by Lisa Daniels
“Lose control, huh? That isn’t always a bad thing.”
“Well, if you don’t have a problem with it, this shouldn’t be so rough.”
“I’m ready when you are, my dear Augustin.”
“Oh.” Ivy felt the hands shift on her face a little. “Alright, then. Three. Two. One.”
With that Ivy felt a rushing in her mind and suddenly she felt like she was falling upward.
Chapter 8
Through Her Eyes
Ivy wasn’t exactly sure when her mind flipped over to the point in her memory because her entire world was dark. The feeling of movement seemed out of place because she was certain that she was still standing still in Augustin’s prison. Then she felt a strange sensation of wind and dirt as she moved rapidly up, and she realized that her mind was going through the fall, but in reverse. It’s like the sky is pulling me up and I’m helpless to stop it.
The sensation was quite enjoyable for a few moments, up until she felt the blast that she had witnessed toward the end. Suddenly her arm was in front of her face and the light was surrounding her. The calm resignation returned, and Ivy could notice a few things that she hadn’t before when she had experienced it for the first time. The wind that surrounded her with the light didn’t feel anything like a blast or breeze. It was much more like a blanket surrounding her, protecting her from everything around her. Ivy only noticed it now because she felt it roll back off her as her arm moved back into the position it had been in before the light appeared. Her eyes watched as the light raced back up the tunnel faster than she did. Instead of the rushing of the sounds, the thief could hear something like talking, though she could not make out the words.
They are talking backwards. Her mind understood faster than Ivy that everything was in reverse, including whatever had brought her to that point.
As quickly as it had started, Ivy found herself back in the moment, pitching forward.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Are you alright?” Ivy felt arms catch her as her head hit something hard and warm. She was vaguely aware of a beating movement as she tried to figure out where she was. It took her a moment, but the thief realized that she was almost pressed up against Augustin. Normally, she would immediately pull away when she felt so vulnerable. This time, she allowed her body to lean into the comfort of someone else.
“Just give me a moment, please. My head is spinning and when I open my eyes to get my-” she nearly choked on the words that would have meant admitting that she was blind.
“It’s alright, take your time. I know it is a bit unsettling.”
“I still feel like I’m falling up. It’s a bit disconcerting trying to reorient myself without being able to find a point of reference.”
The arms wrapped around her, and for the first time in a very long time, Ivy wasn’t trying to get anything but comfort. She listened to Augustin’s voice reverberate in his chest. “Rest as long as you need. It will help if you take a few deep breaths and just let your eyes relax. Once you stop trying to find a center and let yourself be the center, you will feel better.”
Ivy allowed herself to relax. Closing her eyes, she let her shoulders relax as she pressed into Augustin. He began to quietly stroke her hair, and she couldn’t help but smile at the way he seemed to immediately get her to feel comfortable without trying. Had it been anyone else, she would have thought he was after something, but with Augustin, Ivy felt that helping her was his only goal.
After a few moments, she moved her hand onto his chest, startling him. She smiled as her hand moved along his muscles. “You know, you feel really solid for someone who is several hundred years old. You must have really taken care of yourself over the years because I’ve known men a small fraction of your age who felt a lot less solid.”
This was met with a slightly forced laugh as he pushed her away from him. “I daresay you must be feeling better.”
“Are you avoiding my compliment?”
“Oh, my apologies, I didn’t realize that was -” He coughed, “It’s really not that difficult to do.”
“Clearly you aren’t human.”
“No, I am decidedly not human. The blood of most humanoids does a lot to keep us looking like ourselves instead of appearing to be ravaged by time.”
Ivy’s head tilted to the side. “Does that mean that… ah,” she caught herself before she got around to asking the question that she had almost blurted out. “Never mind.”
It was almost as if Augustin was reading her mind. “What does that mean for you?”
Ivy opened her mouth, not sure if she was ready to talk about what everyone around her had been saying. She bit her lip, which got a small laugh. “Oh, you find this funny, do you?” The thief tried to act indignant.
He cleared his throat to hide the laugh. “It’s just sweet to watch you come to terms with it.”
“Sweet?” Her face screwed up at the epithet. “People call me a lot of things, but sweet is not one of them.”
“Well, I daresay most people don’t know you that well then.”
Ivy felt a blush rising, but she couldn’t stop herself from muttering, “It’s not like you know me that well.”
This was met with silence, and she imagined a gray-haired old man smiling at her. There was a sigh, then Augustin continued, “We can talk whenever you are ready. There is no rush, especially here.” He patted her arm. “Self-discovery can be exciting, but mostly it is terrifying.”
“I take it you know that from personal experience?”
“Yes, so I have some idea how lost you will feel and how difficult it is to accept. When I found out what I am, I temporarily lost my mind.”
“And destroyed an entire town?” Ivy bit her lip, knowing that he would now be aware that she had listened to him and Ester the night before.
“You heard us, huh?” There was an element of uncertainty in his voice. “I’m sorry we woke you.”
