Chapter 6
In the Light of a New Day
Ailey woke to the protestations of her muscles as they quickly reminded her of what had happened the night before. Sitting up, she rubbed her head and looked around. To her surprise, Ash was not in the room. Gently moving her legs over the side of the bed, Ailey stood up, thinking it best to find him before she left. Last night wasn’t anything that she had intended to happen, and she very much doubted that it had been part of his plan either, but that didn’t mean that she regretted it. She didn’t want to simply leave without saying goodbye, not after last night. With a smile, she realized that she had actually gotten quite attached to Ash. His curiosity was annoying at first, largely because she hadn’t felt that way in so long. But Ash’s cheerfulness was somewhat contagious, turning the end of her trip into something much more enjoyable. If the plague was to claim her, Ash had been the beautiful sunset.
She was still smiling as she approached her bag. A sudden breeze caused her to shiver.
“Well, I may have misjudged you.”
Ailey turned to face the source of the voice. Sitting on the window sill was Anani. Ailey put a hand on her hip. “Most people would knock first. They would also come through the door. What you are doing right there is considered creepy, and in some countries it is a crime.”
Her body was postured in a way that was open, hiding nothing, even though she wasn’t wearing anything. She watched as the man’s eyes drifted down, taking in her body. “Did you come in here uninvited for a reason?”
Anani cleared his throat as his eyes moved up to hers. “Don’t you want to cover up?”
“If you are uncomfortable, you can leave and wait downstairs until I am dressed.”
His eyes drifted over her again, as he clearly made an attempt to focus. “I just thought it was best to warn you about-” He shifted a little. “Gods, I can see why he would be interested in you now. You are quite attractive, although I would not have thought you would have so many scars. Two of them look like they should have been fatal.” His eyes looked into hers, but it was clear that was not a subject she was going to discuss with him. With a shrug, Anani continued, “Obviously, you’ve never had kids either, not with those slender hips. It looks a bit like you are undernourished, although that really is not my area. Do you even have any idea what you have gotten yourself into?”
Ailey blinked, then sighed as she turned and picked up her clothing. She began to dress. “Why are you here?”
“Do you know how young he is? I mean, he is between, geez, I’m not very good at keeping track of these things, but somewhere between 50 and 70.”
“He’s looking very good for his age, then.” Ailey finished pulling her shirt on and pulled her hair through. It fluttered in the breeze from the window as it cascaded down her back.
Anani was quiet, only remembering the conversation when she turned to look at him. She began to brush her hair as he cleared his throat again. “That’s actually my point. That is old for humans, but for us, that’s like the equivalent of being between 20 and 22. He’s incredibly young. And impressionable.”
Ailey stopped brushing her hair and thought back to her first impressions of Ash, how many of his actions reminded her of a young man. His enthusiasm and curiosity started to make sense.
Anani nodded, “It looks like you understand now.”
Ailey approached him. “So when you wanted me to keep him from doing anything stupid, you meant keep him from the usual mistakes of youth.”
With a quick nod, the shifter looked around. “Although I’m not entirely sure that you are going to be capable.”
Ailey stopped brushing her hair. “It would appear that you have a bit of a hang-up about sex. How very human of you.”
Anani made a noise that she didn’t quite understand. He opened his mouth, then thought better of it, and simply blew out his cheeks. “I have to concede your point, but we do need to be a bit more cautious about… that sort of thing. It is not normal for us to do that with someone we barely know. Not unless-” Anani pushed into the room. “All I can say is that you had better hope that he simply gave in to the ideas that he learned from Hisa instead of the other possibility.”
“There is no way he can be serious about me.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“We talked about it.”
Anani picked up a small statue from the dresser and threw her a knowing look. “You specifically talked about what happened last night?”
“Not about the two of us, but he knows how I feel about it.”
“And exactly what was his response?”
Ailey started braiding her hair. “He understood, having done something similar himself.”
