Remembered Page 8

  The blue light from the lantern above his head bathed him in a magical glow. He was inconceivable, utterly stunning. A tiny gasp escaped from her lips before she had a chance to prevent it. No matter what direction Sul turned her in, she could not take her eyes off Kellus, could not pull her gaze from the beautiful vision.

  Slowly, he made his way towards them. “Excuse me,” he said to Sul. “Annella and I are friends, and I thought that I might have a dance with her while I had a moment to spare.”

  “Certainly,” Sul replied cheerfully, “she’s all yours.”

  “Interesting choice of words,” Annie thought she heard Kellus say under his breath.

  “I think I’ll go for another glass of beer,” Sul said. “Shall I meet you back where we were sitting before?”

  She nodded and watched him push his way through the crowd.

  She turned and looked up into Kellus’s face. Nervous energy bombarded her. He put his hand on her waist, and she felt a spark shoot through her. He took her hand in his, and she thought she would melt.

  “I hope you don’t mind me taking you away from your friend,” he said.

  “Not at all,” she managed to tell him; sure that she would have forgotten how to speak.

  His face lit up. “I heard a rumor that you would be drunk as a sailor by now,” he teased.

  “Really? Cora said that?” she asked in horror.

  “Oh, yes, and that’s not all, she told me one or two of your darkest secrets.”

  “No, she didn’t,” Annie laughed.

  “No,” he laughed along with her, looking into her eyes. “But you looked scared for the briefest moment.”

  “It’s hard to tell with Cora. She has a very uncommon sense of humor,” Annie informed him.

  “She sounds like a girl I would get along with,” he replied. He looked out into the crowd as though he was contemplating something, and then another smile spread across his face. “I must admit, though, I would like to see you tipsy. I’m sure you’d be adorable.”

  “I don’t know about that,” she answered shyly.

  “Shall I take you over to the kegs, so that I can see for myself?” he asked teasingly.

  She rolled her eyes. “So, apprentices are allowed to dance? She questioned, changing the subject.

  “Yes, Annie, I’m not in prison. The peacemen approve of us getting to know all the townsfolk; they encourage it. I don’t think I’d be too comfortable with the Master watching me, though.”

  “I know the Master,” she informed him. “He’s kind of a friend of mine.”

  “Nordorum?” He spoke the Master’s name with immense admiration.

  “When my parents died, he came to inform me. He stayed with me for over twenty-four hours, helped me break the news to Max and Cora, and made all the funeral arrangements. I would have fallen apart if it wasn’t for him.”

  “Really? He’s a great man, but I’ve never heard of him doing anything like that. Usually a less ranking peaceman, possibly even an apprentice, would be dispatched to make the arrangements and to see to any minors left orphaned. Although, I can’t blame him for wanting to stay with you,” he added with a cunning smile.

  “He visits with me often,” Annie said. “He comes to make sure we are doing well, and he brings me things, sometimes materials to make clothes for the twins.”

  “He does?” Kellus asked incredulously.

  “Yes, but I must admit, it’s been a few months since his last visit,” she answered.

  “That is most unusual,” Kellus replied. “Why?”

  “I suppose he feels it’s his duty to check on us. I’m not really sure.”

  “I don’t think so, Annie. You must have left an impression on him,” Kellus said.

  They danced without speaking for some time. Kellus hummed along with the music.

  “Is the man you were dancing with special to you?” he asked when the music changed.

  “No, not at all,” she answered. “We went to school together. I haven’t seen him for years. But I got the impression that he wanted to be special.”

  Kellus’s grimace told her that he did not like that idea.

  He pursed his lips momentarily. “I’m surprised that I haven’t had to pull men apart yet. I was convinced that many fights would break out because of you. Of course, the night is still young.”

  “What do you mean by that?” she asked.

  “Only that your beauty is matched by no other,” he replied softly, looking down into her eyes. “I imagined many men rivaling for your attention.”

