43. Annani

43

ANNANI

A nnani was reclining on a lounger in her backyard with her light-filtering glasses on, even though the sunlight wasn't as harsh this late in the afternoon during the winter months. It was still warm enough for her to wear nothing more than a long-sleeved gown, and the shawl Ogidu had brought out for her was draped over the other lounger just in case it got colder when the sun set.

She had a glass of sparkling water on the side table next to her and several slices of apple on a plate, but she hadn't touched any of that yet. She was meditating, or rather trying to, and it wasn't going well.

As old as she was, Annani had not mastered the art of emptying her mind. Thoughts raced through as if she had a maze of high-speed highways in her brain, and trying to slow down the traffic only made her head ache.

When the sliding door behind her opened, she turned to look, expecting one of her Odus with yet another snack for her, but it was Kian who stepped out into her backyard.

"Good afternoon, Mother." He leaned to kiss her cheek.

"Good afternoon to you, too. To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

He sat down on the other lounger, his legs spread out and his elbows resting on his knees. "I want to talk to you about something, and instead of calling, I decided to stop by on my way home. I hope it's alright and I'm not interfering with your plans."

"Not at all. My last visitor of the day departed a while ago, and I was just resting out here and enjoying the crisp winter air while trying to meditate, but I gave up on that even before you arrived."

He nodded. "I know what you mean. I've never been able to meditate, either. But it is lovely out here, and just enjoying the outdoors is nice. One of the main positives of this geographic location is the weather. Business-wise, though, it's not very hospitable."

She smiled. "My dear Kian. You should have promoted a politician who would make this beautiful state friendlier to businesses. Enterprise is the bedrock upon which all else is built. Without it, the entire community deteriorates."

Kian chuckled. "There was no one I felt comfortable backing with clan contributions, and it's not like we could have run one of our own as a candidate, although, to be frank, I was tempted to suggest it to Amanda. Imagine her running the state."

He had said it as a joke, but Annani believed that Amanda would have made a great governor. In a state that worshiped beauty, she would have been elected in a landslide, and after serving for a few years, she could have faded into obscurity by dramatically changing her looks. She had done that before quite successfully, but without holding public office.

Amanda was smart and capable, and she was not too proud to consult with others when she felt she needed help, and just that already put her ahead of others.

"At least your sister would have solved the homeless situation. It is so shameful how such a resource-rich state squanders its wealth on corruption instead of housing the homeless and providing them with the assistance they need." She tilted her head. "Is there a way for us to undertake this mission as well? Perhaps we can help these poor people."

Kian shook his head. "The problem is not the lack of money but its abundance. So much gets diverted into the pockets of those close to the power brokers that none of them is interested in actually solving the issue. They put roadblocks in front of any organization that attempts to do that and strangle them with nonsensical regulations that make it impossible to provide meaningful help to those in need. The best we can do at the moment is support soup kitchens."

"Well, at least we do that." She lifted her glass and took a sip of the cool sparkling water. "So, what did you want to tell me?"

"We continued testing Morelle's ability today. She drew on my power and used it to move objects. The drain was noticeable, but I recuperated quickly. Even Syssi, who felt the drain the most, recharged in no time."

"That is good news," Annani said. "Morelle was worried about causing harm. I hope she realizes now that she should not fear using her ability."

Kian nodded. "She gained confidence, that was evident." He rubbed a hand over his jaw. "Brandon was there, of course, and when Morelle wanted to see what would happen if she drew energy from Ell-rom, I ended up telling Brandon why Ell-rom was concerned about Morelle attempting to channel his abilities. He later came to see me alone, and he has an interesting theory about Morelle and Ell-rom's unusual powers."

Annani tensed. "Given that you are here to tell me about it, you're taking his theory seriously. "

"It makes a lot of sense, and I'm surprised at myself that it didn't occur to me sooner. Brandon suggests that the twins didn't get their unique powers randomly, and that it wasn't just the result of combining the genetics of two incredibly powerful royal bloodlines. He thinks that Ahn arranged for his children to be genetically enhanced to become the perfect tools to take down the Eternal King."

Annani shook her head. "He did not know that the princess was pregnant with his children when he was exiled."

