58. Ell-rom

58

ELL-ROM

T he dream enveloped Ell-rom, vivid and visceral. He and Morelle were in what looked like an office or a small reception room. The head priestess sat on a large pillow on the floor, with a low desk in front of her. He and Morelle stood in front of her, and all three were unveiled, so he could see his sister's face.

They were still children, twelve or even younger. Morelle's features were delicate, her blue eyes fierce but tinged with worry as they faced the stern head priestess. The older woman looked distinctly Kra-ell, and she was angry, her piercing gaze flashing dark red as it moved between them.

"Which one of you did it?" she demanded, her pointy tongue darting out of her mouth, the dark triangle at the tip indicating that she was of royal blood.

That was one more thing that he and Morelle were missing. Their tongues were pink and rounded. That alone was enough to betray their mixed heritage and get them killed. But it wasn't the only thing. They didn't look even remotely Kra-ell. In fact, they could easily pass for gods.

Morelle glanced at him, her eyebrow rising. He responded with a shake of his head and then addressed the priestess with as much formality as he could muster. "We do not know what you are referring to, Holy Mother."

"Which one of you killed Ro-buh?"

The priestess's response sent a chill through Ell-rom.

"I did not even know that he was dead," Morelle said, turning to Ell-rom with surprise. "Did you?"

"I did not," he said with much less conviction.

The head priestess narrowed her eyes at him. "Out with it, Ell-rom. What did you do?"

Shame and fear washed over him as he lowered his head. "I wished he was dead," he murmured. "Did the Mother of All Life grant my wish?"

The obnoxious guard wasn't supposed to enter the temple garden grounds where Ell-rom and Morelle spent most of their time, but he was allowed at the temple, and as acolytes, they had duties to perform there.

Ro-buh had liked to taunt Ell-rom mercilessly for being a priest, calling him a coward hiding behind the acolytes' veils and pretending to be a female. When Morelle tried to intervene, Ro-buh had treated her with thinly suppressed disdain, asking what deformities she was hiding under her veil and threatening to yank it off.

They had complained to the head priestess, but she had dismissed their concerns, telling them to deal with the problem themselves. It was the Kra-ell way, but they weren't ordinary Kra-ell. They were being hidden in the temple for a reason, and he couldn't understand the head priestess's dismissive attitude. The guard could discover their secret and attack them with the intention to kill.

Both Ell-rom and Morelle carried daggers on them and were well-trained in their usage, but they were several years younger than Ro-buh.

Last night, as Ell-rom had been thinking about the best way to deal with Ro-buh, he had wished for the ability to kill the guard with a thought, but he hadn't expected his wish to come true. He hadn't known that he possessed such power.

To Ell-rom's surprise, the head priestess's anger melted away, replaced by a smile that sent shivers down his spine. "I was wondering when your powers would manifest," she said, her voice filled with pride and satisfaction. "Congratulations, Ell-rom. You are the first and only compeller who can kill with a mere thought and without using your voice."

Mortified, he looked at Morelle for support, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were blazing blue light at the priestess. "You did that on purpose. You sent Ro-buh to taunt us to see what we could do. You sacrificed him."

The head priestess acknowledged the statement with a nod. "I did. The queen and I have realized that the two of you have been too sheltered to ever manifest your powers. You needed to be prodded, and Ro-buh was chosen to do that. He was never a real threat to you because I had him watched by loyal guards."

Ell-rom couldn't breathe.

He had killed a male with a mere thought, and the priestess had no problem with that. The male had been disposable. How could she be so callous?

How?

Ell-rom jerked awake, gasping for air and sweat beading on his forehead. He felt disoriented, the dream still clinging to the edges of his consciousness.

That dream couldn't have been a memory. It was impossible. He couldn't kill anyone with a thought. He couldn't even compel, so the very idea was preposterous. It might have been the wish of a vulnerable youth, and he must have been carrying the guilt of wishing for the guard's death in his subconscious.

It was just a nightmare.

It hadn't been real.

Beside him, Jasmine stirred, her eyes fluttering open. "Ell-rom?" she murmured. "What's wrong?"

He took a deep breath, forcing his features into what he hoped was a reassuring expression. "I had a dream."

She perked up. "A memory?"

"Yes. Maybe."

Jasmine sat up, fully alert now. "What was it about?"

Ell-rom hesitated, the full weight of the dream pressing down on him. He needed time to think about that dream to examine whether it could have been true. He wasn't ready to share the horrifying revelation about his supposed powers, but he could focus on the less disturbing aspects.

"I saw my sister's face. We were young, maybe twelve or so. And the head priestess was there. We were in her office, and she was reprimanding us for something. We all had our veils off, and I remember thinking that Morelle and I could pass for gods. The priestess looked very Kra-ell, and she had that dark triangle on her tongue that indicated she was of royal descent. Morelle and I have rounded pink tongues."

"What did Morelle look like?" Jasmine asked.

Ell-rom closed his eyes, picturing his sister's young face. "She was beautiful," he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Delicate features, big blue eyes very much like mine. She looked fierce, but she was a little scared of the priestess. I was scared of her, too. She was intimidating."

If the dream was true, the head priestess was also heartless and manipulative. How could she have sacrificed the life of the guard just to discover what Ell-rom and Morelle could do?

Could his sister kill with a mere thought, too?

Mother above, it was terrifying. He should never think negatively about anyone.

No, it just wasn't true. No one could do that. It had just been a nightmare.

Jasmine cupped his cheek. "You look shaken by the dream. What did you and your sister do that got you in trouble with the head priestess?"

Ell-rom felt a pang of guilt as he forced a smile and prepared to lie. "The dream ended before I found out."

Jasmine chuckled. "You were probably too scared to find out and woke yourself up. I sometimes do that when I have bad dreams. I wake up with a headache, but it's worth it to end the nightmare."

Ell-rom wished that his dream was just that.

A nightmare.