Page 41 of Dark Witch: Entangled Fates

The simple truth was that the underprivileged were usually far too preoccupied with the daily struggles of earning a living and providing for their families to have the time or resources to organize a rebellion.

"Each of the royal families amassed their own power bases," Aru continued. "Alliances and coalitions were forged, consolidating their power primarily through strategic marriages between the leading houses. It was an imperfect system, but it worked."

Aru went on to relay the queen's explanation of how the ruling families installed vast networks of administrators who were tasked with overseeing public affairs and enforcing the dictates set forth by their masters. While each dynastic conglomerate had its own particular set of laws and customs, there was a great deal of commonality between them. By and large, the system functioned adequately, and the majority of the population, commoners included, enjoyed a reasonable degree of prosperity.

"But periodically, the leaders of one faction or another would grow dissatisfied with their allotted share of wealth and power." Aru paused for a moment. "Or they would feel slighted by some real or imagined offense from their rivals. In such cases, localized conflicts would erupt, disrupting the peace. In an effort to break the cycle of internecine violence, the heads of two of the most influential royal houses convened a summit, where they conceived of a governing council intended to serve as a forum for the peaceful resolution of disputes. They presented their idea to the heads of the other families, who agreed to the proposition, and thus the first Anumati Council was born.

"Each family was granted the right to appoint a single representative to the Council, regardless of their relative wealth, territorial holdings, or the size of the population under their dominion."

"A surprisingly egalitarian provision," Annani said, "given the generally oligarchic nature of the power structure. I wonder how effectively it worked in practice."

Aru nodded. "Her Majesty believes this is a suitable place to conclude for today. She has provided you with a broad overview, which she will continue to expand upon in the subsequent meetings. After that, she intends to circle back and delve into more specific aspects of Anumati's sociopolitical evolution. Are there any other questions you would like to present before we adjourn?"

Annani glanced at her son, knowing that he would not like what she was about to ask next, but she was going to ask it anyway. "Actually, my question is more in the nature of a request. I was hoping that the Supreme Oracle might be able to shed some light on a particular event from our own history, one that has haunted me for millennia."

She braced herself as she awaited the response, hoping against hope that the oracle might be able to help her.

"The oracle would love to help, but regrettably, Earth is shielded from her sight," Aru relayed. "She cannot penetrate the barrier to glimpse its past or future."

Annani's heart sank, but she had expected as much. The queen had said so last night, but Annani had hoped that there was a loophole she could use. "Is it certain that this limitation applies to all of Anumati's oracles?"

"I am afraid so, my dear granddaughter," Aru relayed the queen's answer. "But I am curious to hear what you wanted Sofringhati to divine for you."

Annani cast another glance at Kian, and given his somber expression, he knew what she wanted to ask. "After your revelation about the assassins the king sent to kill my father and the realization that Mortdh might not have been the one responsible for the annihilation of my people, it occurred to me that perhaps he was not responsible for my Khiann's death either. For five thousand years, I have been haunted by the horrific account of my mate's supposed demise at Mortdh's hands, an account I have never before had any cause to doubt. But now I cannot help but question it."

She closed her eyes against the sudden sting of tears. "My father made numerous attempts to placate Mortdh and defuse his hostile intentions. When all of those overtures failed, I fear Ahn may have resorted to a far more ruthless stratagem. He dared not have Mortdh assassinated outright, for it would have been all too clear who was behind the act. But if he could convincingly lay the death of a god at Mortdh's feet, the effect would be much the same in terms of neutralizing the threat."

Annani's hands curled into fists. "Ahn was a cold and calculating ruler, as you well know. But I refuse to believe that he would have conspired to murder my mate solely for the purpose of framing Mortdh. What I suspect is that the witnesses who originally reported Khiann's death to my father may have simply informed him that my love and his retinue had fallen victim to the catastrophic earthquake that cleaved the desert. My father might have seized the opportunity and compelled the witnesses into claiming Mortdh had murdered Khiann in cold blood. That is what I hoped the Oracle could ascertain. Because if Mortdh did not, in fact, behead my beloved, then there is a chance, however small, that Khiann still lives. He might be in stasis, trapped beneath the desert sands, waiting for me to find him and bring him home."

Annani's voice broke on the last word, and in her peripheral vision, she registered Kian shaking his head.

If Kian had known Ahn, he would have realized that exploiting his own daughter's devastation for political gain was absolutely consistent with his character.

She could just imagine her father rationalizing it to her mother, saying that Annani's grief would make the deception all the more believable. He would have added that he had raised his daughter to be resilient and that, in time, she would recover from the loss.

It was even possible that he had intended to send a search party for Khiann once the threat of Mortdh had been eliminated but never got the chance to do it because of the assassins the Eternal King, his own father, had sent to kill him.

Such an ugly tangle.

"The Supreme Oracle sends her deepest regrets," Aru said. "She would gladly scour the desert sands in search of your mate were such a thing within her power, but the veiling of Earth has ever been an inviolable barrier to her sight."

Annani swallowed past the lump in her throat and nodded. "I understand. Please convey my gratitude to Queen Ani for the fascinating lesson in Anumati's history and let her know how eagerly I await our next session."

31

KIAN

As Aru's telepathic connection with his sister ended, Kian turned his gaze to his mother. She avoided his eyes, but he could see the stiffness of her shoulders and the stubborn tilt of her chin.

Annani feared that he would dismiss this latest theory of hers as more wishful thinking and quash her hope again.

The prophecy she'd gotten five thousand years ago had kept that flicker of hope alive in her throughout the millennia, despite all the evidence stacked against it. He knew that, even though his mother didn't talk about it. Or maybe she did, just not with him. Perhaps she'd confided in Alena.

The thing was, she should have trusted him to be open-minded and listen to her because what she had told the queen actually made perfect sense. In fact, he couldn't understand how none of them had ever considered the possibility of Ahn manipulating the witnesses.

His grandfather had been a powerful compeller and a ruthless leader. If he wanted to eliminate the threat of Mortdh, Khiann's untimely demise in the earthquake would have provided him with the perfect opportunity to frame Mortdh as his murderer.

Kian couldn't understand how Ahn could have been so cruel to Annani, but then he himself was very different from his grandfather. He would never have sacrificed his own daughter on the altar of politics.

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