There are two kinds of people. There are those who eat the middle of the cinnamon roll first and those who leave the middle for the very end.
Visitor
Mica closed the door behind them and fixed his gaze on the boy. It was like seeing his younger self.
"You've got thirty seconds to explain what you're doing here," the vampire growled through clenched teeth.
"What?"
The boy's confusion only seemed to fuel Mica's frustration.
"You don't remember, do you?" Mica hissed, his anger palpable.
Moses began to feel a surge of fear.
"Look," he said, raising his hands defensively, "I don't know who you think I am or how you know me, but whatever I might have done, I'm really sorry."
Moses' apology seemed to only enrage Mica further.
"It's not about me!" Mica snapped. "It's about Shay!"
This revelation left Mose more confused. He watched as Mica took a deep breath, struggling to regain his composure. When Mica seemed less likely to attack, Mose cautiously asked, "What do you mean?"
Mica's eyes remained angry, but he seemed to be calming down, if only slightly.
"I should have expected him to keep it a secret," Mica muttered to himself before turning his attention back to Mose. "But that doesn't mean I forgive you easily! Now sit down," he ordered, shoving Mose onto the bed with a force that made Mose wince, "and listen to what I have to say!"
"I'm Shay's cousin," Mica began. "I used to visit them often and look after him and his brother. From personal experience, I know Shay doesn't let many people get close. There are very few who can claim to be his friend. Most of us understand how precious his trust is and would never betray him."
Mica took another deep breath, trying to steady himself. "He used to drive me crazy. He would climb the highest rooftops and trees, and jump without a second thought. I often found myself frozen, watching him as he seemed to soar through the air with a carefree grin. For a moment, it felt like he was floating in eternity. Then he'd land softly, and I'd think, even the wind must love that reckless child."
Mose's eyes went wild.
"I'd scold him, but he just kept seeking higher places to jump from." continued Mica. "Until one day, without warning, he stopped and looked sadly at the birds on the ground. He broke their wings and barely spoke. He hardly ate anything," he said, glaring at Moses. "Do you know why?"
Moses shook his head, struggling to understand.
"Shay didn't know many humans outside his family," Mica continued. "Most of them hated him. He was private, which makes it surprising that he had a friend. A boy who claimed he wanted to learn to fly."
Moses' throat tightened. "Can't be..."
"It's the truth," Mica said coldly.
"But!" Moses protested, "The boy I knew... he had grey hair!"
Mica's eyes narrowed, then flashed with a sudden intensity. "Shay's hair was originally silver," he said, shattering Moses' composure.
(...)
The hunter's revelation took everyone by surprise.
"What?!" Alex's voice was filled with disbelief.
"I thought he had just met him," Coffee said calmly, trying to make sense of the situation.
"That's what the kid thinks, too" Des replied, "But in reality, he was Shay's first friend. He must have been nine or ten at the time."
A heavy silence settled over the kitchen.
"Oh," Rolo said, breaking the silence, "What happened after that?"
"The kid moved away soon after," the hunter explained. "It was his last day there when he told my brother and he didn't take it well."
"I expected something more dramatic," Alex remarked, resuming his seat.
"You don't understand, Wolfie," Des said with a hint of frustration, "Shay has a hard time letting people get close, and there's a reason for that. Most of our family despises him, and he grew up feeling this hatred. Mica could only visit him sporadically, and I was constantly on missions. Despite my efforts to ease his situation, he was always lonely. None of you can truly grasp what it's like for a mixed-blood to grow up among hunters."
"What happened?" Alice asked, shifting the focus.
Des snorted. "He hardly ate or spoke, and it took him nearly three months to recover. Of course, I offered to track down the kid, but he refused to let me."
Alice shook her head in disapproval. "Naturally."
"Mica must hate him even more," Des mused, "I returned from my mission a few days later, but Mica saw the worst of it. The kid was lucky. If I'd been the one doing the talking, I wouldn't be as nice as Mica."
Alice did have his doubts about how nice Mica could be to the other guy — he seemed pretty furious.
"Shay never mentioned this," Alex said, "Why?"
"Not his style," Des shrugged. "He wouldn't talk about it."
Alex remained unsatisfied with the answer but chose to stay silent.
Alice leaned closer to Des and whispered, "I'm surprised Mica lost his temper instead of you."
Des took out a cigarette, lit it, and inhaled deeply, letting out a weary sigh.
He shrugged. "If I had started the conversation with the boy, he likely wouldn't have survived. There's a chance for him now."
Suddenly, a shiver ran through everyone as the front door opened and then closed softly. The sound of tight footsteps approached the kitchen.
Des exhaled smoke and tossed his cigarette aside. In a flash, he was in front of her, his sword raised, but it halted just inches from her neck. The cigarette fell gently onto the snow-white tiles.
The mage grinned, stepping back from Des's blade. Despite her seemingly relaxed demeanor, Alice's gun was trained directly at her forehead.
