Page 13 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind
"But Kalugal does," Mia said. "His compulsion even works on other immortals, which is a big deal, but he is not as powerful as Toven."
Ani
"Will there be anything else, Your Majesty?" Lileth asked after turning Ani's bed down.
"No, thank you. You may leave."
"Good night, my queen." Her maid bowed and retreated from the room, walking backward as was customary for servants when leaving the presence of a royal.
It occurred to Ani that the nobles should do the same. Although most of the backstabbing was political in nature, assassinations usually happened off the planet, on one of the colonies where locals could be blamed. It was never prudent to turn one's back on the vipers in court.
That was the main reason Ani never left Anumati to visit the colonies, even though it was one of her queenly duties. Getting rid of her was not politically beneficial to her husband, but even though he kept her in the dark about most of his machinations, she still knew too much for his comfort.
With a sigh, Ani walked to the window and peered outside at the city below.
The beauty of it never ceased to move her despite the many thousands of years she'd been gazing at it from her palace quarters.
Bioluminescent flora cast a serene glow over the subterranean city, mimicking a starry sky, and the buildings that were carved from the very bedrock were aglow with the soft light of embedded crystals. Bridges arched over chasms, connecting districts that, during designated daylight hours, burst with activity.
In the center of the palace's plaza, terraced pools cascaded in a series of concentric circles, each level pouring into the next. The water, which was infused with minerals, gleamed like flowing silver, reflecting the luminescent glow from above and around.
The lush gardens surrounding the terraced pools had been cultivated to flourish in the bioluminescent light, their leaves and petals shimmering in hues of emerald, sapphire, and amethyst.
Stone pathways meandered through the gardens, dotted with benches positioned to afford the best views of the pools and the flora, and along the edges, luminous orbs hung from the sculpted archways, providing soft light to complement the natural bioluminescence.
If not for the many sculptures depicting the Eternal King that dotted the gardens, it would have been Ani's favorite place to stroll through, but it was impossible to walk more than twenty paces without bumping into her husband's likeness.
For the sake of appearances, several statues were dedicated to pivotal figures in Anumati's history, and there were even three of her, but the one of Ahn had been demolished after his exile and replaced by one more of the king.
From her window high up, though, Ani could only see the tops and could still enjoy the beauty of the plaza.
The gardens extended beyond the palace, and a river surrounded the gardens, with bridges connecting it to the rest of the city. It was wide enough to make jumping over impossible even for a Kra-ell, and any attempt to swim through or fly over would have been dealt with by the patrol drones.
Only those with legitimate business in the palace were allowed through the checkpoints, and the scanners verified that no contraband or uninvited guests got smuggled in.
Still, it didn't mean that assassinating the king was impossible. If Ani put her mind to it, she could probably pull it off, but that was premature. His hold over Anumati was such that his elimination would plunge it into chaos, and as a historian, Ani knew the horrors that could and would ensue.
The resistance needed to replace the king with an equally competent ruler and to make the transition smooth, the new queen or king had to be a descendant of the king. Ani's royal bloodline was ancient, but it would be much more difficult for her to take the throne than it would be for El's granddaughter.
Ani was popular and capable, but at least half of Anumatians would not accept her as the Eternal Queen. She might be able to hold things together for a short time, but she lacked El's charisma and political genius to cement her rule for eternity.
Did her granddaughter have what was needed?
Even if Annani had all of her grandfather's attributes, she would still need massive training in Anumati's complicated politics, and the only one who could provide it was Ani.
Could she do that from afar?
Communicating through the telepathic twins was an incredible advantage that Ani wished had been available to her when Ahn was still alive, but it was cumbersome. To teach Annani what she needed to know, Ani would have to teach Sofri, who would need to teach Aria, who would have to teach Aru, who would need to teach Annani.
There was no way it would work.
Could Annani learn what she needed just from watching pivotal moments in Anumati's past and reading Ani's records?
The team of historians working for her did a great job recording events, but she doubted reading about them would be enough for Annani to understand her grandfather's special gifts.
Most of the Eternal King's opponents assumed that his incredible compulsion ability was the main ingredient in his success, and possibly it was, but it wasn't the only one. El had something extra that was beyond charisma and charm. It was that nameless extra quality that had blinded Ani to his real nature when she had agreed to the arranged mating, but the truth was that she would have mated El even if she had known his true nature.
The union between them solidified Anumati and allowed it to prosper. Ani represented the noble families controlling the manufacturing conglomerates, and the king needed them on his side, which was why she did not fear assassination.