Page 20 of Dark Princess: Shadows

The voice continued its tale, unaware of her internal struggle. "And so, my dear princess, the lovers were forced to part. Buttheir love lived on, a ray of hope in a world that sought to extinguish it. Some say that even now, centuries later, their spirits seek each other out, destined to find one another in every lifetime."

Despite herself, Morelle felt a pang in her chest at the bittersweet ending. It was beautiful and tragic, even if it was just a myth.

Real life was never as poetic as legends and myths tried to make it. Real life was mostly devoted to the mundane task of maintaining one's physical body, producing the next generation of beings, and for the Kra-ell, dying honorably in battle to gain for their soul admittance to the Fields of the Brave.

As the story came to a close, Morelle sensed a shift in the atmosphere around her. The male sighed, and she imagined him running a hand through his hair.

"I wonder if you can hear me, Princess," he said. "I like to think you can. That somewhere in there, you're listening, maybe even enjoying my tales."

Oh, if only he knew.

Morelle wanted to reach out and grab his hand to assure him that, yes, she was listening, and yes, she was enjoying his stories.

Well, most of them. She preferred the ones about epic battles and great technological achievements. The silly myths and legends about lovers were entertaining, but they also made her angry for some reason.

Still, all his stories served to anchor her, keeping her from drifting too far into the abyss.

"You know," he continued with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I've never had such an attentive audience. It's rather addictive, I must say. I could get used to a captive listener who doesn't interrupt or check their communication device every so often."

He was joking, and Morelle liked that he could do that at his own expense. It took confidence to do so. She wondered what he looked like and what sort of expressions crossed his face as he spun his tales.

"I will step out for a little bit to stretch my legs, but I'll be back soon with more stories. You might think that I have exhausted my repertoire, but I have plenty more. I've lived for a long time and accumulated enough stories to keep talking for years without pause."

Morelle felt a surge of panic at the thought of him leaving. His voice had become her constant, her guide. Without it, she might drift back into the void and get lost again.

Redoubling her efforts to move, to give some sign that she was aware, she focused all her will on her hand, imagining her fingers moving.

For the briefest instant, she thought she felt something, a twitch, a spark of connection between mind and body, but as quickly as it came, it was gone.

She was trapped.

"Dream of happier endings than the one in my tale, Princess. When you wake up, we'll write a new story together, one of hope and new beginnings."

At the sound of retreating footsteps, Morelle felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. The effort of trying to break free ofher body's prison had drained her, leaving her mental landscape fuzzy and indistinct.

She drifted again, caught between the vivid memories of her mother's revelations and the lingering echoes of the storyteller's voice. In this hazy realm, past and present blurred, reality and myth intertwined.

Morelle saw flashes of her childhood, the dark corridors of the temple, the whispered conversations with Ell-rom, and the constant fear of discovery. They had felt so alone, ignored by their mother, but now, armed with new knowledge, she understood the depth of her mother's sacrifice and what it had taken for her to save their lives.

15

ANNANI

As Kian and Annani returned to the table, Annani wondered how to begin telling her family about Ell-rom's ability. It was not the sort of thing she could just casually drop into the conversation.

Oh, by the way, your uncle might be able to kill with his thoughts. We are still trying to confirm his ability and figure out how it works, but we wanted you to be aware of this.

Now that Annani had verbalized it in her head, it actually did not sound that bad. She and Kian agreed that he would explain what had happened when Jasmine had been mugged, but Annani would introduce the topic at a convenient moment.

She wanted to wait until dessert was served, but the tension was robbing her of enjoying this meal with her family, and she wanted to get it done.

Annani put her fork and knife down, lifted the napkin to dab at her lips, and then put it down. "My dear children, by birth and by mate-hood, there is something I need to share with you. It mightbe a little premature since Kian and I do not have all the details yet, but I prefer not to keep this from you until we do."

"What is it?" Amanda cast her a worried look.

"It is about Ell-rom and a special ability he might have." She turned to Kian. "Would you like to explain how it came to light?"

Kian nodded. "It's not what you think. So far, Ell-rom hasn't manifested any compulsion ability, but to be perfectly frank with you, I expect him to develop it in the near future. We know that the trait is hereditary and that it usually comes from the father. Our mother inherited it from Ahn, but none of us have it because our fathers were all human and had no paranormal talents. Mother, Ell-rom, and Morelle are all the children of Ahn, so I expect Ell-rom and Morelle to have inherited the ability."

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