by Lisa Daniels
“I guess that it was bound to happen.” Ailey looked out the window at the moon and noted that it was full. “Not the infidelity, but the loss of interest in a serious relationship. I had already proven I wasn’t terribly interested in staying in one place, and there aren’t many medics who travel in pairs well into old age. Usually you either stay single or you marry and settle down. Not always, but I’ve only known a few couples who chose to move around together. For the rest of us, it’s easier to find a willing participant when the desire arises, then move on. It has certainly been easier for me.”
Ash had been resting his cheek on one of his hands. “That’s terribly unfortunate. One bad experience ruined the whole thing for you.”
Ailey shrugged, “I don’t see what’s so wrong with it. Besides, I don’t think that you appear to be one to talk.”
Ash sat up. “I am not like that. Not anymore. There was a time when Hisa and I hung out and I would indulge in more promiscuous behavior, but not to forget a bad experience. It was mostly because I didn't’ really think about the future.”
“It was about living in the moment.”
Ash looked into Ailey’s eyes. “Yes. There is always something about living that draws you to the moment, and it can lead to mistakes when you aren’t careful.”
“I don’t think it was a mistake to find satisfaction and enjoyment in the moment. Speaking as a human, sometimes it is the only thing that can convince you to face another day.”
Ash looked at her and sighed, but said nothing. Ailey looked around and realized that many of the guests had left without her noticing. There were a few people at a table across the room, and even they seemed to be preparing to leave. With a frown, she said, “It seems a bit early for it to be so empty.”
Ash looked around. “It’s after 11 and there is a funeral tomorrow. Most of the people will have gone to make their preparations.”
Ailey looked at him. “How could you know that?”
He turned his fascinating purplish eyes and looked at her. “I left here a couple of days ago for Derbe.”
“Oh.” It dawned on her that for all of his chatter, Ash rarely said much about himself. After their meal, he now knew far more about her than she knew of him.
Her companion tilted his head to the side. “Is something wrong?”
“I just-” She pursed her lips. “I don’t usually talk about myself so much. I’m more accustomed to doing the listening. But it occurs to me that despite how much you have talked since I met you, there has not been a lot of information about yourself. I’ve learned more about people you know whom I have never met.”
Ash laughed, “I’m not hiding much. What do you want to know?” He rested his face on his knuckle, and flashed a knowing smile at her.
For the first time in years, Ailey felt self-conscious. Trying to act natural, she began to bite her thumb nail. “Um, how about where are you from?”
Ash smiled and opened his mouth to answer when a loud noise outside of the inn caused the pair to turn around. “Ah, he’s finally made it.”
“What do you mean?” Ailey’s question was lost in the noise as a flurry of activity seemed to attract the attention of everyone left in the restaurant.
“You want to know a bit more about me, here’s your chance.” Ash gave her a smile as the front door of the inn slammed open.
“Ash, I hope you know what you are doing because I am very busy.”
The pair turned their heads. Ash sprang to his feet and rushed forward to greet the new comer. The young man appeared to get a second wind as he threw his arms around the man. “Anani! I wasn’t sure you would come.”
The man laughed and patted Ash on the back hard enough that Ailey could hear it from her place at the table. Uncertain what she should do, she watched the pair from her place.
“Of course I came. If nothing else, I need to hear why I am taking over for you after you committed to helping Cyprian. You were so determined just a week ago, and now, all of a sudden, you are backing out.”
“Well, three things happened, the most important of which was that I met Noely, and there are a few things that our little Cyprian neglected to mention about her.”
“Like what?” The newcomer was intriguing, and Ailey found herself watching the exchange with interest. Ash’s friend, Anani, had multi-colored hair. It wasn’t long, but compared to Ash’s it was easy to think of it that way. In truth, it was only a few inches long, but that was not what was fascinating. The ends of his hair were light, almost white. The further your eyes travelled to the roots, the darker the hair got. By the time Ailey looked at the very finely-kept beard, the hair was black. It was the first thing that the eye noticed, but soon, Ailey found herself taking in the other aspects of the man. He had a very sinewy build and was a good bit thinner than Ash, but Anani was several inches taller. It really emphasized just how solidly built Ash was, and mentally Ailey could not help but agree with Ivy’s initial assessment that oak was a better description of the energetic humanoid who traveled with her. Quickly shaking her head, Ailey tried to push such thoughts from her mind. She was traveling alone.
“You remember how they are looking for Augustin?”
“Obviously. What is your point?”
“Cyprian failed to mention that Noely was Augustin’s charge.”
“And?”
“You don’t remember who Augustin was taking care of? The girl whose parents died in Kanza?”
“Ash, get to the point.”
“Still have to spell everything out.” He gave his friend a playful punch in the arm. Ailey noticed that Anani rubbed the spot, but Ash was too busy rolling his eyes and acting annoyed. “Fine, I’ll simplify this-”
“Ash.” There was a hint of warning behind the smile. “You are enjoying this too much.”
Ash laughed, “I’m trying to give you time to think because I like to see that expression on your face when you put things together on your own.”
