by Lisa Daniels
“Exactly. I listened to Ailey give a similar speech against someone very much of your mindset, and it was met with quiet anger. When one of my kind points it out, you see it as a sign that you need to stick up for humans everywhere. If you truly want to show that you are different, shut your damn mouth and open your goddamn ears. We will not continue to live as we have, and gods help you if you humans don’t learn to respect us and treat us better.”
“Are you threatening me?” The woman was glaring at her.
“It’s a history lesson, idiot. Every war ever waged against humanity has nearly annihilated you, but every time, there are some of us who take pity and spare you. You know the signs of infection and rot. Learn how to see it in your society because not all humanoids are as kindly disposed to humans as I’ve been. More humanoids died in Melzi than humans. Do you know why? Because humans are more corrupt than other beings. The Sluagh contagion takes longer to harm the humans than any other creature.”
“You have no proof. You are only–”
Zandra slammed a hand down on the table. “I can feel the way they all died. I can still sense their lives ebbing away, and I can guarantee you that humans are the biggest benefactors of these kinds of plagues. Your numbers are less affected, while the rest of us die. There is something going on that is trying to push the species into a war by creating the kind of discord and mistrust that humans seem to breed into their children. If you don't start to recognize your own biases now, there will be nothing left for you to save later.”
The medic clenched her teeth trying to find the words to argue with the witch, but her mind was already reeling from the implications of what it would mean if it were to get out about the Sluagh. Finally, she managed, “You know if you were to talk about what happened in Melzi–”
“Humanoids would assume that the humans had acted and begun to cleanse their cities. Three cities in 100 years is no coincidence. I know that humans are not behind it, but I doubt that you would have so many willing listeners if things do not change. I am not about to speak of what happened because I do not want war. But I cannot sit by and watch the folly any longer. My time is–”
“That is enough, Zandra.” Both heads turned. Anani stood in the doorway, his expression calm, even though his tone was firm. “You are only hurting yourself.”
“And who are you?” The medic leaned over the table, her eyes narrowed.
“Not someone that you want to mess with because I have long loved humans, despite all of your faults. Yet even I cannot argue with what Zandra has said. There is something going on, and it is something that we will need to investigate. But humans will have to change because there are an increasing number of humanoids who grow tired of places like Antakya and Siccenna. It may not be all humans who are the problem, but there are too many who are complacent. You barter and trade with them, showing humanoids that you are willing to sacrifice them for wealth. You go into the areas to cure and heal, knowing that they recently beat and killed humanoids. If you truly believe that you are above such cruelty, then you need to show it by forcing them to change. There is much you can do to show that humans are not all the same.”
Dakota pursed her lips. “Do you think that I believe all witches and wizards are the same?”
“The fact that you could not listen to Zandra without the approval of Ailey is proof enough. Without her words, would you have been open to anything that Zandra had to say, or would you have required proof first?”
Dakota opened her mouth a couple of times trying to respond. Then she hung her head. “To my shame, I would not have listened.”
“How many times have you turned away the help of magic because you feared the motive behind the offer?”
Dakota tried to look at Anani, but she found it impossible to hold his gaze. “How can we trust magic without knowing what could go wrong?”
“How can you trust a new potion? Or a new method of treatment? According to your logic, nothing would ever advance. By overlooking the generosity of those honestly seeking to help, you are condemning people to death. Yes, there are witches, wizards, and humanoids whose motives are selfish, but that is also true of humans. That boy downstairs, for example.”
Dakota groaned and rolled her eyes. “He’s destined for a desk job.”
“And yet, he is not turned away because he is human. Will that still be the case if I were to tell you that he is actually only three-fourths human? The fact that his maternal grandfather was actually an incubus might make you look at him in a different light.”
She gave him a funny look. “That is slander. If he were to ever hear it.” Dakota threw the last sentence in because personally she felt that it probably was true, and she liked having something to show that he was lesser than he claimed to be.
“He’s not less than you.” Zandra was glaring at her. “And it isn’t the incubus part of him that makes him such an arrogant brat. It’s the human in him that feels the need to prove himself in a field where too many people will look down on him if they knew what he was. That is your starting point, the easy indicator that you are not as enlightened as you think you are.” Zandra wobbled a little as she tried to move away from the table.
Dakota looked at the witch and began to see the situation differently. Zandra had come to the Medics Association of her own volition, asking nothing for herself. Instead, she had started in on a lengthy lecture that had shaken the foundations of everything that Dakota had believed about herself. “I am so sorry.” Her brow knitted together. “I hadn’t even–”
A hand patted her on the shoulder. She hadn’t even noticed Anani near her. As he spoke, there was no judgment in his voice. “No one realizes their own flaws because it is much easier to spot the problem in others.” His eyes turned to Zandra. “It is always easier to blame someone else who has made mistakes than to admit your own shortcomings. Realizing your mistakes is what will make you better. And remember, there is always something you need to change about yourself, so never become complacent.”
