Page 76 of Dark Witch Resurrection

"Ell-rom. We are each other's mirror image."

Ell-rom, Jasmine repeated in her head. She didn't know what it meant, but it suited the prince much better than Cedric.

"Anything else that you remember?" Bridget asked gently.

"No. Morelle and Ell-rom. Those are our secret names, but I guess we don't need to keep them a secret anymore."

"Why were your names a secret?" Julian asked.

"I do not know." Ell-rom's eyes were focused on his sister's face. "I hope you wake up soon, Morelle, and I hope your memory didn't suffer as much damage as mine."

56

KIAN

Kian glanced at his watch while Onegus delivered his report, hoping the chief hadn't noticed. As usual, he was pressed for time, and even more so now because of his back-and-forth trips to the keep.

But it wasn't as if he could delegate the task of escorting his mother to see her half-brother. He had to do it himself and ensure she didn't reveal every possible secret in her excitement over finding her siblings.

The guy seemed pretty harmless, but Kian wasn't taking chances, especially when his mother was involved.

"William's crew installed two surveillance cameras in the mailroom overnight," Onegus said. "They made sure that no one saw them even enter the building, and the cameras they installed are tiny. The pranksters won't suspect a thing."

"You think it's just pranks?"

Onegus shrugged. "I judge things by the harm done, not by their moral implications, and the stolen items are cosmetics, some clothing items, and a jewelry box. None of the items is worth more than fifty bucks."

"So, our culprit is a female." Kian leaned back in his chair. "A male wouldn't have stolen such items."

Onegus lifted a brow. "Are you sure about that? Maybe a guy is collecting items to gift a female, or he wants to try them on himself. It seems to be in vogue now."

Kian shrugged. "I still remember when men wore wigs, stockings, and heeled shoes, painted blush on their cheeks, and used pomade to make their skin look whiter. Things come and go. This too shall pass."

"I don't know about that." Onegus rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Not that I care about who wears what and why, but it seems to me like a big, noisy smokescreen, so people focus on this and not that. You know what I mean?"

"I do, and I'm worried, but I can only deal with so many things at the same time, and right now, we need to find out what's happening under our noses because these small thefts and acts of sabotage could be a smokescreen too, or rather a smoking gun."

Onegus nodded. "William's crew is working on the malfunctioning shutters. They're checking every unit to determine if it's a design flaw or tampering.”

"It can't be a design flaw." Kian sighed. "Too many going bad at the same time."

"My money's on the Kra-ell teenagers," Onegus said bluntly. "They're bored out of their minds. People that age with no structure and no purpose, it’s a recipe for trouble."

"What do you suggest we do with them?" Kian asked.

Onegus leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Enroll them in the Guardian training program. Everyone sixteen and older who is not pursuing academic education should enroll. Give them something to work toward, a sense of accomplishment, pride, and belonging."

Kian's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You think that's wise? Sixteen is young."

Onegus lifted his hands. "Most of them are not interested in higher education, and fighting is in their blood. The older ones who joined are doing very well. I'm already using them to assist our rescue teams. We put them in tactical gear that hides their alien features and keep them in backup positions so they are not in direct contact with the victims we rescue. Our Guardians feel much safer having them defending their backs."

It might work, provided that the young Kra-ell wanted in. Forcing them would make them more resentful.

"Let's do it. But we need to be smart about this. We need to hype up the force so they will want to join, supervise them closely and have a zero-tolerance policy for any hint of trouble."

The Chief nodded. "I'll speak with Jade. She knows how to keep them in line."

"Apparently not, if they are running around perpetrating petty crimes."