Remembered Page 11

  “Please, listen,” Conor ordered. “She can live a long and normal life with only one kidney, but if we don’t get that other one out soon, she will not last.”

  Max and Kellus stared anxiously at the peaceman. “When will you perform the surgery,” Kellus asked.

  “We are already preparing her. I took a moment to explain the situation to her family. We will proceed in a matter of minutes.”

  “Can I see her?” Max asked.

  “I am very sorry, but it’s not possible for you to see her now. Almost everything in the room has already been sterilized.”

  Annie’s hand flew up to her mouth, tears formed in her eyes. What if something happened and she hadn’t had the chance to say goodbye?

  “Please, don’t worry,” Conor said, noticing her distress. “This is not a very dangerous or complicated surgery.”

  When Conor left the room, Annie began biting on her nails. Kellus sat next to her. He took her hand from her mouth and held it between both of his. “Please, don’t do that, Annie,” he said, placing all three hands together on his lap. “He spoke the truth; this is not a difficult surgery.”

  At that moment, a small commotion coming from the next room caught their attention.

  “Is what I hear true? Is Cora Derlyn here?” a booming voice called out.

  Kellus looked at Annie. “The Master,” he mouthed.

  Annie nodded, straining to hear.

  “Why was I not informed of this sooner?” The Master demanded.

  “I apologize,” they heard Conor answer, “but we were not aware that this would be of interest to you.”

  Max sat down next to Kellus; they stared at one another questioningly.

  “Yes, well…” The Master mumbled. “How is the girl?

  “We are about to perform an emergency nephrectomy. I must get back to her,” Conor replied.

  “Thank you, Conor. Please see to it that the girl gets the best of care and keep me informed of her condition. Where is her family?” he asked.

  “They are in the small library,” Conor answered.

  They heard footsteps approach the door.

  “Nordorum,” Conor called beyond the door.

  “Yes, Conor, what is it?”

  “I thought I should let you know that Kellus Kir is with them. It seems he is a family friend,” Conor explained.

  “Is that so?” the Master replied, then let out a loud, hearty chuckle. “Well, that certainly is interesting news,” he added, strangely amused.

  Kellus shot Annie a panicked look.

  The Master—Nordorum—walked through the door and filled the entire room with his awe-inspiring presence. He stood at over six feet, six inches tall. His long silver hair rested on top of his shoulders, giving the impression of flowing water, the color exaggerated by his black uniform. He had the same short beard and mustache that he had last time he visited Annie. His eyes twinkled with so much warmth and kindness that it was hard not to feel affection for him.

  He immediately looked at Annie’s hand wrapped up in both of Kellus’s and smiled at them, causing Kellus to pull his hand away quickly. “Why did you do that, Kellus?” he asked with an amused smirk. “There is no crime in comforting a friend.”

  “It was a reflex, sir, nothing more,” Kellus answered.

  “Annella, how are you? Nordorum said, walking over to hug her. “It has been too long since we’ve seen one another. Are you doing well?”

  “I’m doing fine. Just worried about Cora,” she answered.

  “I know,” he replied, “but there is nothing to worry about; she is in capable hands.”

  “I hope so,” Annie mumbled under her breath.

  “Max,” Nordorum said, turning to face him. “You just keep getting taller and taller.”

  “Hello, Nordorum,” Max said politely.

  “It’s seems like only yesterday you were a boy, now you’re practically a man,” Nordorum stated. “Will you be joining us here, in a couple of years’ time, for our next apprenticeship?”

  “I don’t think you’d want me, sir,” Max answered, looking nervous.

  “I’m teasing you, Max. This life is not for everyone.” Annie thought she saw his eyes flicker to Kellus. “Cora will be kept here for a least a week for observation,” he explained. “More than likely, she will be brought home next weekend. And, so, this has given me an idea.” His eyes began to twinkle with amusement. “I wonder if the two of you would like to stay in the Citadom this evening.”