“It’s alright. It was nice to hear you talking about your - to hear both of you getting along. Yesterday you seemed to be really argumentative.”
“Mm, we are both somewhat stubborn, and until yesterday there was not much reason for us to practice restraint in our bickering.” Ivy gave him a strange look because it had not sounded much like bickering to her, but she remained silent as he continued. “Anyway, it was actually a city. A human city, and they were not pleased. Their punishment was to blind me.”
“Did it take a couple of them to take you down if you were able to destroy an entire city?” She tilted her head to the side, a smile on her lips as she tried to imagine the soft-spoken Augustin doing anything violent. All she got was a large version of the white-haired man she had been imagining walking around knocking over buildings.
“It was more than a couple. However, they did eventually succeed, and I learned a valuable lesson. Allowed myself to be blind for quite some time afterwards.”
“Wow, so,” Ivy’s expression shifted from surprise to curiosity, “are you some kind of ridiculously strong jinn? Or are you a sorcerer who didn’t die out after the last war?”
There was a loud laugh at those suggestions and Ivy felt like the world was shaking with it. She couldn’t help the smile on her face as she waited for Augustin to respond. “No, not even a little. By the way, all jinn are ridiculously strong. And I am certainly not a sorcerer as I have no human blood in my lineage. I’m a shifter.”
Ivy frowned, “Oh, that makes sense. But wait. Are you saying that shifters can live for hundreds of years?” Suddenly the world around her was shifting and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of it.
This was met with a short chuckle as Augustin considered the idea, “Let’s just say that the oldest one of my species is nearly 15 hundred years old.”
“What? That’s insane!” Ivy wasn’t sure if Augustin meant it. “Are you messing with me?”
“No. It isn’t exactly common for all shifters. We are not like normal shifters. Most shifters can live a couple hundred years before old age takes them.
My kind, well, I’ve never heard of anyone dying of old age on this continent. The reds have a shorter life span, I think because they are more insular and don’t usually mix with other types. It makes them a bit less stable, but they tend to be far stronger and passionate, much like people. The rest of us tend to keep going until we get killed or contract a serious illness.”
“Must be nice.” Ivy tried to imagine what life would be like if she didn’t have to worry about aging. By the sound of it, she probably would not have the same life span as whatever kind of shifter Augustin was. Then again, she was starting to come to terms with the idea that she might have a lot longer than she had originally thought.
“Sometimes it is nice.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice, but Ivy didn’t feel that she should press him as to why. Most people would love to be practically immortal. Then again, Ester had been completely correct in that no one was like Augustin. The shifter continued, “We are talking about you for the moment, though. We can talk about whatever you need to discuss or what you feel comfortable talking about whenever you are ready. I will tell you everything I know or can surmise.”
“Is that your incredibly roundabout way of saying you will help me come to terms with everything?” She faced away from him. “I really don’t think you know what you would be getting into by saying you are going to help me.”
“I can’t say that I’m not intrigued, though. Besides, I doubt that you will be so difficult that you will level a city out of rage, even if you could.”
Ivy turned her face towards him. “Do you think that I could?” Some of her hair fell in her face, and she began to push it to the side. It flopped down on the other side, and she let out a grunt of annoyance.
“If you can’t tame your own hair, I don’t think that you will ever be dangerous enough to level a house, let alone anything bigger. Would you like some help with that?” Ivy felt his hands begin to run through her hair. She turned so that he was behind her.
As he smothered her hair and began to braid it, Ivy said, “I’m… concerned to find out my history. Not because I hate humanoids, but because… I… I’ve always been good at what I do, but I have a pretty healthy dose of terrible luck.”
“There is a chance that it is related to your genetics.”
“How is that possible?”
“Well,” Augustin was tugging at a few strands that had escaped as he tried to think of the best way to explain the difference between humans and humanoids, “certain types of creatures are meant for mischief.”
“Like fairies and pixies?”
There was a short laugh. “You are half right. Pixies aren’t mischief makers, except when it comes to humans. But certainly fairies are. There are also creatures that are meant to keep balance; usually these fall into the monster class, and you rarely ever encounter them.”
“Why?”
“They keep the balance. To do that they stay hidden. I have a friend who is somewhat like that, although not for the same reasons. His blood is restorative, and humans and magic users,” he stopped working on her hair, “by which I mean witches, wizards, sorceresses, and sorcerers, were a little too enthusiastic about using the blood. Still, my friend does not hate humans because he understands balance.”
Something about what Augustin was saying caused Ivy to feel like she had heard something like that recently, but she could not recall what as he ran his fingers through her hair. Closing her eyes, she let herself slip into a daydream about Augustin being her instructor.
Maybe he could be a bit more than that. The thought sprang up before she realized that she was enjoying his touch for more than just the one reason. Though she couldn’t see, the thief opened her eyes and felt the thrill of stealing a slice of someone else’s life through her daydream. She smiled as she imagined him shyly asking if he could kiss her. Her eyesight restored, she would laugh and kiss him before he had a chance. She would run her fingers through his thin white hair and let him know that he was welcome to kiss her whenever he wanted. He would blush and smile at her, but not be able to muster more than holding her hand.
