12
ANNANI
Annani's stomach fluttered with a sensation she had not felt for a long time.
She was nervous.
She had dragged her feet telling Wonder about the possibility of finding Esag, but now that the expedition to Egypt had left, she could no longer delay. The problem was that what she had to share was a mix of hope and uncertainty.
Perhaps she should have told Wonder sooner. Right after Fenella had touched the figurine and seen those visions, Annani should have called Wonder and told her the good news. But something had held her back, the same instinct that made her cup her hands around a candle flame a moment before the advent of a gust of wind that would have extinguished it.
It was a gut feeling that had warned her it was too early, but then guilt interfered, whispering that her friend would not forgive her for keeping this a secret from her.
When the doorbell chimed, she rose to her feet and waited for Ogidu to escort Wonder inside.
Her butler entered her receiving room and bowed. "Mistress Wonder is here, Clan Mother."
"Thank you, Ogidu. Please show her in."
Her butler bowed and stepped aside, and then Wonder was there, filling the room with her impressive height and the positive energy she carried these days.
It was good to see her so confident and contented. She had not been that way as Gulan.
"Annani!" Wonder smiled.
Annani opened her arms, and Wonder crossed the room in three long strides, enveloping her in an embrace that lifted her slightly off her feet. They both laughed at the awkwardness of it—Wonder having to bend nearly double and Annani having to stretch up on her toes.
"Some things never change," Wonder said, setting her down gently. "We are still a mismatched pair."
"And yet we were perfect together." Annani took Wonder's hand and led her to the sofa.
"How was your day at the café?" she asked to start the conversation.
"Less busy than usual. The Pearl is the new attraction now, stealing some of my customers. Not that I mind. The village needed another casual dining place."
Annani tilted her head. "Do the sisters serve food in their grocery store? I was not aware that they have dine-in arrangements."
"They don't, but people buy their ready-made items and take them home. Once the new place is built, though, there will beoutdoor seating on the roof of their store, which will serve as a back terrace for the office building. I expect many more of the café customers will opt for that."
Kian had mentioned that over dinner at his house and had even shown her the plans.
"It is going to be a very nice addition to the village center," Annani said. "I am looking forward to the day it opens."
Wonder nodded. "So, what's the occasion? You didn't invite me to talk about the new grocery store."
Annani laughed. "I remember that expression on your face. It is the same one you always had when you suspected me of coming up with another scheme that would get us in trouble."
"That's because you have the same guilty look on your face you always had when you were about to drag me into one of your shenanigans. I often wondered where the fountainhead of all those crazy ideas was."
"They were not crazy. They were fun."
Wonder's laugh was rich and full. "You always made it sound like such wonderful adventures. 'Come on, Gulan, it will be fun,' you'd say. And then we'd end up hiding in the storage chambers and secret passages while half the palace guards searched for us."
"Poor Gulan." Annani squeezed her hand. "But maybe forcing you to go against your careful and calculated nature helped shape you into the strong female you are today."
"Strong?" Wonder shook her head. "I was terrified half the time. But I could never say no to you, and not just because you were the princess and I had to obey your wishes. You'd look at me withsuch excitement, such certainty that whatever mad plan you'd concocted would work out perfectly, that I just got swept away."
"My plans usually worked."