  Kellus’s eyes darted to Annie. She knew by his expression that this was not normal procedure.

  “I wouldn’t want to get in the way,” she replied.

  “You would not be in the way at all. You and Max would be my personal guests. I cannot remember the last time I had visitors,” he answered.

  “Are you sure, sir?” I’ve always been under the impression that there are rarely females in this complex,” she responded.

  “Then it would be a special treat for the men to have such a beautiful one present for an evening. However…” he trailed off, looking down at her clothing. “I think we may need to find you something a little more conservative to wear. I fear you may drive the younger men mad dressed like that.”

  Her eyes widened in horror. She had completely forgotten about the revealing clothes she wore.

  “Would you not agree, Kellus?” Nordorum smirked.

  Kellus looked at Annie. He closed his eyes and exhaled sharply through his nose while nodding, as though he was suffering from intense pain.

  “That’s what I thought,” Nordorum said, pressing his lips together to suppress a laugh.

  “I’m so embarrassed,” Annie screeched, feeling almost sick at her appearance. “This is not something I wear in public. I was digging in the garden when Cora…” she trailed off, wishing the ground would swallow her up.

  “Please don’t be embarrassed,” Nordorum smiled warmly, “I figured as much by the dirt on your hands. Kellus, would you mind finding Annella a jacket to wear?”

  When Kellus left the room, Nordorum turned to her. “I must apologize to you, young lady. It was not my intention to embarrass you. I was merely having a little fun at Kellus’s expense. Please forgive me.”

  “Yes, sir,” she replied, fighting a strong urge to cross her arms over her chest.

  Kellus returned, within a couple of minutes, with the top part of a white surgeon’s uniform. He held it out for her to slip her arms through.

  “May I ask another favor of you, Kellus?” Nordorum questioned. “Would you kindly put two cots in the spare room of my apartment? Annella and Max are going to be my quests for the evening.”

  “Certainly, Master,” Kellus replied.

  “You may go back to your training once you’ve seen to that,” Nordorum told him. “We will notify you as soon as there is word on Cora’s condition.”

  Kellus bowed to Nordorum and left the room without another word.

  “I must take my leave also,” Nordorum said. “The Under Master is leaving for a few days, and I need a word with him before he departs.” He stood up and bowed to both Annie and Max. “I’ll see you in a while,” he added before leaving the room.

  Annie and Max chose books from the bookshelves and spent the afternoon reading silently.

  Finally, after hours, Conor walked through the door looking satisfied. “Cora is resting comfortably,” he explained with a broad smile. “The surgery was a success, and she will make a full recovery in mere days.”

  “Thank you,” Annie said, relief pouring over her.

  “Can we see her?” Max asked.

  “There is no point. We will keep her sleeping until morning,” Conor answered. “I have already sent word to the Master. He will come for you shortly.”

  The handsome blonde apprentice walked through the door at that moment. “The Master sent me to escort you both to his apartment. Please follow me,” he said.

  They thanked Conor again and walked out after the apprentice.

>   When they reached the stairwell, the apprentice turned to them. “I’m Danus,” he said with a friendly smile.

  “I’m Annella, and this is my brother, Max,” she replied.

  “I remember you from the festival,” Danus stated. “You are a friend of Kellus, correct?”

  Annie nodded, not knowing how else to answer.

  “It’s a pleasure to formally meet you,” Danus continued. “How is your sister?”

  “The surgery went well, and she’s resting,” Max answered.

  They walked up a flight of stairs and were back in the corridor where they had entered the elevator earlier. This time, they walked in the opposite direction, through a door that led outside into a beautiful garden. Like the courtyard, the garden was surrounded by large stone walls. Cobblestones framed a small green field that held a water fountain in the center circled by wooden benches.

  “It’s so lovely,” Annie commented.

  “Yes, it’s a very pretty garden,” Danus agreed. “The feeders guarantee us singing birds from spring to autumn. That, combined with the sound of the fountain, makes it a very peaceful place.”