Rolo felt a deep sense of unease. The mage exuded an aura of danger that took control of the room, disarming a paladin with effortless ease. His heart raced, and he feared it might leap out of his chest. He knew their only chance was a swift, coordinated attack. He slipped his hand under his cloak.
Alex stood up, barely containing a snarl. His instincts were on high alert, and the hair on the back of his neck bristled.
Coffee's eyes widened, and the china in her hand broke, a tiny crack spreading down the side of the cup.
"Nice welcome," Lilinette said with a sour grin, surveying the tense room.
"Calm down!" Moses pleaded.
For a moment, everyone's attention shifted to the frightened boy before darting back to the mage. It was clear that if Mose had arrived a moment later, the room would have erupted into chaos.
The woman tossed the rat she had been holding onto the table and flashed a wide grin at the uneasy assembly of monsters and humans.
"My name is Lilinette," she introduced herself. "Nice to meet y'all."
Her introduction did little to build trust. Mose quickly added, "She's Shay's ally and my mentor, so she's not dangerous! She's here to help!"
Lilinette gave a nod of approval. Rolo clung to his vial, Alex remained poised for an attack, Coffee kept his eyes fixed on the intruder, and Alice did not lower his weapon.
"Could you please," Alice began coldly, "let my partner go?"
"Yes, of course," Lilinette shrugged.
Des sliced the air with a quick movement. He was momentarily surprised to see his target vanish from sight but swiftly spun around to strike again.
"Enough, she is an ally!" Moses shouted.
"You don't give me orders, little shit," Des snarled through gritted teeth, raising his weapon once more.
"Calm down," Mica said, stepping away from Mose.
Des begrudgingly heeded him, though he still held his sword at the ready.
"Who are you?" Mica asked, his voice icy and sharp.
"I am Lilinette, a mage and ally of Shay," Lilinette replied with a sigh. "I owe Shay a debt of life, which I intend to repay by preventing your deaths. And now that everyone is here…"
The mage's gaze wandered, searching for something. After a moment, she shrugged and snapped her fingers. A soft thump was heard from under the table, followed by nervous mutterings.
Ruben crawled out from beneath the table, rubbing the top of his head and glancing around with alarm. Rolo curled his lips into a mocking grin that reminded Ruben of a cat playing with its prey.
"Well, look who's here," Rolo said, his tone dripping with false sweetness.
Ruben swallowed hard, his unease growing.
"Tomorrow is the next Acheron," Lilinette said with a hint of urgency. "We don't have much time."
Despite their mistrust, time was pressing, leaving them little choice but to accept any help offered. Lilinette conjured new chairs and seated herself next to Coffee, possibly the calmest of the group. As she set down her cup, she touched it briefly, causing the crack to disappear. Coffee acknowledged the gesture with a nod but did not thank her.
Ruben sat beside her, visibly trembling under the woman's watchful gaze. Mose, sitting next to Mica, looked similarly uneasy, gripping the edge of his shirt and staring at the tablecloth, avoiding eye contact with him. After a moment of silence, Ruben mustered his courage to speak.
"Are you seriously planning to free him tomorrow?"
Seven firm nods were his answer.
"It won't work," Lilinette said, her tone decisive.
All eyes turned to her, many with expressions of disgust and indignation.
"You don't even know our plan," Alex declared. "Don't you think you're jumping to conclusions, mage?"
"Oh, not at all," Lilinette shrugged. "Even with my help, you have no chance of freeing him."
"On what basis do you say that?" Rolo asked.
"The prison was designed to be like that," Lilinette explained. "But even if, by some miracle, you manage to reach Shay and open his cell, he still won't leave with you."
A heavy silence fell over the tense atmosphere.
"What do you mean he won't come with us?" Des snapped.
"Why do you think he allowed himself to be kidnapped?" Lilinette retorted. "He set a trap for the enemy and became the bait. He knew that even if he could escape, the black mages would never relent. That's why he decided to end the throne wars once and for all. Your task is not to free him but to wait for the right moment when he needs your support most."
"That figures," Ruben grumbled.
Lilinette produced an amulet from her dress.
"I made this for you," she said, stroking the copper plate engraved with various symbols. "It can bypass the protective spells of the Acheron."
"Why only one?" Coffee asked.
"Because you only need one," Lilinette replied. "The only one who can use it to enter safely is the rat."
Ruben winced and swallowed hard.
"Why don't you use your trinket to free Shay yourself?" Des growled.
"To get him through the bars, I'd need to use magic to change his shape, but my spells wouldn't work inside the cell. However, shapeshifters' abilities do work in section four, so a creature small enough to fit through the bars might manage to change its form behind them. The only one who stands a chance of doing this relatively unnoticed is a rat."
Ruben stammered, struggling to find words.
"Alright," Alex nodded. "Tonight, Ruben will infiltrate the prison. We'll see what we can do."
Ruben wanted to protest, but the mage's piercing gaze silenced him.
Simon let go of my hand.
"So that's what they came up with," I said "Not bad."
Simon didn't respond.
"How long are you going to be offended?" I asked.
"Until you value your life."
"But I do value my life, thank you very much" I replied, miming confusion.
