Remembered

by E. D. Brady

  “Why doesn’t anyone know about it?” Annie asked.

  “Many years ago, it was decided that the apprentices were much too fond of playing pranks and practical jokes on one another. It has been that way for centuries. I suppose it’s merely a consequence of having men, barely out of boyhood, confined to one place. One could only imagine the mischief they could carry out in a secret tunnel. Besides that, it has no practical use for us. It just isn’t mentioned anymore, so I trust you both to keep it to yourselves.”

  “We will,” they assured him.

  “Now, I believe our tour is almost complete,” Nordorum announced. “Our lower level, through the back building, contains our hospital, as you both know, and many storage facilities, and that’s everything, I think.” His face broke into a large, playful smile. “Now we are fashionably late for dinner.”

  Annie’s stomach was uneasy as they approached the large double doors the led to the dining room.

  Max walked through first and held one door opened for Annie and Nordorum.

  Nordorum held out his arm for Annie to take. She placed her hand on it and walked through the door, feeling only slightly comforted by his presence.

  She quickly counted ten tables, each surrounded by ten chairs. The white tablecloths and red napkins complemented the red and white carpet.

  As they entered the room, an absolute silence fell. It was worse than she could have imagined. Over eighty pairs of eyes landed on her as though they’d never seen a woman before.

  Nordorum smiled reassuringly, but it did not help. A dry lump was filling up her throat, threatening to choke her.

  He patted her arm encouragingly and spoke in a loud voice. “Since you are our honorary apprentice for this evening, we shall sit in the back with the other apprentices.”

  She nodded, but her face burned. It became worse initially as the younger men in the back started clapping and whistling as they approached.

  “Come on, gentlemen, behave yourselves,” Nordorum scolded. “I believe you are only eight this evening,” he continued, “two are on leave, correct?” He motioned for Max to take the empty seat facing Loc. “Annella and I wish to sit at the head of the table. Would you be so kind as to fetch us two spare chairs,” He asked Loc and the young man sitting next to him.

  Annie was mortified. She wondered why Nordorum wanted to put her on display in front of the apprentices. If she had known this would happen, she would have refused his offer to stay. She couldn’t begin to imagine what shade of red her face had morphed into.

  With two spare chairs and two additional place settings on the table, Nordorum held out a seat for her. He lifted a glass and filled it with wine, and then handed it to her.

  When he was seated, he raised his glass. “Gentlemen, I would like you to welcome Annella and Max this evening,” he said in a booming voice.

  Seven apprentices raised their glasses and looked towards them. One raised his glass and looked straight ahead, wearing an expression of stone. Kellus did not look happy to see Annie at his table.

  Nordorum introduced them to the men. “This young man to my right is Loc,” he said. “Next to Loc is Palo, then Borm, and in the last chair is Tilidus.”

  Each apprentice smiled as he was introduced.

  “To my left side, next to Max, is Rom, then Ciro, Danus, and of course you know Kellus.”

  Rom and Ciro smiled up the table.

  “I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Annella and Max earlier today,” Danus said with a warm smile, wiggling his fingers at Annie.

  Kellus looked down at his plate as though he was about to vomit.

  When she felt slightly more at ease, Annie chanced another glance in Kellus’s direction. He looked more and more uncomfortable as time went on. He spoke to no one and did not eat. He merely stabbed at the food on his plate with a fork.

  A large knot twisted in Annie’s stomach.

  Turning to ask Nordorum a question, she noticed that his eyes were on Kellus also. His hands were folded together, his forefingers making a point which he rested under his chin. He had an unmistakable look of pity in his eyes.

  Kellus put down his fork and pushed away from the table.

  “Leaving, Kellus?” Nordorum asked.

  “Please excuse me, sir. I don’t feel well,” Kellus said weakly.

  As Kellus walked by, his eyes shot to Annie’s for a brief second, and the pain there was evident. She could tell that the look had not gone unnoticed by Nordorum.

