Chapter 16

“Lord Lucas,” the Head Trainer nodded, acknowledging the Ruler taking seat in front of him.

“Head Trainer,” Lucas responded in kind.

The grey hood moved imperceptibly to the side. The long table was made of lacquered solid wood. Bony fingers trailed the shiny surface, like they were searching for something. Lucas was waiting patiently.

“Do you have any idea why I summoned you here?” the Head Trainer finally spoke again.

“I am afraid I cannot go as far as to project assumptions about your intentions, Head Trainer,” Lucas answered politely, although he could feel the tips of his fingers turning frosty.

“A perfect answer,” the Head Trainer looked straight into Lucas’s dark eyes.

Lucas had always had troubles sustaining the direct gaze coming from any of the Trainers. The Head Trainer had a particular way to make one feel uncomfortable. The large grey eyes looked as if they had a life of their own. The gaunt face was ashen, cut in stone and the receding gum line only made the strong white teeth look as if they belonged to an animal. Lucas had always felt something akin to revulsion when looking one of the Trainers straight in his face.

“Have you ever been unhappy?” the Head Trainer linked his fingers and continued to stare at Lucas.

“Unhappy? I ... don’t think I understand the question,” Lucas frowned slightly.

“Unhappy, as in experiencing negative emotions, like loss, sadness, melancholy...” the old man trailed off, and Lucas felt as if the air in the room was gradually getting colder.

“I am a psychologist. My education taught me these are nothing but trifle emotions. I might have experienced them fleetingly, but I’ve always known how to rise above them.”

The Head Trainer nodded approvingly. “I and my brothers have always had regrets for not bringing you up here in Drena from an early age. As a child, you were promising, intellectually wise. We could not envision the ugly duck turning into a beautiful swan later in life. You are every inch Drena worthy in both terms of physical beauty and intellect.”

“You are flattering me,” Lucas spoke, feeling an unpleasant taste pooling on his tongue.

“We have offered you everything. We have always treated you like you belong here. We have always had trust in you.”

“And for that, I want to thank you, yet again.”

“Lucas,” the Head Trainer’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Why are you hurting us, your Fathers?”

Lucas had the presence of spirit to look surprise. “Hurting you? I would never...”

The Head Trainer slid his hand in one of the large pockets of his grey robe. The large gemstone fell on the wooden table with a small thump. Lucas’s eyes remained glued to it. The Head Trainer continued on an even tone.

“I must admit I would not have expected an ordinary merchant to be so resilient to torture. It was quite a feat to make him break.”

Lucas’s stomach turned and twisted.

“There is no point in denying now. Lucas, my child,” the Head Trainer spoke softly, “I would like to hear everything.”

“Am I going to be put to death?” Lucas eventually articulated.

“Over a trifle thing like this? And lose your beautiful mind? Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t it on impulse that you gave the merchant this invaluable stone? Your battle with emotions ... is it getting too hard? We know that you suffered greatly after losing your servant. Cory, his name was?”

“I thought that was solved. I gave him up.”

“You did. Your decision was more than laudable. He died in the depths of the mines.”

Lucas said nothing, his eyes still drawn to the gemstone that right now equaled his doom.

“How is that making you feel?” the Head Trainer scanned over Lucas.

The Ruler shrugged. “He was no longer my property.”

“That is not what I asked you.”

“I don’t feel anything.”

“One fraction of a second.”

“What?” Lucas inquired, finally raising his eyes.

“You answered too fast. I am your Father, Lucas. Tell me everything. Don’t lie.”

“A loss is a loss. I will not deny that I used to have feelings for him. But that was in the past.”

“All right. That will be put to test. But, I want to know one more thing. What was the gemstone for?”

Lucas searched his mind frantically for an answer. “Didn’t the merchant tell you?”

“I would prefer hearing it from you, not that lowlife who now rests underground.”

It was a trap. It had to be. Lucas took a gamble anyway. “I wanted to go to Aeria. On a small visit. I miss my home.”

The Head Trainer remained unmoved. “Emotions again...” he said somewhat regretfully. “You can go back to your quarters, Lucas.”

“What will happen to me?” Lucas questioned.

“You will undergo a re-education program. These emotions are really messing with your mind. We need you to be perfectly functioning for what we have in mind for you.”

“Can I know what?”

“That information will become available when the moment is right. And, Lucas, do not plan to run away from home again. Drena is your home. It will always be until your last day.”

The Head Trainer’s words sounded ominous. Lucas felt dread washing over him. They were going to make him wait, feed on his own suspicions and fears, until they would cull him, ripe for the taking.

~A Good Servant~

“Strange,” Edgar commented.