Simon hissed as if I was playing with his last nerve.
I giggled. "Come on, mate. You're here for me if things take a turn for the worse."
He looked at me again his eyes full of emotions I couldn't place.
"That's the problem, Shay," he whispered. "I'm helpless."
He clenched his fists.
"You forgot?" he filtered through his teeth. "I'm a ghost."
"That's not true," I told him, tilting my head against his shoulder. The coldness of the ghost's body immediately got to me, but I ignored it.
"If I ever lose my head..." I began quietly. "you're the only one who can stop me."
Simon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"If that ever happens, you know what to do."
I felt his body shudder. Whether from suppressed anger or bitterness, I'm not sure. After that, he just disappeared. And I fell to the floor of the cell.
(...)
The rat scurried through the deserted corridors of the Acheron. Most inmates were either asleep or oblivious to the presence of the disgusting creature. Although guards were not typically needed to protect the Acheron, each floor had a room where a few hunters were on standby—or at least should have been.
The rat peered cautiously from behind a wall, its tiny black eyes watching the guards. Five of them sat at a table, absorbed in a game of cards.
The rat hesitated briefly, then decided it was the best opportunity to proceed. It began to move but was abruptly halted.
One of the hunters jumped to his feet with a cry, his chair clattering to the floor. The hunter threw down his cards and growled, his companions finding amusement in his reaction. One even patted him on the back. After a few more growls, the hunter pulled his chair back up and resumed his seat, turning his head to stare sulkily at a corner of the room.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the rat scrambled away and disappeared behind the cover of the wall. Its tiny heart raced with excitement, pounding so loudly it felt like the hunters might hear it.
Finally, it reached cell number 103 in the fourth section. It tried to squeeze between the two bars, but the rat's huge size made it difficult. The momentum sent it sprawling on the cold concrete. It shook its head, trying to clear its disorientation.
"Ruben," I greeted the rat.
Moments later, he transformed into his human form, shivering like a leaf in the wind.
"Never again, never, never again," he growled. "I'm not cut out for this! I nearly wet myself when one of the guards shouted!"
I grinned mockingly.
"You don't look as bad as I expected," he added.
I was aware that my face looked a bit sunken and pale from lack of sunlight, with possible dark circles around my eyes. Despite that, I had managed to keep myself in decent shape and solved my food problems—enough to avoid starvation, at least.
I chuckled. "Did you bring any food?"
Ruben shook his head.
"Hm, too bad."
"Tomorrow is the Acheron," he said quietly.
I nodded. "I'll probably have to be active tomorrow. Are you coming?"
He nodded. "Yes. The rescue mission is planned for tomorrow…"
I laughed. "I knew it would be."
"Then why didn't you stop them?" Ruben snapped.
"I thought Lilinette would handle it," I shrugged.
"Is she really your ally?" Ruben asked suspiciously.
"Something like that," I replied.
Ruben was silent for a moment before voicing what had been on his mind.
"You're really messed up," he said. "Why do you always keep secrets? Why couldn't you tell your friends what you were planning?"
"Do you think they would have agreed?" I asked with an inquisitive tone.
"I don't think so."
"There you go," I said.
"But if you keep this up, you'll lose all your friends sooner or later," he warned.
"Maybe it would be better for them," I said.
"If I wasn't afraid you'd kill me for it, I'd hit you now," he remarked.
I grinned.
"Well, since they can't do anything about my plan, you could relay a few things to them. I'm getting out of here, no doubt about it. It will be their job to rescue me from wherever the enemy takes me. Lilinette knows them well, so she'll provide all the necessary information."
"I don't know how much you know, Ruben, but there are three candidates for the throne," I said, holding up my fingers. "I'm the most likely, followed by the Shadow Circle. And lastly, George Willingham."
"Willingham?!" Ruben exclaimed.
I nodded. "Tomorrow I'll make the final moves to secure him on my side, but Rolo will keep an eye on him. He'll know the way. You should also tell him that Alex's help will be crucial if he wants to keep the surveillance a secret."
"Okay. I'll pass it on."
"Now get out and let me sleep," I said, lying on my back on the cold concrete. "I need to rest up for tomorrow's events."
"I won't be able to come to you anymore," Ruben said nervously. "This amulet is only for the new moon…"
I waved him off. Ruben didn't say anything more. As soon as the rat was out of earshot, Zack spoke up.
"So, you did have a plan after all."
I sighed deeply. "You're not going to let me sleep, are you?"
"No," Zack replied, the grin evident in his voice.
I sat up and tore a small piece of the material from my shirt, smoothing it out on the floor.
"Tomorrow we'll probably have to fight each other," he added excitedly.
"Uh-huh. Are you willing to help me?" I asked, then poked my fingertip with a claw and began writing.
It was a challenging task, as my claw only had enough blood for a few lines at a time. The letters would have been too large with my finger, and the piece of material had to be small enough not to be noticed when handed over.
"It just depends on how much fun you're going to be," Zack said thoughtfully, and I could almost see him shrugging.