Anani put the object back down and moved around the room. “I'm pretty sure that isn’t what he said, that is just the way you interpreted it. I imagine his remarks were more similar to the way he felt. He would have found your detachment sad.”
Ailey frowned, “Well, yes, he thought that my history was unfortunate. That doesn’t mean that he thinks any differently about me for it.”
Anani finished moving around the room and sat down on the sill again. “I’ve seen Ivy. She’s much better-looking than you. At least with clothes on.” His eyes automatically moved up and down Ailey’s body.
Ailey rolled her eyes and turned her back as she pinned the braid to her head. “Yes, she is.”
“But he wasn’t interested in her. Why do you think that is?”
“Because she is immature and manipulates others for her own ends. Ash wants to be useful to others, even if he isn’t always sure how to do that.”
“Exactly.”
Ailey turned to look at Anani, who was swinging his legs and looking at the ceiling. “I don’t understand what you are trying to say.”
The man’s eyes shifted and he gave her a look of disbelief. Instead of pushing on that particular subject, he asked her directly, “How do you feel about him?”
Ailey frowned for a moment as she thought about everything that had happened since they met. Without realizing it, she started to smile. “He’s sweet, almost to a fault.”
“Ah,” he shook his head. When Anani looked at her again, there was a knowing smile on his face. “Your healing methods won’t work on him, so if you want to preserve him, keep him safe.”
“Time will change him, there is nothing I can do about that.”
“No, that personality is who he is. The kind of shifter he is, they are always like that, as you said, to a fault.”
“I thought you were the same type of shifter.”
Anani scratched his head. “We are a bit like birds. You have a lot of different types of birds, but they are still all birds.”
“Okay.” She wasn’t sure where the uninvited visitor was going with the explanation.
“There aren’t very many left like him, and he is the youngest of his type. His entire family is dead because his kind are the most sympathetic to humans. They are the most likely to try to help, and they are the first to die trying to save others. Cyprian is another type that tends to mingle with humans, but they are far hardier, much more difficult to kill. Mostly because they are less trusting.”
Ailey’s brows knitted together. “He doesn’t have any family?”
Anani shook his head, “No immediate family. Ash was too young to go when his family went off to help a new settlement in Caston.”
“Caston.” The name was familiar to her. Ailey thought back and remembered Ester talking about a strange ailment that had killed most of the people who had moved there to escape one of the purges that often occurred in Tepe Sialk. They were even less tolerant of humanoids than Yuezhi, persecuting those who stood up for humanoids as much as the humanoids themselves. “That was a settlement of mostly humanoids.”
“There were a lot of humans there, too. I knew a few of the ones who died first. Good people, a bit odd. So you know of it?”
“Yes, my mentor was still in her apprenticeship when the Association sent a lot of people there. No one returned. I believe the settlement was abandoned, and the rumor is that it is cursed. Ash lost his entire family during that crisis?”
Anani nodded. “They left him in my care when they went. Cyprian was the obvious choice, but Ash’s family knew the risk. They were afraid that if none of them returned, Ash would be raised to loathe humans, and that just didn’t sit well with them. I dare say they would be somewhat proud of him, if they knew…” The man’s voice trailed off as he looked at Ailey. Shaking his head, the visitor continued, “There were other shifters who probably would have been better suited to it, shifters who would have been a little more… involved in his development. But they asked me, and I could never turn them down. I should have. I should have told them that they needed to raise him themselves, but they wouldn’t have heard me. All six of them left, and I brought back their bodies so that he could say his farewells. He was only five at the time.”
Ailey had sat down as the man talked. Her eyes shone as he paused. “Thank you for telling me, but I don't understand-”
“You can’t heal him.” Anani stood up again and moved over to the dresser.
Ailey blinked. “You’ve already said that.”
“I need you to understand that, because if he does something stupid, it won’t matter how skilled you are.” To illustrate his point, he picked up a decorative dagger. Without a word, he plunged it into his chest.
