Remembered (10 page)

“Really?” Annie feigned boredom, unwilling to give Cora the
reaction she wanted, knowing that her sister was trying to gauge how she felt
about Kellus.

“He was carrying a barrel of wine to replace an empty one.
He has beautiful arms…very strong,” Cora continued. “He asked me if I was your
sister, and then he asked if the wine was for you. When I told him it was, he
asked if I thought it would make you tipsy.”

“Is that so,” Annie replied, keeping her eyes firmly on the
musicians.

“When I told him that it might, he said he would thoroughly
enjoy seeing you intoxicated,” she said.

“One glass of wine will hardly make me tipsy, and certainly
nothing near intoxicated,” Annie stated, trying to sound completely
uninterested. Inside, however, she had butterflies from her toes to her back
teeth.

As the evening wore on, a man that Annie knew from school
approached her. His name was Sul, and it had been at least five years since
she’d seen him last. “Annella Derlyn, is that you?” he called from a few feet
away. “It’s been such a long time.” He sat down on the grass next to her
without waiting for an invitation.

“Hello, Sul. It’s nice to see you again,” Annie replied
warmly.

“Are you here alone?” he asked. “Apart from your brother and
sister, I mean. Do you have a date for the evening?”

“Only my brother and sister,” she answered.

“We’ll have to do something about that then,” he teased. “Do
you mind if I stay here with you for a while?”

They quickly settled into a comfortable conversation. Sul
had moved to East Vistira and was teaching at a school. He loved children and
wanted desperately to start a family of his own as soon as he found a bride.
Annie had an uneasy feeling that she was being interviewed for that position.

“May I get you another glass of wine?” he asked. “I’m going
to refill my beer.”

“Thank you,” she replied, handing him her empty glass.
Uncharacteristic giggles erupted from her as he walked away.

Cora smirked. “If your apprentice wants to see you tipsy,
now would be a good time for him to show up,” she said teasingly.

“I’m not tipsy, only in a good mood, there’s quite a
difference. And, by the way, Kellus is not my apprentice,” Annie answered
firmly, keeping her last thought to herself,
‘though I wish he was.’

Moments later, Sul was back on the grass next to her. They
continued to prattle on about people they’d known in school—who’d married whom,
and what jobs certain people had taken. Despite what she’d told Cora, Annie was
starting to feel light headed. 

“Do you mind if we leave you?” Max interrupted. He was on
his feet with Cora. Two boys and a girl stood with them.

“You may go with your friends as long as you promise to meet
me here at the end of the evening,” Annie answered.

“Would you like to dance?” Sul asked when the twins had
disappeared from view.

They walked over to the musicians where couples were
twirling around in circles.

Sul took her hand and gripped her waist, pulling her much
too close. “You look lovely,” he said, leering into her face. “You are even
more beautiful than you were in school.”

“Thank you,” she replied, trying casually to pull back from
him.

Her eyes drifted out into the crowd, warmly illuminated by
the many overhead lanterns, while Sul led her around the dance floor.

Suddenly, she noticed Kellus leaning up against a tree, not
thirty feet from them. His hands rested on his hips casually, his jaw was set,
his expression unreadable, and his eyes were fixed on Annie. She wondered how
long he had been staring.

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.

“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.”