Chapter Eight- A friend
The moment Jay went out in the open, he knew he'd made a mistake.
Cole's eyes caught on him in an instant. "What in the-"
Jay pushed past him and Ghorky, and out the door. But his legs. Oh, man his legs. They were not up for this. A cramp prickled its way up his upper thigh. Both of his calves turned to lead as he tried to push for more speed.
"It's that thief!" Ghorky.
"I've got him!" Cole.
Oh, please don't thought Jay.
The sound of armor picked up the chase as Jay skidded past a corner. Where was he? No idea. No idea at all. That would have been something to think about, back in the safety of the shadows. But he hadn't.
Doomed. He was doomed.
The metallic footsteps were louder now. And they were fast. Jay whimpered. How could the stupid guard move so fast? Jay tried and prayed for a second burst of energy. His lungs sputtered with failed effort.
Cole's rough grip caught on Jay's shoulder. Jay was spun around, then slammed hard back against the wall.
"Not much of a chase." Cole smirked, and pinned the thief against the wall.
"Hey, I tried. You don't have to hurt my feelings." Jay bristled. His words were punctuated by shaky, desperate breaths. Oh man. Darkness pulsed around the edges of his eyes. He couldn't pass out. Not now. Calm down. He had to calm down.
But how, exactly, did one calm down with one of Pythor's armored goods holding him in place?
One didn't. One really, really didn't. Jay felt the pressure of panic make his brain feel like it was made out of needles.
"I'm stating the facts. Not going after your feelings." Cole said. The pressed of the guard's arm over his chest was the only thing keeping Jay upright. His legs felt like nothing. "You might want to change professions. You got caught. Twice. Not a very good thief. Or maybe I'm exceptionally good at my job?"
"W-well. A good guard wouldn't sp-speak ill of the king, eh?" Jay raised his eyebrows and forced out a laugh. Jokes were good. Jokes made breathing easier. "So maybe- maybe we both need something new to do."
Cole frowned. "You heard."
"Oh, I heard"
Thoughts flitted over Cole's eyes. Jay could practically hear them. If the thief had overheard him … someone else could have, too.
Cole relaxed his grip. "You have a point. I'm not much of a guard."
Jay slumped. Cole studied him with a less forceful hand on his shoulder. Jay hunched over, and pressed his hands against his knees.
"You okay?" Cole asked. With- surprisingly genuine concern.
"Just- forgot how to breathe. Give me a moment."
Cole did. Another surprise.
"N-now, then. I agree with you, you know. Pythor is the worst. And I mean that whole heartedly. Whole brain-ed-ly even. Is that a word? Well, it's one now. Haa.." Jay's chest shook with another breath. The world cleared some, and he straightened. Cole moved his hand away. "Pythor's the reason I'm in this line of business in the first place. If you think I should change- take it up with him. The only way I can manage to keep myself and my family alive is like this, thanks to your king."
Cole frowned. "I didn't- .. know it was that bad."
"Oh it's bad." Jay said. "Here? Things seem nice. You look pretty healthy. Even me, I've been lucky. But others- well, why don't you drop by The Warrens sometime? I'd love to show you around. We've got every disease you could ever think of- and then some. And of course, everyone's always ready to slit your throat. No wonder Pythor has the kingdom in a chokehold. We're all too busy fighting each other."
Cole looked away. "I suppose . . . It's not that I didn't know. It's that I pretended not to."
"Probably easier to follow orders that way."
"I don't know how else I could take care of my dad." Cole said. The shame in his voice was tangible enough for Jay to resonate with it. "I'm part of the problem. I know. But- what else can I do?"
The guard's eyes clouded with sorrow. Jay glanced down the hall, but there was no sign the other guard had moved from his post on the other hall. They were alone.
It felt wrong, somehow, to witness the raw emotions of someone he did not know. Worse still to stand there and say nothing. Jay knew the best thing to do would be to take advantage of the guard's moment of weakness. To get away. To run. To do anything, anything but-
"You're doing what you can. So who cares?" Jay reassured the man. Even though it was a bad idea. Even though all the sensible parts of him told him it was the wrong choice. "No shame in survival. Right?"
Was Jay convincing the guard, or himself? Jay stood a little taller, and pressed again. "Right?"
"Maybe not, but there's shame in doing nothing in the face of suffering."
"Not like you can help everyone." Jay said. He thought of Nya.. Of Kai. Of his cowardice. Yes, there was shame in being a bystander. Jay knew it better than most.
He felt a desperate desire to reassure the guard before him. Heal him, heal himself. Or something like that. Maybe he just wanted a stranger to inadvertently validate his horrible decisions. "It's important to look out for yourself. You can't help anyone if you end up dead. So- it's all about survival. The longer you live, the more opportunities to help others. Right?"
Cole looked at him. He tilted his head, then laughed. "You're very eloquent. For a thief."
Jay shrugged. "Oh, I'm a bit of a genius. Don't judge a book by its cover, yeah? You wouldn't know it by looking at me, but you are in the presence of the first human in history to take flight."
"Flight?" Cole frowned.
"Yes! I-" Jay shook his head, then waved away the explanation with his hand. "Nevermind that, I'll show you someday. Maybe. If the world gets better."
"Sure."
"I'm Jay. Jay James Walker." Jay held out his hand. "You remember that name. I'll be famous one day, and you'll be one of the lucky few to have shaken my hand. So remember this moment too."
Cole laughed again. He shook Jay's hand with a roll of his eyes. "I'm-"
"Cole. Yeah. I heard." Jay said. "And that other guy's name was Ghorky. Which explains a lot. I'd be a jerk too, if I had to go around introducing myself with that name."
"He's not so bad."
"I think maybe you're too nice."
"Considering I should have dragged you back down to the cells already? Maybe you're right."
"Will you?"
"Will I- what?"
"Drag me down to the cells."
Cole pondered for a moment. Then he shook his head. "No."
Jay's eyes widened.
"And- here. I know it isn't the most I could probably do but . . . It's something." Cole retrieved a small bag that had been tied to his scabbard, and held it out for Jay to take. "Try to not come sniffing around the castle again. I won't- I won't be able to help you twice."
Jay took the bag. He pulled it open, and felt a rush of adrenaline prickle every part of him. "Holy-!"
Cole slammed his hand against Jay's mouth. "Shh."
Jay nodded, and Cole moved his hand away. "Right. Sorry. Got a little comfortable there for a second. But- wow. You're serious?"
"Yes. Now just- get out. Before Ghorky gets suspicious. You can take that door behind you out to the gardens. Should be easy enough from there."
"Right, of course, yeah." Jay nodded. He slipped the coins into one of the pockets of his suit. "Also- if there ever comes a time where it looks like Pythor might be overthrown . . . could we count on you?"
"Overthrow the king?"
"You saw the kid, didn't you? Green eyes. Change is coming, Cole. I'll bet you can feel it. And some of my good friends have been feeling it for a while. So what do you say?"
For a while, Cole said nothing. Jay bounced on his toes, eager to run, but needing to hear Cole's affirmation.
"The one who rescued the kid- that was the Night Angel. As I'm sure you noticed. So we've got him on our side." Jay pressed. "If anything does go down- it would help to have someone on the inside. I think"
Cole bit his lip. Jay could see the possibilities swell in his eyes. Good, bad, worse, and unthinkable. But there was no panic in the man's demeanor. He stood firm against his thoughts. In the soft light of the moon, he really did look awfully noble.
". . . If anything happens, you can count on me."
Jay smiled. Cole smiled back.
Always good to make a friend.