Chapter 8
Recalling the Debt
Noely’s breath caught as she tried to process what the man had said. Of course she didn’t want to believe him, to even consider that the man could not heal. The captain had sounded incredibly concerned, and judging by the supplies, someone under him must have known that Cyprian wasn’t human. In fact, there were indications that Hisa knew. Still, there was no way that any of the people could have known exactly how quickly the shifter healed, so the fear of death expressed by the captain had been minimized by her knowledge of how adept the shifter was at recovering. Suddenly Hisa’s warning took on a much more ominous meaning.
Please, whatever you may think of his abilities, the situation is very serious. What he needs goes well beyond the norm.
The captain had been trying to tell her something. One look at Cyprian’s face, and Noely dropped her spoon and sobbed.
She was aware that another hand was holding hers and she squeezed it a little. The gentle voice caught her off-guard. “Use one of the rags to cover my eyes. The sight will be less disturbing to you.”
The young woman moved the tray to the side and picked up a rag almost like she was hypnotized. Instead of going through the rags, the young woman pulled up her dress and ripped off a large strip from her underclothing. With caution and a soft touch she placed the strip over his eyes and took the ends around to the back of his head. His hair was a complete mess, so before tying the corners together, she gently worked out a few of the tangles. Holding the rag with one hand, she dipped her hand in the water and tried to work out some of the blood mingled with his bluish-black hair. Even here in a dark cell, his hair shone and felt like silk. Tears ran down her face as Noely’s mind went back to the day before when she had untangled her hair from his. It was like she had been stabbed in the heart. Trying to suppress a sob, the young woman returned to her work.
After a few moments of silence, she asked, “What can I do to make you heal? I mean, you were able to repair your mouth, so you should be able to heal the rest of yourself. Or did it take-”
A cool finger pressed against her lips, and Noely closed her eyes for a moment. “Too many questions. And I forbid you from being concerned about me again. I will not be indebted again.”
“Indebted?” It was like someone had jolted Noely. She pressed her hand against his and leaned toward Cyprian. “I don’t care about having you in my debt. I’m not trying to get you to repay me. What I want is for you to heal. There must be something I can do.” Bringing her legs up onto the bed, the young woman carefully rested near the shifter on the bed. He immediately moved away from her, despite the intense pain it must have caused him.
His voice sounded strained. “That is not a good idea in my current state. It will be alright. I promise.”
“You just need time to heal?” The hope in her voice was unmistakable.
A faint smile spread across his bruised face, but Cyprian did not say anything else. Noely took that as a yes, and swung her legs off of the bed. “I will still take care of you until you are able to move on your own.”
The shifter shook his head, “You have other things to do.”
“Considering I was asked by one of the captains of our military to take care of you, I have a feeling that my responsibilities will be rearranged so that I can continue to take care of you.”
“Then I will have to ask them to switch you for someone else.”
“Why would you do that?” Noely could not hide the hurt in her voice that the shifter would suggest using someone else.
“You know what they plan to do to me as soon as I am healthy enough to move. I do not want you to go through that.”
Noely’s hands stopped what she was doing as the man spoke in a calm voice about his own death. “Surely there is something that can be done. I am not about to have you executed. Not after-” She stopped speaking before she could say anything that would embarrass herself. She had barely any exposure to the man, but the idea of him dying was entirely unacceptable to the young woman.
He laughed for a moment, then used his good arm to hold his sides. From the way he moved, Noely knew that some of his ribs were broken. The shifter coughed and blood flecked the corners of his mouth. Tears started to roll down her checks as the maiden began cleaning the blood. “You hardly know me. What kind of loss would I be to you? A known spy of your adopted city stands no chance. Without Hisa’s interference the guards would have already killed me. No, it is best for you not to have any more to do with me.”
For the first time in her life, Noely brought up the issue of repayment. “I don’t care how little I know you, or what has happened, but you owe me. Remember? You owe me and I will not sit back and watch you die while there is still a debt to be repaid.”
A cold voice behind her caused Noely to spin around. “Is that what this is?” Standing in the door of the cell was the one person that terrified Noely – Captain Hisa.