Chapter 7
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Ailey caught up to Ash just outside of the inn. “I really do not want you coming with me.”
Ash looked over at her. “Then you have an idea how I feel.”
“This is my profession. I work to educate, save, and treat people. It has never been your interest, and it certainly isn’t your profession.”
“You are only half-right. Hold on.” Ash stopped her and forced Ailey to face him. He held up a handkerchief and began to brush her forehead. “It’s dried.” Without warning, he pulled her to him and kissed her softly on the forehead. As soon as he pulled back, Ash wiped the spot again. “There. Now you don’t look like you just sat at the bedside of a dying soldier.” His purple-green eyes sparkled as he looked at her.
“Thank you, Ash, but this really isn’t necessary.”
He smiled in response, took her hand, and began to walk forward. Ailey pulled her hand out of his. “I am serious, Ash. This is not a place for you.”
“It isn’t a place for any healthy person to go.”
Ailey folded her arms across her chest. “What is your reason for going?”
“That should be obvious.”
“You are going because of me.”
“Of course.”
“That is not a good reason to do anything so dangerous.”
Ash stepped toward her, the smile unwavering. “Wanting to protect someone is not a good reason to risk something dangerous?”
“It isn’t your job.”
“As far as I can tell, no one protects you, not even you. No one should be alone.”
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. The words drifted through her thoughts as she looked at Ash. He had friends and a guardian who admitted that he was not ideal, but Ash did not have a family. He was speaking as much about himself as he was of her.
“I am not alone,” Ailey tried to smile. “I have the entire Medics Association.”
Ash looked around them. “Yes, obviously, it’s quite crowded here.”
She gave him a playful slap, unable to stop herself. “You know what I mean.”
“I do, and I deem it not good enough.”
“That really isn’t up to you.”
Ash shrugged, “Unfortunately, it is. No one tells me where I can and cannot go. If I want to walk into the middle of Antakya in my other form and eat half of the people, there is no one to tell me I can’t do that besides me.”
“What?” She screwed up her face at the preposterous idea. Ailey tried to hide the smile, but the image of Ash walking into a city and starting to eat people was utterly ridiculous. Of course, in her mind, he was just a bigger version of himself. Focus, Ailey, she reprimanded herself.
Ash placed a hand on her face. “I do love that smile.” He leaned forward to kiss her, but Ailey put her hands on his chest and frowned. Wrinkling his nose at her, Ash stroked her head. “I get to decide what I do. You can tell me not to go, but you cannot stop me from joining you. To me, it is worth the risk.” Despite it being exactly the wrong thing that she wanted him to do, Ailey couldn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat as she looked into his eyes. “Besides,” he continued, “I am in far less danger than you. Now let’s go before it gets any later. I remember someone wanting to get an early start, and I am fairly certain she did not mean early afternoon.” His hand slid down her arm and his fingers threaded through hers before pulling her forward.
Ailey allowed him to lead for the next few miles. He chatted happily about many things, but never, she noticed, about himself. If Ash mentioned himself at all, it was as a minor player in the story. Everything was about his friends and acquaintances, as if he was a bard recounting tales of heroes. Ailey listened, asking questions and pointing out a few things from time to time. But as she listened, she could not help but feel Ash wanted to create his own stories, similar to the ones he was recounting. A part of her hoped that the whole thing was just his misguided attempt at doing that, instead of his stated purpose of wanting to protect her. She placed a small pill in her mouth when she was able to see the guards standing in front of the gates. It wasn’t the best way to accomplish what she planned to do, but without any more time to plan something else, Ailey was going to make sure that Ash didn’t do anything stupid. Not if she could stop him.
Much faster than was humanly possible, they reached the gates. Ash was smiling as he swayed a little. Ailey reached up and brushed the sweat from his brow. The distance had been about the same as yesterday, but they had managed to make it in half the time. The way Ash was reacting proved that he had pushed himself much harder, and he was pleased to have impressed her with the early arrival. They were within sight of the guards, but not close enough to have their conversation overheard.
She stepped toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you, Ash. It would have been after dark if I had walked without you.”
“My pleasure.” He put a hand on her face. “May I?”
Ailey leaned her face into his hand. Ash smiled a little wider and moved forward, brushing his nose against hers. She couldn’t hold back the giggle at the unexpected reminder of last night. He sighed and leaned forward. His lips were soft and warm as he kissed her. Ailey felt his arm wrap around the small of her back and for a moment she regretted what she was about to do.
Your healing methods won’t work on him, so if you want to preserve him, keep him safe.
Anani’s words rang in her mind. She pushed the little pill into Ash’s mouth, and stroked his tongue with her own, working the pill to the back. Ash was so intent on the kiss and tired from the trip that he didn’t notice. When he pulled back, there was a weary grin on his face. He swayed a little more.
“Hold on there, my pretty boy.” Ailey slipped his arm around her neck. Her hand motioned to a stable master nearby.
Ash’s head began to droop as the man approached. “If you would please, sir. This man has taken ill on the road, and I do not want to risk taking him into the city, not with the current outbreak.” The stable master looked at Ash, then at Ailey. She moved and showed him the patch on her arm. “If you will take him back to Derbe, I would be most appreciative. I can give you a credit from the Association and they will pay within a few days.”
The stable master nodded and reached out to take Ash’s arm. Ailey stepped back. “It’s alright. I can handle him. If you take the bag, there is a credit near the top. Take two. You are doing me a huge favor. I am already late and there was never the time to spare.” The stable master took the bag and quickly headed back to the stable. A couple of minutes later, a small buggy came down to meet Ailey. Gently, she loaded Ash onto the back. She placed a hand on his face and whispered, “I’m sorry, but I can’t let you come with me. I am not worth the risk.”
She heard the footsteps of the stable master behind her. Stepping away from the buggy, Ailey nodded at the driver. Nodding back, the driver took off back the way he had come. For a moment, Ailey remembered the look of satisfaction on Ash’s face as they reached the gates. Brushing a tear from the corner of her eye, Ailey turned to face the stable master. He held out her bag and waved the note in his other hand. “Are you sure you don’t want two?”
“My wife and most of my children have died. With only one child left, I won’t need more than the one.”
Ailey wanted to argue, but knew that there was no point. She gave a grim nod, then turned to the gate. One of the guards stepped forward as she neared. Without a word, Ailey showed the medic patch. The guard turned and nodded to the ramparts. As the gates creaked open, the sound of a deafening sorrow greeted her.
Ailey stepped through the opening, and her eyes immediately fell on the corpses stacked through a small opening to the left. Standing just outside of the area were loved ones of the deceased, crying and wailing as the undertakers took away the bodies and added them to the pile.
For a moment, a beautiful smile flashed through her mind. Ailey let the tear trickle down her cheek as she turned and walked toward the heartbreaking scene unfolding in front of her.