40. Queen Ani

As Aria continued relaying Annanis tale about her ill-fated engagement to Mortdh and her cunning way of subverting it, Anis ire rose.

What had possessed Ahn to arrange such a match for his beloved daughter?

Ani had known Mortdh quite well. He had been like his grandfather, marked by the same unquenchable ambition and hunger for power but lacking the charm and sophistication of the king. Even as a child, his eyes had been full of shadows far too dark for his young age.

He had been nothing like Ekin, Ahns half-brother by one of the kings numerous concubines. Mortdhs father had been loyal and fully dedicated to Ahn and his cause. His passion was science and engineering, and he had no ambitions other than inventing things and supporting Ahns rebellion. It was regrettable that Mortdh had inherited none of Ekins nobler qualities while sharing his fathers sharp intelligence.

It was a bitter pill to swallow to realize that Ahn had made such a monumental error in judgment, but Ani understood his reasoning. Her son had been an idealist, and he had been willing to sacrifice even his own daughters happiness on the altar of his peoples greater good. But Ani was disappointed that he had naively believed mollifying Mortdh would ensure peace.

Sacrificing Annani would not have prevented war. At best, it would have postponed it, and at worst, it would have cost Annanis life.

Ahn was smart, but he was also a dreamer, an optimist, and an idealist, Ani said. He believed that given the chance and the benefit of the doubt, people would rise to the occasion. In rare instances, he could have been right, but all too often his naive belief that people were inherently good was dangerous. It was both his greatest strength and his most significant weakness.

Admitting this truth of Ahns flaws had not been easy. His soft spot for family had blinded him to the potential dangers of binding his daughter to someone like Mortdh.

Annanis reply came a moment later. I am just glad that my father listened to my plea when I asked him to allow Khiann to court me.

Ani listened intently as Annani recounted her daring pursuit of Khiann, the son of a merchant god whom her father would have never considered as a mate for her. She had disguised herself as a commoner to bypass the rigid structures of their society and sought out the god who had captured her heart.

Anis heart swelled with pride.

Even at a young age, her granddaughter had displayed uncommon boldness and determination, unwilling to let her future be dictated by others.

Like her, Annani refused to be a pawn in the political games that dominated their world. She had taken matters into her own hands, changing the course of history.

Annani was precisely what Anumati needed. A bold and courageous leader with a clear vision of the right path.

The queen chuckled as Aria continued recounting Annanis exploits, detailing how she had instructed Khiann to approach Ahn, and her heart soared when she heard how Ahn had handled the situation. He had cunningly employed Khiann as a tutor to test the waters of their potential as fated mates, allowing the relationship to develop under the guise of mentorship while protecting the secrecy of the potential bond.

And then came the resolution—the revelation of Annani and Khianns status as fated mates and Ahns subsequent affirmation of the paramount importance of the Fates will and dissolution of Annanis engagement to Mortdh.

The decision to offer Mortdh Annanis half-sister, Areana, as an alternative was a masterstroke, maintaining diplomatic relations while safeguarding his only legitimate heir.

Some might have viewed the move as heartless, but it was just one more example of a leader choosing the lesser of two evils.

The queen cast a sidelong glance at her best friend, who was listening to Aria with rapt attention and a smile on her face.

Your granddaughter is a take-charge goddess, Ani. She is exactly what Anumati needs.

Ani reached for her friends hand and gave it a light squeeze.

Her heart was full as she considered the future with Annani as queen. It would be the dawn of a new era for Anumati, one led by a goddess who understood what it meant to be a leader, and valued love, the importance of being in the drivers seat of ones own destiny, and the power of being proactive instead of reactive.

Annani continued to recount her brief marriage and the subsequent tragedy that befell her and the other gods, or at least the version that she had been told and had accepted as true. Mortdh murdered my Khiann in cold blood. He had planned the ambush days in advance and killed my love with his own hands. The assembly of gods heard the witnesses account of the brutal murder and sentenced Mortdh to entombment, but to do that, they had to catch him and bring him to justice first. But since he commanded a large force of immortal warriors, the assembly deliberated for days about the best way to do that. Mortdh, on the other hand, did not wait. To escape his punishment, he used a weapon of mass destruction on the assembly hall, killing all the gods inside. I managed to escape because I was afraid of him coming after me, so I ran away to the far north. My sister Areana was on her way to Mortdhs stronghold, so that was how she survived. Toven, Mortdhs brother, was away on one of his expeditions at the time, and that was how he was spared as well. We were the only three gods remaining on Earth until the arrival of Aru and his team.

Listening to the story unfold, Anis heart went out to her granddaughter, a kindred spirit who had suffered a terrible loss and had known grief as great as hers.

When Aria fell silent, Ani let out a sigh. Mortdh might have murdered your mate, but he probably was not responsible for the cataclysm that befell the rest of your people and destroyed a large portion of the region. Mortdh loved himself too much to go on a suicide mission, and he was too smart not to realize that he would not survive the blast in a small craft that had limited speed and maneuverability. He was most likely a pawn, used as a scapegoat for the real perpetrators.

Annanis shocked response carried over through Arias voice. If it was not Mortdh, then who was the real perpetrator?