by Lisa Daniels
Shaking, Noely didn’t go anywhere as the man marched back into the kitchens. The sound of him banging around the kitchen would have been funny if she hadn’t been so terrified. It sounded more like he was an orthros loose in the kitchens rather than a human.
As soon as the sounds died down, Noely’s head turned and she saw the man striding through the door, a large bucket in one hand. He passed her without a word and moved down the corridor. With both guards gone, there was no one to open the gates for him. Hisa was surprisingly gentle as he placed the bucket on the ground and took the key laying on the table where the two guards had been. The man’s motions were incredibly smooth, and through her fear, Noely noticed that he was actually moving very quietly now. Even the keys did not make a sound as he unlocked the gate.
The captain picked up the bucket, then turned to her. “You are going to need to feed him and tend to his wounds because-”
“I-I-I'm not a healer or a-”
The man’s black eyes turned to her as he straightened up. “You have already treated him once, so stop pretending to be shy about it. Just take care of him, do whatever it was that you did for him this morning. If you don’t, he will be dead by morning.”
Noely swallowed and stared at the floor as the man watched her. Assuming that her silence was assent, the captain turned around and headed down the corridor. They moved in silence except for the sound of her trays rattling against each other. Usually she was able to move things around the kitchen relatively quietly - it was one of the reasons why they had wanted to promote her - but they were moving at such a rapid pace and she was getting increasingly scared the further into the prison they went. After what the captain had said, the young woman realized that he knew that she had helped the man, and that there was a good chance she knew he was not helping Yuezhi’s cause. As they moved along, Noely began to wonder if she was going to be allowed to leave.
It felt like they had been walking forever, not saying a word. Noely’s thoughts had gotten progressively darker as she moved along, but for the most part, they were full of concern for Cyprian. When there were no guards in sight, the cook finally found her voice and forced herself to ask, “What is going to happen to the prisoner?” She tried to make her voice as deferential and timid as possible.
The captain turned his head slightly so that she could see the blackness of his irises. “If we can keep the bastard alive, there will be a quick trial and then they’ll execute him.”
Noely nearly dropped the tray as the man spoke. She felt a hand on her arm as she tried to take in what the man had said, her head feeling a little light. The voice that spoke near her ear was far kinder and warmer than she had expected. “One hurdle at a time.” The young woman began to return to her senses as she looked up into those dark eyes. She was aware that a hand was rubbing her back, and she nodded as if to say that she was ready to keep walking. The young woman did not trust herself to talk.
The captain stepped away from her, his face once again blank as he picked up the bucket. A small part of Noely realized that he was carrying a full bucket of water, and to her surprise, not a drop had been spilled. There was no water on the floor and none running down the sides of the bucket. Wondering how she had missed that before, Noely looked at the man’s back as they moved down the corridor.
They walked through several corridors, each new area progressively darker than the last, so that Noely was having trouble seeing. At one point her foot hit a stone, and she nearly fell. Like before, there was a hand there to catch her and steady the young woman, but this time the captain did not speak. His face showed a little bit of amusement as he looked down at her. She immediately straightened herself up and nodded to indicate she was ready to move again.
When it happened again, the man sighed as he helped the young woman stand back up. “We are almost there, but at this rate there won’t be any food left for him to eat.” She had lost two of the four pieces of bread and nearly half of the soup she had made had sloshed out onto the tray. Unlike the commander, Noely was not accustomed to walking quickly in poorly lit areas while trying to be careful.
The man sighed, “I do apologize for all of this, Noely. If anyone had to get caught up in this, I am definitely glad it was you, but this is going to be incredibly difficult for you.” He took the tray in one hand and the bucket with the other and proceeded down the corridor. Noely was vaguely aware that they had been moving in a downward spiral. The captain continued to talk as they moved. “Do you know the history of this place?” The question was so out of place that Noely had no idea how to respond, so she shook her head.
Of course there was no way for the man to see her response as they moved through the prison, but he responded as if he had. “It’s actually quite interesting. It was made a few hundred years ago by a now extinct humanoid species. Well, I say extinct.” Noely had no idea how to take what the man was saying, but now that he was carrying everything, he had increased their pace. It was all she could do to keep up with him. The chatter seemed completely out of place, especially after how he had been acting before. “Quite ingenious, really. The king’s ancestors killed most of them, of course, and the rest became wanderers around the seven kingdoms. They mated with other species, so many believe that the species is gone entirely. It’s not, but very few people know that.”
As her mouth had learned to do, it spoke before she had thought through the words, “How do you know that then?”
