by Lisa Daniels
“I don’t want to do anything with you. Let that poor woman go.”
“You want me to wake her up and kick her out of the first warm bed she’s slept in since the beginning of the year?”
Ailey looked at him and could tell that the man was telling the truth. “And how could you possibly know that?”
He shrugged with a smile on his face, “She told me so herself. The young woman is quite easy to talk to when you aren’t constantly talking down to her.”
“I have no idea how you could manage that. Almost every word out of your mouth is condescending.”
For a moment the smile flickered. Ash closed his eyes for a second, and Ailey was reminded of her own trick to keep her temper at bay. When he opened them, the smile was back in place and he held out a hand. “I am sorry that things have soured so badly. I really am just interested in getting to know you a bit more. Ivy is safe right now, and neither I nor my friend have any plan to enslave her. In fact, it sounds like my friend has found his mate again, so he won’t be any kind of a threat to anyone.” Then the man muttered, “Least of all to himself.”
Ailey gave the stranger a look. Either she could continue to fight him and lose hours of sleep just trying to get rid of him, or she could go with him, answer whatever questions he had and then get some sleep. “Fine,” she walked past the man’s extended hand and in the direction he had indicated before. She felt his hand slip over hers, and he again moved in front of her, reminding Ailey of an excited child who had something to show off. It wasn’t quite the way she had planned her evening, but then no plans ever worked out the way they were supposed to.
Ash was very animated as he talked about their afternoon, and soon it was clear that he had been able to charm the guards into letting him go. The man didn’t say as much, but Ailey could tell from his frank and open way of talking that most people would be charmed by him. She only half-listened to his chatter as part of her mind tried to figure out what he was since Ash clearly was not human. There were so many humanoids in Bagrada. Unlike in Yuezhi, humanoids were viewed favorably in Bagrada, so they tended to make their home in the country. Oddly enough, they did not interact with humans any more than the creatures in Yuezhi. When people encountered the humanoids, they usually did not realize it. The fact that the guards had missed that the man was not human was not a surprise. Ailey only noticed because she always analyzed people during her first encounter with them. It was second nature to medics.
“Here we are. They have a really good shepherd’s pie, but something about you screams vegetarian.”
Ailey was pulled out of her own thoughts as she turned to look at the man. “Yes. I am.”
“Excellent! I mean, that has to be really difficult for a medic, but it is definitely admirable.”
“Not really. It is really easy to find plants to eat, there’s no need to kill.”
Ash beamed at her but said nothing as he held up a hand. A waiter came over and Ash placed an order in a tongue that Ailey did not know. The waiter smiled and the two talked for a few moments before he trotted off toward the kitchen.
“I am not familiar with that language.”
Ash folded his hands on the table and leaned forward a little, “I would be shocked if you were.”
Ailey gave him a couple of second to explain more, but the man just looked at her with a smile. Finally, she asked, “What language was it?”
“Jinn.” His eyes didn’t leave her face.
Ailey was surprised for a moment, then she leaned forward. “Are you a Jinn?”
Ash laughed, “No. He is. Quite an old one, too. Apparently doing some research or something. They don’t usually leave their kingdom, so it’s really inspiring to see him here. Kind of like you.”
Ailey frowned, “What do you mean?”
The humanoid leaned his head on his hand. “You are from Ancusa, a place that is even more insular than the Jinn, which I have to say is a real feat.”
“And how could you possibly know that?”
Ash was clearly enjoying himself. “I can read minds.” The smile never faded as he looked at her.
Ailey gave him a look. “I can’t tell if you are being serious or if you are just messing with me.”
The young man ran his hand through his hair and laughed again, “Your accent. It isn’t very strong, but every so often you will say something just a little off. It’s rather charming.”
Ailey couldn’t help but smile as she shook her head, “Oh, but you are a charmer, aren’t you.”
He winked at her, “It comes naturally. Believe me, I was all set to be nasty to you after that stunt, but I was never very good at staying mad for more than a couple of seconds. Just don’t have the right mentality.”
“You are rather fortunate then. There are plenty of reasons to be angry for a sustained period of time.”
The waiter returned with two plates. Placing the larger one in front of Ailey, the Jinn winked at her, said something she didn’t understand, and turned to leave.
Ailey looked at Ash, and to her surprise the man was blushing. “You have the wrong idea, that’s not what is going on.”
The Jinn laughed and said something else. Ailey watched as the blush spread up over Ash’s ears. He stammered a response, causing the Jinn to laugh harder as he walked away.
“What did he say?” Ailey looked down at her food, wondering if she should eat it.
“Nothing you want to hear, I’m sure.”
“Try me.”
“Well, he seems to think that we are preparing to... Well, he thinks…”
“Oh,” Ailey pushed the plate away, “I thought this was a bad idea.”
Ash reached across the table, “I swear, that is not what I’m doing. I really do just want to help.”
“How do I know you don’t plan to lock me up like you did with Ivy?”
“I seriously doubt that you have any intention of getting so drunk that you start trying to strip in the middle of your meal.”
Ailey looked up at Ash and knew that he was telling the truth. “She did that?”