  “That’s ridiculous—”

  Kellus cut her off. “You’re much too lovely for any man in Vistira.”

  “Would you excuse me?” Annie said awkwardly. “I need to find Max and Cora.” Suddenly, she needed to get away from him, to clear her head. This would end up being much more than a girlish infatuation before the night was over. This had gone far enough. Too far.

  “Of course,” he answered, smiling casually.

  “ANNIE!” Max yelled, unexpectedly appearing out of nowhere, looking panicked.

  ‘Max,” she breathed, clutching his shoulders, “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Cora, she’s ill,” he answered.

  “What happened? Annie cried, tensing her muscles against the impact of his next words.

  “She was having a great time all evening, then out of the blue, she grabbed her back and let out a scream, and then she fainted,” he said.

  Annie shook her head in denial.

  “Where is she?” Kellus hollered. He took hold of Annie’s elbow, sensing that she needed help staying upright. “Bring me to her!” he ordered.

  Max took off running with Annie and Kellus on his heels. They reached the bonfire. A group of people surrounded Cora as she lay on the ground, unconscious.

  A distinguished gray haired peaceman had one hand on Cora’s back, pressing into it. He mumbled to two apprentices that knelt on either side of her. Annie recognized the apprentice Loc from her ordeal with the sailor.

  Kellus knelt behind Cora’s head and placed a hand on her cheek. “Cora, can you hear me?” he questioned.

  “Do you know this girl?” the peaceman asked.

  “Yes, Conor, I do. I know her sister; she’s a friend,” he answered. “She’s also the girl’s legal guardian.”

  “Where is this woman?” The peaceman, Conor, asked.

  Annie stepped away from Max and approached the peaceman. “What’s the matter with her?” she whimpered.

  “I’m sure it’s her kidney, perhaps an infection or stones. The sudden pain was a shock to her system and caused her to faint. She will need to be monitored for a day or two. If the pain gets worse, we may have to take her to the Citadom,” he explained.

  “And if it doesn’t?” Annie questioned.

  “Then we can safely assume it was minor and has passed,” Conor replied.

  “Annie?” Cora’s eyes were fluttering open. “Annie what happened?”

  “You fainted, Cora. You had a pain in your back, and then you lost consciousness,” she explained.

  Conor addressed Annie again. “I will send an apprentice home with you; he will stay through the night to monitor her condition. You have nothing to worry about; our apprentices know what to do if the pain returns.”

  “I’ll do it,” Kellus volunteered.

  “Kellus is more than capable,” Conor assured her, “and you will feel more comfortable with someone you are already acquainted with. I’ll give Kellus instructions while we wait for Loc and Tilidus to bring the carriage.”

  Annie stood to the side with Max while Conor spoke quietly to Kellus, who nodded repeatedly.

  When Loc and Tilidus returned, they helped Cora onto a white stretcher.

  “How are you feeling, Cora?” Kellus asked, walking along beside them.

  “I’m better now, I think,” she answered. “Did you get to see my sister tipsy?”

  “Tipsy as a spinning top,” he chuckled.

&n
bsp; “Good,” Cora answered with a satisfied grin.

  Kellus lifted Cora from the stretcher and carried her right into the bedroom when they arrived home. “May I suggest that you take the dress off immediately? He said. “It’s tight around the area that you had pain, correct?”

  Cora nodded.

  When Kellus and Max left the room, Annie helped Cora off with the dress and on with a nightshirt.

  “More than handsome and very noble,” Cora whispered into Annie’s ear.

  “And very off limits,” Annie answered, finishing the sentence. It was becoming harder and harder for her to remember that.

  Annie puffed up Cora’s pillows and left her alone. “She’s decent,” she told Kellus. “If you have to check on her, it’s all right to do so.”

  “I think it’s best to let her sleep,” he answered.

  “You look tired, Max. Cora is fine now. Why don’t you go to bed,” Annie suggested.

  Max nodded. “Goodnight, Annie,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “Goodnight, Kellus. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

  “The pleasure was mine, Max,” Kellus replied.

