Chapter 10
A Haphazard Plan
A hand took hers and pulled her back down onto the bed. Noely turned and looked at Cyprian, but as her eyes took in the bandages, she choked back a sob. It was clear he had healed himself some more, but there were still some marks and bruises. Noely leaned over and hugged Cyprian as gently as she could in case he was still hurting.
“I want to say he means well,” Cyprian’s voice flowed through and around her, “but sometimes it really doesn’t feel that way.”
“Please get better.” Noely pushed a little harder against the shifter, and she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her to him.
“Why is it so important that I get better?”
Noely shook her head, “I asked you to save someone, and you saved an entire town, didn’t you? You were weakened, and that was why the soldiers were able to capture you. Captain Hisa all but said that.”
“Yes, he said everything except that, and made sure you came up with the conclusion that he wanted.”
Noely looked up at the shifter. “Is that not what happened?”
“Not exactly, but it would be lying to say that he was too far off. The reason they caught me was because I had no reason to run any more. My debt was repaid and it was my time.”
“I don’t understand.” Her eyes searched the shifter’s face for the answers.
“Noely, how old do you think I am?” His voice was level as he pulled her to his chest and stroked the back of her head.
“You are a shifter, so that is nearly impossible to guess by looking.” She pushed her face into his chest, not wanting to talk anymore.
“But you must have an impression, an assumption for what you think my age is.”
The young woman shook her head, “I don’t see how that is relevant. I don’t care how old you are, I don’t want you to be so accepting of your own death. It makes no sense.”
The shifter sighed. For a second his hands were on her shoulders as if he was going to push her back, then he appeared to think better of it and again wrapped his arms around her.
“You were going to look at me, weren’t you?” Her voice was low as the young woman remembered the way the shifter’s eyes had once looked. She felt the man nod. “Then heal your eyes and look at me.” She pulled away from him and tried to stare him into doing the right thing.
“If I look at you, I will lose my resolve, and I cannot allow that again.”
“Why? Why are you so willing to accept dying?” Her voice rose as she tried to understand how anyone would willingly accept the kind of pain this man had and such a terrible end.
“How old do you think I am?” His voice was strong and unflinching, almost as if he were instructing her.
“Well,” the young woman thought back to everything that had happened, “if I were to base it on looks, you would be in your late twenties or early thirties. If I were to base it on the way you act, I would say probably a couple hundred years. You are far too mature to be young for a shifter.”
“And what if I were to tell you that I am over 1,000?”
Noely stared at Cyprian for a moment. “Is that a hypothetical?”
He laughed a little, and she was pleased to see that it did not cause him pain. That meant he was healing remarkably well. “Unfortunately, no, it is more a statement of fact disguised as a hypothetical. But I know that you can understand what that means.”
Noely shook her head, “It means you feel you have outlived your time, but what you did today proves that you are not done yet.”
He pushed her back. “Then I will never be done. Look, I have felt more with you in the last 24 hours than I have felt with anyone in almost a quarter of a century. I was ready to go, and finding you should not change that.”
Noely took his hands from her shoulders and held them tight without saying a word. Without warning, she threw herself on Cyprian, her head buried in his neck. “I should have allowed you to pay me back the way you wanted.”
She felt his body stiffen, but he did not push her away. His hands slowly moved around her back as if uncertain. “That certainly would have changed things, but it was best that you didn’t.”
“What about now?” Her hand moved under his shirt, and she felt Cyprian tense at her touch. His skin was smooth and cool, like the beach on a cool spring day. Her other hand went around his neck and she began to kiss the shifter.
His right hand moved down her back and around her thigh. Noely responded by straddling Cyprian and leaning her body into his. His other hand went under her arm and pushed her upper body against him. Noely’s body began to move against his and his hands began to pull at her dress.
Then he suddenly stopped and pushed himself as far away from her as he could. They were both panting as he spoke, “This is neither the time nor the place for that.”
“If it will convince you that you should not give up, it is the perfect time and place.” She tried to move closer.
He shook his head, “Your first time will not be in a jail cell with a creature almost old enough to be your grandfather.”
Noely froze for a minute and thought about what he had said, her breast moving up and down as she tried to catch her breath. “You know I'm not human?”
A voice from the door turned both of their heads, “What do you mean she isn’t human?”
Standing there, his eyes a little puffy, was Jaylon. The captain pushed past him and sat in a chair at the table. “Of course he isn’t human. Use your powers to sense that.”
“What?” Jaylon and Noely asked in unison.
From the bed, a much firmer voice asked, “You brought a half-pixie?”
Noely’s head whipped around to look at Cyprian, then her eyes went to Jaylon. “You’re half-pixie?”
Hisa laughed, “Do you know any other species that has platinum-colored hair? Of course he’s half-pixie. Leave it to the backward seven kingdoms to be unable to identify a pixie on sight.” The way he held himself and the way he talked was completely different from the way Hisa usually acted, but something told Noely that this was who the man really was.
Noely wanted to say something, but her friend was looking between the two men. “Why does it matter?” His voice was defensive.
