Page 60 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"I was impressed with the document you wrote." He looked around the conference table. "I see that Doctors Petrov and Volkov are not present. Is that deliberate?"

"They are not the reason we are on probation. We are, and therefore it is our responsibility to negotiate the terms."

"There is nothing to negotiate," Kian said. "We accept your terms."

He said we accept, Armos said. Who are we?

"We?" Yaaf asked.

"I discussed your offer with Turner and ran it by several of the village council members. Here is what we suggest."

Kian laid out the lab arrangement. A sealed section with an automatic lockdown the moment any one of them set foot on that level, with Dimitri and Petrov working inside it, and the injections given in the village clinic.

"Any objections so far?" he asked when he was done explaining.

"None," Yaaf said.

"You don't sound very convinced. If you have concerns, now is the time to voice them."

Yaaf wanted to say that he and the others didn't appreciate being treated as criminals, but he remembered Petrov's point about including safety features in potentially dangerous projects to secure approval.

"We understand that the lab is not the only thing in the village's underground complex. Are we locked out of every part of it, or just the lab? We would like someone to show us exactly where the line is."

"That's a good idea," Kian said. "Bowen can walk you through the floor plan and show you where the restricted areas are."

"Thank you."

"There's more." Kian leaned back in his chair. "Turner came up with an idea I want to run by you."

He explained his plan for Navuh.

"I can't kill him, I can't release him, and I can't keep him in the dungeon forever. I need somewhere to keep him that isn't a prison for Areana, and I need capable people to guard him. The eight of you are perfect for the job. Your former jailer will become your prisoner."

I don't like this, Armos said. Being Navuh's jailer is not what I had in mind when I said I wanted a job.

Navuh is the reason we exist, Yaaf reminded them. He wanted an army that could not be beaten.

We don't owe him anything, Bardov said. Other than a grave.

No one has said we would like it, Ravsoh contributed. This is the payment required of us to gain acceptance into the village.

"You've stopped talking." Kian regarded them with a frown. "Is this a deal-breaker for you?"

Yaaf held up a hand. "Please, give us another minute."

We have to decide whether we can be trusted with him, Tersan said.

I would not kill him, Bardov shared. I would want to, but I wouldn't, because of Lady Areana.

"We'll do it," Yaaf said aloud. "We are unhappy about it and would've preferred to kill him, but we won't because that would upset Lady Areana, and we like her. She treats us with kindness and respect."

Kian chuckled. "Yeah, I know what you mean. We are all treating that despicable despot with kid gloves on her account."

"Where would we live?" Camdor asked the question they were all thinking.

"We are floating several ideas." Kian crossed his arms over his chest. "We will build a secluded compound outside the village proper for Navuh and Areana, and you will either have a house there or just a guard station. I know that you want to live close to your mothers, but we don't have a house large enough for all of you, so the practical solution would be to build you a house right next to Navuh's, and the two houses would connect via an underground tunnel. Naturally, you will be free to come and go as you please."

"But the compound will be fenced off," Voset said.