“What is?” Cory inquired, peeking his head from behind a huge stack of old books. He was not used to reading so much.

“I was expecting a message from Lucas. The usual messenger hasn’t yet arrived.”

Cory felt a short pang of pain knifing his chest. “Do you think something’s wrong?”

Edgar shrugged. “The desert can be tricky at times. Maybe he just takes longer to get to Aeria. Now, we must prepare to attend a party.”

“A party?” Cory asked confused. “I thought you guys never partied.”

“Well, we’re supposed to take a break once in a while. But I doubt a party in Aeria can ever rival to the lavish happenings that are a fixture in Drena. Now, excuse me, I need to get ready. I left your attire on the back of that chair.”

When Edgar came back from the other room, Cory smiled, a bit amused.

“May I say that you look quite dashing, Edgar?” he giggled.

His host had chosen a black velvet suit with a matching hat. The shirt was white, but the tie was black silk. The attire made the bookworm suddenly look like a beautiful butterfly.

“You think?” Edgar blushed slightly.

“Oh,” Cory said all knowingly. His blue suit was not as elegant as Edgar’s, but it looked good on him. “At this party ... will a certain lady be present?”

“A certain lady?” Edgar blushed more this time.

“C’mon, Edgar,” Cory teased. In the short time he had spent with the man, he had come to really like him. Edgar was witty, easygoing and even funny, although sometimes that happened without any intention at humor. “Lena will be at this party, right? Will you introduce me to her?”

“And lose her to you?” Edgar faked outrage, and then started laughing. “I must say, Cory. You should be prepared. The ladies will really be all over you. You are very aesthetically pleasing. Now, I must warn you. Their requests may be ... quite strange. Nothing dangerous, and you do not have to worry, as you well know, about any sexual advances. But their scientific interests can sometimes be peculiar, especially in regards to attractive men, like you.”

“Now you’re making me nervous.”

“Don’t worry. But do try to keep a low profile.”

“Maybe pretend I’m mentally challenged, so everyone leaves me alone?”

“Nonsense. That will make you their lab rat in an instant. They will want to know what’s wrong with your brain,” Edgar warned. “Just be yourself. So far, you proved to be a very manageable guest, so I think you know very well how to behave in polite society. Actually, I’m afraid I might embarrass you; I basically have two lefts of ... well, everything,” he concluded and gestured for Cory to follow him outside.

~A Good Servant~ Everything looked austere. The men and women at the table wore beautiful clothes, but they were basically covered from head to toes. Especially the women were practically swimming in frills and lace, with their small heads peeking over large and convoluted collars. Large hats were covering their heads, so, although he was a bit curious to see them from up close, he quickly realized that there was not so much to see.

“Hello, Edgar,” a small woman sat next to them and nodded briefly. “I see you brought a friend,” she inspected Cory with her sharp clever eyes, the color of amethyst.

“Hello, Lena. This is a friend of mine from Bluesilver. Hector, this is a good friend of mine, Lena.”

Cory, now going by the name of Hector, inclined his head. The woman continued to stare at him.

“Can I feel your skull?” she suddenly asked.

His jaw went slack. What kind of a strange request was that? He turned to Edgar, only to see the man smiling devilishly at him. He straightened up.

“Of course, please be my guest.”

Lena didn’t wait for another invitation and rose from the table, to come to Cory’s back. She removed his hat and placed it on the table. He felt her small hands feeling his head, like they were searching for something.

“Magnificent,” she commented. “Edgar, are you sure your friend is from Bluesilver? It is so unlikely for commoners to exhibit such perfect anatomy, down to the smallest details.”

“Lena is an expert in phrenology,” Edgar explained.

“Oh, Edgar, you’re exaggerating,” the woman laughed softly, and her hands stopped their strange explorations for a bit. “And it’s just a side hobby, nothing else. The Trainers do not think phrenology is a real science. I’m afraid I still need to deal with boring math on a regular basis.”

“What is phrenology?” Cory eventually asked.

“I can tell certain things about you, just by studying your skull,” Lena explained.

“She can even predict the future,” Edgar intervened again.

“Really?” Cory felt excited over such a possibility.

“That’s nonsense, dear Edgar,” Lena’s voice turned a bit deeper. “I am just playing with concepts and ideas, nothing more.”

“Please, tell me my future,” Cory demanded.

“All right, but please be aware that this has more to do with personality traits and the most likely things that will happen in your life, based on these traits. There is nothing set in stone, and what I am about to tell you will sound pretty vague.”

“I don’t care, I’m curious,” he insisted. “I mean, if you’re not busy,” he remembered his manners. He found Aeria a strange place, but the people here were certainly very interesting.

