Page 31 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"Delusions of grandeur," Navuh mused. "Or perhaps actual grandeur. The line between madness and genius has always been thin."
"Some would say there is no line at all."
Navuh chuckled. "Careful, shaman. That sounds dangerously close to philosophy, and we've already established that I'm more interested in practical matters."
The road curved, bringing them past the mostly vacant resort hotel. It would reopen to guests soon, once the last of therebellion's damage was repaired. The loss of revenue was not an issue, but the lack of extorting material was more problematic. With no guests, there were no embarrassing recordings of them in compromised situations to hold over their heads if they didn’t promote his agenda.
Just one more thing to deal with.
After the coordinated strikes in California, which would have destabilized governments and triggered conflicts, had failed thanks to the clan's interference, he needed to come up with new plans.
"I'm curious about something," he said. "You mentioned the chaos in their shared consciousness. What would happen if one of them achieved actual clarity? Became a focal point for the others?"
Elias shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know, my lord. Perhaps they could bring order to the chaos, create a true hive mind instead of the fractured thing they have now."
"Or perhaps they could extend their influence beyond their immediate group—reach out to the others." Navuh watched the shaman's response. "
"It's possible," Elias admitted. "Consciousness is not restricted by space, and some say that it's not restricted by time either. If they found the right frequency, the right resonance, they'd connect." The shaman smiled. "But that's another philosophical discussion, my lord. I thought you wanted to avoid them."
Navuh didn't respond to the reference. "The enhanced ones could become a network." Navuh smiled at the thought. "A global nervous system of operatives, all connected, allcoordinated. No need for communication devices, no time lag between observation and response."
"But uncontrollable," Elias pointed out. "If they're truly connected at that level, traditional command structures become meaningless."
"Unless the commander is part of the network." The idea was taking shape in Navuh's mind. "What if the next enhancement program included a hierarchy? Soldiers who could connect to the hive mind but also maintain individual will? Generals who could direct the collective without losing themselves to it?"
The shaman was quiet for a moment. "Are you thinking about enhancing yourself, my lord?"
"Am I?" Navuh kept his tone neutral, but inside, he was evaluating the possibility. His existing compulsion ability suggested his mind already operated on frequencies others couldn't access. Perhaps he was already halfway to what the enhanced soldiers had become.
But the risk was enormous. If the process drove him mad, if he lost himself to the collective consciousness, everything he'd built would crumble. Areana would be left vulnerable, and the Brotherhood would fragment.
No, he needed others to perfect the process first. Let them pay the price of experimentation.
As the harem grounds came into view, guards snapped to attention and opened the gates.
The driver stopped the vehicle at the harem's main entrance, and Elias reached for the door handle, then paused.
"My lord, may I ask something?"
Navuh nodded.
"If consciousness is truly fundamental, if we're all part of some vast game, what do you think the prize is? What does winning actually mean?"
It was a good question. "Power," he said. "The ability to shape reality according to your will. Gods create worlds, immortals shape civilizations, mortals struggle for control over their brief lives. The prize is always the same—dominion over your domain, whatever that might be."
"What happens at the end of time, when the game ends?"
"It never ends," Navuh said. "It just transforms. New board, new rules, same players in different configurations."
13
AREANA
The breeze from the ocean below was a blessed relief from the heat, and as Areana sat on her usual stone bench at the lookout point, she took a moment to gaze at the dark, churning water below. The cliff's edge was mere feet away, a sheer drop of hundreds of feet to the rocky shore beneath, and while most would find the precarious perch terrifying, to her it was a lifeline to the outside world.
Tula sat beside her, gazing into the distance with a longing that Areana couldn't decipher. Did she crave freedom?
They all did, but how was today different than all the others that came before it?
