49. Ell-rom

49

ELL-ROM

E ll-rom didn't like the sound of that.

"How do you propose to fake our deaths?" he asked.

Kian shifted in his chair. "I'm not sure yet. We had several ideas floating around, each with its drawbacks. But we are waiting for you to look like your fellow pod mates, so you don't look like you entered stasis unaided and survived. Bridget saved the uniforms that she cut off you, but fixing them so they look like new will not be easy, especially given Anumati tech, which will discover every imperfection no matter how small."

Ell-rom had another question. "How is the Eternal King going to discover that we were found?"

Once again, Kian looked uncomfortable. "Aru and his teammates were sent to Earth to look for the missing pods. Thankfully, they are part of the resistance, so they are as eager as we are to hide the fact that you were found. Their commander on the patrol ship is also a member of the resistance, but they all have to keep up the pretense that they are doing their job. If the Eternal King suspects that they are not, another ship will be deployed to this sector, and everyone serving on Aru's ship will be declared a traitor. We don't want that."

"No, we do not." Ell-rom rubbed a hand over his face. "I do not want anyone dying to protect me and my sister. Isn't it better to pretend that we were never found than to try a deception that might backfire? You all keep talking about how advanced Anumati is and what amazing technology they have. They might be able to see through anything you try."

"Ell-rom's right," Jasmine said. "Do they need to send a DNA sample to their commander?"

"I don't know," Kian said. "Aru didn't mention that."

Jasmine crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sure it will be required. DNA testing can even be done on burnt remains. It can be extracted from remaining bone fragments." When everyone looked at her with curiosity in their eyes, she shrugged. "I read about it in a detective novel, and it sounded so out there that I checked, and it's true. They really can do that."

What Ell-rom wanted to know was how it was connected to his and Morelle's faked deaths.

Kian reached for one of the packaged desserts that Anandur had brought and tore open the container. "I can check with Aru, but since it is premature to discuss this, it can wait. We are here to talk about more pleasant topics like the clan's history and how my mother created it."

Ell-rom decided that he needed to talk with Aru himself. Arranging a meeting wouldn't be a problem since he was joining Jasmine in the penthouse tomorrow, and Aru lived there as well.

"Actually, I've been curious about something Jasmine mentioned," he said. "I was hoping to learn more details about the Dormants. In particular, I'm interested in finding out who can become a Dormant and how they are discovered."

Kian snorted. "We have been trying to solve that mystery for a long time. I mean the one about finding Dormants. We know how they come to be."

So that was why they weren't sure that Jasmine was one. They had no way to test for it. Earth seemed to be much less technologically advanced than Anumati.

Ell-rom nodded. "Then I would love to hear how Dormants are created."

"That is part of what I planned to tell you today," Annani said. "It all started when our father allowed the gods to take human partners and the first immortals were born. After that, some of these immortals also took human partners, but to their great dismay, their children were born human. After further examination, it was discovered that the children of female immortals carried the godly genes, but the children of male immortals did not. Those who possessed the genes could be activated."

"I know that part," Ell-rom said quickly, to stop Annani from explaining it again. "Julian told me how it's done."

"Excellent." Annani smiled. "As it turned out, the genes kept passing from a mother to her children, but only the daughters kept passing them on. We believe that there are many humans who possess them and do not know it. The problem is finding them. We tried various methods of attracting potential Dormants so all of my clan members could have the lifelong mates they long for, but it seems that all our efforts are futile, and we have to trust the Fates to deliver them to us."

Ell-rom shook his head. "Why couldn't your clan members find their mates inside the clan? Are the numbers too small? And who and what are the Fates?"

"Ah." Annani leaned back in her chair and took her coffee cup with her. "Those are two very important questions, and I am impressed by how sharp your brain is that you immediately focused on them."

Ell-rom felt like preening but composed himself and dipped his head instead. "Thank you."

"To answer your first question, you need to understand how I formed the clan. After my beloved Khiann was murdered, I fled the assembly, fearing Mortdh would come after me next. In the frozen lands of the far north, I mourned my Khiann for many years. I did not know that all the other gods had perished as well until rumors started filtering even to that remote region. Thankfully, I had my loyal Odus to help me, so I did not starve or lack shelter." She turned to look at the servant, who smiled and bowed nearly in half to her.

He did not look immortal, but Ell-rom instinctively knew that the male was not human. He was something else, but what? Something tickled the back of Ell-rom's mind, a feeling of unease, but he could not fathom why. The male seemed harmless.

"Are the Odus a different race of people?" he asked.