Page 101 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Annani offered them a family, a community that accepted him and Morelle as they were without passing judgment or discriminating against them, while on their home planet they were considered abominations and would have been killed if discovered.

He could not comprehend a world in which people believed that it was okay to murder others just for being different. The ugliness, the cruelty, and the barbarism of such beliefs were abhorrent and unnatural. He was proud of his parents for starting a rebellion and trying to change that.

He was also proud of Annani and what she had accomplished practically on her own.

He had to wonder, though. Was Annani so happy to have found him and Morelle because she had lost her family in the assassination? Or did she think that they could assist her against the Eternal King?

Ell-rom did not know if he and his twin could help in any way, but he would do what he could, and hopefully, so would Morelle.

The truth was that he did not know how his sister would react. Was she like him? Motivated by the same things he was? Why couldn't he remember even that?

"I am so sorry for all you have lost," Ell-rom said at last. "Did you have any siblings?"

"I did, and I do. My older sister Areana also survived."

Ell-rom released a relieved breath. "So, you are not the heir."

She smiled. "I am. Areana's mother was a goddess my father had a short dalliance with. She was not his official wife. She is very dear to me, but regrettably, she is not around. She mated my archenemy."

His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "How could she do a thing like that? And who is that enemy? Is he another god who survived?"

Unexpectedly, Annani laughed. "Those are excellent questions, Ell-rom, but that is not the story I want to tell you. Are you not curious about what happened to your ship and why it was delayed for seven thousand years?"

"Jade and Kian told me the settler ship had malfunctioned, probably because it was sabotaged. But I'm more interested in hearing about you and your enemies. I thought I only had to worry about the Eternal King, but now you are telling me that you have a local enemy and that your sister is mated to him."

Annani nodded. "I will give you the shortest version I can. The long version can wait for another time."

He nodded. "I will accept whatever you are willing to offer."

"You are so agreeable, Ell-rom." She put her hand on his and gave it a light squeeze. "Mortdh, the god we believed killed all the other gods, was my intended. Ahn thought he could appease and maintain peace by promising him my hand. Mortdh was much older than me, had countless concubines and scores of children, and did not care about me. I knew that once we were wed, he would get rid of me as soon as I gave him a child. None of his children were gods. They were all immortals. Naturally, I did not want to mate Mortdh, and when I found my truelove mate, it was my right to dissolve the engagement because to deny true love was to anger the Fates, and not even Ahn or Mortdh would dare do that. As an alternative, Ahn offered Mortdh my sister Areana, who was a widow. Mortdh reluctantly accepted her, but he did not want her. He left his son Navuh to escort her to his stronghold in the north. That was why she was away from the assembly when Mortdh bombed it and died along with the other gods.

“Navuh is just an immortal, but he is more powerful than many gods, and by the Fates' will, he and Areana are truelove mates. Nevertheless, he harbors great hatred for me, blaming me for his father's death and that of all the other gods. He also disapproves of my role in continuing Ahn's work and encouraging humans to do better. He and his army of immortal minions would see humanity enslaved, and me and my clan eradicated."

75

ANNANI

Annani observed Ell-rom's response and the warring emotions playing across his face.

"What Mortdh did was not your fault, and it was not even he who killed the gods, so you should not blame yourself. Navuh is not right in the head for blaming you even if he does not know about the Eternal King and his assassins."

Relief washed over Annani. She knew that Ell-rom was right and that the demise of the gods was not her fault, even if Mortdh had been the one to drop the bomb. It was survivor's guilt, and logically she rejected it, but in her heart, doubt lingered.

"Thank you. In my mind, I know that you are right, but my heart is harder to convince."

Beside her, Kian shifted uneasily, his jaw clenched and his eyes wary as he watched her brother with suspicion and concern.

Annani ignored him.

Ell-rom was not a threat. She felt it in her heart and her gut.

"Let us go back to why your mother feared for your lives and snuck you onto the settler ship."

Ell-rom frowned. "Wasn't it because Morelle and I are hybrids? If we had been discovered, we would have been killed, and so would she. That was what Jade told me."

"That is true, but there is more." She took a deep breath. "The Eternal King feared you. The belief was that a product of god and Kra-ell would be an abomination, which could mean a hideous creature or one so powerful that it could be a threat to the king. He wanted to eliminate you the same way he wanted to eliminate your father, just for different reasons."

"I don't have any special powers; I don't think I do."