Page 52 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

"That's amazing," Amanda said. "I understand the need for secrecy given that you are part of the resistance, and I assume that your sister is part of it too, but why was it necessary when you were growing up?"

Aru sighed. "Duos like ours are hunted on Anumati. The Eternal King does not want a mode of communication that he cannot tap into. We are either recruited to work for the king or sent to a colony to meet with unfortunate accidents. Aria and I were lucky that our connection bloomed when we were old enough to understand that we should keep it a secret. But that's just the tip of the iceberg, as the Earth saying goes. The queen of Anumati discovered Aria and me a long time ago and recruited us to work for her.

"My sister serves the Supreme Oracle, who is the queen's closest friend and coconspirator, and I was inserted into the interstellar fleet and through careful maneuvering stationed on the patrol ship bound for this sector.

"The queen hoped to find some survivors who could tell her what had really happened on Earth and how her only son had died, but she didn't expect to find a living granddaughter, her son's only legitimate heir, and therefore the only legitimate heir to the throne of Anumati."

Aru turned to Annani. "Would you like to tell the rest of the story?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Aru. I can take it from here."

38

ARU

As Aru sagged in his chair, Gabi reached for his hand and squeezed it.

Hearing himself talk about his connection with his sister had been terrifying, and his confession hadn't brought about any of the relief he had expected.

The cruise had done what Kian and the heir had hoped for, which was to bring Aru and his teammates into the fold without inviting them to join the immortals' community. By now, they were almost like family to him, and he knew he would do everything to protect them, like he had done everything he could to protect Aria, but he still felt as if he had betrayed her even though he had not.

Well, maybe he had.

He hadn't asked the queen's permission to tell all of Annani's children, their mates, and his own mate about the communications between the queen and her granddaughter, which was most likely the most important secret in all of Anumati and its countless colonies.

The resistance needed the queen, and it needed Annani to step into her grandfather's shoes after he had been forced to vacate them. But the truth was that they would need the help of all of Annani's children to achieve that, and it couldn't be done without letting them in on the secret.

The Clan Mother, as the royal heir of Anumati liked to be referred to, scanned her children's faces. "The Queen, my grandmother, was delighted to find out about me. She suggested that we meet through Aru and Aria, who would function as the channel between us. We have had two such meetings so far, both at one o'clock in the morning, which necessitated Kian and Aru leaving the celebrations before they were over." She glanced at her daughter-in-law. "Syssi knew about Aru and Aria from a vision she had about the queen and her best friend, the Supreme Oracle. Once she saw Aria's face, it was clear to her that she was Aru's twin sister, and the rest of the puzzle pieces fell into place. That is why she joined our meetings and transcribed by hand what was being said so nothing would be lost."

The heir paused, letting her words sink in.

"The queen of Anumati," Orion murmured, "hundreds of light years away, is talking to you here on Earth. What did she tell you?"

"In the first meeting, she asked me many questions, probably to assess my worth. Our second meeting was used by the queen for a broad history review of Anumati, which was a little more political in nature than what Aru already shared with us. She intends to continue the overview tonight, and then go back and describe things in more detail."

"To what end?" Sari asked. "Just for your general knowledge?"

Sari was a smart female, and she must have guessed what was behind the queen's interest in her granddaughter. Aru's emphasis on her being the only legitimate heir to the Anumati throne must have given that away.

The Clan Mother nodded. "The queen wants me to learn all there is to know about Anumati's social structure, its politics and economy. Her plan is to impart an intimate knowledge of the main movers and shakers, so one day, when the resistance manages to take down the Eternal King, I can take over and prevent chaos from destroying Anumati. The population will accept me as a rightful ruler, and the transition of power will be smooth."

"That's insane," Alena said. "Why did you allow her to convince you to take part in this?"

The Clan Mother sighed. "I did not commit to anything yet. I do not wish to rule, but I am starting to realize that if I refuse, I may be condemning the people of Anumati, along with all the hybrid species they have created over millions of years, to endless war and chaos, which would happen if the resistance takes down the king and there is no one to replace him who can unite them. Still, it might take thousands of years of resistance to get to that point, and in the meantime, I am worried about what my grandfather will do to Earth once humans advance beyond what he is comfortable with. This is a male who had no qualms about killing his own children. Do you think that he would hesitate even for a millisecond before he gives the order to destroy Earth?" Her voice rose in power as she got emotional. "The only way to save Earth is to take him down before he finds out, and that means that I have to push the timeline of the resistance."

"How long have you known?" Amanda directed her question at Kian.

"Not long."

"Before the cruise or during?" Amanda asked.

"During. Aru told me first."

"You should have insisted that we all learn of it as soon as you found out," Amanda said. "It was wrong to keep it from us."

"I know, but it wasn't my call."

Amanda turned a pair of angry eyes at Aru. "Thank you for finally confiding in us, but I truly don't understand why you felt the need to keep it from me and my sisters. Once you told Kian and our mother, there was no point in hiding it from us."

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