“Alright, if you don’t want my help…” Anani acted like he was going to turn around.
Ash caught his arm. “You are going to feel like an idiot for not figuring this out. Gods, I did. And I’m going to punch Hisa in the face when I see him because apparently he-”
“Ash, focus.”
A smirk slowly crossed Ash’s face, and Ailey found her eyes taking in the beauty of the muscles as they pulled at the different parts of his mouth. “She’s not a sorceress.”
“Seriously, Ash, I am going to walk out of here-”
“Angelous.”
Ailey watched as Anani looked at his friend. “Yes, everyone knows his history with the angelous, but what does that have to do with-” The man’s eyes went wide for a moment. “No. No, that’s not… Oh, gods.” He threw his head back and groaned, “Please tell me you are lying about this.”
“Work through your desire to ignore it and the stupidity that you feel for having to be told. That’s why you need to spend more time down here. You are losing your touch and ability to think clearly.”
“Oh, just kill me now. I don’t want to go through that again. How many times-”
“None. She accepted him. Apparently right from the start.”
“What?”
“It’s actually kind of sweet. Shouldn't be as much of a burden to be around. Well, not the kind of burden you are used to with them. I expect you will find their interaction a little sickeningly sweet. You will need to be more careful of the thief traveling with them. That should be ample distraction from the happy couple.”
“How much worse can it get than those two together?” He gave Ash a scathing look. “I understand why you are backing out now.”
“Anani, you have no idea what is going on, as you have aptly demonstrated. They are traveling with a mixed blood, primarily kitsune and undine.”
“That’s a pretty horrific combination. Why don’t you just throw a little human in there to act as the fire for that powder keg?”
“Now that you mention it…
” Ash was smiling at the man.
“You just said she was undine and kitsune.”
“I said she was primarily kitsune and undine. A couple of generations back there was a bit of human mixed in. What’s more interesting, she has no idea that she isn’t human.”
“Why are you doing this to me?” There was pain in Anani’s voice as he looked down at his friend.
“Glad you asked.” Ash clapped a hand on Anani’s back and led him to the table. As they neared the table, Ash called for another dish like his own. The host nodded and disappeared into the kitchen. The remaining guests got up and left, their eyes avoiding looking at the two lively figures animatedly discussing humanoids. The two men didn’t seem too worried about talking openly about their business, which was refreshing after her time in Yuezhi where humanoids had to hide their species. Of course, Ailey could understand why they were unconcerned with being overheard – no one would have any clue what they were talking about.
As the pair reached the table, Ash held out a hand. “Anani, Ailey. Ailey, Anani.”
Ailey held out her hand. Anani gave her a beautiful smile as he took her hand and kissed it. She smiled up at him, a little bit of a blush rushing to her cheeks. “It is a pleasure,” he said, looking into her eyes. They were a unique greyish-blue that seemed to shift just a little in the light.
“Don’t do that to her.”
“You know I am not interested in that kind of thing with humans.”
“I know that your misdirected charm makes the wrong impression on women all the time.”
Anani looked at the medic. “You don’t look like you are so easily taken in, my dear. But please forgive me if my manners have given rise to something more than a pleasant hello.”
Ailey smiled, “Neither of you need to worry. I am far too old to entertain those kinds of thoughts.”
Anani raised an eyebrow. Ash’s beautiful face fell into what could only be described as a scowl. “A lovely young woman such as yourself should be entertaining those kinds of thoughts well into her golden years.”
Ailey gave him a lopsided grin; she had never heard him sound so passionate. “You may live a long time, my pretty boy, but as a human and a medic, I expect nearly every day to be my last.”
Anani shook his head, “She is a strange one. What are you getting yourself into, Ash? This really isn’t like you. Are you trying to outdo Hisa?”
Ailey looked between the pair as Ash waved off the words. “You know that I don’t do that kind of stuff anymore. It ended up being far less enjoyable than he claimed.”
“I am sitting right here, you know.” Ailey knew that she sounded annoyed, and she did nothing to mask it.
With a bow, Anani apologized, “My sincerest apologies. I did not mean anything against you personally. Just Ash has a bit of a strange history for our kind.”
“And what is that?”
“Oh, he spent a bit of time acting rather shockingly like a human.”
“No,” Ailey gave her head a little shake, “I mean, what kind are you?”
“If he hasn’t told you what kind of shifter we are, it’s not my place-”
Ailey stood up. “You are a shifter!” There was obvious shock in her voice, and the innkeeper stepped into the room to make sure everything was alright. Ash gave him a big smile and a wave to let him know that the outburst did not mean trouble.
Ash pursed his lips together as Anani turned to look at him. “You didn’t even tell her you weren’t human?”
“That part was obvious.” The newcomer turned to look at Ailey as she spoke. “Purple isn’t a human color.”
“Oh, well, then that is alright.” With that, Anani sat down, as if the subject was closed.
“He kept omitting to tell me what he was.”