"We assumed that he didn't know, but that doesn't mean that he didn't. Besides, communication with Anumati was possible for several centuries after the gods' arrival on Earth. The Kra-ell queen could have found a way to inform him. So, the fact that he never mentioned having children back home to anyone shouldn't be taken as proof that he had no knowledge of them."

"My father never spoke of his home," Annani said. "He wanted us to believe that the gods had always been present on Earth. So, even if he knew about the twins, he would not have said anything about them." She frowned. "I am trying to remember what Morelle told me about her mother visiting her in her dream. I think the queen told her that Ahn did not know about the pregnancy and that he found out only after he died because everything is known in the afterlife, but I am not sure about that. I need to ask Morelle to tell me about that dream again."

Kian smiled. "Dreams are not reliable. Our memories of them are influenced by our thoughts, feelings, and preconceived notions, and they are also open to interpretation. Besides, it's possible that the queen preferred to tell Morelle that her father hadn't been aware of his children's existence to make her feel less abandoned."

"Our father could not have done anything for the twins even if he knew about them. He was exiled to Earth with no ability to ever visit his home."

"True," Kian said. "But do you agree that it is possible that your father not only knew about the twins but also arranged for them to be genetically enhanced?"

"I can see Ahn doing something like that." Annani put her glass back on the side table. "I would not put it past him. Combining his bloodline with that of the Kra-ell princess in order to create children with specific abilities, and then manipulating their genes to be even more than nature could have done seems fantastic, but I fear this fits his strategic and detached approach to achieving his goals." She sighed. "I prefer thinking of my father and the queen's relationship as a love story—two souls finding each other despite their differences—but knowing my father, I am afraid that Brandon's version is more likely. Ahn was always pragmatic and ruthless when he needed to be."

"Brandon called him a rebel with a cause."

Annani nodded. "I wanted to believe my father's motivation was reforming how the gods treated the Kra-ell, not merely overthrowing our grandfather, and perhaps that was true, and the twins were the backup plan."

"That sounds reasonable," Kian agreed.

"Still, the fact that Morelle and Ell-rom might be genetically capable of terrible things does not mean that they are terrible people. As I have said from the start, when we still suspected them of possessing even worse powers, we should judge them by the kind of people they are and not by what they can do. They are not a threat to us."

"That's not what I was trying to convey," Kian said quickly. "If they were designed with these abilities—and it's still just a hypothesis—it was specifically to eliminate the Eternal King. Those kinds of powers would be overkill against lesser gods, immortals, or mortals."

"True." Annani nodded. "It would seem that they were designed with one purpose in mind. If we could get them close to the Eternal King, they could fulfill their destiny and potentially save all of Earth and its inhabitants from his wrath. He is still an existential threat to us."

Kian shifted on the lounger, trying to make himself more comfortable while sitting on it sideways. "Right now, they are not powerful enough, and once they are, we have no way of getting them close to the Eternal King, so at this time it is just a hypothetical possibility."

"They could still be our salvation, though," Annani murmured. "That is how we should treat them. Not as a threat, but rather as a shield against the more severe threat we face."

"Exactly." Kian rose to his feet. "I was conflicted about what to tell the twins, but you've just given me the answer."

"They do not know yet?" She followed him as he opened the sliding door and stepped inside the house.

"They know what they can do, but they don't know that they were created as a tool against their grandfather. Not that we know that for sure, but it seems like a very likely scenario."

"Indeed." Annani removed her goggles and put them on the counter. "I wanted to invite them and their mates to dinner tonight, but let us make it a family affair. I want my brother and sister to see that none of us view them as a threat."

Kian frowned. "Are you sure that's wise? Maybe they should be told privately first."

Annani shook her head. "Telling them privately would send the wrong message. I want them surrounded by family when they learn this, so they can see immediately that nothing has changed—that we all still love and accept them regardless of what abilities they possess or why they might have them."

She pulled out her phone. "Dinner in two hours. My Odus can have everything ready by then."

"Mother—"

"No arguments. The worst thing we could do is treat this like some dark secret that needs to be whispered about behind closed doors."

Kian sighed, but she could see him fighting a smile. "You're probably right about the family, but that's as far as it goes. I don't want the entire clan to know about these special abilities, let alone how and why they have them."

Annani nodded. "I can agree to that."