Page 78 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
Tony put his hand over his chest as well. "What she said."
Tamira shook her head. "Not good enough. You need to vow in your own words that you will never reveal to anyone what we are about to tell you."
"So serious." He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I swear to take this secret you are going to tell me to my grave. Now tell us what this is all about."
"It's about a possible way out of here," Eluheed said.
Tony straightened, his expression shifting from amused to focused. "A way off the island?"
Eluheed nodded. "It's a crazy plan, but it might work, and it's all we have."
"How?" Tony asked. "We can't even get out of the harem, let alone off the island. Are you thinking about sneaking into one of the ships delivering crews and building materials? I'm sure the port is heavily guarded, so even if you could figure a way out through those double fences and immortal patrols, it would be futile."
It seemed like Tony had given escape a lot of thought and had arrived at the same conclusions as Eluheed. There was no way out. But he didn't know about the submarine. No one did.
Well, Areana might know about it, but Eluheed wasn't sure of that.
"Navuh has a tiny submarine," Eluheed said, keeping his voice barely above a whisper. "It's hidden in a secret pen and accessible from a tunnel that connects the harem to Navuh's mansion."
Tony blinked. "How could you possibly know that?"
This was the tricky part. Eluheed had kept his abilities hidden from everyone except Tamira and Navuh. But if they were going to risk their lives together, Tony and Tula deserved the truth—or at least part of it.
"I have certain paranormal abilities," Eluheed said. "By touching a person, I can see events in their future or past. Lord Navuh uses my abilities frequently, and I accidentally accessed information he certainly didn't intend for me to see."
"Are you a seer?" Tula asked as if that hadn't been what he'd just said. "That's such a rare ability. No wonder Navuh has been giving you preferential treatment."
"I'm useful to him." Eluheed chuckled. "He hates it that he needs to let me touch him to get the visions. You should see his face every time he rolls up his sleeve and offers me his arm. He looks like he just stepped on manure."
That got a laugh out of Tula. "I know the expression you are describing."
Tony leaned forward. "So, you're saying that you can read people's minds when you touch them?"
He was obviously concerned about the many times their arms or thighs had brushed during their work in the gardens, but that wasn't how Eluheed's gift worked.
"Visions don't just pop into my head when I brush against someone. It needs to be intentional, and I have to concentrate and summon a vision. It helps if the person opens up to me, but it's not necessary."
Tony let out a breath. "That's a relief. So, what do you see when you summon a vision?"
"I get impressions, images, sometimes a chain of events, but it's not always clear or complete. Some visions are clearer than others, though, and the submarine was very vivid. Navuh keeps it as a last resort escape route for him and Areana. The craft is tiny, but I couldn't discern if it can seat two, three, or four people."
Tula glared at him. "So, why are you raising our hopes when you are not sure you even have space for us?"
"Because we will make room for you no matter what," Tamira said. "We'll cram into that vehicle. We don't need to get far from the island to surface and get comfortable. There are thousands of small islands in the Indian Ocean, so getting to land shouldn't take long."
Tony shook his head. "I still have a hard time believing Elias's seer story." He looked at Eluheed. "Can you prove it? Can you touch me and see something in my past or future that will convince me you can actually do it?"
This was dangerous territory. What if he saw their escape plan foiled? What if he saw them getting caught?
The probability of those scenarios was high, and if that was what he saw in Tony's future, they would have to bury their plan along with the hope that accompanied it.
"Give me your hand," he said, extending his.
Tony placed his hand in Eluheed's, but the connection didn't form right away. Tony wasn't a powerhouse like Navuh, and instead of the vision slamming into Eluheed's mind, like it usually did with Navuh or the enhanced soldiers, it started slow and hazy. Images flooded, but they weren't of the future. Tony looked much younger, more innocent, and in love with a girl who wasn't Tula.
She was young, seventeen or eighteen, with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, and red-rimmed glasses perched on her upturned nose. Her figure was long and willowy, and she was leaning over a computer screen, explaining something to Tony, who looked at her with awestruck eyes.
Her name rose to the surface—Aya, no, it was Kaia. She was too brilliant, too accomplished, too young, and not interested in Tony as a boyfriend.
