“Wow, I didn’t expect you people to be coming around this time of year!” Mrs. Bernard explained as she eagerly shook Gareth’s hand.
“Yeah, it is a little early. We usually come just before winter starts, but it’s the beginning of summer. As you can see, our resources have decreased faster than normally,” Gareth said, looking at Stefan through the corner of his eye. “I hope we’re not causing too much trouble, Mrs. Bernard.”
“Of course not! Felix hasn’t been getting many patients lately, so I’m sure he’ll enjoy your company. He gets quite grumpy when he’s bored. Oh, and please, call me Isabel. We’re good friends now, aren’t we?”
“Of course.” Gareth smiled humbly.
The stairs behind the receptionist desk creaked, as the weight of someone’s body moving over them shifted across them.
“Oh, if it isn’t Gareth!” an older man’s voice boomed through the staircase. “Wouldn’t have thought you’d be coming now!”
“A surprise visit.” Gareth said, shaking his host’s hand, who had long since lost the hair on the top of his scalp but had an impeccable black-gray moustache to make up for it.
“I’m pleased, nonetheless. Isabel, dear, would you mind making some tea for our guests if you’re not busy?”
Mrs. Bernard nodded and strolled into the kitchen, which was on the same floor as the waiting room and doctor’s office. The Bernards made their home on the second floor of the house, which was where Dr. Bernard took his visitors. They sat in the living room as they waited for Mrs. Bernard to bring in the refreshments.
“Look at you, Anwen!” Felix said in awe, holding the girl’s hands in hers. “You’re not a little girl anymore. Has it really been that long since I last saw you?”
“It’s only been two years.” Anwen smiled.
“Two years isn’t long, but a lot can happen in that time. Why didn’t you come last year?”
“I got sick,” Anwen said, frowning. “Literally just before we were about to leave.”
“Gareth!” the doctor scolded like he was the younger man’s father. “Why didn’t you bring her, then? I would’ve taken care of her, and she would’ve gone back home better than as she came!”
“I didn’t want to create more work for you, Doctor,” Gareth explained. “And she wasn’t that sick. She just wanted an excuse to read her manuals alone. Isn’t that right, Anwen?”
“M-Maybe.” She stuttered.
Felix laughed and patted the unsettled girl’s hand.
“Let’s not dwell on the past too much. And speaking of such, who’s this young lad? I don’t think I’ve seen him before.” Felix said, turning to grin at Stefan.
“My name is Stefan.” He said with a semblance of confidence, wishing not to be victim to Anwen’s cruelty again.
“This is Stefan Laine,” Gareth said, giving a more proper introduction on his behalf. “He’s been staying with us for the past six months or so.”
“L-Laine?” Felix said in surprise. “Your last name is Laine?”
“The son of the one and only,” Gareth said. For once, he seemed to be proud of him, but not because of his own attributes. “Kallista Laine is his mother.”
The doctor grabbed Stefan’s shoulders, pressing them softly.
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“Stefan, my boy… you don’t have any idea how important your mother is to the people of north Yeupis, do you?”
“Is she, really?” Stefan asked, utterly confused. As far as he knew, besides her relatively short time as a soldier fighting what he now knew to be the Angels, Kallista had never lived anywhere else besides Derban. She was born and raised there, as well as her parents, and their parents as well. She had no reason to be known to anyone.
“So, you don’t know…” Felix said, slowly taking his hands away from Stefan. “She never told you. Well, that’s fine, because I’ll tell you. She is a symbol of resistance for humanity. It was she who figured out how to kill Angels without having to use their evil magic,”
‘Utrium is evil magic?’ Stefan wondered as he juggled all the knowledge being thrown at him by the old doctor.
“She’s someone to be proud of, Stefan. While everyone who fought them knows that their skin is impenetrable, their eyes, nose and mouths are as vulnerable as ours. One well-placed shot, and they’re good as dead. Although very few soldiers have had the skill to replicate such feats, she was the one who showed them all that it was possible. She did all that while she was just a teenager, maybe a couple years older than you are now.”
“So… why didn’t she tell me about any of this? Why am I just finding out now?” he asked.
Before Felix could have the chance to even think about the boy’s questions, Gareth tapped him on the shoulder with his own.
“Dr. Bernard… I couldn’t help but notice something strange when we came here. What happened to all the young men in this town? I only saw one or two…”
“Oh… it’s so like you to notice small things like that, Gareth.” The doctor chucked.
A moment later, Mrs. Bernard entered the living room, carrying a tray of filled porcelain cups and placing them on the coffee table.
“Thank you, Isabel.” Gareth said.
“Please, sit down, dear,” Felix sat, waving his hand at the empty armchair across from him. “You’ve been up all morning. Take a seat.”
“I will, after I make a little snack for Leon. I’ll be back.” She said, returning downstairs.
“Who’s Leon?” Stefan asked.
“He’s our grandson,” Felix answered. “He’s a couple of years older than you, but I’m sure you’ll be good friends. He’s a great lad, I tell you.”
“Leon’s here?” Anwen squealed. “Please tell me we can go see him!”
‘He’s probably one of those handsome, mature men she’s been rambling about.’ Stefan noted.
“I’m afraid not now, sweetie,” Felix informed. “He spends mornings studying. Maybe a little later. Stay here and have some tea. Anyways, Gareth, about the young men…”
Felix spent the next 15 minutes telling Gareth about the situation afflicting Marius. More and more Angel activity had been spotted over the mountains on the south side of Marius. Fearing that they could cross over and launch an attack on the town, almost all the young men and some of the young women joined a resistance group known as the Black Shield. The only young men who stayed behind in Marius were those who were their parents’ only sons, which included Leon. The boy had an elder sister who had married the past year and moved out of her grandparents’ home, but Leon was the only one who would pass on the Bernard family name; therefore, he had no choice but to stay. But he had no problem with that, as he was academically inclined and was not a fighter.
“Oh, wow. Look at the time. It’s noon. Leon should be free now, Anwen. You should find him out in the back garden right about now.”
“Alright,” Anwen said, getting up from her seat. “Thanks for the tea, Dr. Bernard. We’ll be back!” she said as she practically forced Stefan to come with her.
As the two children hurried out of the room, Felix leaned forward, resting his chin on his folded hands.
“I wanted to say this earlier, but I decided to wait until now, especially after learning about Stefan.”
“Hmm?” Gareth said, finishing taking a sip of tea before putting the cup back on its coaster.
“About a month ago, one of our townsfolk went on a trading mission, and one of the settlements they passed by was Derban. When he got there, hoping to rest for the night, he saw that it was empty. No people, no signs of life. But what he did find was blood baked into the snow, and a mass grave with probably 90 to 100 bodies in it. They also found burn marks at the centre of the village, which means some transport vehicle must’ve gone and taken at least one person away. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you just found the son of the great Kallista Laine near Derban when an Angel attack occurred around the same time.”
“You’re right, doctor. A man like you should know that coincidences aren’t common.”
“I know you have some kind of history with Laine, and I have no right to make you tell me about it. But her son deserves it. Does he know that his mother is dead or kidnapped?”
“No.” Gareth said simply.
The doctor sighed, rubbing his eyes with his pointer finger and thumb.
“You have a habit of not telling the truth to the people who need it the most. First Anwen, now this boy. You need to change this, Gareth.”
“If I told them, they’d surely go down the same path I’m going. I’m protecting them. I won’t let them be consumed by the same negative forces that consume me.” Gareth defended himself.
“But how long can you protect them for?”