The Life of Anna, Part 5: Emerged (45 page)

I nodded slowly, trying to decipher what
Vlad was saying. Was he saying that he would let us go? Would Vlad
not be upset if anyone knew we were here?

“Once the funeral is over...things may
change. Tomorrow I will take you to the cellar.” He turned to leave
but paused. “I almost forgot to give this to you.” He handed me a
portable DVD player. “Peter sent this to me. I thought you might
like to see.”

When Vlad left, I powered the device on
and my heart pounded as I heard the first strains of the music of
Giselle.
My Anna!
It was your performance of Giselle with
Peter. I watched the entire thing without moving, and then began it
again before I realized the others might want to see it. I hurried
out into the hallway and called for them.

Though the stairway was blocked off, we
had the tower floor to ourselves. Seth, Tony, Greg and Erich came
out of their rooms. You would have laughed at all the beards and
long hair. A pain hit my heart, knowing I had lost three men trying
to find a means of escape the first year we were there. There was
no way out. The deaths of Jesse, Michael and Jason had proven that.
Sebastian hadn’t died, of course, but had been banished to wherever
he came from.

I put the DVD player on the ground and
began it again. No one spoke as the ballet progressed, but we all
watched. When it was over, Seth started it over and we all sat and
watched it together again. And again.

I looked around at my men. My family. I
would have likely killed myself if it hadn’t been for them all this
time. They were subdued, but not unhappy. There just wasn’t much to
talk about after all this time; nothing really happened. We had
exhausted all possible escape routes and lost three good men
trying. Life was monotonous.

Vlad chuckled a few hours later when he
came up and saw us all sitting on the floor in the hallway. “I
didn’t know you were all so fond of ballet.”

If it had been Vitaly, I would have had a
smart remark ready for him, but Vlad had been kind enough to give
us this, so I held my tongue. Besides, his comment seemed
genuine.

“I can ask for more if you’d like,” Vlad
offered.

I nodded. “Please,” I said, my voice
raspy.

Vlad gave me a sympathetic look. “She’s a
wonderful dancer and a wonderful young woman.”

The men all nodded. Not once had they
complained or suggested that you were the reason they were there.
Seth, Greg and Tony still adored you. Erich didn’t know you as
well, but knew me enough to know you were something special. I was
so grateful for them all.

It pained me to know Vlad had contact
with you when I couldn’t, but...there was something different about
Vlad now that Vitaly was gone. More than just him becoming an
Elder. It gave me a glimmer of hope for the first time in a very,
very long time.

Anna stood and walked around to the other
side of the table and embraced Alex. Knowing her refusal to believe
him had hurt him made her feel so guilty. “I’m sorry I didn’t
believe you, Alex,” she whispered, settling on his lap and leaning
her head against his shoulder. “I was so consumed with grief—”

“Anna, I’ve told you. It’s all right. I
understand. If you had believed me, and Devin had found out...who
knows what would have happened? I might still be in that
cellar.”

His words brought to mind a memory unbidden.
“The cellar....” She sat up. “You got sick. You got sick and...
Devin sent me to heal you....”

Alex nodded.

“But...why did I get sick too?”

“I was down there because Devin wanted me
down there. I got sick because of being down there. So you did
too....”

The cellar was freezing as usual. There
were blankets and cots, but they did little to abate the cold. I
hated being down here in the windowless box. Not to mention I was
starting to feel like crap.

As time went on, I started sweating and
shivering at the same time. Seth put me down on the bed and did
what he could for me, but all I could do was shiver. Tony pounded
on the metal door but no one came. God, would I die down
there?

No relief came and the room seemed to
grow even colder. Even the other men huddled in their beds against
the cold. They had done all they could for me. I put my head under
my blanket and wondered about death.

I felt you before I could see you. A
warmth spread throughout the room before you even came to me. My
thoughts were scattered, though I was surprised you were there.
Vlad had said this room was sealed against your presence.

You pulled the blanket away from my face
and I opened my eyes. My teeth chattered as I mumbled something
about your presence and I tried to smile at you but all I could do
was groan in pain. I felt your cool hand on my forehead and stared
at you in wonder as you sighed in relief and then stretched out in
the bed with me. I wanted to reach out to you, to wrap my arms
around you and keep you there forever, but I couldn’t move.
Instead, you wrapped your arms around me and I felt the fever
leaving me. My body relaxed and I moved closer to you, but opened
my eyes in alarm when your body became hot with the fever I’d just
had.

“No, Anna. No, you can’t get sick.” I put
my hand on your head and willed you to give me my sickness back.
You cried out and I saw the pain in your eyes before you faded
away.

“Anna!” I screamed sitting up.
“Anna!”

But you were gone.

I looked around but knew you were gone. I
caught Erich’s eye. “Did you see her?” I asked wildly.

Erich nodded. “Felt her first. The room
is warmer.”

The other men had sat up.

“You okay?” Greg asked.

“She took my fever,” I rasped, staring at
the ground. “She healed me.” I squeezed my eyes shut and fell back
into my cot. I could almost feel you still next to me. Your warm
body against mine. It was torture.

I didn’t know how long we were down in
the box but when Vlad finally appeared, I charged at him. “Is she
all right?”

Vlad looked at me, surprised. “Yes, Alex.
She’s fine. She’s much better than she was. Your father challenged
Devin, and she is with him and your brother now.”

I slumped against the wall in relief. I
could feel my men relax as well. But I stiffened again as Vlad’s
words sank in. “You think she is better because she is with my
family?” I knew that my family had been forbidden to have contact
with you and I was thrilled that the ban had been revoked.