Ash’s face was serious as he looked at her. “I wasn’t trying to hide it, there just didn’t seem to be a good time to bring it up.”
Anani looked between them as they continued to stand and stare at each other. “I don’t know why him being a shifter matters. I mean, he isn’t an incubus or aswang, so you should be fine.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or do you have something against shifters?”
Ailey sat back down and rubbed her forehead. “I don’t have anything against shifters because, honestly, I’ve never known one. My gods, but you guys are good.”
Anani gave her a little bow. “We have a lot of practice. Though you’ve probably never met one of our type before, I guarantee you that you’ve met shifters. Especially since you are a medic.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ash said, trying to dismiss the conversation. “Here comes your food, Anani. Why don’t you-”
His friend cut into the discussion, “So what did you think he was?”
“Anani…” There was warning in Ash’s voice, and for the first time, Ailey felt a bit of a chill and she shivered.
“Don’t try to threaten me, sapling.” Anani looked at Ash, his handsome face entirely serious.
Ash rolled his eyes and walked around the table. Removing his coat, he draped it over Ailey’s shoulders and sat back down. “It wasn’t a threat, my friend. I just don’t see why you have to do this now. What does it matter?”
His friend picked up his fork. “The fact that you are exhibiting emotion beyond a contentment to be alive proves that there is a reason for me to be concerned.”
“I thought he was a wizard.” Two pairs of eyes turned to look at her. “He used some kind of time magic to get us here from Derbe in less than a day.”
“Ash,” Anani turned and looked at his friend. He placed a hand on his shoulder. “Ash, don’t do this. We need you.” Ash gave him a vague smile and blinked. “I'm serious. Be careful.”
The cheerful young man turned and gave Ailey a look of disappointment before turning to his friend. “I know what I am doing, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“I am quite certain you do, and that is why I am worried. Remember what happened with your-”
Ash cut his friend off, “Cyprian is running around with his Noely and a mixed-blood thief, and you think I am the problem?”
There was a pause as Anani considered. Ash interrupted his thinking, “It was a hypothetical question.”
“Yes,” Anani finally said.
“What?”
“Yes, I think you are the problem. If what you say is true, if Noely is here, then Cyprian will return to the man we need, maybe even more of the man we need him to be. If they find Augustin, that will be even more true. And the thief will be under the influence of Noely, so that will work out just fine. So of everyone, I dare say you are the one who inspires the most concern right now.”
“Hisa has run off with a half-pixie to Senones.”
“What is wrong with you guys?” Anani threw his hands up. “I disappear for a few years, and you guys totally lose your sanity? Hisa is at least using-”
“The half-pixie is male.”
Anani stopped, his mouth half open. He then seemed to weigh the new information. “I think that will work in his favor.”
Ash gave a satisfied nod before continuing, “Right, you have entirely the wrong idea of what I meant. Hisa ran off with the guy because apparently the half-pixie hasn’t had any training. And he was Noely’s friend. I don’t know, it sounded like a complete mess.”
Anani held up his hand. “Okay, let me catch up. Hisa just left the seven kingdoms with an untrained half-pixie and is, as we speak, heading toward,” his eyes darted toward Ailey, “Senones.” It was obvious there was something he avoided saying, but Ailey did not feel like she was part of the conversation. Content to just listen, she folded her arms and sat back. Anani appeared to weigh the news. “Clearly, Hisa is the bigger problem. Gods knows what he is going to do over there. The reds are not going to be happy about this. And there is no way they aren’t going to know he is there. Why did you guys send him?”
Ash shrugged, “I had nothing to do with it. Th
at was all on Cyprian, and you can no doubt figure out what he was thinking. We were just lucky that the kitsunes didn’t realize there was a half-pixie over here for so long.”
“No kidding. That could have gotten ugly, especially with the way Cyprian was acting. But Hisa over there now is a much bigger problem. I mean, the kitsune and pixie problem is big, but can you imagine-”
“I don’t want to.”
“Exactly.”
Ailey rested her check on her hand and listened to the friends chatter about things that made no sense to her. After a while, Anani stood up. He looked between the pair, “I will help Cyprian and his crew, but you have to make me a promise.” The shifter’s eyes were on Ailey as he said that.
“Anything,” Ash replied.
“No, not you. Her.”
Ailey raised an eyebrow. “What makes you think that a human would follow through with a promise?”
The shifter gave a disapproving noise. “Don’t give me that. Some of the best people I have known were human. And you are a medic, so I trust you implicitly.”
“I cannot make the promise without knowing what it is.”
“Fair enough,” Anani’s hair moved a little as he agreed. “Don’t let Ash do anything stupid.”
Ailey laughed before looking at him again. The man’s gaze was serious. “Oh, come on,” she said. “I cannot be responsible for his actions. I have a job to do and I really cannot babysit him. It would be easier for me to move the ground than to try to control him.”
A slight grin etched into the corners of Anani’s mouth. “Same thing. So, you promise?” The man turned and looked at his friend without giving her a chance to respond. “Please, Ash, after Cyprian, you are my favorite.”