The young woman was horrified by her question, but the captain turned to her a little, and she could see there was a smile on his face. He then looked back around and said nothing for a couple of moments. When he did speak, it was not about the building. “Here. I must ask that you take this back.” He turned quickly, but without causing anything on the tray to stir. Noely nodded as she took the tray from the captain. He gave her a small smile, and for a moment, Noely felt better. The smile was completely out of context, but the look in the man’s eyes showed that he was truly sorry for her. The pair had never interacted much, but it was obvious that he liked her on some level. Noely never would have thought it was anything more than her willingness to sneak the man food and to take care of a few things he asked her to do. They had always been cordial, and the smile reminded her of the man whom she had known around the palace instead of the terrifying soldier she had been following. His voice was gentle for a moment as his black eyes looked into hers, “I feel that I should warn you before you see him; the prisoner is in critical condition.” The smile vanished and he turned around. Suddenly everything about the man changed as his voice turned into hard steel and he began to walk forward. “Unfortunately, some of the guards took it upon themselves to beat him after we brought him in.” There was obvious anger in the man’s voice as he spoke much louder than was necessary. “A problem that they shall not repeat again.” As they turned the corner, Noely suddenly understood why he had started speaking so loudly. There were three guards standing outside a large jail cell. They cowered as the pair approached them. It was obvious that the three men were terrified of the captain, and after what Noely had seen in the kitchens, she could understand why. The anger had not been directed at her, yet she had felt like hiding. How much worse must it have been for the men who were on the receiving end of this terrifying man’s ire? She also noticed that there were a couple of soldiers standing a little further down the corridor, and she wondered if there were other prisoners that the military had brought in.
One of the guards shook a little as he stepped forward and addressed the captain, “You don’t scare me.” The words were said in defiance, but the way his voice wavered as he spoke betrayed the man’s intentions. Still he carelessly pressed on, appearing to gain confidence as the captain said nothing in response. “We do not need your permission to do anything.”
Both of the men at his sides moved away from the man almost as if they wanted to pretend they did not know him. Captain Hisa took a step toward the man with a wicked grin on his face, a look that was fa
r scarier than anything Noely had seen up to that point. His voice was so cold that Noely shivered. “It’s true the prison guards do not need my permission, but there are two things that you should keep in mind. If the prisoner dies, it will be your head on the block to take the place of his. You know how the king loves a spectacle, and he will have it with or without the man that we brought in.” The man swallowed in a way that echoed around the corridor, but he still tried to hold his ground in front of Hisa. “Second,” the way the captain said it reminded Noely very much of a snake hissing by the water, “the lives of every prison guard will be considerably worse after your head is stuck on a spike and the military demands control over your comrades. Whichever ones don’t end up dying beside you in the name of spectacle.”
The man took two steps back and turned to look at the men beside him. They were trying to look elsewhere.
Captain Hisa addressed them next, “Don’t worry, you two won’t have to go through the restructuring because you will be beside him for your involvement in what you have done to the prisoner. As soon as your replacements arrive, I suggest that you find a way to leave the prison tonight. Should anything happen, I will have an entire squadron in here. They are good men, and they may not be able to see as far ahead as me. They may decide they want blood tonight in exchange for the blood they shed to bring the man in.”
The captain turned and looked at his men standing a little further down the corridor. “Mercer. Carrington. It appears two of these three men need to change their clothes.” Noely’s eyes darted to the three guards and she immediately looked away, ashamed on their behalf. Not that she could entirely blame them – Hisa was terrifying. He continued, “Take the third one to handle their dirty clothing.”
The one who had tried to stand up to the captain had not fully learned his lesson, even if it appeared his body had. “We cannot leave the prisoner-”
Hisa’s head whipped around and he took two steps toward the man. “I will not leave my prisoner and this innocent woman in your care.” For the first time since they had arrived, five sets of eyes turned and looked at Noely. Instinctively, she took a step back into the shadows. “Open the gates and I will escort you myself.” The man hurriedly turned and unlocked the gate. He flinched as the captain walked past him and disappeared into the cell. Hisa returned a moment later without the bucket. “Mercer, come with us. Carrington, make sure no one interferes. My dear,” the man turned to look at her. His voice was harsh, but his eyes were gentle as he spoke, “Please save him.”
“W-Wh-Who is she?” one of the other guards stammered.
The captain’s face changed to a look of amusement as he turned to address the guards, “The best hope you have of surviving the night.”
Carrington had already moved toward the cell. The captain held up a hand. “Not too close. You know what state he is in. She is in no danger. Just be close enough that she can call for your help if she needs it. Now.” His attention was back on the other two guards as Mercer stood just behind him. “You three start saying your prayers and maybe your gods will hear you before the night is out. If not, it will be a complete waste to take you upstairs.” He gestured toward the stairs, and all three men scurried up them. Hisa nodded and Mercer followed them. Finally, the captain looked at Noely. “I will take that.” He took the tray from her hands and moved into the cell. Returning seconds later, he said, “Wouldn’t want you to drop it. When you are under control, the tray is on the right side of the cell on a small table. There are some supplies in there as well, near the bucket, which is beside the bed. Please, whatever you may think of his abilities, the situation is very serious. What he needs goes well beyond the norm.” He reached a hand out and touched her shoulder. “Whatever you know will work, I must ask that you be willing to…” His voice trailed off and she remembered what he had said earlier. He knew that she had healed Cyprian before, and he was asking that she do it again without saying the words. A slight movement from one of the nearby cells reminded Noely that Hisa was leaving someone behind. The captain was refraining from saying anything that would implicate her earlier involvement with the prisoner. Uncertain why he would do that, Noely nodded. He could have threatened her, told her to save the man and perhaps she would be spared for her earlier role. But he didn’t. Noely nodded more vigorously and turned toward the cell.
