Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

6. Ell-rom

6

ELL-ROM

" Y ou did great," Jasmine said as they entered the lobby. "You are not even short of breath."

Shortness of breath had not been an issue. Ell-rom's leg and back muscles were.

He couldn't wait to sit down and have something to drink, but he was adamant about making it to the penthouse without voicing a single complaint.

The morning walk outside had been Julian's idea, and the medic had entrusted Jasmine to supervise Ell-rom and make sure he rested every so often. It had been lovely to experience the world outside and note all the things he had missed on his first walk.

As they entered the penthouse, Ell-rom was surprised to see two unfamiliar people sitting on the couch in the living room.

A tall, lean man with light hair and intelligent eyes sat next to a petite brunette whose smile seemed to light up the room.

Jasmine's face broke into a grin of recognition. "Shai! What a pleasant surprise." She turned to Ell-rom. "Ell-rom, this is Shai, Kian's assistant."

Shai rose to his feet and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ell-rom. We've all heard so much about you."

Ell-rom returned the handshake, noting that Shai's grip was firm and confident. "The pleasure is mine," he said, the greeting still feeling slightly foreign on his tongue.

He was sure that the Kra-ell used a different form of greeting or none at all. It was one more question he intended to pose to Jade once he secured an audience with her.

The petite brunette stood as well, her eyes sparkling with barely contained excitement. "I'm Geraldine," she said, her voice as bubbly as her demeanor. "I'm Shai's mate, and I hope you don't mind that I tagged along. I absolutely twisted Shai's arm to let me come because I've been dying to meet you and couldn't wait for you to arrive at the village."

She spoke so fast that there was a slight delay in the translation, but her friendly demeanor and bubbly personality more than compensated for that.

"I don't mind at all," Ell-rom assured her. "I'm glad you insisted on coming to see me. I love meeting new people."

Geraldine's smile widened. "I'm not just people. We are family, Ell-rom. I'm Toven's daughter, and my brother is married to Annani's eldest daughter."

Family was a concept Ell-rom was still getting used to. "The more relatives, the better."

Shai chuckled, wrapping an arm around Geraldine's waist. "I hope you're ready for a lot of them, then."

"As I said, the more the better."

As they settled on the couch and armchairs, Geraldine kept talking about the different members of their extended family: her daughters, their mates, and the grandson, who was some kind of a prodigy. Ell-rom found himself drawn to her vibrant energy.

"So, Ell-rom." Geraldine leaned forward conspiratorially. "How are you finding life here on Earth?"

The real answer would be that he hadn't had a life before waking up from stasis, so this was the only life he had ever known, but that wasn't what Geraldine wanted to hear. "There's so much to learn, so much to discover, but I couldn't be happier about being here." He turned to Jasmine. "My truelove mate was waiting for me, and the Fates led her to me."

"Oh dear." Geraldine put her small hand over her chest. "That's so romantic."

"But true." Jasmine leaned over to kiss his cheek before pushing to her feet. "I'll get us some refreshments. Any special requests?"

"Just water for me," Geraldine said.

Shai smiled. "I don't want to trouble you. I came to deliver a laptop and a phone to Ell-rom and to explain how they work." He pulled two sleek-looking devices from his bag. "These are for you." Shai handed them to Ell-rom. "They've been specially configured for your needs."

"Hold that thought," Jasmine said. "Don't start before I'm back with the refreshments. I want to hear about those special configurations."

Ell-rom took the devices, marveling at their smooth surfaces and compact designs. He'd seen Jasmine operating a phone and a laptop, but he hadn't paid much attention to either because everything was written in English, which he couldn't read.

They waited for Jasmine to return from the kitchen, and after everyone had taken a few sips of water, Shai took the laptop back from Ell-rom.

"You are probably wondering how you will operate the devices without being able to read any of the standard languages that come with most programs."

Ell-rom nodded. "The language problem has occurred to me."

Shai took a sip of water and then put the glass back down. "That is why William's team, in cooperation with Vrog, a hybrid Kra-ell who is fluent in both languages, has created an interactive artificial intelligence course for teaching English to Kra-ell speakers. It has already been tested on Kra-ell living in the village, and it was a success."

"That's awesome," Jasmine said.

"It is." Shai placed the laptop on the coffee table. "It responds to voice commands in both languages, and it is ready to go." He turned to Ell-rom. "Give it a try."

Ell-rom leaned forward. "Hi," he said.

"Hello, I am Kra-en. What is your name?"

Ell-rom looked at Shai. "Is it safe?"

Shai nodded. "We are not connected directly to the internet. You can say whatever you want to your teacher."

"My name is Ell-rom."

"Nice to meet you, Ell-rom. What is the first thing you would like to learn today?"

Amazed at how easy it was, Ell-rom turned to Shai. "Should I remove my earpieces while studying with Kra-en?"

Kian's assistant nodded. "It would be difficult to learn anything while they are activated."

"Isn't it amazing?" Geraldine asked. "The AI adapts to your learning style and pace."

Ell-rom grinned. "I can't wait to start using it."

Shai must have taken that as a dismissal because he rose to his feet and offered his hand to his mate. "It was nice meeting you, Ell-rom, but I cannot stay. I have a long list of tasks that still need to be done."

"Of course." Ell-rom stood up and offered his hand to Geraldine and then to Shai. "Thank you for the devices."

"You are most welcome," Shai said.

After they left, Jasmine guided him through the basic functions of the laptop and phone, but even though he tried to pay attention to her explanations, he was eager to return to his artificial intelligence teacher.

Eventually, Jasmine noticed and smiled fondly. "I can finish explaining later. I see that you can't wait to dive in."

"I'm sorry, but you are right."

"No problem." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Go, play with your new toy. Just don't forget to take out your earpieces."

He did as she suggested and then turned back to the device. "Hello, Kra-en. I'm back and ready to start."

The AI suggested that they start with the basics, learning the English alphabet.

"That's a good idea," Ell-rom agreed.

"A," the AI said, displaying the letter on the screen. "Can you repeat that, Ell-rom?"

"A," Ell-rom echoed.

As they continued through the alphabet, with the AI correcting his pronunciation and offering encouragement, Ell-rom found himself completely absorbed in the lesson.

The outside world faded away while he focused on mastering these new sounds and symbols, and he was so engrossed that he barely noticed when Jasmine leaned down and kissed his cheek.

"I'll be in our room," she said in her language, and Kra-en translated. "I'm going to do a tarot spread for Annani's lost mate."

He kissed her back. "Good luck."

As the lesson progressed, Ell-rom found himself marveling at the intricacies of the English language. It was so different from Kra-ell, with its own unique rhythms and patterns.

Time seemed to slip away as he worked through lesson after lesson. The AI adapted to his quick grasp of concepts, challenging him with increasingly complex words and phrases. Before he knew it, he was forming simple sentences.

"I am Ell-rom," he said, the words still halting but recognizable.

"Excellent work, Ell-rom!" the AI praised. "Your progress is remarkable."

Excitement thrummed in Ell-rom's chest. This was tangible progress, a big step towards integrating into this new world.