Ailey gasped and her body reacted immediately. Before she knew what she was doing, the medic had started to stem the flow and attempt to remove the dagger. “Are you insane? I know that a shifter’s heart is in the same place as a human’s. That was just irresponsible.”
She watched Anani’s face as she pulled the dagger out and placed it on the dresser. Her hand had pressed on the wound as soon as the dagger was out, but when she turned her attention back to tend to it, the wound was closed. Her eyes went up and looked at Anani’s.
“Ash is even sturdier, his regenerative powers even faster. Given enough time, his body would incorporate the dagger. If he is in trouble, there is nothing that you can do.”
Ailey wiped her forehead with her hand, leaving a streak of blood behind. “That was a little melodramatic, don’t you think?”
“I’m certain that it made the point, though. Actions are louder.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it anyway. I am heading to Melzi and Ash has promised he would not come with me.”
“Is that what he said?”
“No.” Both heads turned to see Ash standing in the door, a frown on his face. His expression quickly changed as he noticed the blood on Ailey’s forehead. “What did you do?” He rushed over to her, immediately trying to stop the blood.
“Calm down, Ash. It isn’t mine. See?” Ailey pointed to the dagger on the dresser and the hole in Anani’s clothing.
Ash pulled her head against his chest and kissed the top of her head. He then held her tight for a moment, and Ailey wasn’t sure if she should laugh and downplay what had just happened or if she should move away from the young man and start her goodbyes. Instead of doing either, she leaned into Ash and wrapped her arms around him.
She could feel Ash turning to face his friend. “Anani, aren’t you supposed to be- Oh. Figures.”
Ailey pulled back, wanting to say something to the uninvited guest, but found that he wasn’t in the room. “Not one for standing on tradition and ceremony, is he?”
“He’s not exactly in touch with reality.” Ash pulled her to him again and began to stroke her head. “Loves to interfere, though, whenever he realizes what is happening. You practically have to hit him over the head to get his head out of the clouds; usually worth it, though.” Ash put a finger under Ailey’s chin and tilted her face up. “I hope he didn’t scare you.”
“Startled me a good bit. Several times.”
The young man frowned, “What do you mean? He did more than this little trick?” Ash picked up the dagger and held it up. “Didn’t even bother to clean it off before bolting.”
“A bit unhygienic.” She took the dagger from Ash’s hand.
“Actually, hold on to it. His blood has restorative powers.”
“What?” Ailey wasn’t sure she heard him correctly.
“Restorative powers. It isn’t universal, just something that his type have. They spend so much time away from everything that their blood is incredibly pure. Guess that is what happens when you spend a lot of time on mountain tops doing whatever they do. Very few contaminants, at least that’s the theory. Hold on to it. Maybe it will save your life. I would like to think that there is something safeguarding you where we are about to go.”
“That’s very kind, but- What do you mean where we are going?” Ailey stopped looking at the dagger and trained her eyes on Ash.
He gave her a big grin as he reached down and picked up her bag. As he slung it over his shoulder, Ash said, “I’ve got breakfast, so we can eat on the way.”
Ailey lowered the dagger. “Now, wait a minute, you promised.”
“I did, and I will fulfill that promise.” Ash didn’t even turn to look at her as he walked through the door.
“Then you have to stay here. That is the only way to fulfil your promise.”
There was a mischievous grin on his face as he looked at her. “Sorry, but I have to correct you there. I promised that I wouldn’t follow you. So that just means I have to be your guide.”
Ailey stared at him for a moment. His smile was brilliant when he realized that she had no ground to argue. “Come on, it’s already getting late and our breakfast won’t taste as good cold.”
The medic played all kinds of arguments in her mind as she watched Ash head down the stairs, and she knew none of them would work. She clenched her fists, then remembered what she was holding onto. Picking up the small case that the dagger had been in, she peeled away the velvet, leaving only the metal. Ailey placed the dagger in it, slipped the case in her pocket, and left most of the rest of her coin to cover the cost of the dagger.
Rubbing her hand over her face, Ailey headed toward the stairs.