Number One nodded. "We were locked in the laboratory while the scientist figured out what to do with us."
"How did you get free?" she asked.
That was a fork in the story, and he didn't know which way to go first.
"Something happened, and Lord Navuh's control over the island suddenly loosened. He didn't return to his mansion in the morning like he usually did, and he didn't respond to calls from his secretary. His eldest son, Losham, took over managing things until it could be ascertained what happened to his father. The problem is that the harem is isolated even more than the enclosure, and it's more heavily guarded. No immortals are allowed in there either, and no one dares to go there and check what's going on because no one wants to court Lord Navuh's wrath."
Sullha shook her head. "Where do you and your friends fit into this story?"
"I'm getting there. Once Lord Navuh's influence weakened, we could use our own power of compulsion and thralling, which we had developed in secret, and we commanded the guards to let us go. We went to the mansion, got into the lord's office, and thought that we could just take over and run the island ourselves because we were now the most powerful compellers around."
Sullha's eyes widened. "You could do that?"
"Not really, and we quickly figured out that despite having this unprecedented power, we didn't know the first thing about running an organization this big."
"What did you do?"
"We offered Losham an alliance. We will help him keep control of the island so he can keep managing everything and prevent chaos."
"What did you get in exchange?"
"A partnership," Number One said. "But originally, we thought we would be Losham's puppet masters. With our ability to control the minds of other immortals, we could do that."
She looked at him with fear in her eyes, and he didn't like it.
"You no longer want that?" she asked quietly. "I mean, to control Losham?"
"We don't need to. We can do whatever we want, but Losham is crucial to the survival of this island. The problem is that the army is loyal to Kolhood, Losham's brother, and the only reason Kolhood doesn't kill Losham and take the throne is that he's afraid of their father. For now, Losham can claim that he has Lord Navuh's mandate, but once the brothers discover that Lord Navuh is not in the harem, Losham's life is forfeit."
"Where is Lord Navuh?"
That was the other fork in the road, and so far Number One was doing a good job of preparing the background for the assassinations, so once he got there, Sullha wouldn't be horrifiedby the prospect because she would understand the necessity of it.
"He's no longer on the island. Losham and my team went into the harem through a secret tunnel and discovered that Navuh and his ladies were all gone. Losham assumed that his father had one of his fits of uncontrollable rage, killed the ladies by throwing them off the cliff, and then, realizing what he'd done, jumped after them."
Sullha's hand was still on her chest, and her heart was racing. "But that's not what happened, right?"
"No. The clan extracted them somehow. We picked it up later from Losham's mind. During his conversations with them, he was told about his mother being there, and if she's there, so are the other ladies. We don't know, however, if Navuh is in the hands of the clan or if they killed him."
Sullha's hand moved from her chest to her mouth. "I don't understand what you're talking about. What clan?"
You haven't told her about that, the collective answered.
They had retreated, leaving him to tell Sullha the story from his individual point of view, but they'd been listening.
He let out a long breath. "The clan is a long story that goes back all the way to the era of the gods. There was a split a long time ago, with Lord Navuh creating the Brotherhood, and the goddess Annani creating a clan of immortals to fight him. Supposedly, the clan are the good guys, and they are going to help us once we escape, but I'll tell you about that later. One of Lord Navuh’s sons defected to the clan, and with his help, the clan was able to contact Losham. They have a very powerfulcompeller that is strong enough to control Losham through phone conversations."
Sullha shook her head. "This is the most unbelievable story I've ever heard."
"But it's true."
"How was it possible to keep all of this a secret?"
"Which part?"
She waved a hand. "Let's start with Lord Navuh's whereabouts."
Number One smiled. "We thralled the entire harem staff to believe that Lord Navuh is in his apartment and doesn't want to see or talk with anyone. The ladies are where they always were, on the second floor of the harem. We just went there a few days ago to reinforce the thrall. The staff prepare meals for him and the ladies and behave exactly as if they are all there. The only thing that has changed in their daily routine is that they don't see him, and we compelled them not to find that strange."