Cyprian frowned, “Oh, it matters because of one of the abilities that pixies are known for. Hisa, I know what you are doing and it won’t work.”
“Do you know what Sir Gwavas is going to do to me if you die before he gets a chance to meet you?”
Cyprian snorted, “Give you a stern reprimand probably.”
“Yeah, do you have any idea how embarrassing and shameful it is to be reprimanded by a human? So no, you don’t get to die.”
“I don’t see how you have any say in this,” Cyprian’s voice was level and cool as he faced the captain. The bandage around his eyes was the only thing that detracted from the nobility of his demeanor.
“Look, with or without your consent, I am getting you out of here. I have spent almost 10 years in the military. 10 years, you understand that, right? If you would have told me that I would become a part of the human military 100 years ago, or even 50, I would have let you beat me down for the insult.”
Jaylon closed his eyes and then looked over at Hisa. “You would have let him beat you because you couldn’t believe it?”
Cyprian sighed, “What he means is he would have picked a fight with me over it, knowing that he never had a chance of winning.”
Jaylon looked between the two men, then his eyes latched on to Hisa’s. “How could you possibly lose to him? He looks like he’s all bone.”
Hisa laughed while Cyprian remained passive. Hisa’s laughter subsided and he finally said, “Direct your eyes to the prisoner.” Jaylon complied. “You are looking at a shifter who is almost 14 hundred years old. He has single-handedly taken down an entire kingdom after they killed the woman he loved. He has stopped a few dozen wars, negotiated between feuding species, and split an entire continent. When he is feeling lazy, that man before you, let’s call him Cyprian since we are using real names here – Cyprian beats up on the Kraken. If he doesn't want to get caught, you can’t catch him. If he doesn’t want to get hurt, you won’t be able to leave a scratch on his perfect body. If you want to try to take him in a fight, then be my guest. It would be nice to see someone else take a beating for a change. I’ve about reached my limit for this century.”
Noely looked at Cyprian and understood why he had decided it was time to die. She took his hand quietly and without anyone else noticing. The shifter squeezed her hand a little, but otherwise did not acknowledge the gesture.
Jaylon looked like he was completely lost. “I don’t understand. Captain Hisa, why are you trying to help the prisoner to escape after your men worked so hard to catch him?”
“Oh please, I don’t need to explain that to you. Just do your thing,” the captain waved his hand, then turned to Noely. “It appears that you have managed to convince him to heal quite a bit, so we won’t have to carry him out. Now I just need you to take him somewhere safe while I lead everyone in the wrong direction.”
Noely looked up at Jaylon who was moving his hand in a similar motion to what Hisa had done. His expression was one of concentration, so she decided to ask his question again, “I don’t have any special powers, so please explain to me why you are doing this.”
Hisa sighed as he leaned his head back. “I’m only in the Yuezhi military to bring this old fool back to his senses. Seriously, he is one of the oldest mortals alive, and the only one that still interacts with the world. You would think that would require some sort of innate sense of self-preservation, or that he would have learned it, but no, this guy is out there looking for a way to die nobly. He damn near succeeded with that avalanche, too. I think it was what gave him the idea to let my men take him down. That was just cruel and uncalled for.” The captain was leaned back in his chair, but he was scowling at Cyprian.
Noely looked between the two men. “How do you two know each other?”
All eyes turned to look at her. Cyprian’s calming voice said very simply, “Same species, different type.”
Jaylon stopped moving his hands. “What types?”
Noely was looking at Cyprian as she said, “Shifters.”
“I know, but what types?”
Noely looked at her friend. “You knew that Hisa was a shifter?”
“Of course. Why do you think I tried to set you up with him? All of the men I have tried to persuade you to date were shifters.”
“Wait, you knew?” The young woman could not believe what she was hearing.
“He’s a pixie, remember. Just like you can get an idea of what species a person is, he can, too. Humans are the only ones who can’t.” Hisa sounded bored. “Here, there seems to be a lot of confusion so let’s get this cleared up. The blind man is Cyprian. I am Hisa, yes, that is my first name – I do not want people calling me by my last name, so I don’t use it in the military. We are both shifters of the same species, but different types. Blondie over there is Jaylon, he’s a half-pixie who is going to tell Cyprian just why he needs to live. And over here we have the lovely Noely, who is-” Suddenly the man stopped talking. He grimaced, “That I cannot tell you because Augustin has to be the one to do it. Or you can take a lover and learn about it yourself.” Like a cat after a mouse, Hisa shifted forward in his chair at an impossible speed. “I am available if you are interested in the second route.”
Cyprian cleared his throat, “She’s not interested in you, Hisa.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t get a say, so butt out.”
“I don’t need a say because she will tell you now on her own.”
While she was still trying to fully comprehend what had happened, Noely saw an opportunity. “Well, Jaylon has been trying to get us together, and if you are really set on dying, Cyprian, I don’t think that I should try to guilt you into continuing for my sake. And without knowing where Augustin is, I may need to take Hisa up on his offer.”
