Nobody's Child (complete)

Chapter 15 - A Mother's Memories

Chapter 15 - A Mother's Memories ©2018CarolynAnnAish 

Rambert, gripping Boy's hand, hurried, stumbling often, striving his utmost not to hinder the lad. Neither spoke, and Boy chose his steps thoughtfully to allow his dependent a clear path. His mind raced, flashing from Bernberg to The Locker; to the palace, then back to Bernberg. They needed a safe place, where he and Rambert could converse at length regarding the things Boy needed to know. Only one place of safety seemed feasible to Boy's mind right now... the Octagon garden house, in the center of the maze.

As they climbed down and under the North Bridge, Boy could see thick, dark mist ahead of them, created by heavy rain pouring from the blackening sky. His blue eyes scanned the thick bushes along the bank and he hoped he could rediscover the hidden archway.

Perplexed with the effort needed to find the spot from which Doctor Ernst and he had exited, Boy soon realized the entrance was further past the bridge than he anticipated. Peering out through the wind-blown branches to check that the way was still clear, Boy's heart raced as he glimpsed Brandish soldiers and Blue Guards in the distance. He expelled a breath in relief when they all marched in the opposite direction. The realization that any search for him would now be conducted in a different area of the city gave him confidence.

"Our way should stay clear now," Boy said as he guided Rambert into the large thicket where they found the welcome shelter of the stone arch. At this moment, the intense down-pour engulfed the area.

With Boy's supervision and direction, the blind man's intuitive fingers discovered the small stone square which opened the way to the secret tunnel. Standing erect, the blind man was taller than Boy who was thankful for the man's needed height to trigger the mechanism. As before, the orifice closed as soon as Boy, drawing Rambert with him, stepped into the unilluminated passageway.

Rambert walked silently beside the lad, who was thankful for time to think. He reveled in the knowledge that at last, he had someone with him who could be trusted to tell him the truth.

The Octagon House was as he'd left it and Boy found no reason to fear that anyone had disturbed this sanctuary. Safety surrounded him and he felt his tension and fears dissipating. Weariness was eclipsed only by his overpowering thirst. Heedless of the heavy rain falling, Boy drank thirstily from the water in the shallow blue pool. Rambert, hearing the lad's uninhibited slurping from his cupped hands, joined him.

Together, they arranged themselves in sage manner, ready to counsel. Boy waited for the older man to begin.

Rambert urged Boy to share his story first, saying, "I know it was my brother, Herbert, who took you from Brandenburg. He wrote to me, once, after having been away for almost two years, saying that if something went wrong with his plans, he would send you to me with the passwords, 'it is time'. Otherwise, he promised to return you to your father upon your sixteenth birthday, or thereabouts. You must be fourteen, now." Rambert paused for a breath before continuing, "I heard, just recently, that Herbert had been living as a sage, in the village of Bernberg, calling himself Seymour, and that his death was the result of an accident. But you must tell me all you know. Then I will tell you your abduction and my brother's reasons for doing such a deed."

Rambert was intensely engrossed in Boy's narration. Although Boy was eager for Rambert's revelations, he patiently answered the blind man's questions, trying to assemble his own for later reference as they sprang to his active mind. Rambert insisted, several times, that Boy expand upon various parts of his story; particularly his loss of memory, and the way Herbert had brought him up in the manner of a sage. The day whittled away into early afternoon before Boy began to hear about the reason for his kidnapping, eight years ago. The lad rearranged his posture, struggling to keep himself alert.