Page 58 of Dark Awakening: New World

Kian waved a dismissive hand. "Does it matter who came up with which part of their poisonous ideology? What matters is the end result and the hellholes that the countries under Navuh's influence have become. In the past, I believed that we could reach them and plant seeds of democracy and respect for human life and equal rights for all. We've made modest progress with a few of them, but many have gotten even worse, and lately, I've given up on ever trying to reach these populations. They're too brainwashed to be saved."

They resumed walking, the sound of gravel crunching under their feet filling the silence between them.

"So, what's the solution?" Brandon asked.

Kian let out a bitter chuckle. "Maybe we should leave, settle on Mars, and paint a big target on Earth for the Eternal King to do away with it."

Brandon snorted. "And I thought that I was in a funk. What's gotten into you?"

Kian stuck his hands in his pockets. "Failure," he admitted. "In the world at large and in our midst. I invited strangers into our village, thinking I was doing the right thing, but I was wrong, and now I'm stuck, and I don't know what to do about it."

"Integration takes time," Brandon said. "It's not going to happen overnight or even over a few years. It's a process."

"It can be a process when you have new generations born that are not indoctrinated in the old ways and can be taught new things. We are immortal, the Kra-ell are long-lived, and we stay the same. We don't change."

36

KALUGAL

Kalugal watched his guests arrive through the camera mounted over the front door. Kian wore his usual office attire of slacks with a button-down, but it was a bright sunny day, which made it too hot for the tie and jacket that he normally wore during work hours. Next to him, Brandon was as suave as usual, his brown hair styled to perfection, his shoes polished, and his slacks tailored to fit.

They both wore dark sunglasses, protecting their eyes against the glare of the sun. For Kian it was a necessity, but for Brandon, it was more of a fashion statement. He was further removed from the source, and his eyes were not as sensitive as Kian's.

Curiously, Kalugal, who had more god than human in him, had much less trouble with the sun than Kian. Come to think of it, Kian's eyes were more sensitive than his sisters'. Perhaps the different fathers that each of them had influenced their genetics more than they chose to admit.

Jacki peered over his shoulder at the screen. "Do you want me to open the door, or are you going to do it?"

"I'll do it." He rose to his feet, walked to the front door, and opened it for his guests. "Welcome, gentlemen."

"Hi," Jacki said. "Please, come in."

"Hello." Brandon dipped his head. "Your home is lovely."

She frowned. "You've never been here before?"

"I only saw it during construction. I live in the city, and I'm rarely in the village, but that's going to change soon."

"How come?" Jacki asked as they walked toward the dining room.

"I'm changing directions." He looked at Kalugal. "Which is what I came to talk to you about."

"I'm happy to help in any way I can." Kalugal motioned to the seat he wanted Brandon to take. "Please, sit down."

The way he had it planned, he and Jacki were sitting on one side of the table, and Kian and Brandon were across from them.

"Where is Darius?" Kian asked.

"With Shamash." Jacki smiled apologetically. "I wanted an adult-only lunch for a change, and Darius loves spending time with his Uncle Shamash."

Kalugal didn't like that Jacki elevated his assistant's status to a family member, but he knew better than to argue with her. He was going to lose no matter how good his argument was.

"I love the scale of this dining room." Brandon glanced up at the ceiling.

"Thank you." Kalugal reached for the wine bottle he'd prepared and uncorked it. "Jacki and I put a lot of thought into this house. The size was constrained by the security requirements, so most of the square footage is underground, but we have skylights all over to let in natural light." He poured the wine into everyone's glasses. "At night, unfortunately, we can't enjoy the starry sky unless we want to sit in the dark. The automatic shutters cover all the windows at the same time that the rest of the village goes into dark mode."

Kalugal lifted his hand and motioned for Atzil to start serving lunch.

"You are in for a treat, Kian. I don't know what Atzil whipped up for you, but it smells delicious."