them. Navuh loved her, so he might have taken mercy on her and told her the fate of their sons. No doubt they were high-ranking generals in the Brotherhood, and he whispered their praises to their mother at night.
"You're right." Tamira averted her gaze so Areana couldn't see the anger burning in her eyes and walked away, pretending to find the hat display fascinating. "We should all get hats," she said. "The sun is going to be scorching at the beach."