“Ivy?” A hand was on her shoulder, and suddenly the dream was gone. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, sorry, just…”
“It’s a lot to process. I know. I will help you through it, including finding your ancestors if you feel that is necessary.”
“Finding my… you think they are still alive?”
He patted the top of her braid, and she realized that he was done. “It’s a very real possibility. Of course, it will be difficult because you are the culmination of several different species, and judging by the way you act, I doubt you have any idea who your parents are.”
Ivy swallowed, “I-”
“It’s okay.” His arms wrapped around her. “I won’t push you, but I am here when you do finally feel ready.” To her disappointment, he let go. “Now, let’s see what we can do about your eyes.”
Ivy turned her face toward the sound of his voice. “You talk as if you think we will get out of here.”
“I have every faith in your abilities as a thief. I can find the weaknesses of this place and then you can exploit them.”
“And how will I do that?”
“We can discuss that later. For now, I want to focus on what you saw and heard before you arrived.”
Chapter 9
A Possible Solution
“Do you really think I can get my vision back?” It was the one question that Ivy had been avoiding since she had begun to realize that there was the possibility that she would never see again.
“It depends on what caused the blindness. Given Ester’s opinion on it, there is nothing physically wrong with your eyes. That suggests that there is some kind of magic interfering with your sight.”
“So it may not be successful?”
“That is unfortunately a very real possibility. But let’s keep the thinking positive for now. We don’t know what caused it. Until I get a chance to really explore the events, I can’t really say how likely it will be that you will see again. There is no reason to think that you won’t because there are several magical events that can cause temporary loss of sight. More than the magic that causes permanent blindness, so I would say your chances are better. The question is more about how long it will take rather than if.”
“Wow, an honest answer. I almost wish you would have lied to me.” Augustin laughed as she gave him a melodramatic look. It was actually a better answer than she had been expecting. Suddenly getting serious, Ivy decided it was best to start trying to resolve her blindness one way or the other rather than to continue to avoid the problem. “Okay. What do I need to do?”
“First, let’s get you comfortable.” The strange sound that she had heard several times quickly filled the room, then Ivy felt something bumping up against her legs. “Go ahead and sit down.”
“This feels lower.” Ivy frowned as she placed her hands on something that felt more leathery than soft. “And this is not moss.”
“No, I thought you might appreciate something lower and mobile. I can swing you if you like. It will do a bit to simulate what you felt during the fall.”
“You have a swing down here?”
“Not exactly. Get comfortable and focus, please.”
Ivy shifted herself a bit. Closing her eyes, she was momentarily startled when the seat began to move with her. The feel of the air moving around her, brushing against her face, and stirring her hair caused the thief to flash back to the moment when the chasm opened under her and she began to hear voices.
Augustin’s warm voice broke into her thoughts, “Who is talking?”
“You can hear them?”
“Yes, I am sharing your memories. Do you know the voices?”
“I have never heard them before.”
Quiet settled in as Ivy felt the wind on her face and relived the moment when the light passed over her.
Augustin again broke into her thoughts, “Is it alright if I stop moving f
or a few moments?”
“Oh, of course. I didn’t mean for you to keep working while I just sit here.”
“I’m not working. Alright, so there were people talking just before and after the flash. Did you see anyone around you before you fell?”
“No, I was keeping my eyes closed because something told me I did not want to see whatever was talking to me.”
There was a pause before Augustin responded, “I suppose that makes sense. Do you mind if we go back to the encounter with them?”
Ivy fidgeted, “I guess it will be alright. It did make me incredibly uncomfortable though.”
“Alright,” the seat began to move again, very slowly, almost as if Augustin were moving it subconsciously, “we will forgo it for now then. I feel certain that the creatures caused you to fall, although I do not think they meant for you to join me.”
“They made it quite clear I was supposed to die.”
“That sounds about right. The question then is who saved you and why.”
“I would also like to know how.”
“Ah, there I can help you. The steady rhythmic pulse of the light indicates that it was a protection spell, but given there was no source, or at least not one you could see, it would seem that the spell was cast from a distance. Given how faint the voices were, I am led to believe that they were a long way away, although I cannot imagine anyone powerful enough to cast that kind of spell from a long distance. It would explain the blindness though. The greater the distance, the less certain the effects. Given the situation, the risk seemed worth it.”
“Easy to say when you aren’t the one who was blinded.”
“Would you prefer to have died?”
“I’m just saying that you are probably right, just not something I am willing to admit to given that the end result included being blind.”
Augustin laughed, “Yes, that does make it a little more difficult for you to say it was worth the risk, but I am quite glad that you survived.” Ivy smiled at the way he said it, but didn’t say anything. “Anyway, do you know, or can you guess how far away they were? Was there anyone nearby right before you fell?”