The Life of Anna, Part 4: Ensnared (32 page)

“Please look at who is addressing you, Anna,”
Wilhelm rebuked lightly.

She looked up, ashamed. “Yes,
mein
Herr
.”

“And they began after your parents died?”

Anna nodded. “Yes,
mein Herr
.”

“Tell us about it,” Hansjoerg said.

Anna told them about seeing Wilhelm and Alex
fighting, and then appearing in Alex’s room. The memories were sad,
but not as painful as they had been.

“And this was what really happened?”
Hansjoerg asked Wilhelm.

Wilhelm nodded. “
Ja
. Alex saw her
that night. We didn’t see her in my office but....” He gave a wry
smile. “It was a heated argument.”

“Did you have other dreams?” Edwin asked.

Anna nodded and told them about seeing Alex
throughout the years, including the few days before they met in
real life.

“Did you dream of him once you met?” Oswin
asked.

“A few times,” she answered. “When he left to
come back here, I dreamed of him, but they weren’t dreams. They
were real. He called me after one because he was worried about me.”
Anna swallowed back tears. It was getting difficult to maintain her
composure.

“And then you began to dream of him
once...you learned he was dead?” Wilhelm asked in a very gentle
voice.

Anna nodded. “I started dreaming of an empty
room for several nights and then....” She looked at the ground. “I
went home and...wasn’t in touch with reality for a while.”

The Elders continued to ask questions and
Anna tried her best not to get upset. But when they started asking
for more details about what Alex did and said, she broke down and
sobbed. A woman came in a few minutes later and took Anna back to
her room to rest and eat lunch. She lay on the bed for a while
after she ate.

Wilhelm came in a while later and sat behind
her on her bed. He stroked her hip. “Are you all right, Anna?”

Anna rolled to her back and looked at him.
“I’m sorry, Wil...Master,” she said softly. “I tried not to
cry.”

He nodded and smiled sadly. “I know, Anna. I
know. It is all right.” He stroked her hair. “I know the questions
are difficult, but they are necessary. We are not trying to hurt
you. Do you understand that?”

She nodded. There was no sign of malice in
their faces as they asked their questions. If anything, they looked
very sympathetic. “May I ask why you are asking?”

Wilhelm grimaced. “You may ask, Anna, but I
do not have an answer to give you. Your dreams are...intriguing.”
He sighed. “We just need to know about them. Does Devin know you
dream of him?”

“No. I’ve never told him. He’s never
asked.”

“
Gut
.” Wilhelm looked pleased. “I
would ask you to keep it that way.”

“Yes, Master.”

He studied her face carefully and then his
eyes traveled down her body. She was reminded of her pregnancy.
Should she tell him? He had a right to know, but would he be
angry?

“Master?” she whispered.

“
Ja, mein Liebling?
” he responded, a
strange, passionate, look in his eyes.

“I....” Anna bit her lip. Her stomach churned
as she imagined his disappointment. “Do you...remember the last
time we made love?”

Wilhelm smiled. “Of course. It was
wonderful.”

A brief smile fluttered across her face and
then she bit her lip again. “Master, I’m so sorry,” she said with a
broken voice. “I’m so sorry!”

Wilhelm pulled her to a sitting position and
held her close. “Anna, what are you apologizing for?”

She pulled away slightly. “I—I did something
and....” She took in a shaky breath. “I’m pregnant.”

Wilhelm inhaled sharply and froze. “How do
you know?”

“I’ve been pregnant enough to know my body,
and Gavin confirmed it.” The tears rolled down her cheeks. “I’m
sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I didn’t mean to, Master. But when we...I
guess I did that trigger thing and...I mean, I think it’s yours.”
She trembled. “Will Ilsa hate me?”

“Anna, you did nothing except what I asked
you to.”

“What?” She blinked at him several times.
“What you asked me to?”

“
Liebling
, I made love to you with
the intention of conceiving a child. Perhaps I should have spoken
to you first, but I did not want Devin to think you complicit in
the act.”

She could do nothing but stare at him.