Vlad didn’t answer right away. He looked
away, emotions flitting across his face. “If I were to answer that
in the positive, my family would be in danger.” He looked back at
me. “The look of joy on her face when she was allowed to return to
your father...was very pleasing.”

I read between the lines. Vlad didn’t
approve of how Devin treated you, and maybe even what Devin was
doing, period.

“You can return to your rooms,” Vlad
said, stepping aside. As I stepped by him, after the others had
left, Vlad spoke again. “You should spend some time in the library
soon.”

I arched an eyebrow at the new Russian
Elder, but nodded my head. “Perhaps I should go now?”

Vlad nodded and walked away.

I made my way to the large library on the
second floor of the huge mansion. Vlad was definitely different
from Vitaly and I wondered about the changes he had mentioned a few
days ago.

One change I did notice as I made my way
through the house was the lack of security. Vitaly had kept armed
guards throughout the house; I couldn’t go more than a few steps
without seeing a guard watching me with a gun ready to shoot me if
I or any of the others acted suspiciously.

Now, I couldn’t see any in sight, which
made me more nervous. Was Vlad tricking me? I stopped in the
hallway and listened. I didn’t hear or sense anyone around me. It
was odd. I looked around and didn’t see any new cameras, either.
What was going on?

I arrived in the library and looked
around to search for what Vlad obviously wanted me to find. Nothing
caught my eye as I stood at the double-door entrance of the
two-story library. I wandered slowly around the perimeter, looking
for any differences. I knew this room almost as well as my own
family’s library. My Russian had certainly improved since I’d been
here; almost all of the books were in Russian.

Your presence still haunted me as I
walked around the room. I missed you now more than ever. I was glad
that you were able to see my family again, but a part of me
couldn’t help but wonder if something might develop between you and
my brother. My heart squeezed at the thought, though Kurt was the
logical person to take my place in your life.

I stopped by a floor-to-ceiling window
and leaned my head against the cool glass. What if you fell in love
with Kurt and married him? Yes, I wanted you happy, but I wanted
you happy with me, not my brother. Vlad, by his actions and words,
had lit a glimmer of hope in my heart that we might actually get
out of here someday. I felt the desire to fight growing inside me
again. Something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

I looked around the room with new eyes.
What was different? What was it that Vlad wanted me to find? A
bookshelf in the corner caught my eye. Something was odd.

I crossed the room in a few short strides
and saw that the edges of some books were closer to the edge of the
shelf than the surrounding books. I bent down and looked but there
wasn’t anything behind them. So what was here?

The dust cover on a large book was
slightly bent and ill fitting. I pulled the book out, opened the
front cover and was astonished when I saw the elaborate script of
an ancient Elder book.

There were three volumes of the Books of
the Elders that had been banned centuries ago. I had found the
first two when I had searched before we were married. This was the
missing third volume! This was the volume that should tell me how
to free you from Devin’s grip!

I ran my hands through my hair as my
pulse pounded in my head. I was certain that this book had not been
here before. Had Vlad put it here? He had to have done so,
otherwise why would he have told me to go to the library?

Changes.... You.... Devin....
Freedom?

I closed the book and made sure the
dustcover was in place, then turned and carried it out of the room.
Vlad came around the corner and I stopped dead in my tracks, blood
chilling in fear of what Vlad would say.

“Did you find anything interesting?” Vlad
asked conversationally.

“I...uh, yes, I did,” I answered
hesitantly.

Although Vlad didn’t smile, I saw his
gaze soften. “Good. I hope you find it...educational.” He nodded
his head and continued past me down the hallway.

I stood in the middle of the hallway for
a split second more and then hurried to the staircase and up to my
room. It would take me a while to decipher the book, but it would
be easier since I was familiar with the language already. If Vlad
had left this book for me to find, would he also provide a means of
escape?

One thing at a time, I told myself. I
needed to learn what I needed to know before I thought about
anything else.

I immersed myself in learning what I
needed to know. Seth and the others would drag me out of my room
every day to make sure I got exercise.

“Anna won’t like it if you’re skinny,”
Seth teased.

I rolled my eyes, though my vanity
winced. I
had
lost a lot of muscle tone over the years.
What was the point of working out if I was never going to leave?
But finding the book had renewed my desire for life. There was a
chance that I would see you again! My heart pounded every time I
thought about it.

The mood had lightened significantly
since Vitaly had died. We found ourselves joking around and talking
about what it would be like to be free again; something we hadn’t
dared to even dream about for a very, very long time.

Winter came and went and I studied
diligently. Vlad told me that you were living with Devin after you
went home and, from what Vlad had heard, you weren’t doing well.
When Vlad would bring your performances for us to watch, I could
see you weren’t yourself, though it was subtle. My heart ached for
you, and my determination to get free increased.

At the beginning of March, Vlad came to
my room early one morning.

“Anna is gone.”

I was still in bed and I sat up straight.
“What? What do you mean gone?”

Vlad’s face was inscrutable, as it was
most of the time when he came to speak to me. “She ran away from
Devin.”

My jaw dropped and I stared at Vlad. I
could hardly comprehend his words. “Ran away?” I repeated. “How? Is
she safe? Where is she?” Questions shot through my head like a
bullet ricocheting off steel plates.

“She had help. Yes she is safe.” Vlad’s
eyes softened. “She’s with friends.”

“Do you know where?”

Vlad didn’t answer, but strode to the
window and looked out. “Our Gathering is next week in Moscow.” He
turned to look at me. “I, of course, must attend and will have to
take much of my household with me.”

My heart pounded in my chest. Was this
our opportunity to escape? Was it a trick? “Oh?” was all I could
come up with.