Page 102 of Dark Witch Resurrection

Annani nodded. "You are still weak from the stasis, so we need to wait and see about that. It is also possible that Morelle is the more powerful of the two of you. Your Kra-ell genes might make her so."

He nodded. "It is possible, but I don't remember much about her. She was protective of me, that's the one memory I have of her." He sighed. "I guess our mother did not know that the Eternal King planned to kill our father. Otherwise, she wouldn't have sent us to him."

"I do not know for certain if that was her plan. But if I were in her place, that is what I would have done. I would have sent my children to the one person I knew would protect them. Ahn was progressive, and he did not believe in all that abomination nonsense. He was much more open to interracial relationships. After all, he allowed gods to take human partners. That is how immortals were born."

"Was it common practice to send Kra-ell settlers to other planets?" Ell-rom asked.

"Pressures were growing on Anumati about the Kra-ell multiplying much faster than the gods. After the rebellion ended and the King of the gods and the Queen of the Kra-ell negotiated a truce, an agreement was reached that the Kra-ell would start colonizing other planets. That was long before Earth was declared a forbidden planet and expunged from the records. A settler ship was sent to Earth, and the queen smuggled you on board, hoping your father would take you in and protect you. Then something happened, and the ship was lost in space, and communications with it were lost."

Annani couldn't tell Ell-rom who was responsible for the ship's sabotage.

Their grandmother's part in the plot still needed to remain a secret.

Next to her, Kian released a breath as if he feared that she would tell Ell-rom about her communications with the queen of Anumati.

She cast him a quick glance and shook her head at him. He should know that she would never do a thing like that. She would not betray Aru's trust and endanger his sister even if the risk was nearly nonexistent.

"By the time the ship arrived, your mother was long gone." Annani squeezed her brother's hand. "The Kra-ell are long-lived but not immortal. They have a lifespan of around a thousand Earth years."

Annani didn't add that the queen hadn't gotten to live to that old age. She had suffered an accident that was most likely also an assassination.

Ell-rom swallowed. "I wish I could remember her. I dreamt about her, but it was just a few snippets in time. I got the impression that she cared about us but also that she was remote."

"She was the queen." Annani gave him a reassuring smile. "According to Jade, the Kra-ell do not believe in coddling their children. Although observing them living in our village, I would say this is only partially true. They are affectionate with the little ones but also strict." She sighed. "On Anumati, where tribal wars used to claim the lives of many young males, mothers needed to distance themselves from their children, and those Kra-ell social norms persisted even after the tribal wars were outlawed. Here on Earth, where their offspring are most likely to live to old age, there is no need to adopt such strict practices."

Ell-rom nodded. "That's good to know. What about Ahn? What kind of a father was he?"

"He was the ruler of the gods and had to project a certain persona. He also needed to raise me to be strong so I could one day become a ruler. But he still showed me love even though he was not the type to hug or kiss freely. He was a good male. Brave, disciplined, and dedicated to his people."

76

JASMINE

Jasmine listened to the goddess in stunned silence, her mind reeling with the weight of all she had just heard. The tale Annani had woven, the history of the gods and the Kra-ell, of the Eternal King and his boundless ruthlessness, which he had so masterfully hidden behind a convincing act of benevolence and the love of a father for his son.

In a way, it was such a human tale that she had no problem understanding the players and their motives, but the vastness of it made it hard to wrap her head around it.

She felt small and insignificant in the face of such cosmic forces and ancient conflicts. What was she, a mere human, in the grand scheme of things? It was such a tangled web of politics, evil schemes, and subterfuge.

So far, Ell-rom had been handling everything the goddess had told him remarkably well, but Jasmine could see that he was growing tired.

Annani must have realized that he was reaching his limit as well because she stopped talking and rose to her feet. "You look exhausted, Ell-rom." She kissed his cheek. "I will return tomorrow, and we will talk some more."

Ell-rom nodded, his eyelids heavy with fatigue even as he fought to keep them open. "I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for being so honest with me."

"Of course." She leaned to brush a kiss over his forehead. "I will stop by Morelle's room on my way out and kiss her cheek as well." Annani's eyes had a sheen of moisture that glittered in the room's soft light. "Rest, brother of mine."

He held on to his sister's hand. "Tomorrow, would you tell me about Areana? Our other sister?"

"I will. Areana is the sweetest person I know, and she has done much good in her life, but she deserves more than a couple of sentences uttered in passing. I will tell you more about her tomorrow."

He nodded. "I have three sisters. It is hard to believe."

Chuckling, Kian rose to his feet. "As someone who also has three sisters, I can tell you that it is not a walk in the park. My sisters are all wonderful people, but I can't help but worry about them all of the time."

Ell-rom smiled tiredly. "That is a lot of responsibility."

"That's right." Kian patted his shoulder and turned to follow his mother. "Goodbye, Jasmine," he said as he left the room.