Page 14 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
"My apologies, my lord." He dipped his head. "My visions leave a lot to be desired. I was surprised that they were even remotely accurate."
"Indeed." Navuh leaned back in his throne-like chair. "I have to admit that they are still quite impressive."
Eluheed wasn't used to getting compliments from Navuh. Something was afoot, and he wondered what game the guy was playing with him and why.
"Thank you, my lord." He dipped his head again.
"Tell me, shaman. Where is my wayward son now?"
"I would need to touch?—"
"Yes, yes." Navuh extended his hand with the air of someone making a great sacrifice. "Let's get this over with."
Eluheed looked inward, into the radiant place that provided him with glimpses of the future, and as soon as he took the lord's hand, the vision flowed through their connection with surprising clarity.
At first, he saw the son with his lovely female companion surrounded by well-wishers who were welcoming them into their community, but then the visions changed, turning apocalyptic.
The island was ablaze as figures moved through the smoke and chaos. The double fence around the harem melted like wax. And through it all, he had a sense of ending, of empires crumbling and prisons opening.
Eluheed gasped, jerking his hand back instinctively.
Navuh's eyes narrowed.
"What did you see?"
Think. He had to think. The truth was too dire and dangerous to reveal. Messengers of doom were often executed. But lying to Navuh carried its own risks.
"Change," he said carefully. "Something is coming, though the specifics remain clouded."
Usually, he could only sense connections, so the vision he'd seen was the first of its kind, and he wasn't sure how to interpret it. Fire and smoke didn't necessarily mean exploding bombs. They could be symbolic.
"Is my son leading the change?"
Eluheed shook his head. "I didn't see that."
"What kind of change did you see?" Navuh asked.
"I saw upheaval, but whether it threatens you directly, the island, or simply represents shifts in the wider world, I cannot say."
Navuh leaned back, fingers steepled beneath his chin. "You're being deliberately vague."
"My gift is finicky, my lord, and I can only report what I see. The interpretation is yours to make."
"What you saw disturbed you. I could see it on your face."
Eluheed chose his words like a man navigating a minefield. "Change is always disturbing, especially change of the magnitude I witnessed. But whether it will come tomorrow or decades ahead, whether it brings opportunity or threat—these things remain hidden from me."
For a long moment, Navuh stared at him, those ancient eyes seeming to peel back layers of deception. Then, unexpectedly, he smiled.
"You know what I think, Elias? I think you saw something that you don't want to share with me." He stood, moving around the desk with predatory grace. "But resisting me is futile. Do you know why?"
Eluheed remained silent, knowing that anything he said would be twisted to serve the warlord's agenda.
"Because I can force you to tell me about the true nature of your vision." He looked into Eluheed's eyes. "Tell me everything you saw."
It wasn't the first time the lord had tried that trick with him, and as usual, Eluheed pretended that he was forced to say things hehadn't intended to say while repeating what he had said before in so many words.
When Navuh's strange power slid off him without finding purchase, Eluheed wondered how well it worked on others.