  After dinner, Nordorum led Annie and Max back to his apartment and left them alone in his spare room.

  She was asleep within seconds.

  The next morning, Annie and Max went down to the hospital early, wearing matching apprentice uniforms that had been left out for them.

  “Annie, Max,” Cora beamed. She looked every bit as pale, but her smile was reassuring.

  “Cora,” Annie called, relieved to see her sister in one piece.

  “How do you feel?” Max asked, kissing her on the forehead.

  “I’m better, thank you, but still sore, although they have been giving me plenty of pain killers.” Her eyes scanned over her brother and sister. “Unusual clothing. Have you taken your vows yet?” A smile played on her lips.

  “We spent the night here as guests of Nordorum. We were given a grand tour of the complex, and were treated like guests of honor at dinner,” Max informed her.

  “That’s impressive,” she commented.

  “Have you been awake long?” Annie questioned. “What have you been doing all morning?”

  “I’ve been awake for hours,” Cora replied, “but since I can’t move yet, I’ve done nothing.” Her look turned suddenly somber. “I’ve had a visitor, though,” she mumbled. “Kellus came to see me earlier.”

  “He did?” Annie asked. She noticed Cora’s sad look. “What is it, Cora?”

  “He’s not doing very well,” Cora replied quietly.

  “I know,” Annie responded, turning her head away to hide her pain.

  “I’m sorry,” Cora said. “I didn’t tell you that to make you sad. I just think that maybe you should have a talk with him.”

  “And say what?” Annie questioned. “There is nothing more for us to talk about.”

  Max placed his hand on Annie’s shoulder sympathetically.

  They visited Cora for an hour or two every day, and by the end of the week, they were starting to feel like part of the furniture. Peaceman and apprentices greeted them by their first names, and when they ran into Danus, he treated them like old friends.

  By Friday, Cora was almost back to her old self again. She was sitting on the edge of the bed, talking with Nordorum, when Annie and Max arrived. “I can go home tomorrow,” she sang out.

  “I plan to have her delivered to you early in the morning,” Nordorum added.

  Annie noticed a large bouquet of flowers sitting on the table beside Cora’s bed. “Where did you get those?” she questioned.

  “From Kellus,” Cora answered quietly. “But look at what else I got,” she added excitedly, whipping around a large plate of chocolate. “Want some?”

  “Did Kellus bring you that also?” Max questioned.

  “No, Danus did,” Cora replied.

  “You met Danus?” Annie asked.

  “Danus is in charge of making sure the hospital is clean and orderly,” Nordorum explained. “It seems that Cora has been amusing him with funny stories all week.”

  After their visit, Nordorum insisted on driving them home. He asked Annie to sit up on top of carriage next to him.

  They rode up the hill in casual conversation, but when they reached her house, Nordorum turned to Max. “Goodbye, Max,” he said bluntly; it was clearly a dismissal. Nordorum put his hand on hers in a gesture that she should remain behind. “Tell me, young lady, did you have an opportunity to see your friend Kellus this week?” he asked when Max disappeared behind the front door.

  Annie was shocked by the question. “No,” she answered, trying
to hide the despair in her voice. “I didn’t see him after dinner last weekend. He visited with Cora almost every day, though.”

  “Yes, I heard that,” Nordorum responded. “He appears to be quite attached to your sister.”

  “Yes, it seems so,” Annie said, looking at her hands.

  Nordorum studied her face closely. “Something bothers that young man. Can you enlighten me at all? Nordorum questioned. “I would like to help him, but he will confide in no one. He insists he’s fine, but for the last five weeks, he’s been different…withdrawn…sad.”

  “Kellus has not spoken to me about what’s troubling him, sir,” she replied.

  “That’s not what I asked you,” he said, smiling smugly.

  Annie shrugged her shoulders. “Until last weekend, I hadn’t seen Kellus for a month.”

