The Eight took the service stairs to the topside pavilion.
The harem had two exits, and both were guarded. This one was the fancier of the two because it had served the lord and his ladies. The other one was used by the staff.
The sliding doors led out to the gardens, and the path leading to the cliff meandered through them.
The Eight walked out the sliding doors and stepped into the gray pre-dawn air, thralling the two guards standing next to them to ignore all of them save for the fake Navuh.
"Good morning, my lord," the guard on the left breathed.
The other one stared, sweating profusely despite the morning chill.
Number Three grunted his response, and the Eight kept walking.
The garden was beautiful, meticulously tended to, aiming to please occupants who were no longer in residence.
They passed a human gardener who had no business being outside at this early hour. The man immediately dropped to his knees and lowered his forehead to the ground.
The second and third witnesses were human guards stationed along the path. Both of them bowed deeply and mumbled their good mornings.
Number Three didn't even bother to grunt a response because Navuh wouldn't have acknowledged the lowly human guards. Their status was slightly above that of the gardeners, which allowed them to greet him, but it wasn't enough to merit a response.
The Eight moved past them at a measured pace, because Navuh wouldn't have walked quickly when he was out in the garden.
The two guards began to follow.
It was the guards' duty to follow the lord at a respectful distance, but they had to get rid of them. They allowed it for a few meters, and then Number Three stopped and turned, and the guards immediately stopped and bowed.
"Don't follow me. Guard the harem entrance."
He'd pitched his voice low and flat, imitating what they remembered about the way Navuh talked to those he considered disposable. The thrall did the small additional work of suggesting the recognizable timbre to the listening minds.
"My lord," one of the guards said, his head still hanging nearly to his navel.
"I am going to the cliff to meditate, and I do not wish to be bothered."
"Yes, my lord."
The two guards backed away, turning only once. Number Three turned his back to them and resumed walking.
It took only a few minutes to reach the cliff, which was a flat rocky area jutting over a sheer drop into the ocean of at least a hundred meters. There was a stone bench near the edge of the rock, about three meters from the lip, providing a perfect vantage point to enjoy the view.
Number Three sat down on the bench, and the other seven moved into position.
There were no convenient architectural features to hide behind, but there were shrubs and boulders, and the seven found places that could conceal their presence.
It was five-twelve in the morning, and the brothers were not expected until mid-morning. The collective would have to hold this configuration for several hours.
It was good that their hive mind didn't get bored.
The sun came up.
The garden behind them woke up with a bird chorus, and the gardening staff arrived and dispersed throughout the grounds, but none of them came down the cliff path because they'd been told to stay away from their lord.
The hours passed.
At ten, Number One registered footsteps on the gravel path.
A guard rushed toward Number Three, murmuring apologies and bowing nearly all the way to the ground.
