53. Annani

Hello, Mother. Kian kissed Annanis cheek. I thought we were going to talk about yesterdays revelations, he whispered next to her ear.

She smiled. I cannot invite you and your family for brunch without inviting your sisters and their families, she whispered back. They would think that I am playing favorites. If you wish, you can stay after everyone leaves.

Annani wished she could share her conversations with the queen of Anumati with all of her children. It did not feel right to keep it from her daughters, but unless she lied and claimed to have established the communication herself, she could not. It would be repaying Arus kindness and sacrifice with betrayal.

She was the reason he would not get picked up by the patrol ship on its way back to Anumati. The queen had arranged for him to stay so he could be her liaison to Earth. His telepathic connection with his sister would be his only contact with home, and since their parents did not know about their connection, Aria could not even keep them updated on his well-being.

In a way, though, it was for the best.

Their parents would not be happy to learn that their son had a hybrid mate, whom he could never bring home and introduce to them.

Perhaps in the distant future, when Annani took over the Anumatian throne, she would change those archaic prohibitions and re-establish communications and travel to Earth. Arus parents could come for a visit, and perhaps by then, he would be able to present them with a grandchild.

Whats that smile about? Alena asked, pulling Annani out of her reveries.

I am imagining a better future.

Amanda snorted. Please, share your vision. We all need a dose of optimism these days.

The world was indeed entering another dark period, just as Syssi had foreseen. Wars were raging in several hotspots around the globe, and drug cartels were so powerful and pervasive that they controlled entire countries, with their governments either helpless to do anything or worse—willingly cooperating with the cartels. Those criminal organizations were not only responsible for the loss of countless lives to overdosing and other drug-related deaths, but several of them were also run by terrorist organizations that were using drug money to finance their deadly operations.

There was so much chaos going on around the world, but Annani still hoped that this time, it would not last as long as it had previously. It was a vicious cycle of good times followed by bad times and then the good times returned only to be followed by bad times again.

The cycles were becoming shorter, though.

While epochs in the distant past had lasted thousands of years and then hundreds, they had shrunk to decades and even less in modern times. The duration followed advancements in technology, and since there had never been a leap as vast as the advent of artificial intelligence, perhaps this time around things would get back to normal faster than ever.

Technology will usher in a better future, Annani said at last. Despite the fears of technology displacing workers, it has always improved lives, and it will continue doing so in the future. Most diseases will be eradicated, most of the work will be done by robots, and people will have to work fewer hours a week to make a living. They will have plenty of time to enjoy their children and pursue hobbies.

Utopia, Kian snorted, does not exist. They have technology aplenty on Anumati and no diseases. Yet, according to Aru and his teammates, it is far from the paradise you are describing.

Annani smiled indulgently. I did not describe a paradise. People are people, and there will always be strife, competition, and jealousy. But if the great evils are eliminated or reduced, everyones lives will be better. I will be satisfied when there are no more deadly diseases, wars, terror attacks, hunger, exploitation, illicit drugs, human trafficking, and other evils that currently plague humanity.

Sari sighed. I would be happy with that list accomplished as well, but I dont hold my breath for it happening anytime soon. I dont know what, if anything, can end all those evils. Its just not possible.

The Eternal King managed to do all that, Kian said. Its not that Im justifying his methods, especially since he had no qualms about killing his own children, but I have to admit that what he achieved was extraordinary.

Annani tensed. Would her daughters catch Kians slip-up?

What do you mean he killed his own children? Amanda asked.

I meant that the Eternal King wanted to kill the rebels, including Ahn, his legitimate heir, and Ahns half-siblings Ekin and Athor. He would have succeeded if Mortdh had not beaten him to it.

Satisfied with his answer, Amanda leaned back in her chair. In this case, the intent is incriminating enough. No sane person sends assassins after his own son.

Its happened many times throughout human history, Annani said. To gain or keep a throne, sons have murdered their fathers, and fathers have murdered their sons. Power is a corruptive force.

Maybe its the other way around, Alena said. People who ascend to positions of power are corrupt or sociopaths to start with, and many times, this trait is inherited by their offspring.

Annani let out an indignant huff. My father was not a sociopath. He was ruthless at times, but he had feelings, and he cared deeply for my mother and me.

Navuh cares for Areana, Sari said. But hes still a sociopath. He would have killed Kalugal if he had discovered that his son was a strong enough compeller to usurp him.

Perhaps, Annani said. We will never know.

In the same way, they would never know whether Mortdh had dropped the bomb on the assembly or if someone shot his plane down, causing the weapon to explode.

Regrettably, she could not entertain the same doubts about Khianns death. The three witnesses who had testified against Mortdh had given almost the same exact description with slight variations, even though they had given their testimonies separately. They might have told a coordinated lie, but why would they have done so? And if they had, her father would have known they had lied, wouldnt he?

Then again, her father had wanted Mortdh to be found guilty of the murder, so perhaps he had compelled those males to testify against Mortdh?

The thought had never occurred to her before, and Annani wondered why it had not. She had idolized her father, but she had been aware of how ruthless he was. Her father had promised her hand in marriage to Mortdh, knowing that the god would never love her. He had done so to secure peace. But when it had become clear to him that securing peace through marriage would not work, perhaps he had thought of another way to get rid of Mortdh and the threat he represented.

Could her father have ordered Khianns murder to pin it on Mortdh?

No, she would never believe Ahn capable of that. But she could definitely believe he was capable of using the murder to his advantage.

The implications were so profound that Annani felt her chest constrict, and she had to excuse herself to go out on the terrace for some fresh air.

I will go with you. Alena started to rise.

No, stay. Annani put a hand on her shoulder. I need a few moments alone.

Everyones worried eyes followed her as she grabbed her sunglasses and stepped out onto the balcony, but she could not explain why she needed a few minutes of solitude.

She could not tell her children and their mates that she had only just now realized that her father might have compelled the witnesses who had testified against Mortdh. It had taken her over five thousand years to start doubting what she had seen and heard with her own eyes and ears, when she should have done so during the testimony.

She was so young back then and addled with grief, but she had never been naive. She had grown up in the palace, had witnessed the machinations of court, and had known that things were not always the way they seemed.

Annani took a deep breath.

Most times, though, things were exactly like they seemed. She was probably working herself up for nothing. The witnesses might have told the truth, and Mortdh had beheaded Khiann.

At least now, she had a sliver of hope that things had not happened the way the witnesses had testified, and if Khiann still had his head attached to his neck, he might have survived and was buried somewhere in the desert, in stasis and waiting for her to revive him.