Dakota nodded and sat down in front of her cold soup. When she looked up to say something, the room was empty.
Chapter 7
A Cruel Goodbye and an Unlikely Competition
Zandra was miffed when Anani picked her up and rushed her out of the room. They were out the front door before anyone could notice they had left. “And just what do you think you are doing?”
“You are fading, and there is nothing that they can do to help you.”
“What if I don’t want help?”
“I won’t accept that for an answer.”
“You don’t really have a choice or a say.”
“I don’t?” He stopped just outside the city, the dirt rising from where he had moved, and the banners still flapping from the speed through which he had moved the air. “What about you sticking around as long as I need strength? Are you going to go back on that like you went back on your promise to Akeno?”
The words were like a sledgehammer to her stomach. Zandra began to wiggle, trying to get out of his grip. “Put me down. Put me down this instant. You can’t do this to me.”
Anani glared at her. “Apparently, you have no problem helping people you barely know, but you refuse to do anything for the people who profess their love to you. This is the woman who won my heart?”
Zandra stopped for a moment and stared at him, not entirely sure what he meant. Choosing to ignore the last part, she snapped back, “How could I sit by and do nothing while a city died around me?”
“I seem to remember that never being a problem for you before.”
“I was little more than a child when Lekkining was quarantined.”
“The girl back there was younger than you were when Lekkining fell.”
“You can’t compare my life to that of a human’s.”
“Because they are lesser?” The color in his eyes swirled as Anani glared at her.
It should have cowed her, but Zandra found she could no longer remain silent. Somethin
g inside of her snapped. “Yes. Humans are lesser than humanoids, and it is obvious in everything they do. In everything they think. In the way that they die. We tolerate them because we are better, but they will never change. That is why they are lesser.”
Anani gritted his teeth and shook his head. “I swear I am surrounded by the worst friends in the world. I should return to the mountains and let the world fall apart. It is no less than you fools deserve.”
“No one is stopping you.”
His eyes flashed, and the small electrical discharges flew from his body. “You are right, no one is stopping me.”
Without another word, Anani placed her gently on the ground, turned on his heel, and disappeared before Zandra could say anything else.
For several moments she was rooted to the spot, staring into the distance. There was no way for her eyes to follow him, particularly as she realized that she could no longer see as well as she had a few days earlier. Running a hand over her face, Zandra knew that she had to move faster. After the encounter with the medics in Naucratis, she knew that a follow-up with the organization in Sukhothai would be pointless. Even now, Dakota was likely preparing information and sending word out about Zandra. The witch gave a dry laugh that sounded more like a cackle to her own ears.
“Let the bastards blacklist me. I won’t be alive long enough for it to reach beyond Sima.” Looking around, she noticed that no one was coming or going from the city. Placing one of her wrinkled hands over her eyes, she looked toward the horizon and Sima. Akeno’s home was just a little more than a day’s journey if she used magic.
But she had made a promise. With a sigh, Zandra lowered her head, then turned to re-enter the gates. She walked toward the stables where she knew there would be messengers resting and waiting for their next job. Walking up to three who were talking and drinking water as their horses rested, Zandra grabbed their attention.
“I wonder if I could get the three of you to each deliver a letter for me.”
The three young messengers looked at each other, then smiled back at the old woman. “Sure we can, grandma. But are you sure you need all three of us?”
“Oh, you are quite right. I only need the fastest one of you.”
Suddenly the looks from the three faces were a little less friendly as they looked at each other.
“That would be me,” one of the young lads stepped forward.
“In your dreams, Johan. I could whip his ass as I ran circles around him,” said the second boy.
The girl spoke next. “And while they fight it out, I could have your letter delivered and be back in time for supper.”
“Oh, could you now?” Zandra smiled at her. “Why don’t we find out?” She handed each of them a letter. “You,” she pointed at the first boy, “I need you to deliver that to Yuesulton.”
His eyes bugged out. “But that will take two days!”
Ignoring Johan’s words, she handed an envelope to the second boy. “That needs to go to Shrinton, the larger.”
“That’s nearly a four-day trip!”
Again, she ignored the words as she held out the third envelope. “That needs to go to Antakya. And I would make sure to keep your identity hidden if you want to make it back.”
The young woman turned pale, but accepted the letter without a word.
Zandra nodded, then pulled out her purse. She handed the first 1,000 gold, the second 2,000 gold, and the third 5,000 gold. The three looked at the sums, then back at the woman, waiting for whatever she had to say.
“Well, what are you waiting for? You’ve got your pay and then some. If you are as fast as you claim, then this should be easy enough. I need the letters delivered as quickly as possible. Each of those needs to make it into the hands of the head medic at each of the outposts. Don’t give it to anyone who doesn’t know what happens when nightshade is mixed with tincture of raspberry.”
“That will kill you!” the young woman exclaimed.
“Exactly.” The young woman looked smug for a minute. “If that is the response, or some similar combination, ask for someone with more experience.”