“Well,” Lena’s fingers descended over his ears and started trailing invisible lines, stopping in places, as if the woman wanted to read something deeper in there. “You are a very balanced person, Hector. Yet, it looks like you are very passionate, too. What science are you specializing in? Since you’re here in Aeria, I suppose you want to specialize in a certain discipline.”

Cory pondered for a second. “History,” he breathed out.

“History?” Lena seemed surprised. “That’s nothing but dead science. Who cares about the dead anyway? Once someone is no longer functional, he or she must retreat right away. There is no progress to be obtained from there.”

“Oh,” Cory spoke, not really knowing what to say.

“Never mind, if that’s your cup of tea, that’s ok,” Lena concluded for him. “Now, take what I will say with a pinch of salt. It looks like you are destined for great things. Who knows? Maybe history will become an important science again. That, or you’ll change your specialization,” she joked.

Cory was all ears. He really liked this game. “What else? Don’t worry. I think it’s very entertaining.”

Lena’s small hands descended on his nape, feeling the base of his skull. “Strange,” she whispered.

“What?” Cory and Edgar asked almost in the same time.

“It’s nonsense. It cannot be,” she eventually spoke.

“Please, Lena, don’t leave us in the dark. It’s not like we believe this fortune telling thing, anyway,” Edgar insisted instead of Cory.

She hesitated a few more seconds. “What I feel at the base of your skull is mentioned in a few old books. But I’ve never seen such a thing, and I’ve never believed it anyway.”

“What is it?” Cory now felt a bit uncomfortable.

“It looks like ... you have two life lines.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“Well, a loose explanation would be that you have to die once, to live a second life. Have you gone through any near death experiences?”

Cory’s mind flew back to the moment back in the mines outside of Drena. “No, I cannot say that I have,” he murmured.

Lena’s hands disappeared. “I’m really sorry. I should know death is not exactly a great conversation subject at a party. If that makes you feel better, the two life lines can also mean something else. It’s a more common explanation.”

“What?” Cory’s curiosity was piqued.

“That there is another living inside you. You know, like when you experience strong feelings for someone else. Or ... another for you.”

Cory could tell without looking that right now, Lena was staring at Edgar and the man was staring back. He thought of Lucas and his heart grew small.

“Well, enough of this hocus-pocus,” Lena was the first to break the awkward silence. “I heard the chef really outdid himself today. Let’s enjoy other things besides the usual food for the mind we regularly indulge in.”

Like on cue, servants pushing trays of food entered the room. Cory remained thoughtful. Lena’s words had hit a bit too close to home.

~A Good Servant~

“Are you still thinking about what Lena said?” Edgar asked him, once they were back home.

“She’s quite an exceptional person,” Cory said.

“I know,” Edgar’s voice was filled with regret.

“Edgar ... would it be that bad to get close to her? I mean, you know, to become romantically involved?” Cory was trying hard to pick the right words.

“I could never do that to her. If anyone does such a thing, they are not the only ones punished. The subject of their misplaced affection is punished, as well.”

“What does this punishment consist of? Who will know, anyway?”

Edgar frowned. “The Trainers have eyes everywhere. I mean, not exactly eyes, but affection levels can be detected.”

“Detected? How?” Cory wondered, confused.

“It’s difficult, and it’s hard to explain. If two people come together, they will be exposed rather sooner or later. The punishment ... well, the sublimation machine can be used as an execution device.”

Edgar really had a pitiful expression when he spoke. “I would not want anything happening to Lena because of me. I would not stand it,” he shook his head energetically.

“But Lucas said...” Cory spoke softly, “that he wanted to take me here. How would have our lives turned to be?”

“He said that?” Edgar was surprised. “That’s strange. Maybe he knew something I don’t?”

That question was more addressed inwardly than to Cory.

“About what Lena said...” Cory changed the subject, his heart heavy. “I did have a near death experience.”

“You did?” Edgar showed his surprise.

“While I was escaping. I felt really cold and I had no direction. But, then ... you’ll laugh if I tell you.”

“No, please, I promise I won’t,” Edgar grabbed a chair and took a seat.

“I thought I was dying but then I had this ... hallucination. I saw a woman in a casing inside the wall. She was floating in mid air.”

Edgar didn’t laugh. “How did she look like?”

“Blonde, long hair, really beautiful ... I think. I don’t know many women. I felt growing warm again.”

“Anything else?” Edgar pressed.

“The mark on my shoulder,” Cory touched his arm gently. “It flared for a brief second. Oh, she had a lily flower in her hand.”

“Like the mark,” Edgar continued thoughtfully, pursing his lips.

“Then she disappeared, and I knew the way to get out.”

