47. Annani

47

ANNANI

" I am surprised by this request to meet in your office." Annani sat down at the head of the conference table. "Why not in the clinic?"

The last thing Annani wanted was to tax Ell-rom's frail body with having to sit through her visit instead of comfortably lying down in a hospital bed.

Was this his idea or Bridget's?

"Bridget says that Ell-rom is feeling better and that he wants to demonstrate how well he's doing."

Annani hmphed. "What it will actually mean is I will have to keep the meeting even shorter than the last, but so be it. I can wait until he and Morelle are in the village to continue our talks." She smiled. "I am looking forward to it. I will host them in my house so they will have the Odus to assist them and so we can talk as much as and whenever we wish." She was getting excited by her idea. "Perhaps they will become my companions."

Kian shook his head. "You are forgetting that at this point, Ell-rom is a package deal with Jasmine, and I doubt Jasmine will feel comfortable staying with you in your house. Ell-rom would want Morelle with him, so they will probably get a place of their own."

Annani regarded her son from under lowered lashes. "I expected your opposition to be about them coming to the village in the first place, not about the particulars of their lodging."

"I knew you would want to do that sooner or later, and I knew that fighting you over this would be futile. I resigned myself to doing my best under the circumstances. Although, I have to admit that I don't know how to mitigate the potential risk of the twins manifesting formidable compulsion powers. We risk them taking over the village and using every clan member as a puppet to do their bidding."

Annani nodded. "I do not disregard your concerns. We will not move them until Morelle is also awake and both Ell-rom and Morelle regain their memories. We will be better equipped to assess the potential risk of moving them to the village then."

"Thank you, Mother." The look of relief on Kian's face was almost offensive.

What had he been thinking? She had not gotten to live for over five thousand years and form a clan of her own by ignoring reason. She was just much less risk-averse than him, so he thought that she was impulsive.

The sound of footsteps in the corridor outside made her turn toward the door, and when the knock sounded, Kian motioned for Okidu to welcome their guests.

The fact that he had brought his Odu along indicated that Kian did not fully believe that Ell-rom was harmless in his current state. He had claimed that he needed Okidu to do some cleanup work in the office and the clinic, but Annani had a feeling that it was just an excuse to bring the Odu when Kian had seen that she had not brought one of hers.

"Good evening, Mistress Jasmine, Master Ell-rom." Okidu bowed. "Please come in."

"Thank you," Ell-rom said, not showing any reaction to the Odu.

Perhaps he did not even know what an Odu was. Well, he did not remember what he had known before entering stasis, but if he had been taught to fear the Odus, his response would have been instinctive.

Leaning on a walker and wearing slacks, a button-down shirt, and dress shoes, he looked handsome and distinguished. The difference between how he had looked only two days ago and now was amazing.

It was not just the clothes but the way he carried himself. Despite his obvious physical weakness, there was a dignity in his bearing that reminded her of their father.

Ahn had been silver-haired and pale, while the fuzz growing on Ell-rom's head was dark brown, and his skin was a shade darker, even though he was probably paler than he would be once he recovered. But the prominent cheekbones and the shape of the mouth and nose were so similar to their father's that Annani's heart squeezed with the old pain of losing him. A pain she had mercifully almost forgotten over the millennia since. Yet, where Ahn's features had been hardened by centuries of rule, Ell-rom's were still soft.

Like a child's.

It was sweet, but it would not last. Not if she could help it.

Ell-rom needed to learn that showing softness was okay when surrounded by family but not to the outside world. People would take advantage of him, or worse, think that it was okay to harm him. It was a sad fact of life, especially for males but also for females. Those who showed strength were less likely to be attacked.

"Hello, brother of mine," she said. "It is so good to see you up and about and looking well."

Ell-rom dipped his head. "Hello, sister. I've been looking forward to seeing you again."

"Hello, Clan Mother." Jasmine executed the most elegant curtsy Annani had seen in a long while.

She smiled. "Oh, Jasmine. There is no need to bow or curtsy to me, but I must say that you did it beautifully, which was quite a feat given that you are wearing pants. It was a pleasure to see such perfect form."

Jasmine's eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Clan Mother. I was taught how to do it properly by a wonderful choreographer working for one of the theatrical productions I participated in."

Annani did not know if it was common practice for actors to share credit for their successes with their production teammates, or if it was just Jasmine's way, but Annani liked that she had credited the choreographer.

"You also have innate grace and talent," Annani said, and meant it.

Jasmine dipped her head. "Thank you, Clan Mother."

Anandur pulled out two chairs for Ell-rom and Jasmine, and waited patiently until everyone exchanged greetings and sat down before helping Jasmine push the chair in.

She smiled brightly at him. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome." He walked around and sat across from her.

As Annani had requested, Ell-rom was seated to her left and Kian to her right, so her brother and her son were facing each other. Anandur sat across from Jasmine, and Brundar sat on the other side of the table closest to the door.

Okidu was still standing. "Shall I bring refreshments, Master Kian?"

"Good thinking. Is the café still open?"

Anandur looked at his watch. "It's closed, but we can use the vending machines, which should be fully stocked." He rose to his feet and clapped Okidu on the back, wincing when he encountered the hardness of the Odu's frame. "You should stay here."

So Annani had been right. Okidu was there to provide added security for her, not to clean up.

She cast Kian a reproachful look, to which he responded with a rueful smile and a shrug.