Page 59 of Dark Awakening: Hidden Currents

"You mean the giants?"

Toven smiled. "Very good. The word Anakim was translated to mean giants, but the correct translation is immortals. I'm sure you are familiar with the Ankh, which most of the Egyptian gods are depicted holding."

Rob nodded. "It looks like a cross with a loop at the top."

"The symbol is referred to as the key of life or the breath of life. The Ankh symbolized life, both in this world and the afterlife, and was associated with deities, who were depicted holding it as a symbol of their life-giving power. Single—Anakh, plural— Anakhim. Does that make sense to you now?"

Strangely, it did, but as a fascinating lesson in etymology. It still didn't mean that the mythological gods had been real.

"Let's assume that you are right and that the correct translation should have been immortals and not giants. That still doesn't prove that the gods were real people. Besides, what does it have to do with me?"

Toven regarded him with an amused smile. "I'm one of those gods, and you and your sister are descendants of gods. We call carriers of godly genes Dormants, and we know how to activate those genes. Margo has already turned immortal, and now it is your turn."

Toven was insane, or the leader of some strange cult, or this was a dream.

Rob leaned over, grabbed the glass of whiskey his sister had put in front of him, and emptied it down his throat.

The burn felt too real for this to be a dream, and as he put the empty glass down on the table, he felt faint.

"I need to get some fresh air." He rose to his feet. "You'll have to excuse me for a moment, your divine highness." He mock-bowed to Toven.

The guy, or the god, chuckled. "Toven will suffice. I don't require any special honorifics."

Mia leaned toward her fiancé and whispered loudly, "I think Rob needs some proof. Show him your glow."

"Good idea."

A mischievous grin playing on his lips, Toven snapped his fingers, and as his skin started glowing, Rob's tenuous hold on reality disintegrated.

42

SYSSI

Syssi walked into Allegra's room and closed the door softly behind her. The nursery was peaceful, filled only with the soft sounds of Allegra's steady breathing.

Settling into the plush rocker in the corner, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths.

Opening herself to a vision was always a delicate process. It was like trying to slip through the cracks in reality. Too much blunt force, and she would bounce back, the crack closing and refusing further attempts. Too little, and she wouldn't make it through.

Over the years, she'd learned to find the balance and let her mind drift with just the right amount of guidance on her part, not too much and not too little, and at the same time, trying to maintain a tether to the present. The last was the most difficult to pull off. To summon a vision and slip through the cracks in space-time, she needed to let go as much as possible, but if she lost her tether to reality, she wouldn't be able to find her way back.

Trust, clear conscience, and good intentions were required as well.

She needed to trust the universe to keep her from harm, or she wouldn't let go enough to make it through. The clear conscience and good intentions were just a hypothesis, though. Since Syssi had never had a guilty conscience or harbored bad intentions, she couldn't test whether negativity would impact her ability.

All these thoughts delayed the onset of the vision, but she knew better than to try to push them aside. She had to let them flow through her and run their course until her mind quieted down and entered the receptive state.

As her breathing evened out and she entered a relaxed state that was very similar to the one between wakefulness and sleep, she felt the familiar sensation of the world falling away. Colors swirled behind her closed eyelids, formless at first, then slowly coalescing into shapes and scenes.

A vast expanse of sand stretched out before Syssi's mind's eye—an endless sea of golden dunes undulating to the horizon. The desert landscape shimmered under the relentless sun, its heat almost palpable even though she was just a specter, viewing the scene but not a part of it.

Nevertheless, she felt the dry, scorching wind against her skin and the fine grains of sand that seemed to permeate everything. The air was thick with the scent of sunbaked earth and ancient stone, but she was probably just imagining it based on what she was seeing.

Smell was unusual in visions.

In the distance, jagged mountains rose from the desert floor, their rocky peaks jutting into the cloudless sky like the spineof some great slumbering dragon. Their shadows stretched long across the sand, offering some respite from the sun's glare.

As her vision swept across the landscape, Syssi noticed the ruins of an ancient settlement half-buried by the surrounding dunes. Crumbling stone walls and broken columns peeked out from beneath the wavy sand, a silent testament to a long-gone civilization.