“Anna, I know this is near the time Devin
gets you pregnant, and hurts you and increases his powers through
it. If you are already pregnant, he cannot fulfill his plans. It
may weaken him enough to...to help.” He stroked her cheek. “It will
also give me an heir to follow Kurt.”

“You know it’s a boy?” She was still trying
to recover from her shock. He knew!
He
had done it! She
was carrying his child and he wanted her to do so.

“There is a very high likelihood. Elders
can...do that sort of thing in certain circumstances.”

“But what about Ilsa? Won't she be
angry?”

“She knows already. I told her when we
returned home.”

Anna paused and looked at him, his beloved
face that looked so much like Alex. And she would likely bear him a
child that looked exactly like him. “Oh, Wilhelm!” she cried softly
and leaned forward into his arms.

He held her for a long time. “You and Kurt
can marry and raise the child here and he will become Elder after
Kurt, as is proper.”

Anna shook her head. “I can’t marry Kurt,”
she whispered. “Devin forbade me.”

“There are ways around that, Anna. Do not
worry about it. We will find a way.”

Anna slumped into his arms and sighed.
Wilhelm would take care of it. She could be sure of that.

“I promised I would look after you, Anna, and
I will.”

“Does Kurt know?”

“
Ja
, I told him after he told me
what you said when he asked you to marry him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because the longer you did not know about
it, the safer you would be from Devin. Your ignorance would keep
him from learning about it. But,” he chuckled. “You are too
smart.”

Anna giggled softly and Wilhelm hugged her
tightly and kissed the top of her head. “I love you,
Liebling
.”

“I love you, Wilhelm.”

They sat together for a few minutes in
silence.

“Anna, will you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“I want to try and induce a dream when we go
back downstairs. Will you allow that?”

“Why?” Her stomach churned at the idea of her
dreams.

“I just...need to. Will you trust me?”

After a pause, Anna nodded. “I trust
you.”

Down in the Elders’ Chambers, Anna sat on her
heels with Gavin behind her, his body pressed against hers, his
arms around her waist. She looked up, scared, at Wilhelm.

“Gavin will be able to guide you, Anna.
Listen for his voice and do as he says. We will be able to hear you
when you speak.”

Anna trembled and nodded.

“Close your eyes,” Gavin said softly.

Anna obeyed and she felt his hand on her
forehead. Slowly the sensation faded and she knew nothing.

It was the same room she always saw. She
looked around for Alex but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Do you see him, Anna?” Gavin asked in
her head.

“No, he’s not here.”

“Tell me what you see.”

She described the room in detail, from
the bed to the bookshelves.

“Is there a window?”

“Yes.”

“Look outside and tell me what you
see.”

She described the mountains and what she
could see of the house and the yard.

“Have you even been outside this
room?”

“No. He’s always been here.”

“Go out into the hallway.”

Anna walked to the door and looked at it.
She reached for the doorknob, but her hand went right through it.
“I can’t open the door.”

“You do not need to. Walk through
it.”

Anna stared at the door and put her hand
to it. To her surprise, it went right through like the doorknob.
She squeezed her eyes and walked forward. She felt a brush against
her skin and opened her eyes to see herself in a large, rectangular
room with a wooden staircase in the middle of it going down.
Several doors lined the area and it was lit by wall sconces and a
ceiling light. Gavin asked what she saw and she told him.

“Go down the stairs.”

She did as she was told and made her way
slowly down the wooden steps. Her feet made no sound as she wound
her way around and around, down several flights. There were no more
doors, only open, empty rooms below. When she came to the stone
floor she saw two wooden doors, one on either side of the
room.

She told Gavin what she saw.

There was a pause. “Go through the west
door.”

Anna looked around. West door? But
something told her that the door right in front of her was the
proper door and she walked to it, squeezed her eyes shut and walked
through. There was resistance and she groaned as she pushed
through, but at last she was free and opened her eyes to look
around.

She stood in a long, very wide hallway
with thick blue carpeting on the floor. The walls were made from
rich wooden paneling and chandeliers hung from the ceiling at
intermittent distances. Tall doors lined both sides of the
hallway.

“What do you see?”