She did not hear Hisa as he left, her mind completely focused on trying to prepare herself for what she would find within the cell. There was a small wall creating a strange entry way to the cell, almost as if the prisoner could not be trusted to be held by just bars. Within the cell, there were two lit candles on each side. Her eyes went to the bed, her heart beating so rapidly she thought it was going to explode.
Her heart stopped.
Cyprian lay on the bed, almost unrecognizable. His face was a patchwork of bruises and gashes, and several of his limbs were stuck at completely wrong angles. Without thinking, Noely ran to the bed, picked up a rag laying near the bucket and began cleaning the man off. The only sound Cyprian made were a few moans as she tried not to move his broken arm or legs. The gashes were deep, but she was able to get the blood off of his face. That was when she noticed the real horror of what they had done.
A gentle hand reached up and touched her face. Noely placed her hand over his and closed her eyes as she started to cry.
“Now, now,” the voice was faint but just as lovely as it had been that morning, “it’s not the first time I’ve lost my eyes.”
Noely sobbed. Fighting the urge to bury her head on his chest, the young woman worked through the tears, trying to fix what she could. There were some incredibly strange things in the medical supplies, things that most humans would not need, but then perhaps Hisa knew that Cyprian was not human. Noely tried not to think as she tried to repair what she could.
Her voice was choked as she said, “You need to eat.”
The man said nothing.
“I will add a couple of blankets under you so that you can sit up. I have soup so you won’t need to chew with your - oh.” For the first time, the young woman noticed that though the guards had done a lot of damage, they had not broken any of the man’s teeth.
“No, no, they did. Broke my jaw too.” His hand was in her lap as she tried to move him as gently as possible into a sitting position. “But when I realized that he had brought you as my caretaker, I couldn't very well be unable to talk.”
The young woman sobbed that despite his own condition, the shifter was thinking about her first. “Eat first.” Her voice was thick as she tried to spoon some of the soup. “I’ll help you. You are going to be alright. We both know that this isn’t so bad. You’ll be up and moving again before you know it.”
The shifter shook his head. “Not this time.”
Chapter 8
Recalling the Debt
Noely’s breath caught as she tried to process what the man had said. Of course she didn’t want to believe him, to even consider that the man could not heal. The captain had sounded incredibly concerned, and judging by the supplies, someone under him must have known that Cyprian wasn’t human. In fact, there were indications that Hisa knew. Still, there was no way that any of the people could have known exactly how quickly the shifter healed, so the fear of death expressed by the captain had been minimized by her knowledge of how adept the shifter was at recovering. Suddenly Hisa’s warning took on a much more ominous meaning.
Please, whatever you may think of his abilities, the situation is very serious. What he needs goes well beyond the norm.
The captain had been trying to tell her something. One look at Cyprian’s face, and Noely dropped her spoon and sobbed.
She was aware that another hand was holding hers and she squeezed it a little. The gentle voice caught her off-guard. “Use one of the rags to cover my eyes. The sight will be less disturbing to you.”
The young woman moved the tray to the side and picked up a rag almost like she was hypnotized. Instead of going through the rags,
the young woman pulled up her dress and ripped off a large strip from her underclothing. With caution and a soft touch she placed the strip over his eyes and took the ends around to the back of his head. His hair was a complete mess, so before tying the corners together, she gently worked out a few of the tangles. Holding the rag with one hand, she dipped her hand in the water and tried to work out some of the blood mingled with his bluish-black hair. Even here in a dark cell, his hair shone and felt like silk. Tears ran down her face as Noely’s mind went back to the day before when she had untangled her hair from his. It was like she had been stabbed in the heart. Trying to suppress a sob, the young woman returned to her work.
After a few moments of silence, she asked, “What can I do to make you heal? I mean, you were able to repair your mouth, so you should be able to heal the rest of yourself. Or did it take-”
A cool finger pressed against her lips, and Noely closed her eyes for a moment. “Too many questions. And I forbid you from being concerned about me again. I will not be indebted again.”
“Indebted?” It was like someone had jolted Noely. She pressed her hand against his and leaned toward Cyprian. “I don’t care about having you in my debt. I’m not trying to get you to repay me. What I want is for you to heal. There must be something I can do.” Bringing her legs up onto the bed, the young woman carefully rested near the shifter on the bed. He immediately moved away from her, despite the intense pain it must have caused him.
His voice sounded strained. “That is not a good idea in my current state. It will be alright. I promise.”
“You just need time to heal?” The hope in her voice was unmistakable.
A faint smile spread across his bruised face, but Cyprian did not say anything else. Noely took that as a yes, and swung her legs off of the bed. “I will still take care of you until you are able to move on your own.”