The looks on Hisa and Jaylon’s faces were priceless. Her friend looked like he was about to weep tears of joy, while the captain stood up and walked over to her. He offered her his hand. Not sure that she should take it, Noely’s hand hesitated as she was about to stretch it out to the man.
“I wouldn’t do that, Noely.” Cyprian’s voice was full of warning.
Hisa didn’t even look at the shifter; his eyes were fixed on Noely. “And why is that?”
“Because he only wants to play with you until he gets tired. He was not kidding when he complained about the military. You saw how scary he could be, and that was not because he felt insulted on behalf of the kingdom. It was because he was irritable from having to follow orders and act like a competent human being.”
Jaylon laughed, “A competent human being. That’s funny. That’s like talking about a gifted cow.”
Three heads turned to look at the half-pixie as he laughed. Hisa joined in until Noely responded, “Thank you, Hisa. I really appreciate the offer, but I don’t think that would be right.”
He smiled down at her, “I know, but look, it had the intended effect. Shame, though. I could have shown you a really good time while it lasted. Now if you will excuse me, I need to go make sure my men are not implicated in the escape. We will have to chase you for a bit, but Jaylon should be able to deflect the worst of it, and no one should get close enough to physically engage you three in fighting.” He strode toward the door, then turned. “Right. In case the virtual immortal is still thinking about dying, down five flights, hit the wall hard to your right, and slip through the door that opens. Good luck and move quickly. My men should be sending the guards down soon. Once they reach the corridor, get ready to take them down and run.”
Noely looked at the captain. “We have to take down the guards?”
“Jaylon should be able to knock them over, you know,” and he made a gesture with his hands. “It will be much easier than dealing with my men; they know how to fight, not just beat up shackled prisoners. Oh, and I don’t want any of my men to get hurt. They may be human, but I’ve gotten kind of fond of them. Anyway, stay safe.” With that he disappeared.
Jaylon and Noely looked at each other for a moment before Jaylon asked, “What does he mean just knock them over?”
Cyprian spoke up, “Has no one taught you how to control your powers?”
Jaylon looked down. “No, I haven’t seen any pixies since my mother died when I was three. She taught me a little bit, but my father worked hard to beat all of that out of me so that I could pass as human. I ran away, got abducted by slavers, and ended up on this side of the world. Haven’t had any desire to go back.”
“And there aren’t any pixies over here to train you, I see,” Cyprian said. “Like it or not, you are going to have to go back to Senones for at least a while to learn. A few of us could do some basic training, but no one on this side of the world has pixie abilities.”
Jaylon shook his head, “Sure there are some other pixies over here. I just need to look for them. I never thought that it mattered, but if you and Hisa say that I need to get trained, then I will keep an eye out from here.”
Cyprian gave him a sad smile. “After tonight, you won’t be able to come back to the city. Also, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there are no pixies anywhere near the seven kingdoms.”
“How can you be so certain?” Jaylon frowned.
“Because pixies aren’t allowed to be in the seven kingdoms based on the Baslington Concordant.”
Jaylon looked at the shifter askance. “Maybe there are others like me who were brought here against their will.”
“That is possible, but they will know just as little as you. As the person who has been enforcing the Concordant for the last 900 years, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there are no pixies on three continents who can help you.”
“Can’t the species patch things up? I mean it makes no sense to segregate onto different continents.”
“Yes, it does. For all of their faults, humans are incredibly forgiving compared to other species. They can hold a grudge for decades, but other species tend to remember slights for centuries. Probably because we live longer, which is why a long life isn’t always ideal.”
Jaylon bit his lip. “Then how come Captain Hisa thinks I can use my powers if pixies aren’t supposed to be here?”
Cyprian laughed as he stood up, “Easy. He doesn't know. Hisa isn’t exactly up on most types of politics. The last decade has truly been a pain for him because it is everything that he despises, especially having to be responsible. I suppose, I owe it to him to die when it isn’t his head at risk. Well, his pride.” Cyprian shook his head and moved to the door. “Come here, Jaylon, I will teach you a few things that will help, keeping in mind that I am not able to do any of this myself.”
The pair stood near the door as Cyprian showed the half-pixie a few basic moves and tried to explain the sensations that should arise out of the power. A couple of minutes later, Noely’s friend was able to do a small forced push that knocked the table to the back of the cell. Jaylon’s eyes were wide as he saw what his powers could do. “And that’s normal?”
Cyprian nodded, “That’s basic for your people. It was incredibly well done, too. You are a fast learner.”
Jaylon beamed as he looked over at Noely. Her heart began to race as Cyprian walked toward her. His voice was mellow as he reached her and spoke, “It’s good, too, because they are about to open the door.”
His hand grabbed hers just as the door to the cell opened. Jaylon held up his hands and executed a force push that bowled the four guards over. The half-pixie ran out of the cell and shouted behind him, “Come on while they are tangled up!”
Cyprian leaned over and whispered in Noely’s ear, “Run.”
She gave his hand a squeeze and darted out the door, pulling the blind shifter behind her. Her mind was so focused on the fact that he was holding her hand that the young woman didn’t even realize that her feet were no longer touching the floor.