get over it.”
Surprisingly, David turned to her with a bright smile illuminating his handsome face. “The part of Gudbrand that still lives in me is much smaller than you think.”
That was a healthy way to look at it, but he seemed way too happy over something that should have made him feel awkward. Perhaps he was joking?
She could play along. “It’s barely there.” Sari brought her thumb and forefinger together, leaving only hair-width space between them. “It’s so small that it can be ignored.”
“That’s not what I meant.” Still grinning, he cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “I am not the reincarnation of Gudbrand. I’m the reincarnation of Olek, Gudbrand’s brother. I’ve never been Annani’s lover.”
Sari felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted off her chest, but the relief only lasted a couple of seconds.
“I don’t understand how that’s possible. You dreamt about Gudbrand’s life, not his brother’s.”
“I also dreamt about Olek’s. I was married to a woman whom I loved dearly, but she died during childbirth. Astrid had asthma, and it got worse because of the pregnancy. She went into premature labor and died.”
The sense of relief returned, along with deep sorrow for Olek’s tragic life.
“My mother told me about that. I’m so sorry for you. That must have been a terrible experience to live through twice.”
David sighed. “Dreaming about Gudbrand’s life was much easier than dreaming about Olek’s. The poor guy was dealt one blow after another, and it took him many lifetimes to heal his soul. Thankfully, whoever is in charge of giving me a window into that past life did it in a merciful way. In the dream, I was an outside observer of Olek’s life. I didn’t live it. It was still difficult to watch, but the impact wasn’t as devastating.”
Sari hated to ask, but she had to know. “Did the baby survive?”
“Olek’s son survived birth, but he was tiny and weak, and he died a day later. Those were primitive times. Many mothers and babies perished in childbirth. Not that it was any consolation to Olek. He was crushed, and then on top of that, he also carried the guilt for killing his older brother. Frankly, I would have preferred to have been Gudbrand despite his lousy character. At least he didn’t have to drag such a heavy burden into his subsequent lives.”
Sari moved her hand on David’s stomach in small, soothing circles. “I can empathize, but I’m so incredibly relieved that you were never my mother’s lover in any shape or form. Does that make me a bad person?”
“No, my love. It makes you human.” He chuckled. “Not that you are, but you get what I mean. It’s natural to feel that way.”
“Why did you dream of Annani, though? Was Olek obsessed with her as well?”
“I need to backtrack a little to explain that.” David leaned back, reached for his cup of coffee, and took a few sips. “I skipped over the most important revelation I had during my coma. My twin brother Jonah came to talk to me. After he died, I wished for a sign from him that he was still out there in some form, but this was the first time he was allowed to do so. I think that the Fates or some other higher power wanted to set the record straight and relieve Annani from the guilt she’s carried for all those years. Or maybe they wanted our union to be free of the uncomfortable cloud that Annani’s history with Gudbrand was casting over it. That’s why Jonah was allowed to tell me the real story.”
“How is Jonah connected to all of that?”
David smiled. “Jonah was Gudbrand, and I was Olek. Jonah told me that we reincarnated many times as brothers, or best friends, or as father and son. But this time around we were twins, which made our connection much stronger. Apparently, we shared each other’s dreams. Jonah dreamt about Annani, and I gave his dreams the Ayesha spin. My dreams were colored by the book and the sorceress who shared many of Annani’s attributes, especially as seen through Gudbrand’s filter.”
“That actually makes sense. He thought of her as an evil seductress who was out to suck the life out of him, and that reminded you of Ayesha.”
“Precisely. Also, both Annani and the sorceress had glowing eyes and skin and could compel others to their will.”
“Annani didn’t compel Olek. She thralled him.”
“I still don’t understand the difference between the two.”
“Compulsion forces the will of