The three looked at each other, perplexed. Finally, Johan asked, “What is the right answer?”
“The medic will tell you, and that will be your bonus.” She looked at them expectantly. “What are you waiting for? Go. Shoo.” She began to wave her hands at them. They ran over to their horses and began to prepare them for their respective trips.
“And don't even think about short-changing your horses. You don’t get to rest at their expense. If you rest, they rest. When you eat and drink, they eat and drink. If I find out that you mistreated them, I will take my money back and take their pain out on your hides!”
The three heads turned to look at her, their faces whitened. They nodded in unison, then took off in three different directions.
Zandra stood by and smiled as the dust from the three horses clouded the air. Suddenly her heart felt heavy as the image reminded her of what she knew would be the last time she would see Anani. He had entered her life like a tempest, upsetting everything she believed about herself. If Akeno was the logic and wisdom that she had needed to survive, Anani had been the heart that she had thought she didn’t need. Akeno had been there for her for everything. Anani had been there to show her what life was like. Not that Akeno was a saint. He had a mischievous side like no one she had ever known, but he was not impulsive or impetuous as Anani could be. There was always some ulterior motive, some reason for what he did, and in the end that was why she chose him over her heart. Zandra knew that she was severely lacking and that she needed a measured personality to balance her own.
She had played them both, and they had both reacted as she knew they would. Anani swore he would never forgive her, that she had betrayed him. His anger at Akeno had been less volatile, but he had been cruel in his choice of words because Akeno had known about what Zandra was doing. His best friend had known and done nothing to stop it. Zandra actually had not realized it until Akeno admitted to it, but she realized that she should have known that he would figure it out. He always figured her out, no matter how hard she tried to hide her misdeeds and faults. In the end, his desire to help her had cost her everything.
She was determined that Anani would not die for her sins as well. Zandra knew that no matter whom she chose, Anani would never have accepted her. He loathed being lied to, and rarely dealt with people who had hurt him. Others of his kind were a special exception, which proved that even he had blind spots that marred his ability to be entirely objective. Then again, dragon shifters were rare. Even water dragons, who were easily the most populous type, numbered fewer than 500 in the world. At least that was what she had heard. Even if the numbers were four times that, that still made them very rare. The fact that dragon shifters tended to live in seclusion helped to preserve them, but it also meant they were more vulnerable when one lost its mind. Dragons rarely attacked humans, but dragon shifters sometimes turned violent. It happened more with the reds than any others, but it still happened in the Seven Kingdoms. And it was always detrimental to their kind. Dragon shifters in the Seven Kingdoms tended to spend more time mingling, with the exception of the ground types who were rarely seen among other species. In nearly 100 years, Zandra had never met one. But when one dragon shifter turned violent towards humans and humanoids, all dragon shifters suffered. It was what had reduced their numbers over the millennia, and why they ensured that their existence was all but forgotten. Such raw power was almost impossible for people to comprehend, and the very idea of it inspired fear and a lust for more power.
Anani’s caution and understanding with his own species may have been narrow, but it was very much understood. Everyone who knew of the existence of dragon shifters guarded the secret as if their own lives depended on it. Dragon shifters were extremely perceptive when it came to gauging a person’s personality, and only revealed what they were when they deemed it safe.
If Zandra was honest with herself, the a
llure of having a dragon shifter as a lover had been one of the original inspirations for her interest in Anani, but over time she had grown to love him. Like the air, he could be hot and cold. It was very similar to her own approach to life, but unlike Anani, she was weak. Her powers were incredibly limited for a witch, and it had caused her a lot of pain growing up because she had been an object of ridicule by both humans and others of her kind. She had learned to use people for what she could get and to charm everyone she met, just in case she found a use for them later. About the only creatures weaker than Zandra were humans. It was through this similar weakness that she had learned to blend with them and understand their perspective. The fact that they still looked on her with suspicion still hurt, but she could at least understand, unlike so many others. When they revolted, she would leave. Ultimately, they would be wiped out while she sang in a city far away. No matter how powerful, a few witches and wizards could not fight an army. She had seen it happen four times in her life, and always with the same outcome. They wouldn’t listen to her, calling her a human sympathizer, once hurting her so badly that she had nearly died.
That was when she had met Carcerous. She was only 22 at the time, yet he was there as she wavered on the brink of life and death. For three days he kept her alive just enough that she was aware of the pain, but not enough that she would want to die. By the end of three days, he had persuaded her to act as one of his agents – an agent of low-level, demonic chaos.
She had been good at it, too.
As a low-level demon, Carcerous had known how to read souls to find their weaknesses, and turn it to his advantage, just as Zandra had done during her early years. She was only 13 when she witnessed her first magical uprising. She had fled then out of fear that she would be used as bait, then be discarded once she was no longer of use. The second time, she felt she needed to stand up to the flawed thinking of her peers. Humans weren’t as bad as they said. It was all a matter of perspective. Her failure to reach them was used as proof by Carcerous to help turn her against everyone and everything.