Heartbeats Amid Fire

16 - Routine

Alysa pov:

"Are you done with the cleaning, Lisa?" asked Arran, coming to stand next to me while I scrubbed the porcelain ware in the sink.

"Almost. I just have a couple more to clean," I answered, sparing him a brief glance and a smile.

"Alright. Pops and I are done for the day and we've got our supper ready. Come over to the dining when you're done."

Having received a nod from me, he left the kitchen. My concentration was back on the dishes, rinsing off the soap. Finishing up with washing them, I dried them with a soft towel and placed them on the counter to dry. My eyes scanned the kitchen once to make sure that I had finished with my set of chores before I retired for the day. As I did that, I exchanged smiles with the three others who were there, also finishing up with their duties for the day.

I had barely excused myself when a knight came rushing into the kitchen only to grab me rather roughly by the upper arm and drag me after him. The wince that escaped me made no difference in the way he treated me and I stumbled on my feet, even bruising my big toe a little as I did my best to keep up with his long, powerful strides.

We entered the infirmary and queasiness roused in my stomach at the sight and smell of blood from the several Zeros there who had returned from another attack. Well, it wasn't just the blood that made me unsettled but the fact that these men and women had just killed several humans and subjugated many others in the name of their uprising. And they showed nothing but sheer satisfaction.

"What are you gaping at, wench?" spoke one of the Zeros close to where I was standing. "Get to work with healing us!"

"Of course," I answered and began healing them.

While the tone most Zeros used and the atmosphere around them had me flinching and cowering before, just like all the other humans in Ozryn Castle, I had got used to it over the month I had been here. It was no longer anything more than mildly intimidating.

Most of the Zeros had only minor injuries that were healed quickly. The three with slightly deeper wounds were healed too but needed a few days of rest before they could return to their duties. They were given some tonics by the Zeros who worked in the infirmary,  who had knowledge in medicine, and sent to the barracks.

Just as I was done healing everyone and about to leave, everyone stood in salute while gazing at the entrance of the infirmary. My gaze shifted to there too and I spotted Sir Rayner walking to where we were.

"Sir Rayner," I greeted, giving him a bow. I had not seen him once since I had come to Ozryn Castle and I was mildly nervous now.

"Alysa," he said simply. The atmosphere was oddly tense all of a sudden, making me clench my fists with which I had grasped my one-piece dress. Having acknowleged his subordinates and the fact that they were all healed, he spoke to me, "Come with me to my office. I have something to discuss with you in the matter of healing."

"I understand," I agreed. Refusal was not an option, obviously.

I followed after him through the castle while remaining a few steps behind him. He stopped a couple of times to speak with other Zeros - once with one of his knights and another time with someone I believed to be a minister for governance. All the while, I remained with my eyes on the floor as all humans who served in Ozryn Castle were expected to be. Any sort of defiance was rewarded with punishment - one that was painful, more for others than me, but painful all the same.

When we reached Rayner's study, he took a seat at his grand mahogany desk that had stacks of papers placed on it. I guessed them to be reports and information on the humans that the Zeros wanted to overthrow. Perhaps there were also reports from the Zeros common folk who lived in Ozryn and the few other smaller towns that had been freed from human influence.