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

66. Ell-rom

66

ELL-ROM

A s the vehicle came to a stop, Ell-rom's heart rate accelerated.

The opaque windows had started clearing during the ride up, becoming see-through as Julian took over the wheel and eased the vehicle into a parking spot.

Kian and Syssi stood waiting, flanked by the two bodyguards who Ell-rom had started to think of as friends. Well, the redhead was friendly enough. Anandur, Ell-rom reminded himself of the guy's name. The other one, Brundar, remained as impassive as ever. Ell-rom wondered if the stoic Guardian ever spoke or showed emotion.

As Julian opened the ambulance doors, Ell-rom's gaze was drawn up to a banner hanging between two columns. The flowing script was Kra-ell, and it said welcome .

Syssi followed his gaze. "I asked a couple of Kra-ell ladies to prepare it for you. They're very excited to meet you."

Ell-rom felt a flutter of nervousness in his stomach. Why were they excited to meet him? What did the Kra-ell community expect of him?

Behind them, Julian and Gertrude began carefully maneuvering Morelle's gurney out of the ambulance, and Kian's bodyguards moved to assist.

When the bodyguards unloaded the luggage, Jasmine walked over to thank them. "I'm sorry for having so much stuff," she said while offering them a brilliant smile. "But I'm not just coming for a visit. Hopefully, I'm here to stay, so I brought my entire wardrobe and keepsakes with me." She turned to Syssi. "Assume the win, right? If I'm convinced that it will happen, it will."

Kian nodded approvingly. "That's the spirit. I think the Fates appreciate that kind of attitude, and if you have the Fates on your side, you have nothing to worry about."

The clan's belief in the Fates still baffled Ell-rom. He couldn't conceive of believing in anything other than the Mother of All Life, but eventually, he would have to accept faith in the Fates because that, too, was his heritage. Was it possible to combine the two?

Perhaps the Fates worked for the Mother of All Life?

He could think of them as her matchmakers, but it was hard to imagine the Mother bothering with something as trivial as that. She was a terrible deity, the giver and taker of life, the creator and destroyer of worlds.

Was that a memory or his own musings about the forces that controlled the universe?

He really needed to talk with Jade and learn more about his old life from her. She would have knowledge and first-hand experience that could fill in a lot of the gaps in his memory.

"We have a motorized cart with a driver waiting at the entrance to the pavilion," Kian said. "Gertrude and Julian will get Morelle settled in the clinic. Meanwhile, your belongings will be taken straight to my mother's house while we continue on foot to the celebration." He cast a glance at Jasmine's shoes. "It's not a long walk."

"How long are we going to stay with Annani?" Ell-rom asked.

"At least until Jasmine transitions. After that, we can give you your own place. There are plenty of vacant houses in the village for you to choose from."

Ell-rom didn't argue. The thought of being alone with Jasmine during her transition and not knowing what to expect or how to help her was daunting. Annani's support and guidance would be welcome.

"Why are there so many vacant homes?" Jasmine asked. "Did people leave?"

Syssi chuckled. "No one has left, but we've overbuilt, hoping for Sari and her people to move over here. They decided not to, and then the Kra-ell arrived and took over some of those homes, but there are still plenty left."

"It's for the future." Kian wrapped his arm around Syssi's shoulders. "I'm hoping for more Dormants to be found and more couples needing their own homes." He started walking. "We can talk about all this some other time. Everyone's waiting for you in the village square, so let's not make them wait too long."

"Everyone?" Ell-rom asked as he followed Kian and Syssi with Jasmine by his side.

"Most of the village residents are there," Kian clarified. "And Sari and David arrived last night and are eager to meet you and Morelle."

As they entered yet another elevator, Ell-rom felt a mix of excitement and nervousness building within him, with nervousness definitely taking the lead.

The ride up took longer than he had expected, and when the doors opened, he had to stifle a gasp.

They had emerged into a grand hall made entirely of glass, offering breathtaking views of the village beyond. Lush greenery, colorful flowerbeds, and majestic trees stretched as far as the eye could see.

"It's beautiful," Jasmine breathed, her hand clutching his with excitement.

Syssi smiled knowingly. "You have seen nothing yet."

As Kian had promised, a cart waited outside with another Guardian behind the wheel. He didn't wear a uniform, and neither did Kian's bodyguards, but by now, Ell-rom recognized the type. They were tall, burly, and moved with military efficiency.

While Brundar and Anandur loaded their luggage, Ell-rom took a moment to truly absorb his surroundings.

The air was fresh and clean, filled with the scent of flowers and grass. Birds chirped in the distance, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves. It was like stepping into a perfect, secluded paradise.

"The Fields of The Brave," he whispered.

Jasmine turned her head to look at him. "What did you say?"

"Fields of The Brave. That's where the heroes who fought bravely and fell in battle go."

Kian nodded. "Good. You are remembering more things from your life before stasis."

"I had hoped to remember more by now," Ell-rom admitted.

As they walked into the village proper, Kian pointed out various points of interest. The café was an open-air area with tables and chairs and a small building that housed the equipment and supplies. It was closed now for the ceremony, but it would open again early tomorrow morning, and Kian recommended Ell-rom and Jasmine visit it to get to know people. The two-story office building was right behind the café, and a single-story building next to it housed the clinic.

"Enjoy your party," Julian said as he turned Morelle's gurney toward the clinic.

Ell-rom felt a pang of worry as Julian and Gertrude took her away.

"She is in capable hands," Jasmine said quietly. "The same people who took care of her until now will keep taking care of her here. You have nothing to worry about."

As their group continued toward the village's main lawn, Ell-rom's breath caught when he saw the crowd waiting for them. Immortals and Kra-ell filled the wide expanse.

There were more decorations with banners in English this time, and he wished he'd devoted more time to his language studies in the past few days.

People waved and smiled, some whistling or calling out welcomes, but those were mostly immortals. The Kra-ell were more guarded, but they didn't appear hostile.

Still, it was overwhelming.

When Jasmine squeezed his hand, he wasn't sure if it was meant to reassure him or if she was feeling just as overwhelmed as he was.

At one side of the lawn stood a raised podium, and atop it, Ell-rom could see Annani waiting, her smile brilliant and reassuring even from a distance.

As Kian and Syssi led them toward her, Ell-rom felt as though he were walking in a dream.

The crowd parted to let them through, and Ell-rom could hear whispers of excitement and curiosity and comments about him and Jasmine, mostly complimentary.

As they neared the podium, Ell-rom's nervousness grew. He hadn't prepared anything to say, hadn't expected to be put on the spot like this. Thankfully, Jasmine had had the foresight to tell him to bring the teardrop so people who didn't have earpieces could understand him.

If he had more time, and if someone had told him that he would need to make a speech, he would have prepared one in English, but now all he could do was to pull out the teardrop, hang it around his neck, and activate it.

Jasmine gave his hand another reassuring squeeze. "You've got this, Ell-rom. Just be yourself."

As they reached the steps of the podium, he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.

Kian gestured for them to ascend, and Ell-rom felt as though his legs had turned to lead. With the eyes of the entire village upon them, each step seemed to take an eternity, but then they reached the top and were enveloped in the sphere of Annani's warmth and acceptance.