  Max walked down the hall to his bedroom.

  “Would you like a mug of tea?” Annie asked Kellus, acutely aware that they were very much alone.

  “You’ve had an unsettling evening. Perhaps you would allow me to take care of that?” he said, taking the pot from her hand.

  She sat on one of the upholstered chairs and watched him make his way around her kitchen comfortably.

  “Have you always lived in this house?” he asked, rummaging through the cupboards for tea.

  “The cupboard to the left of the sink,” she informed him, “Yes, this is the only house I’ve ever lived in. It’s tiny, isn’t it?”

  “Somewhat,” he nodded, placing tea in two mugs, “but very comfortable. The house I grew up in is almost too large for just five of us.”

  “How large is it?” she questioned.

  “Three floors, six bedrooms, four bathrooms…” he trailed off, shrugging his shoulders casually. “It belonged to my grandfather. My parents tell me that he was quite wealthy, and at the time the house was built, it was the largest in West Vistira. My father became the owner after my grandfather died. But it’s not the building that makes a home; it’s the people who live in it. In that area, we seem equally blessed.”

  “How so?” she asked.

  “You, Max, and Cora share much love, I can tell, as do I with my parents and my brother and sister,” he smiled warmly. “Coincidently, I have one brother and one sister also, just like you.”

  “Your father is very nice,” Annie said.

  “Father is a great man,” he agreed proudly, “and my mother is an angel.” He handed Annie a cup of tea and sat in the other upholstered chair next to her. He looked at her pensively for some time before speaking again. “I can’t help being impressed when I think of what you have accomplished with the twins,” he said. “It must have been hard for you, giving up your childhood prematurely.”

  “Please, don’t be impressed. What choice did I have? This was thrust upon me, so I simply did what anyone would do in the same position. I had two twelve-year-old siblings to care for. They were so young, so scared that they would be left completely alone.”

  Kellus stared into her face with a mixture of pity and awe. “You are truly amazing,” he murmured, “so selfless, and yet, unaware that you are.”

  “I don’t know if that’s true,” she replied, feeling her face flush.

  “What do you complain about, then?” he questioned.

  “Complain? I don’t understand the question.”

  “What bothers you?” he rephrased.

  “Nothing,” she replied, still not understanding his question. “I have nothing to complain about. We have enough to eat, we have each other, and we have a warm home—”

  “It’s as I thought,” he broke in, shaking his head. “You are a good person. I knew that you were. A face that beautiful could only be a reflection of what’s inside.”

  She looked down at her hands, feeling her face turn warmer, embarrassed by the compliment.

  Kellus suggested they play cards, so they settled at the kitchen table and talked the night away. They told each other everything about their lives, their childhoods, and their families. He explained that his brother Markum was ten months younger than he, and his sister Zifini was eighteen.

  By the end of the night, she felt that she’d known him for years, and loved everything she knew.

  As the sun began to rise, she stood over the stove making another cup of tea.

  A blood curling scream came from where Cora slept.

  Annie froze.

  Kellus ran to the bedroom.

  Lack of sleep took over her body and she started shaking all over. She could feel tears building in her eyes. She didn’t know if she had the strength to deal with any more bad fortune in her family.

  Moments later, she felt a strong hand slide down her arm and fold over her right hand that still held the handle of the pot. Another strong hand rested on her left hand that gripped the side of the stove.

  Kellus leaned over her left shoulder; his chest pressed up against her back. “Nothing’s wrong. It was merely a nightmare,” he murmured.

  Without thinking, she leaned back into his chest, tears rolling down her cheeks. He moved her right and left hands, wrapping her arms around her waist, his arms on top. “Please don’t cry,” he whispered soothingly into her ear. “Cora had a bad dream, nothing more.” He pulled her backward onto his lap, sitting down on a chair. She placed her head on his shoulder. “Shush,” he cooed, rubbing circles on her back. “Shush, Annie,” he repeated.