Anna spoke of what she saw as she moved
forward. At last she came to what looked like an entryway, where
the carpeting ended in a large, round room with a marble floor and
a huge wooden door with beautiful decorative ironwork along the
back of it. A marble staircase circled the room and led to the
upper floor. Windows and glass doors along the back of the wall let
in the afternoon sun, and she could see a large, grassy yard
outside.

“Keep going.”

She walked across the entryway and then
jumped when the door to her right opened. Vlad stood there looking
at her, or at least she thought he was looking at her. She froze
and stared.

He looked troubled as he looked at her.
“Why are you here?” he asked softly.

“I....” She swallowed nervously.
“Wilhelm...he wanted....”

“Wilhelm? He knows you dream?” Vlad
looked around. “You cannot be here. Devin will...Devin is here. You
must leave.”

“Devin?” she said softly.

She heard a voice calling in the room
behind Vlad.

“Please Anna, go!” he whispered urgently.
He reached out and touched her shoulder and the image
faded.

Anna collapsed forward onto the floor. What
had just happened? Why hadn’t she seen Alex? Where was he? Why did
she dream of Vlad?

“Anna?” She felt a gentle hand on the back of
her head. She looked up to see Wilhelm crouching next to her.
“Anna, what did you see?”

“Vlad...Vlad was there and he said that Devin
was there and that I had to go. He looked upset.”

Wilhelm frowned. “I spoke with Devin
yesterday. He is in San Francisco, awaiting your return.” His
shoulders slumped and he ran his hand through his hair. “I am
sorry, Anna. You did well. Thank you.” He helped her to her feet.
“Let me take you back to your room and I will have someone take you
to the
Gutshaus
.”

“You’re not coming?”

“
Nein
, I need to speak with the
other Elders for a while.”

Wilhelm didn’t return for dinner that night.
As far as Anna knew he wasn’t home before she and Kurt went to bed
either. He had returned sometime that night, because he was at
breakfast the next morning. His face was very pale and he looked as
if he hadn’t slept. Ilsa kept looking at him with a worried
expression on her face.

He was like that for the next few days. He
stayed in his study and his eyes were red as if he’d been crying,
though Anna had a hard time imagining Wilhelm crying.

The night before they were to fly her home,
she knocked on his study door. He responded in a sharp voice, but
in German. She opened the door slowly and poked her head in.

He growled and threw something at the door
that shattered. She gave a little cry, closed the door quickly and
ran down the hallway to the back staircase that led to the library.
She sat on the bottom step and stared at the ground. Wilhelm upset
like that frightened her. She’d never seen him lose his composure,
and he had been upset for four days now. What had happened?

A few minutes later she heard footsteps
behind her and someone sat behind her.

“I am sorry, Anna. That was you at the door,
ja
?”

Wilhelm. “Yes, Wilhelm. I’m sorry I disturbed
you.” She stood and turned around. His face was etched in grief,
his eyes were bloodshot. She’d never imagined he could look so
miserable. “Wilhelm, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset
you?”

“
Nein, Liebling
. I did it to
myself.” He sighed. “Anna...your dreams....” He looked up at her
with tremendously sad eyes. “Your dreams had given me hope that
Alex might still be alive somewhere.”

Anna’s jaw dropped at his words and her heart
lightened. “Oh, Wilhelm!” she said, hope bubbling to the surface.
“I hated to dream, but they kept coming and I couldn’t stop
them....” She spoke quickly, but stopped when he held up his hand
and shook his head.

“It was a false hope,
Liebling.
”

Anna’s heart stung at the look on his
face.

“I am sorry, Anna. I had hoped that
maybe...maybe he was still alive and that you were able to keep in
communication with him.” He paused. “That is why I took you to the
Schloss
. To find out if it was true.” He shook his head
sadly. “I was wrong. So wrong, Anna.” His face contorted into deep
grief. “I had held onto the hope for so long, and now....” Tears
began rolling down his cheeks and his great shoulders shook as he
began to sob. “I was wrong, Anna. He is gone.” He buried his face
in his hands. “He is gone.”