Dark Princess: Shadows (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance #89)

11. Morelle

11

MORELLE

M orelle drifted in dreamscape at the edge of consciousness, the soothing cadence of the voice that had become her nearly constant companion, a beckoning beacon. The world beyond her closed eyelids remained frustratingly out of reach, but within the confines of her mind, vivid scenes played out with startling clarity.

One moment, she was lost in the fantastical tales spun by the velvet-voiced stranger, his words painting landscapes of wonder and intrigue, peppering her imagination with heroes and villains from Earth's rich history—and the next, she found herself swept away by visions of her mother, so vivid and real that Morelle couldn't be certain if they were memories or elaborate constructs of her subconscious mind.

As if summoned by her thoughts, her mother's face swam into focus, regal and beautiful, her expression soft and dreamy and unlike any Morelle remembered from real life.

"Morelle," her mother's voice echoed in the vast expanse of her mind, "there is so much I never had the chance to tell you."

Morelle felt a surge of longing, an ache to reach out and touch her mother's face. But in this ethereal space, she had no form, no substance. She was thought and feeling, nothing more.

"I'm listening," she said.

Her mother smiled. "In here, I can show you."

The scene shifted, and Morelle found herself observing a younger version of her mother, her face alight with fierce determination. Beside her stood a god, so bright and luminous that he was blinding, his white hair contrasting with the blackness of her mother's. Nevertheless, she didn't need to be told who he was. His features bore a striking resemblance to Ell-rom's and hers.

The god was their father.

"We were young," the younger version of her mother said. "So young and full of hope. Your father and I believed we could change the world, tear down traditions, and bring justice to the Kra-ell."

Morelle watched, fascinated, as the scene unfolded. Her parents huddled in secret meetings with other young gods and Kra-ell, the air around them crackling with possibility and danger in equal measure.

"It started as a friendship," her mother continued. "Shared dreams, shared ideals. We were kindred spirits, both of us chafing against the constraints of our societies and longing for something better."

The young couple in Morelle's vision grew closer, their hands brushing with increasing frequency, their gazes lingering.

"We were thrilled to disregard the old taboos," her mother's voice took on a hint of mischief. "We joined our bodies as we had joined our minds, reveling in the forbidden nature of our union."

The scene shifted again. Morelle caught glimpses of stolen moments, fervent kisses in shadowy corners, tender caresses behind closed doors, tender words that would have never passed the lips of a proud Kra-ell warrior but seemed to spill out of her mother's mouth.

Detached, she watched the young couple with interest as if they were strangers, not her parents, and she was touched by the beauty of their connection and the passion that seemed to ignite the air around them.

But as Morelle witnessed their love story unfold, she sensed a looming shadow on the horizon, and her mother's voice lost its mischievous lightness and grew heavy and sad.

"We thought we were invincible," she said. "We never imagined how quickly it would all fall apart."

The idyllic scenes gave way to chaos—flashes of conflict, angry faces, raised voices, the clash of weapons, robotic beings overpowering gods and Kra-ell alike.

So much blood had been spilled.

"The gods' rebellion was quashed," her mother said. "Your father and the other young gods who joined him in the rebellion were sent into exile. And I was left alone with a precious gift I would always cherish."

Her mother, now adorned with the regalia of the Kra-ell queen, placed a protective hand over her still flat stomach.

"No one knew," she continued. "I had four loyal Kra-ell males in my family unit, and even though they knew none of them had fathered my children, they protected me, and not one of them breathed a word about the true nature of my pregnancy. I was also lucky that my older sister had decided to join the priesthood instead of becoming the next Kra-ell queen, and she helped me protect you."

Suddenly, the head priestess protecting two abominations made more sense. They were blood, and for a Kra-ell, that was sacred. "I did not know that the head priestess was your sister."

Her mother nodded. "As you well know, Kra-ell priestesses relinquish their familial connections upon becoming holy mothers. The moment Jeal-lani put on the robes, she was no longer my sister."

"But she helped you nonetheless."

"Of course. Nothing could change the bonds of blood. Jeal-lani was a formidable female, and she would have made a better queen than me. To this day, I do not know if she chose priesthood out of religious conviction or because she realized that the head priestess was the most powerful among our people, even more powerful than the queen. In any case, I would not have been able to hide and protect you without her. You and Ell-rom looked like gods, not Kra-ell, and putting you in priest robes and veils was the only way to protect you."

Morelle marveled at the complexity of the maneuvering her mother had to come up with to hide the identity of her children from the very moment of their conception.

"Is Jeal-lani with you in the Fields of the Brave?"

Her mother shook her head. "She joined me many years after my passing, but only briefly. She was reborn almost immediately after dying. The Mother of All Life must have needed her to return to serve our people."

The scene dissolved, leaving Morelle once again in the formless void of her own mind. She called out, wanting to hear more, but her mother was gone.

For now.

Morelle was confident that she would return.