Jar Thief

Lily burst from the shop, her bare feet slapping against the dirty floor.

“Hey!”

She shouted, but had no idea who she was furious with, because the jar thief was no-where to be seen.

The stairs!

She charged to the rail and glanced up, then down. Nothing… unless… had there been just a glimmer of light far below? Lily hurled herself around the rail and started down, as fast as she dared, cursing and shouting at the kami thief.

The deeper she chased them, the worse the light became, but she kept her balance thanks to the handrails.

Was she closing in on the glow?

She was! For the light was only one floor below now. Faster, you can catch them, she thought, urging herself onward.

And then her foot found only air.

Off balance, Lily fell.

She struck a sharp edge. Pain shot along her side. She cried out as she tumbled down, then found herself bouncing across the floor. She came to a halt with a gasp, curling into a ball where she gripped her ribs, eyes screwed shut against the agony.

Warm blood reached her hands, seeping through her clothes. How deep was the wound?

You utter imbecile! she thought. You charged into the darkness without a weapon – without even boots on your feet! Of course you’ve ended up hurt. And in danger!

Footsteps approached quickly.

Maybe Gabriel had come? She lifted her head, squinting against lamplight. What little adjustment her eyes had made to the dark was now ruined but the figure behind the light seemed to wear a hood… one of the people from before?

“Are you all right?”

It sounded like a young woman.

“I’m not sure,” Lily said. It hurt to speak; hurt to breathe. “Who are you?”

But Lily had her answer as her vision adjusted. The young woman wore an expression of concern, and while she looked human, there was the gold tint to her skin. Gleaming scales also rose up from her neck and the hand that held the lantern bore talons.

Mutant!

Lily flinched.

The young mutant’s gaze revealed only sadness. “I am Sasha.”

“Did you… steal my kami?” Lily asked between breaths. And again, each one brought pain. Have I cracked my ribs? she thought.

“Yes, I took them.”

A gunshot echoed in the dark.

Glass shattered, tinkling to the floor as Gabriel strode through the lamplight’s edge. He held the rifle ready but so far, looked as though he was only going to fire a warning shot.

Lily looked up at Sasha. The mutant had fallen into a crouch. Her eyes were narrowed and her jaw clenched. “Your friend is hurt,” the mutant called to him. “I can help, if you let me.”

“He can’t hear you,” Lily said. But she didn’t want to risk taking her own hands from her side, in case the wound was deeper than she feared. Damn it, what now? she thought. Where were Blue and Emerald? Why had the mutant taken them – how could she solve the stand off?

And more, just how much was she bleeding?

“He looks close enough to me.”

Lily pressed her hands against the wound harder. “No. He’s deaf. You need to speak with your hands. Or leave, after giving back my kami.”

Gabriel was moving closer.

Suddenly, something sharp touched Lily’s throat. Talons? She couldn’t dip her chin to look down and be sure. “Tell him to stop.”

“I can’t,” Lily snapped. “I’m bleeding.”

“I can heal you, but only if I’m not dead,” Sasha replied. “Tell him not to shoot.”

“You have to do it.”

“Fine. How?”

“Raise one hand and do as I say. Make sure he can see you – use the lamp.”

The mutant lifted her lantern, moving slowly, and withdrew her talons. Then, she held her hand up beside the light. “What now?”

“Do the following but leave a moment between each shape. There’s only two you need to make.” Lily caught her breath. Pain still ran across her torso, blood dripping between her fingers. “Make a fist then raise your first two fingers. Extend your thumb to the side.”

Lily watched as Sasha complied.

“What next?”

“Draw a circle within a circle. Use your last finger.”

The mutant did so, then frowned. “What did I say?”

Lily was watching Gabriel. He’d lowered – not fully – the rifle. “Roughly, you identified yourself as a healer. And if you don’t want to get shot, all you need to do is prove it now.”

The mutant hesitated. “On one condition.” She herself hadn’t taken her eyes from Gabriel.

“Being?”

“I keep your kami.”

Lily glared up at the young woman. “I can tell my brother to shoot you from here. Then I’ll take my kami back anyway.”

“Without your hands?”

“Yes. We have a signal for exactly this situation.” Lily didn’t add that it was actually a short series of blinks, and that she wasn’t sure Gabriel would be able to see them in the lamplight, not from where he stood. “I’m not bluffing.”

Sasha’s eyes filled with sudden tears. “Please.”

Now it was Lily’s turn to hesitate… but despite the surprising reaction from the mutant, whatever Sasha’s reason was, she didn’t deserve the kami. “Heal me and you survive all this.”

The mutant gave a bitter laugh. “So what? Without the kami, we’ll all die, anyway.”

Lily frowned. “What are you talking about?”

“If I heal you and return your kami, will you help me?”

A bead of sweat ran down Lily’s temple as the strain of her wound, of holding herself tense, of auguring with the mutant began to take a deeper toll. “How?”

“There’s a creature,” Sasha said. She paused to swallow. “It’s destroying our homes in the Honeyfield. Please, we’re desperate.”

Lily met the mutant’s eyes. “Can you really heal me?”

“I swear it.”

She nodded.