Edgar rose and took one of the old tomes from the table. “You know, these were books we were supposed to burn a long time ago,” he said casually.

“You personally?”

“Oh, no, we, the people of Aeria. An old man gave them to me, told me to keep them. I thought he was a bit crazy. But he was a happy guy. He didn’t have to use the sublimation machine. Not even once. He found his work passionate enough to not care about anything else. Lucky man,” Edgar smiled. “He died at 102.”

“102?” Cory was flabbergasted.

“Yeap, he saw like five generations of us, or even more. Most thought he was a bit deranged up here,” Edgar tapped his right temple, “but they left him alone. Not even the Trainers cared about him. They told us to look at him and see what old age could do to us. He was kind of a cautionary tale. Don’t grow too old or something like that. They even made a show of it, undressing him and showing us his sagging skins.”

“Poor man,” Cory whispered.

“Oh, he didn’t care. Actually, if I think about it, he was very content with his own being. When the Trainers came, he got ready to be presented to the crowds. He joked about it, too. I kind of miss him.”

“When did he pass away?” Cory inquired.

“We are not exactly sure. We didn’t see him for days and went to his home. It was empty. Who knows where he found his end? We didn’t find his corpse.”

“So how do you know he’s dead?”

Edgar stopped his flipping through the pages and stared at Cory. “He could barely walk. Where could have he gone?”

“And just disappear?” Cory insisted.

“You do have a point,” Edgar murmured. “We just supposed he was found by the cleaning crew someplace and taken to the crematory. We didn’t give it too much thought. But I still have these books from him.”

“What was the old man’s name?”

“Hector,” Edgar said a bit amused. “I named you after him. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I hope I get to live till 102,” Cory joked.

Edgar laughed while continuing his search. “Aha!” he exclaimed and gestured for Cory to come closer. “Is this her?” he pointed out at the old page on which fine lines, barely visible, showed a woman with a lily flower in one hand and the other placed over her womb.

Cory took a step back. “That’s her!”

Edgar seemed surprised. “Are you sure? You barely looked!”

“I am, I am sure,” Cory felt all his pores breaking into a sweat. “It is her!”

“All right, don’t be afraid.”

“Who is she?” Cory came closer. Something more powerful than fear was drawing him to the old picture.

“According to what it says here...” Edgar brought the tome closer to his eyes, “she is the one who was before the Trainers.”

“Lucas mentioned her,” Cory murmured. “How did he know?”

“Well, he was good friends with Hector. Maybe the crazy old man told him something,” Edgar expressed his suspicions.

“But he had to ask you about the lily flower,” Cory voiced his thoughts.

“Hector was kind of crazy, as I told you. He always said something like he gave us little truths, and that it was up to us to put them together. Yes, if I remember correctly, he did speak kind of strangely. Not only to me. To everyone. Then suddenly, he fell silent, like he could not speak anymore. His eyes were kind of frightening. They were so grey and so deep. Like the Trainers’ eyes.”

“The Trainers are eternal,” Cory spoke, as he suddenly remembered one of the lessons taught, as a young boy. That phrase had been like a mantra they had to say each and every day.

“What did you say?” Edgar turned to him.

“The Trainers ... they are eternal. They do not die, do they?”

“Yes, that’s a known fact. From their love and care, everyone is born. They have power of life and death.”

“How are we all born exactly?” Cory questioned. “I know the basics, how the women from Tresalt go to Drena to give birth, but, otherwise...”

“Oh, it’s quite a secret process. The Trainers take care of everything. Pregnancy, as is, is a biological process, but the initiation of the process is entirely in the Trainers’ hands. They know exactly what genes to combine in order to fuel the world with workers, scientists, rulers like Lucas...”

“ ... and servants like me,” Cory spoke softly. “I wish I knew the woman who carried me in her womb.”

“Why?” Edgar was a bit intrigued.

Cory shrugged. He could not pinpoint what he was feeling. Regret? It was more than that. “I am part of her, I think, as I stand here in flesh and blood. It’s like she’s living through me, but I don’t know who she is, and she doesn’t know who I am. I think, no, I feel ... it’s kind of sad.”

Edgar seemed to ponder for a bit. “You’re quite an interesting individual, Cory. And not only because of your magnificent skull,” he added jokingly. “I’ve never thought about the woman who gave birth to me. There had to be someone right? And she was not just a vessel...” the scientist felt his breath stopping, all of a sudden. He caught the back of the chair to regain his stability.

Cory hurried to his side. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Edgar furrowed his brow. “I must have eaten too much tonight or something.”

Cory shook his head. He felt as he was responsible for the unpleasant switch in conversation. “So, if Lena studies phrenology as a side hobby, what do you do for fun?”