73. Annani

73

ANNANI

A nnani put her half-empty coffee cup on the floor. "That was a timely refresher."

"Indeed." Ell-rom cradled his paper teacup in his hands. "This is a delicious drink. What is it called?"

"Jasmine white tea," Jasmine said.

He smiled. "With you as its namesake, it is no wonder it is exceptional."

Jasmine chuckled nervously. "You flatter me, Prince Ell-rom."

"Just Ell-rom and it is not flattery when it is the truth."

Annani stifled a smile. Her brother was definitely taken with Jasmine, and she was with him. It was always such a pleasure to observe love blossoming. That and babies were the best life had to offer.

"Are you ready to hear the rest of the story?" Annani asked.

"Yes, please," he said.

"After the Eternal King destroyed the communication satellites, he declared Earth a forbidden planet. He had it expunged from all the official records and maps, and as far as the Anumatian civilization was concerned, it ceased to exist."

Ell-rom frowned. "Why go to such lengths? Why not just kill Ahn outright?"

"He could not." Annani paused, thinking of how to continue without revealing her connection with her grandmother. "From what Aru told me, the queen, Ahn's mother, holds great power herself. She is the daughter of one of the most prominent industrial families, and she represents all the other houses. It was important for the king to convince her and the rest of the Anumatian citizenry that he was a loving and merciful father and was doing his best under grave circumstances."

In a way, telling her brother the story and explaining the Eternal King's motives was crystallizing things for Annani.

"To exile his rebellious son and his closest supporters to a forbidden planet was a brilliantly evil move, which should not surprise anyone given the Eternal King's long rule over Anumati and his ability to maintain the reputation of a great and benevolent ruler. I hate to sound so admiring of that monster, but there is no denying his genius. Instead of eliminating Ahn by killing him and making himself look bad, the king destroyed Ahn's reputation and made him practically disappear. Then, when enough time had passed, and most gods had forgotten about Ahn, he also arranged for his assassination. Mortdh, the god who I blamed for the murder of my people, could have been a convenient scapegoat. By the way, he was also the Eternal King's grandson, the son of one of the king's many illegitimate children."

Ell-rom frowned. "But if Earth was deleted from all the records, how could the king send assassins to eliminate the rebels?"

Kian snorted. "That was all propaganda for public consumption. Earth was erased from all the civilian records, but the king and his military retained the information, and patrol ships were sent occasionally to check on Earth and its inhabitants. The king wasn't taking any chances. He wanted his son dead, and he got it done."

Ell-rom sighed. "It is strange to grieve for a father I have never known. I wonder if our mother told us about him."

"Probably not," Kian said. "She was doing everything in her power to shield you. It would not have been wise to tell you."

Annani tilted her head. "Maybe she told you right before sending you to him. I think that was her plan. She wanted you to be with your father so he could protect you."

Now that it seemed the twins were not as powerful as they had suspected, that option made even more sense. They were no match for Ahn, who had indeed been powerful, and they had not been sent to undermine him or replace him. They were sent to him for protection.

"I wish my mind wasn't so blank," Ell-rom murmured. "This is so frustrating." He took a deep breath. "How long did the exiled gods live on Earth before they were assassinated?"

"About two thousand years. They were not the first gods to arrive on Earth, though. Gods have been mining gold on the planet for hundreds of thousands of years. But before our father and his supporters' permanent settlement on the planet, the gods' involvement with humans had been much more limited. The gods needed obedient workers, and they created them by manipulating the genetics of early humanoids. They deemed them a commodity, not people. When Ahn arrived on Earth, he set out to elevate humans by providing them with the tools of an advanced civilization. He introduced a writing system and a code of law that was moral and just. His brother Ekin, a gifted scientist and engineer, taught the humans agricultural and shipping methods. Things were going well until Mortdh, Ekin's son, decided he was better suited to rule the gods and started causing trouble for Ahn and the other gods."

"What about your mother?" Ell-rom asked. "Who was she? How did they meet?"

Annani smiled. "My mother was a clever and cunning goddess. She knew in her heart that Ahn was her fated mate, but she was still too young to pursue him. She could have waited, but she was afraid that he would wed another before she was of age, so she trapped him and seduced him, and he had no choice but to make her his official wife. Despite their first encounter's less-than-perfect circumstances, they were deeply in love and very happy together."