  “It’s much prettier than the courtyard that we entered through earlier this morning,” she said.

  “You came in through the back of the Citadom,” Danus explained. “The back is mainly for deliveries, and of course, the occasional sick patient. You may have noticed large red doors to the right and left. That’s where we keep our horses, our stables of sorts, and to the right is where the carriages are stored. Though, you’re right, it’s dull on that side of the complex.”

  They walked along the cobblestone path until they reached a large set of doors to the left. They entered the building and walked up two flights of stairs. Danus led them down a corridor with ten doors, five on each side, spaced out from one another. At the end of the corridor, he stopped and knocked on the last door.

  Nordorum opened the door and ushered Annie and Max inside. “Thank you, Danus,” he said. “Come in Annella, Max. Please make yourselves at home.”

  They walked into a living room furnished with leather couches similar to the ones in the small library. The floor and walls were dark wood. A writing desk sat in the corner—Annie noticed a nail sticking out of the top, holding a large ring of Keys.

  “My spare room is through the door to your left,” Nordorum explained. “I managed to find you something less revealing to wear. It’s on one of cots that your friend Kellus brought up. And there’s a bathroom to the right with fresh towels.”

  Annie walked into the spare room and spotted an apprentice uniform lying on top of one of the cots. “This?” she asked, holding up the top.

  Nordorum nodded. “It was the smallest one I could find, but I’m sure it will fit.”

  She walked back to Nordorum’s living room after washing and changing, feeling completely foolish.

  “Ah, Annella, you are by far the most beautiful apprentice we’ve had here in years, since I was an apprentice, of course,” Nordorum said, winking at her.

  “I feel like a man,” she moaned.

  “Take my word for it, you do not look like one,” Nordorum said reassuringly. “It would take more than a pair of trousers to diminish your loveliness. But, that said, I do agree that this look is best if you are to escort me to dinner.”

  “Why?” she asked suspiciously.

  “Well, we will be dining with over eighty men, ten of whom are quite young. If you look just like them, it may make you somewhat less appealing.”

  Annie shook her head. “I don’t think I want to do this,” she said in a low, timid voice, her face growing warmer at the thought.

  “You will be with me,” Nordorum replied. “No one will dare misbehave. Are you ready to go?”

  “This is madness,” she muttered, walking through the door behind Max and Nordorum.

  “I thought I would show you both around the complex before dinner,” Nordorum announced. “This floor contains my apartment as you know, as well as the apartments belonging to the other nine senior peacemen.” He led them slowly down the corridor.

  “The Under Master’s apartment is across from mine. He is second in command and would undertake running the Citadom should something prevent me from performing my duties. It’s common for the Under Master to become Master eventually,” he explained. “Conor is head of our hospital team. He has the apartment next to mine and next to him is our weapons expert, Mandolis.”

  They descended the stairs while Nordorum filled them in on the various duties of the senior peaceman.

  Once again, they were standing in the pretty garden.

  “The building facing us contains three floors, each with ten apartments, like the one we just left, and the building to your right is the one you entered through earlier today. These make up only living quarters and are not very interesting,” he continued. “Each peaceman keeps his own home. Our apprentices, however, have only a small room on the basement level. They are allowed no earthly comforts, not even a window.” He pushed Annie forward gently. “The interesting part of our tour will be the building to the left, the main building that faces out into the town center.”

  They entered the main building through a set of wooden doors with glass panels in the middle. Upon entering the building, they were immediately aware of the difference. The bottom part of the walls was rich wood paneling; the top painted a deep red. The floor was covered in an elegant red and gold carpet.

  A large portrait of a man, reaching from floor to ceiling, adorned the middle of the hallway. He was handsome, with long blonde hair and green eyes. He wore black clothes, not unlike Nordorum’s uniform, but without the high neck. He wore a long ankle-length cloak over his clothes.