“Believe me, I am not the kind of person to usually interfere. If a person wants to crash and burn, who am I to stop them? But you took an interest in her, and I want to see if I can figure out why.”
“Why does that matter?”
Ash smiled at her, “It just does.”
Looking down at her plate again, Ailey asked, “Is this safe to eat?”
“Of course!” The question shocked her companion. “The chef here is a korrigan. Not terribly personable, but you really can’t beat his cooking.”
“I meant, oh, never mind.” Ailey was too hungry and tired to keep up with Ash’s chatter. She ate and listened to him talk, only occasionally having to chime in with an answer to a question or provide clarification. By the end of the meal, the medic realized that she was incredibly tired. Pushing herself up from the table, she started to make her excuses, only to find that she started to lose her balance.
“Careful there.” A pair of arms were around her before she hit the floor. “I’ve got you a room, and some – hey, no, no, no, don't you fall asleep on me.” It was the last thing she remembered before dozing off against Ash’s chest.
Ailey’s mind was a little hazy as she opened her eyes. The bed was very soft, and light was pouring into the room. Suddenly she remembered the events of the day before, and she sat up quickly. The medic looked around the room and tried to remember how she got there, but nothing came to mind. Next, she noticed that she was dressed in sleeping attire, something she had not worn since she had started on her trip. From the smell of her hair, and the fact that it was down, it was clear she had been bathed as well. Yet she had no recollection of any of it.
Remembering that Ivy had been locked in her room with people keeping watch over her, Ailey began to panic. There were some unfamiliar traveling clothes at the foot of her bed. Quickly she dressed and moved to the door. Throwing it open, she found that there was no one there.
Unsure of what to make of her situation, the medic closed the door and tried to calm down. She took in her surroundings and immediately realized that all of her stuff was in her bag in a chair close to the bed. Tempted as she was to change into her own clothes, Ailey was more eager to get moving. Judging by the amount of light streaming into the room, the sun had been up for more than an hour, perhaps two. If she was going to make it to the city within 48 hours, she needed to get on the road now. Pulling the straps over her shoulders, the woman briefly regretted that she did not get a chance to talk to Evan about his brother. Still, it was more important to get to the city and start being useful than to stay behind and find out details that she would get simply by reaching the city. Taking the room key from the dresser beside the door, she left the room.
Ailey stopped by the clerk station. It had been a long time since she had slept in such a nice place, so she wasn’t quite sure how much it would cost her. As the clerk came forward, the medic realized that she had given her purse to Ivy the day before. She had a second purse, but money was tight, and Ailey knew that one night in the inn was going to make it so that she did not have enough money for another night anywhere else.
The clerk smiled as he took her key. “Thank you, madam. We hope you had a pleasant sleep.” He turned and hung the key up on the wall.
“Don’t I need to pay for the room?”
The clerk turned around. “Your fine young gentleman has already taken care of it. Have a lovely day and I wish you luck on your next endeavor.”
“I don’t understand.”
The clerk looked at her, his expression likely mirroring her confusion. “You are a medic, so I assumed you have a destination in mind.”
“Yes, I am heading to Melzi.”
“Gods bless you!” The man bowed low. “I admire and respect your kind. Going in when others flee. You are truly a brave young woman.”
Ailey frowned for a moment – no one had called her a young woman in years. “Thank you,” was all she could manage. The clerk bowed again and turned to help another customer. Ailey hitched up her bag and turned to leave the inn. She had only made it a few steps before remembering Ivy. “Excuse me, I’m sorry, but I was wondering about a young woman who stayed here last night?”
The clerk looked at her with a smile, “You mean Miss Ivy? Quite the handful, that one. Tried to make off with about 300 gold worth of stuff. Young people do the strangest things for sport these days, but Mr. Lynx took care of her, too. She looked a lot better for a good night’s sleep and some better clothing. I’ve no idea what the young woman was trying to do, running away from home like that. She headed out a couple of hours ago with a lovely couple, friends of Mr. Lynx’s, I believe.” His eyes looked toward the door. “Lovely couple they were.”
Ailey frowned, “Did she go with them willingly?”
The clerk looked at her with something like offense in his eyes. “Of course she went with them willingly. Something about a debt that needed to be repaid, but I didn’t ask. It wasn’t my business. Will that be everything?” Something in the way he said it suggested that the clerk did not want to discuss the situation further.
Ailey bit her lip. Part of her wanted to find out more, but she had more pressing issues. After all, Ash was the one who took care of Ivy while Ailey had left them. The fact that the medic had plans did not entirely absolve her from the responsibility she had taken by knowingly bringing a thief into town. Ash had been the one to follow through. He had made sure the young woman’s wounds were cleaned, gotten her new clothing, and ensured she did not get into any serious trouble while she was in Derbe.
“Thank you again.” She bowed to the clerk, who gave her a smile. The medic turned and left the inn feeling off-kilter. Perhaps it was finally having gotten a good night’s sleep, perhaps it was the comfortable clothing that she now wore, or perhaps it was the fact that for once someone else had taken care of things for her, but for the first time in a long time, Ailey felt that things would be alright.
