Page 42 of Dark Destiny: The Turning Of The Loom

"May we join you?" he asked.

"Please." As Khiann shifted to make room, Ell-rom sat beside him, and Jasmine sat on his other side.

For a long moment, no one spoke, and the silence felt awkward. He still did not know enough about them, despite the many hours Annani had spent filling his head with more information than it could absorb.

"You look younger than I expected," Ell-rom said. "I guess I built you up in my head, forgetting that you were only twenty when you entered stasis."

Khiann regarded the half-Kra-ell male and wondered whether the Kra-ell aged differently than gods. Gods and immortals reached their peak and stopped aging. The only way to assess their maturity was the look in their eyes and the way they spoke.

Ell-rom sounded like a very old god or immortal, but from what Annani had told Khiann, he had to assume the twins were very young when their mother smuggled them aboard the settler ship. She could not have risked leaving them in the temple for too long.

"I was not much older when I entered the stasis chamber," Ell-rom said as if guessing what Khiann was thinking and then glanced at his sister. "If not for Morelle, I wouldn't have known that."

"Annani told me that you also lost your memories in stasis," Khiann said.

"Most of them. I have small pieces." Ell-rom smiled. "Watch out for the dreams. That's where most of my pieces came from. Morelle told me the rest. We were never apart growing up, so I have a witness." He cast his sister a fond glance. "You have Annani to remind you of your life."

Khiann nodded. "Regrettably, the men who were swallowed by the ground alongside me have no one to tell them who they were. One of them remembers his name, but not much more than that, and the other three do not even have that. The healers named them, and later I helped them choose names from a list Esag prepared. Do you know Esag?"

Ell-rom nodded. "The carver. Morelle commissioned a figurine of our mother from him. First, though, she had Tim draw a portrait based on her description. That way I also got the visuals."

Khiann turned to Annani. "I have not visited Esag's shed yet. Perhaps he carved my parents so I can see what they looked like."

Annani's eyes grew sad. "He has them and many others. He made it his mission to immortalize them in wood and stone. But having Tim draw their portraits from my descriptions is a wonderful idea. I shall hire him to draw my parents' portraits as well." She smiled. "It will make it easier to visualize when I tell you stories about them."

"I would like that. How good is this artist you refer to?"

"Exceptional," Annani said. "We have found several missing people thanks to Tim's drawings. The only problem is dealing with him while he works. He is sarcastic, entitled, and turning immortal did not improve him much. I blame Hildegard for that."

"Hildegard?" Khiann asked. "The nurse?"

"Yes," Annani confirmed. "They share the same twisted humor, and she encourages him."

"Is Tim Hildegard's mate?"

"Of course," Annani laughed. "It is so like me to skip the most important part. Tim's talent made him a suspected Dormant, but Kian hesitated to offer him a shot at immortality because of his bad attitude. In the end, he caved, and Tim transitioned. Hildegard took care of him, and they discovered they had a lot in common."

"A nice love story," Jasmine said. "I just love happy endings."

"So do I." Annani looked at Khiann, and he wished she would come sit next to him, but Ell-rom had taken her spot, and there was no more room on the couch.

If he could, he would have risen to his feet and walked over to sit with her in the armchair, which was easily big enough for two. The wheeled chair was parked right next to him, so he could have done it, but he would not because the awkward maneuvering would be too embarrassing in front of the guests.

"Did you remember who you were?" he asked Ell-rom instead. "I mean as a person, not what you did for a living."

"Not really," Ell-rom said. "I didn't even know whether I was good or bad." He turned to Jasmine and took her hand. "My mate convinced me I was good long before Morelle woke up and confirmed it."

Morelle rose to her feet and walked over to examine the motorized chair.

"Does it go fast?" She put her hand on the stick.

"Careful," Annani warned. "You do not want to bump into furniture."

"Or destroy Khiann's mode of transportation," Brandon added.

"It can go pretty fast," Khiann said. "As fast as those carts you have in the village."

"Can I try it?"