Page 91 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Marina kept it clean and organized, so that could be what Kagra had meant. "Good morning." She forced a smile. "Please, take a seat." She motioned to the couch. "Can I get you some coffee?"

The purebloods could drink coffee and tea as long as it didn't have added cream or sugar.

"No, thank you." Kagra sat down. "We all have jobs we need to get to. Tell me what happened with Borga."

"It's not a big deal, but Peter thinks it might be connected to other things happening in the village, and that's why he texted you." She continued telling her about the encounter and her past interactions with Borga.

Kagra nodded. "Borga is a character. She needs to be reminded of her place occasionally, and then she behaves for a while." Chuckling, Kagra stretched her long legs and crossed her booted feet at the ankles. "She's like a hormonal human, no offense, Marina."

"As if the Kra-ell are so even-keeled," Marina murmured. '"Between the big egos, the power plays, and the petty jealousies, you are much worse than humans."

Marina would have never dared say that to a Kra-ell while still in the compound, but she felt fearless with Peter at her side.

Kagra barked out a laugh. "Every word you said is true. Still, Borga has her good and bad sides like everyone else, and she is usually not that vicious."

"For some reason, she is to me."

"I don't doubt that." Kagra turned to Peter. "What's your take on this?"

"You know my take. I wouldn't have called you here if I thought there was nothing to it. But what bothers me is that none of the Kra-ell or humans should be able to pull off the recent wave of thefts and the small acts of sabotage. You were all subjected to a powerful compulsion that should prevent you from harming the clan and the village."

Kagra pursed her lips. "Many of the Kra-ell and the humans in the compound spent their entire lives under Igor's compulsion, and they learned to take advantage of every possible loophole that allowed them to maintain some semblance of free will." She leaned forward, her eyes boring into Peter's with an intensity that made Marina's skin crawl. "Borga, or whoever else is committing those small acts of rebellion, might have convinced themselves they are harmless pranks and as such, don't fall under the umbrella of Toven's compulsion."

Marina felt a chill run down her spine. The thought of Borga or any of the other Kra-ell being able to defy the compulsion that bound them by mislabeling their actions as pranks was terrifying. Countless acts of small cruelty could be defined as pranks by the perpetrators while being much more than that to the victims.

Kagra uncrossed her feet. "We should tell Kian." She shifted her gaze to Marina. "Call your supervisors and tell them that you will be late. I'll check with Kian when he can see us."

66

KIAN

Kian put the phone down and turned his chair to look out the window at the village below.

From his vantage point on the second floor, he could see the bustling activity of the café and even hear the laughter and shouts of Kra-ell children playing on the playground. The small pond glittered in the sunlight, its surface rippling with the gentle breeze that stirred the leaves of the trees.

It was a peaceful scene, a tableau of harmony and contentment that should have filled Kian with a sense of pride and satisfaction. After all, he had worked so hard to achieve this—a community where immortals, former Doomers, Kra-ell, and humans could coexist in mutual respect and understanding. But it was an illusion, and dark currents were circling underneath the surface.

The recent string of thefts and acts of sabotage, and then Borga's unprovoked attack on Marina, were all troubling signs of unrest that he knew better than to ignore.

It was like dismissing a slight whiff of smoke when what was causing it was an inferno raging undetected underground.

For the sake of the children, his daughter, his newborn nephew, and all the others, he needed to make this place a sanctuary again, and if harsh steps needed to be taken, so be it. His people, his clan, always came first.

That was why he had called Jade and Onegus and asked them to join the meeting with Kagra, Peter, and Marina. They had to get to the bottom of this and do it fast before the smoke became suffocating and the fire consumed his village.

When his guests arrived a few moments later, he guided them to the conference table.

"Borga is not the main instigator behind this," Kagra said without preamble. "I'm sure of it. But I'm also sure she knows who the leader is, who else is involved with the saboteurs, and what they hope to achieve."

Jade's eyes flashed with anger. "I can get her to talk."

Kian did not doubt that, but there were better ways of handling the situation. Lifting his hand, he got everyone's attention. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Borga may or may not have operated on her own, but until we know what's going on, I would rather not tip our hand." Remembering that some of the people present might not know the idiom, he added, "We don't want them to know we are on to them, so they don't go into hiding. I want to do it discreetly."

Jade crossed her arms over her chest. "I can throw Borga in the brig just for being rude to Marina. I'm curious who will come to speak on her behalf."

Kian nodded. "That's a possibility, or just put a bug on her and find everything you need to know."

"Which is?" Jade asked.