The feeling was completely unnerving because that sense of peace was always the calm before the storm.
Chapter 4
A Pleasant Surprise
Ailey passed through the gates after a quick conversation with Evan. The young man talked about some of the initial signs, but very little of the information he had was new to the medic. Ester was incredibly detailed. Still, it was good to get a first-hand account from someone who had seen the illness already, even if Evan had gotten it by shouting up at his brother from several feet below the city walls. All of the city’s inhabitants were in a quarantine, so no one was allowed inside who wasn’t there to assist with the plague or other essential needs to keep the city going. The young man vigorously waved at her as Ailey left. The look in his eye told her that he believed she could cure his brother. Ailey wasn’t even sure that she would meet the lad. He was a few years younger than Evan, and the kid worked and lived in the most populous area of the city. Finding Aston Thompson would be like finding a needle in a hay stack.
Ailey always made it a point to never promise things she knew she could not deliver, but despite her warning not to get his hopes up, Evan seemed to do just that. She left the town feeling like she had done something wrong.
“Don’t worry about him. Things will work out.”
Ailey knew the voice and was not surprised to hear it. “Good morning, Ash. I suppose I should thank you.”
“There’s no need.”
“But I should.” She found it difficult to look at the man as he walked beside her with his hands in his pockets.
“You don’t want to, so don’t bother.” The response was not what she had expected. Ailey turned to look at the young man, who was looking up at the sun.
“Looking directly at the sun is bad for your eyes. Please don’t do yourself harm by indulging such a bad habit.”
The purplish-green eyes trained on her, and a thin smiled passed over his face. “Is that something like concern?”
Ailey shrugged, “It sounds like it.”
His smile widened. “Don’t let it worry you. My eyes aren’t like yours, so staring at the sun is not going to do damage. Thank you for your concern, though. Here.” He moved remarkably fast as he pulled something out of a small bag he was carrying. Ailey looked at the bag and could not remember him carrying one the day before. There was no point in prying, especially as she realized that he was holding out a small breakfast sandwich.
Ailey gave it a critical look. “If I eat it, will that sandwich knock me out?”
Ash frowned, “I’m fairly certain that you have recovered after a good night’s sleep.”
“So you admit you drugged me.” Her comment was blunt because the medic did not have time to mince words.
Ash closed his eyes for a moment, then looked back up at the sun, the sandwich still extended towards her. When the man opened his eyes again, he unwrapped a part of the sandwich and took a bite. He chewed for a moment, and they both heard Ailey’s stomach growl in response.
Feeling the blood rush to her face in embarrassment, she took the proffered sandwich when he held it back out to her. The medic took a bite as she tried to ignore the look the man was giving her. Finally, he looked forward and responded, “I just made sure that you got a good meal. It was obvious by the way you carried yourself and the way you popped your neck that your body was in desperate need of a good meal and rest. It was also obvious that you were not going to allow that, so I made sure you got a good meal. Your body took over from there.”
Ailey thought through Ash’s words and realized what he meant. By supplying her body with the right nutrients, her body had given into the fatigue. She had pushed herself as hard as she had a decade ago, but Ailey wasn’t in her early twenties anymore. Capable as she was, it may have been time to get a horse when she needed to cover longer distances. It meant she would miss things, though, an idea that did not sit well with the medic.
The woman gave a slight shake of her head, then forced a sm
all smile on her face. “Thank you, Ash. I really appreciate it, even though it means a later start than I had wanted.”
“It means that you will be in better shape to do what you need to do when you arrive in Melzi.”
“Yes, that it does.”
“So you are really going there? You are knowingly going into a city where people are dying of a plague? Even though you are completely human?”
Ailey looked at the man, not expecting him to understand, so she did not offer any explanation. “Yes, I am going to Melzi, despite all of those stated deficiencies.” He appeared to wait for her to say more, but she didn’t have anything further to say.
“Alright, not exactly my first choice, but so be it.”
Ailey stopped walking. “That had better not mean what it sounds like.”
“Of course not.” He smiled at her.
“Good, because it sounded like you were saying you were going to follow me there.” She started walking again.
“Oh, is that what you thought I meant? Then yes, it was how it sounded.”
Ailey put her hand out, stopping the man in his tracks. “No, you are not.”
Ash looked down at her hand. “Of course I am.”
“No, you aren’t.” She frowned and looked him in the eyes. “I am not going to take you with me.”
As her frown deepened, Ash’s smile widened. “Why not? Are you concerned that something will happen to me if I go with you?”
Ailey pursed her lips, but decided there was no point in lying. “The illness isn’t just killing humans. My contact said that it affected all humanoids. It is a big city in a country that is open to all species. Whatever you are, it is very likely to be lethal to you, too.”
Ash shook his head, “You do care.”
“Ye gods, talking to you is like talking to a child.” Ailey began walking, her pace a bit quicker.
“That is so touching. You think of me like a child, so you want to protect me. Absolutely fascinating. Completely wrong, but I dare say it is unexpectedly sweet for someone as cynical and jaded as you.”