  She must have fallen asleep because she suddenly became aware of him calling her name repeatedly. She lifted her head up quickly. “How long was I sleeping?” she asked, covering her mouth to hide a yawn.

  “An hour or so,” he answered. “I regret having to wake you, but I’m expected back at the Citadom soon. I would have carried you to your bed, but I didn’t want to wake Cora.”

  “I’m sorry for falling asleep like that,” she said, blushing.

  “Don’t be,” he answered. “But I must insist that you go to bed immediately. I can let myself out.”

  She said a quick goodbye and walked up the tiny hall to her bedroom. “Are you sleeping?” she asked Cora.

  “Not really,” Cora mumbled.

  Annie lay down next to her sister, noticing that Cora still looked very pale. “Are you sure that you’re alright?” she asked, grabbing Cora’s hands. They lay facing each other.

  “I feel a little weak,” Cora admitted. “Are you alright?”

  “What do you mean?” Annie asked suspiciously.

  “I may be only seventeen, but I’m no fool,” Cora replied. “It appears that you and the apprentice have more than just a casual attraction for each other.”

  “How so?” Annie questioned.

  “Annie, I think you’re falling in love with him,” she said quietly.

  “No, Cora, I can’t fall in love with him. He’s an apprentice,” Annie answered. Nevertheless, she knew at that moment it was too late, it had happened. She was in love with Kellus, and it was obvious to Cora, at least.

  Cora shrugged her shoulders under the blankets. “And I think he’s falling in love with you, too,” she added.

  Cora was only half right. Annie was in love with Kellus, but he did not feel the same way. He would not be foolish enough to let his feelings get out of control.

  Chapter 9

  On Friday, Annie headed down the hill to town, going back and forth between hoping to see Kellus, and hoping not too. Once again, she had made a decision that she would not think about him anymore. She would force herself to fall out of love with him. She even considered taking a trip to East Vistira to visit Sul, to apologize for not getting an opportunity to say goodbye on Saturday. But it was useless; every five minutes, Kellus would pop back into he
r head, causing Sul to pale in comparison.

  She finished shopping quickly and started for home, trying as hard as she could not to look towards the Citadom.

  Focusing straight ahead, she saw Tol standing outside his shop. Even the sight of him made her heart race faster, as though she was somehow closer to Kellus by being near his father.

  “Hello, Tol,” she called out.

  “Annella, it’s a pleasure to see you again. Come inside and visit with me for a moment,” he called back.

  Annie followed Tol inside the shop and leaned up against the counter.

  “Did you like the hair clip?” he asked, leaning over the opposite side of the counter from her.

  “I love it. Thank you very much,” she replied.

  “Don’t thank me, that was all Kellus,” he answered. “He even insisted on paying full price for it.”

  “Really? Why did Kellus do that?” she questioned.

  “Kellus did that because he is very fond of you, young lady. I thought that would have been obvious to you,” he responded.

  “I know we’re friends, but still, such a pretty gift…”she trailed off.

  “He remembered you from your parent’s funeral, you know,” Tol stated. “You made quite an impression on him all those years ago. He never forgot. And…he is a thoughtful young man.”

  “Who is?” a familiar voice called from the doorway.

  “Son, look who came to visit me,” Tol said loudly.

  Kellus leaned casually against the doorframe, arms folded over his chest. “I would advise you not to cross me, father, or I’ll be forced to tell mother that you were shamefully alone in here with a beautiful, younger woman.” He winked at Annie playfully, sending her heart fluttering against her ribs.

  “Are you jealous, son?” Tol asked in a teasing voice.

  “Very,” Kellus replied, nodding.

  “Your mother is well aware of my charms, son. It’s not my fault that this lovely young lady wishes to spend time with me,” Tol taunted. “Perhaps someday I’ll teach you the secrets of my appeal.”

  Kellus rolled his eyes and smiled. “Pay no mind to that old coot, Annie. He has an over-inflated ego, apparently.”