  “This is said to be a real portrait of the famous Contitus. He was the founder of the Citadom, as I’m sure you are aware,” Nordorum said.

  Annie and Max both nodded.

  Every school-aged child in Vistira was taught the legend of Contitus—or ‘The Great One’ as he was sometimes called—and the war with the monstrous krogillians, who were often referred to as simply ‘Krogs’.

  Krogillians were evil creatures that lived in the lands to the North, far beyond the borders of North Vistira. They were said to be frightening to look at—marginally larger than humans with muscular builds and tight, yellow, curly hair. Their skin had a greenish tint, but it was their colorless eyes that made them horrendous—no pupil or iris, only large white orbs set into eye sockets.

  Several hundred years ago, the krogs waged war on the Vistirians, killing many men in battle.

  In the end, Contitus defeated them. Legend tells that he had an enormous capacity to love and, somehow, found a way to channel that love through a wand—a stick that he carried. He defeated the krogs with the one emotion they could not tolerate.

  “Is that really him?” Max asked with awe in his voice. He had always loved the old legends of Contitus.

  “I’m not sure,” Nordorum replied. “It’s what I was told, however.”

  They followed Nordorum down the corridor.

  “Through those large doors to your left is our dining room. The kitchens are directly behind,” he explained.

  At the end of the hallway, Nordorum pointed to a small, almost unnoticeable door. “That door leads to the staircase that descends to the prisons.”

  “Prisons?” Max questioned.

  “Yes, Max, that’s correct. I am pleased to say that for the most part the people of Vistira are well behaved, but just in case someone should misbehave…”

  They followed Nordorum up one flight of stairs. “This is the floor where the apprentices spend most of their days, along with the peacemen who train them,” he said. “The rooms to the left are where they physically train, and to the right is where they receive their spiritual and mental training.”

  They proceeded to the end of the corridor where Nordorum pushed opened a white door. The entire room inside was made of gray and white marble, from floor to ceiling,
and in every part of the large room were various baths and pools of all shapes and sizes that connected like a jigsaw puzzle. Some had waves, others had hot springs, some were large enough for lap swimming, some rested behind waterfalls.

  He explained that the pools varied in water temperature and some were as deep as fifteen feet. “This is not only for recreational purposes,” he said. “Our men are trained to be fine swimmers and efficient lifesavers. You need not fear drowning with a peaceman nearby.”

  The third floor contained the grand library and recreational rooms for the men to relax in the evening, filled with tables and board games.

  They reached a rounded stairwell at the end of the hallway which led up to the roof.

  Nordorum gestured for Annie and Max to climb the stairs before him. They climbed out into the night and marveled at the most spectacular view of the village.

  “Would you please follow me to that tower on your left? I would like to show you both something truly breath-taking,” Nordorum said.

  They walked over the roof and climbed the little stone staircase outside the foot of the tower.

  Nordorum was right, the view of the sky, and the dull outline of the town, was beautiful. “On a clear day, you can see all the way to the East-West Crossing and beyond,” he explained.

  Annie noticed two pieces of sophisticated equipment pushed over to the edge of the tower. “What are those?” she asked.

  “Those are telescopes. We have been attempting to teach young men how to read the night sky for generations. It has never been a beloved subject, however, as most people don’t give it much credence,” he answered.

  Nordorum stared off into the starry sky momentarily, and then turned to face Annie and Max. “Would you like to know a secret?” he asked. “This is one that very few in the Citadom are aware of.” His eyes twinkled, and he smiled mischievously.

  Annie and Max were all too eager to hear.

  “Under your feet is a trap door that leads to a sublevel of the complex,” he whispered.

  “A basement below the basement?” Max asked.

  Nordorum nodded. “It’s a dark and dingy old place, and not very appealing. It may have led to tunnels in the old days, a way for folks to leave town unnoticed, back during the war with the krogs,” he informed them.