Page 11 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Heart
Syssi chuckled. “Perhaps the stories about the special foods that the gods consumed and humans were prohibited from touching were not myths any more than the existence of the gods.”
“I am not aware of any such elixir,” Annani said. “But then, I was not privy to most of my father's secrets.”
Leaning back, Kian crossed his arms over his chest. “Syssi's visions might be vague, but they usually try to tell us something. We were hoping that you would help us make sense of this one. Anything else you can think of that will make its meaning clearer?”
Annani pursed her lips. “The lack of technology could signal that it was a place of worship, which means that the goddess you saw was a priestess. That would also correspond to her giving the couple a blessing.”
“Maybe the shrine was on one of Anumati's colonies,” Kian said. “And that was why there was no artificial lighting.”
Syssi shook her head. “I doubt the gods living in those colonies would have agreed to forgo such conveniences. They are not exiles like the rebel gods sent to Earth.”
Annani
As Kian and Syssi looked at her, Annani shrugged. “My guess is as good as yours as to the location of your vision and what it tried to show you. Do not forget that I was born on Earth, and as I said before, my father did not share information about Anumati with me.” Annani leveled her gaze on Syssi. “You said that you induced the second vision. Did you induce the first one as well?”
“With the first one, I meditated and asked to be shown things that might help us with the newcomer gods. I don't know what the vision was trying to tell me, though.”
“And the second time?” Annani prompted.
“I wanted an explanation for the first one.” She scrunched her nose. “I just remembered something that I forgot to mention about the first vision. The goddess wore a gold necklace, a medallion with a design I couldn't see, probably because of her intense glow. I wonder if the two goddesses are really as luminous as I saw them or was it the nature of the visions to obscure their features.”
“There is obviously a connection between the two goddesses.” Annani refilled her teacup and took a sip. “I also think their luminosity in real life is not as bright as in your visions. Since you are not remote viewing, and what you see is not like a movie but an interpretation of the information the vision is feeding your mind, you might have created the glow to symbolize something. Maybe the two goddesses are sisters, or both are royalty, or maybe they are both rebel sympathizers. The only ones who can provide us with any clarity are the three gods currently residing in Kian's old penthouse.” She turned to her son. “I want to talk to them.”
He shook his head. “That's a very bad idea. What if you look like your grandfather, and they immediately recognize you as his heir?”
She smiled. “Why would that be a bad thing, my son? Only mere moments ago, you and Syssi wanted me to pick up the banner and challenge my grandfather's rule. To do so, I must first be recognized as the legitimate heir.”
Kian opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. “I didn't say that. I don't want him to know that you exist.”
“Of course not. You are always worried about my safety. I appreciate that, and most of the time I humor you, but not this time. I need to speak with these gods.”
“Why? You can make a list of questions, and I'll ask them for you. You can even speak with them on the phone and ask them yourself.”
She smiled. “I want to see their response to me and my glow. That cannot be done via a phone call or a messenger. It is also why I want to meet all three, not just their leader. Negal and Dagor might be less guarded than Aru.”
Kian shook his head. “The moment your grandfather learns of your existence, he might choose to eradicate the entire planet just to get rid of you. Even if Aru and his teammates are trustworthy, they will get picked up in a hundred and fifteen years, and there is very little chance that they will be able to keep you a secret.”
Leaning back, Annani regarded her son with an indulgent smile. “You are overthinking everything, Kian. If I had done that when I started out on my mission, there would be no clan, and humans would have been centuries or even thousands of years away from developing the technologies they have today. Sometimes, you need to follow your gut and take a risk. Aru, his teammates, and an entire patrol ship housing thousands of warriors, scientists, and other crew members are part of the resistance, and yet they managed to fly under the radar of the Eternal King.”
“We only have Aru's word for that. What if he lied?”
“Andrew can talk to him,” Syssi offered. “I don't know whether his gift works on gods, but it's worth a try. You can also get Edna to probe him.”
Annani nodded. “Please do both and schedule a meeting. I am sure that Onegus needs time to prepare, and I want to meet them before we sail in two and a half weeks.”
Kian was so pale that Annani feared he would faint, but she had to draw a line in the sand somewhere. It was not that she thought his fear for her was exaggerated or uncalled for, but she had not gotten to where she was by living in a panic room.
Well, that was not entirely true.
The sanctuary was the most secure panic room on the planet, but Annani refused to spend her entire life there.
She would perish from boredom.
Unlike Kian, Syssi was grinning. “After the meeting, we can invite Aru, Gabi and his friends on the cruise. It would be a wonderful opportunity for them to meet everyone. I'm so excited.”
Kian groaned. “I'm starting to regret this whole thing. The ship is fully armed now and can defend itself from Navuh but not from the might of the gods.”
Leaning forward, Annani tried to reach for his hand, but he was sitting too far away and had to meet her halfway. “The Eternal King is many light years away, and by the time any of his forces could get here, our beautiful ship will probably be rusting in the junkyard or wherever they retire old ships to. In the meantime, I refuse to live in fear. I will meet with these three gods and invite them to join us on the cruise myself.”