  Nordorum continued to stare, squeezing his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. “It’s as I guessed then,” he said quietly. “Thank you for your help, young lady.”

  Annie went inside feeling miserable.

  Chapter 11

  Annie spent the following morning getting ready for Cora’s return.

  She was just about finished with cleaning their room, when she heard the horse and carriage pull up. She ran outside quickly.

  Loc and Ciro sat up top of the carriage. They climbed down just as another apprentice jumped from the back with a bag over his shoulder. Annie’s heart jumped right up into her throat.

  Kellus walked towards her slowly.

  Loc and Ciro helped Cora from the back, but she insisted on walking without help once her feet were on the ground. She walked past Annie with her lips pressed together, and her eyes wide—she was silently communicating her shock that Kellus appeared to be staying for an extended time, judging by the bag he carried.

  The apprentices took their leave after a moment of casual greetings, leaving Kellus and Annie waving down the hill after them.

  “Why are you here?” Annie asked.

  Without turning to look at her, he said, “I’m staying here for three days to take care of Cora, to bathe the wound, change the dressing, and monitor her temperature, among other duties. Forgive me, I had no choice. The Master came to my room last night and told me that he didn’t want anyone else to take this assignment. I suggested that Danus might be more qualified, but he wouldn’t hear of it.”

  “That’s fine. Please make yourself at home. I’ll fix a bed for you in the spare room.”

  He grabbed her wrist as she began walking to the house. “I am sorry. It’s not my intention to cause you pain. I’m sure it would have been better for both of us if the Master had sent someone else. I don’t want you going to any trouble on my account. I’ll try to stay out of your way as much as possible.” He dropped her arm with a sigh and looked out at the ocean.

  It was obvious to her that Kellus was unhappy being near her. She felt a knife twist in her stomach and walked back inside before he saw her cry.

  The twins did everything in their power to lighten the mood as the day went on. They were clearly delighted to have Kellus back in their lives. Their attempts paid off, somewhat. By afternoon, both Annie and Kellus seemed a little more at ease.

  Kellus brought Cora into the bathroom to clean her wound and change the dressing. The sound of him laughing was so shocking that Annie almost dropped a pot of water, and she burned with curiosity to know what Cora had said to him.

  By evening, the tension had lifted considerably.

  They ate dinner seated around the table. Annie and Cora listened in while Max bombarded Kellus with questions about things he’d seen and people he’d met at the Citadom. Kellus answered every one with enthusiasm.

  As the evening wore on, Annie noticed that Kellus seemed to have a twinkle in his eyes, a contentment that had not been there since the day they spent in East Vistira, since the day he walked out of her life forever.

  He helped her clean the dishes and told her that this would be his last big assignment before he started his two-week summer leave.

  So much for him staying out of her way.

  “How have you been?” he asked, grabbing the dishtowel.

  “I’ve been well,” she answered.

  “What I mean…I meant…the last time I was here, you were very upset with me…when I was leaving,” he struggled with the words.

  “But you were right,” she said. “I’ve been fine, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss you.”

  He nodded and turned his head so that she couldn’t read his expression.

  Two hours later, he took Cora into the bathroom to change her dressing once more. “She could use your help dressing for bed,” he said, appearing in the doorframe.

  By the time Annie returned, Max had already retired to his room. “Max asked me to wish you goodnight,” Kellus explained. “He didn’t know how long you would be with Cora.”

  “Thank you,” she replied shyly, realizing that they were completely alone.

  “I’d like to go to sleep also,” he said awkwardly. “Thank you for dinner, and please call me if Cora needs anything.” He walked past her and into the spare room.

  She leaned her head against the wall and sighed. This was torture, to have the man she loved under the same roof, yet he may as well have been a million miles from her. She cleared up the rest of the kitchen and went to bed, trying to forget that Kellus was less than forty feet away.

  Sometime later, she woke to the sound of movement in the kitchen. She knew beyond any doubt that it was Kellus. She jumped up, not quite sure what she was going to do, and walked down the hall.

