Page 25 of Dark Rebel's Mystery

MORELLE

Morelle was fascinated by the toy representation of Annani's living room that Allegra had created. She and Evie sat on a thick mat spread across the floor, oblivious to the adults around them.

Watching them play was heartwarming. The girls were so serious about the toy furniture and dolls, which Allegra was arranging to mimic the scene in the room she was in.

Morelle wondered which doll was supposed to represent whom.

None could match the regality Annani projected or Amanda's polished beauty, but she and Syssi were a little easier to portray using dolls that had been crafted by humans. It looked like so much fun that she was tempted to join the girls on the floor and play with their dolls, but it would be too embarrassing.

Perhaps some other time when she wasn't there to be tested.

It occurred to her that playtime could be even more fun for the girls with dolls that looked like the immortals, and perhaps Brandon could suggest it as a project to some of the creatives in the clan.

Was fashioning dolls a difficult thing to do?

Morelle had no idea. The more she learned, the greater her lack of knowledge seemed.

"I need to thank you," Syssi said, leaning over to kiss her cheek.

"For what?" Morelle turned to her, surprised by the sudden show of affection.

"For giving me and Amanda an excuse to take Fridays off work." Syssi's eyes sparkled with amusement. "We were already working half days on Fridays, but now that Amanda is obsessed with testing your abilities, she decided to change our schedule. We'll be working four days a week at the university, and Fridays will be dedicated to you."

"I'm honored," Morelle said. "And I would be delighted to spend more time with you and your girls." Her gaze drifted back to the children, noting how carefully they'd been positioned away from the fireplace.

The dangerous stone mantels had been replaced in every house that had children throughout the village, including Annani's, because she often entertained the little ones at her place.

"Come have tea," Annani called from the couch, gesturing toward the elegant spread on the coffee table that her Odus had prepared. Delicate sandwiches were arranged on silver platters, their crusts perfectly trimmed, accompanied by an assortment of small cakes that looked almost too beautiful to eat.

As Morelle settled beside her sister, she marveled at how wonderfully different life in the village was from her life in the temple. There, her and Ell-rom's meals had been eaten quickly and in silence, mostly in the animal enclosure. The Kra-ellsubsisted on blood, and no one in the temple complex needed food delivered to them other than the animals that were kept there as a convenient blood supply for the younger children and sometimes also for older ones when hunting was not possible for whatever reason. The Head Priestess had put Ell-rom and Morelle in charge of feeding the animals, so they could eat the fruits and berries that had been brought in as their feed. They often hid some of it under their robes to bring to their room, even though the priestess had forbidden it.

Here in Annani's village, eating was an occasion for gathering, for conversation, and for strengthening bonds.

"Are you nervous about today's testing?" Annani asked, pouring tea into fine china cups.

Morelle accepted her cup and inhaled the fragrant steam. "A little," she admitted. "Drawing on your power is intense." She glanced at her sister. "I will need to be very careful not to draw too much."

"Do not fear, Morelle." Annani's voice was firm but gentle. "I have more than enough to spare, and we need to understand the limits of your ability."

"I know you can spare it, but what if I can't contain it? What if I channel too much and hurt people or myself?"

Amanda had designed a series of tests to measure her ability on different weights and distances—how heavy an object Morelle could move and how far she could move it while drawing on different power sources. The scientist in Amanda wanted precise measurements in controlled conditions, and they both wanted safety, but Morelle wanted it above all other considerations, while Amanda was willing to take more risks.

"Good point." Annani lifted one of the tiny sandwiches off the plate. "I am glad that you are not as impulsive as I am. That you are careful."

"I have to be," Morelle said. "Amanda calls Ell-rom and me the Power Duo, but other than the danger of draining someone of their power or myself, I don't see how my ability could ever be useful. I can't bring down buildings or demolish bridges. I can only drain power from people I'm near, and I will never get close enough to the Eternal King to use it against him unless he comes to Earth, and I hope he never does."

The only reason her grandfather would do that was to find her and Ell-rom and kill them, but since he supposedly never soiled his own hands and preferred to send others to do it for him, the chances of him coming here in person were negligible.

Then again the Fates, or the Mother of All Life, had designed Ell-rom and her to have unique powers for a reason, so maybe that possibility wasn't as far-fetched as she thought.

Morelle set her teacup down and turned to Syssi. "I have a question. Would it be possible for you to have a vision about the Eternal King and whether he has any notion of ever visiting Earth?"

Syssi looked thoughtful, absently stirring her tea. "I could try." She looked up. "It's so strange that Earth is hidden from the seers on Anumati, but Anumati is not hidden from me."

"I wondered about that." Morelle leaned forward. "Why do you think that is?"

"It is the Fates' doing." Annani set her cup down. "The blocking seems to work only one way. Like a one-way mirror."

---