Page 81 of Dark Shaman: Eternal Hope
"Good morning, ladies," the engineer said with a respectful bow. "I have an important announcement that I wanted to deliver in person. On Wednesday, there will be an island-wide power shutdown from eight in the morning until noon. The maintransformer will be replaced, and we will be installing several new backup generators in the harem."
That was the news they had been waiting for, and Tamira regretted that Eluheed and Tony weren't there to hear it.
"Since the main power will be off and our own backup generators will be replaced, the pyramid will lose ventilation during this time," Hassan explained. "Everyone must evacuate to the surface by seven forty-five."
"Four hours without power?" Beulah asked.
Hassan nodded. "I'm afraid so. Once it is done, though, we should have no more of these annoying outages you were all complaining about."
The flickering lights and short outages had become so common that Tamira barely noticed them anymore, like background noise that only registered when it stopped.
"Thank you for letting us know," Liliat said graciously. "We'll make the proper arrangements." She glanced at Areana's vacant chair, probably thinking what the rest of them were thinking.
The first lady should have been there.
Hassan bowed again and departed, leaving a buzz of conversation in his wake.
"Four hours on the surface," Raviki mused. "It reminds me of the time we were working in the restoration tent. I wonder if they kept it along with the portable air conditioners. I would hate to spend that long in the sun."
"Maybe we can have another beach excursion?" Beulah suggested. "I don't mind spending four hours splashing in the waves."
"That could be lovely," Sarah said.
Tamira tuned them out.
It was better than they had expected. Four hours with no power meant four hours with no surveillance cameras and no alarms. It was almost too perfect, except for one massive problem—everyone would be on the surface. They'd have to find a way to either stay behind and hide until the evacuation was complete, or to sneak back in.
Unless...
She glanced at Tula, who had clearly arrived at the same conclusion. Their eyes met across the table, and Tula gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.
Not here. Not now.
They would discuss it later, in private, in the safety of the gazebo or with the water running in one of their bathrooms.
The door opened again, and this time it was Areana, who entered looking composed despite what must have been an intense morning with Navuh. She moved with her usual grace to her chair, and servants immediately appeared to serve her breakfast even though she'd already eaten with her mate.
"Good morning, everyone," Areana said, her voice carrying that particular quality that always made Tamira think of silver bells. "I trust you've heard about Wednesday's power outage?"
"Hassan has just informed us," Beulah said.
Areana unfolded her napkin. "The entire island will be affected, but Lord Navuh assured me that security protocols will remain in place."
Of course they would. Tamira had no doubt that the patrols outside the harem would intensify. That didn't affect their plans, though. Immortal soldiers were not allowed in the harem proper, and new human guards would not materialize out of thin air.
"We should make an event of it," Areana said. "A grand picnic on the grounds. Instead of treating it as an inconvenience, we could make it a celebration. I need to check if they kept the restoration tent and if it can be erected in time for the blackout, so we will be comfortable. I can have the kitchen prepare cold foods the night before. Salads, fruits, cold meats, and cheeses. Things that won't require heating."
If everyone were in the tent, sneaking out would be easy. They could use a number of excuses, like bathroom visits or a walk in the gardens to enjoy a few private moments with their partners.
"That sounds lovely," Sarah said. "We could bring cushions, perhaps some games."
"Exactly," Areana said, and her gaze lingered on Tamira for just a moment too long. "We'll make the best of the situation."
There was something in those words, something in the way Areana said them that made Tamira wonder if she suspected more than she let on. But then Areana was turning to discuss menu options with Beulah, and the moment had passed.
33
ELUHEED