  He sat on a chair with his elbows resting on his knees, his hands joined together, staring sadly at the wall. He was barefoot and no longer adorned in his apprentice uniform. He wore a black pair of trousers with a black shirt that was completely unbuttoned.

  Her knees began to shake at the sight of him; he was so beautiful. She stood staring, unable to find words to say.

  “Forgive me if I woke you,” he murmured without looking at her.

  She continued to stare, frozen to the spot, even as he turned his head and stared back. He looked away again, placed his palms on both sides of his head, and combed his fingers through his hair. He looked down at the floor.

  After a long moment, he spoke, “I can’t do this,” he moaned, still looking down.

  “Do what?” she asked quietly. She braced herself for his explanation, sure that it would tear her heart out again.

  “I cannot deal with this,” he whispered so low that she barely heard him. He turned his head to look at her again, his bottom lip quivering slightly. “I don’t know how to leave you alone,” he uttered, pain etched in his features.

  “Then don’t,” she replied quietly.

  He threw his head back and grabbed the roots of his hair. “But I have to,” he said firmly.

  “No, you don’t,” she answered.

  “Annie…” he trailed off, standing up. He walked over to her, never taking his eyes from hers, and placed his hands on either side of her face. “You don’t know what you’re saying,” he said through clenched teeth. “I need you to fight me. I need you to stop me from…”

  “From what?” she asked.

  “I can’t fight the urge to kiss you any longer,” he confessed.

  “I don’t want you too,” she responded.

  “Go back to bed,” he said, his eyes begging.

  She shook her head.

  “You’re pushing your luck,” he warned.

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “Annie, this is so wrong. What I want is so wrong,” he said pleadingly.

  “I don’t think it is,” she countered.

  He pressed his lips to hers forcefully. Keeping his right hand on her cheek, he moved his left hand behind her head and pulled it closer to him. He kissed her with a passion that rendered her breathless. He pushed his tongue into her forcefully, greedily, moaning into her mouth.

  He ran his lips acros
s her jaw and kissed her neck. “Please, get away from me,” he moaned into her skin.

  She wrapped her arms tighter around him and turned her head to find his mouth once more. His tongue entered her again, pushing deeply. His arms were almost too tight around her, his body leaning into hers.

  He pulled away and grabbed her by the hand, leading her into the spare bedroom.

  Once inside the door, he pressed his lips to hers again. He released her mouth only to run his tongue up her throat to her ear. “Stop me, Annie,” he pleaded against the nape of her neck.

  “I don’t want to,” she protested, her whole body on fire for him.

  “Silly girl,” he growled, pulling her onto the small makeshift bed.

  He was on top of her, grinding himself into her thigh, devouring her mouth once more. Her hands were on his muscled back, roaming up and down, her fingers digging in deep. He leaned sideways, allowing him access to her right breast. He kneaded her nipple, with his thumb and forefinger, through her nightshirt.

  His mouth was at her ear once more. “You know what I want to do, don’t you?” he purred seductively.

  “Yes,” she whimpered.

  “Are you sure you know?” he whispered, running his hand down her belly and across her hip. “I want to take your innocence.”

  “I know,” she cried.

  “You must stop me,” he murmured, his fingers crawling to the inside of her thigh. “You can’t let me do this.”

  “I don’t want to stop you,” she breathed. “I want you to do it.”

  He pulled away from her and sat up, placing his hands through his hair again. He sat silently for moments while she held her breath, wondering what he would do next. What he did was the last thing she would have expected: he put his face in his hands and let out a loud sob.

  “Kellus!” she gasped. “What’s wrong?” She leaned over and placed her arms around his shoulders. He leaned into her, allowing her to comfort him. “What’s wrong?” she asked again.

  “You would make this so much easier for me if you’d fight this,” he said, leaning against her chest. “I don’t want to hurt you, Annie, but you’re making it too easy for me.”