Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

"Royal Bonded Dyn'ad," a voice called, disturbing Dyn'ad from his training drills. One of the messager boys appeared it was a different one who had spoken to Dyn'ad earlier. "General Yerir'o has arrived," the youngling dutifully announced. "He wanted to see if you were free for a private meeting before the war council," he added, his wings stiff and to attention.
"Where is he?" Dyn'ad asked, climbing out the training ring. He dimly prodded his mates, finding Tai'ray and Nel'os easily. Tai'ray was radiating irritation at whatever he was having to deal with. Nel'os was happy and enjoying himself with Cai'ress. Apparently letting the k'nairi know they hadn't stopped being interested in them just because they had Ryraso in their talons. As for Ryraso, the link let him feel that Ryraso was still in Navat but there wasn't much happening on his end of the link.
The aide told him and Dyn'ad dismissed him, putting the staff back on its rack. He ran his hand done the wood frowning as he focused on Ryraso's mind. He wasn't good at reading the link like Tai'ray and Nel'os but Dyn'ad could still tell when something wasn't right. He mentally poked at Ryraso again gently. The man's mind stirred, almost like it was a person turning over in their sleep, but didn't really project much. It was like Ryraso was asleep but it was different somehow. It was like Ryraso was much deeper than simply being asleep.
"Dyn'ad?" Tai'ray sent softly, feeling his mate's concern.
"Ryraso doesn't feel right," Dyn'ad admitted as he moved to the window. He had two opinions on how to return to the castle. With Ryraso's mind still not responding, even with Tai'ray trying to make him stir, Dyn'ad decided to take the quicker route back to the castle. He jumped out and caught the wind in his wings.
Tai'ray was silent for a moment. "He feels asleep... very deeply asleep but asleep," Tai'ray said strangely. It wasn't telling Dyn'ad he was wrong to worry. If anything Dyn'ad could feel Tai'ray's own growing concern. It wasn't normal for someone to feel so distinct.
"Do you think the priest did something?" Dyn'ad asked darkly.
"Who else?" Tai'ray all put growled. "Head to the temple. That's your best bet for it it was them," Tai'ray commented with an explanation he could not escape just yet. Three nobles were currently shouting loudly in front of him about something Tai'ray really did not care about and was clearly not paying attention too.
"I shall," Dyn'ad agreed, giving Tai'ray a mental nuzzle of encouragement. He could feel how tense Tai'ray's shoulders were and his mate needed all the support he could get. Dyn'ad shifted in the wing and headed directly to the entrance to the temple. A few guards glanced over at him as he flew over but no one stopped him. Only the Royals were allowed to fly over the palace grounds like he was. Dyn'ad kept his mind fixed on Ryraso and let his wings led him to Ryraso's location.
The air was damp from the morning rain and the weight of it felt nice against his wings. Normally it would have made him feel refreshed but he was more concerned with finding his future mate. He landed in the temple corridor and walked up to the door determinedly. Raising his hand, Dyn'ad went to knock but a hand reached through the door and pulled him through suddenly.
"Bonded Dyn'ad," High Priest Ton'enth greeted, looking slightly wild.
"Where is he?" Dyn'ad demanded, seeing the look of panic in the normally compromised man. Ton'enth didn't answer, instead, he pulled on Dyn'ad's arm and led him to a room where Ryraso was laying on a bed with a towel on his head, looking fast asleep. One of the temple caretakers were watching over him with an unconcerned look in his eyes up a gentle fond expression.
"Royal Bonded," the caretaker greeted with a strangely peaceful tone of voice. "You have chosen a brave soul indeed," he smiled approvingly.
Dyn'ad knelt next to the bed and felt Ryraso's pulse. The man's chest was moving up and down steadily and he didn't look feverish but it didn't stop him feeling almost concerningly dead to the world. Even being right next to him, Dyn'ad could barely feel Ryraso mind. "What happened?" he growled, looking at the caretaker and not Ton'enth. High Priest or not, the caretakers were often more attune to the Goddess and her ways.
"She wished to meet him," the caretaker said calmly. "Ryraso is human. For him, it is hard to face her for too long a time."
"Why?" Dyn'ad frowned.
"Ryraso is your chosen. He is the son and grandson of people who were hers. Is it so strange that she wished to speak to him?" the caretaker asked, tilting his head slightly with an all-seeing look in his eyes. Dyn'ad looked away. "There is something else to be noted," the caretaker murmured, not pushing for a response. Dyn'ad looked back at him as the caretaker reached down to Ryraso's right arm and untied a piece of cloth there. As the caretaker gently unwrapped the fabric, it revealed a fresh wound. It was healed over but the shine of the skin showed it was in fact recent. It was off the Goddess' symbol.
"She marked him," Dyn'ad whispered, letting Tai'ray know. All three of them carried the same mark. It meant Ryraso had no choice now. He was theirs. The mark meant he was one of the Goddess'.
"She did," the caretaker agreed happily. "The right arm. An advisor," he mused, looking up at Dyn'ad. "You're the shield, Nel'os is the heart and Tai'ray the centre. It suits for Ryraso to be an advisory role. This also likely means our Goddess made a deal with him."
"Only Ryraso can tell us the details of that," acknowledged Dyn'ad, kissing the mark respectfully before carefully covering it up again. "He feels so far away," Dyn'ad said softly. "This isn't normal. Even after talking to the Goddess."
"He is safe to move to your nest," Ton'enth said tightly, apparently unhappily with his lack of acknowledgement. "I can send someone to get Pol'ar for him."
"That would be appreciated," Dyn'ad said, looking at Ton'enth suspiciously.
"Bonded Dyn'ad. Your intended has been marked by the Goddess herself. She has decided Ryraso is to be yours. I will not stand in the way of that," Ton'enth said softly. He had a look which clearly showed he was unhappy about the situation but Dyn'ad knew the man was speaking truthfully.
"Chosen," the caretaker coughed.
Ignoring the comment, Dyn'ad picked Ryraso up bridal style and turned to carry him out of the temple. Ton'enth wisely stayed behind. Ryraso shifted but remained asleep. His face was peaceful and he fit well in Dyn'ad arms and Dyn'ad felt a protective feeling swell in his chest. Chosen or intended, it did not matter to him which people thought it was only that Ryraso was his. The same as Nel'os and Tai'ray. As he left the temple grounds, his own mark heated up slightly. Not enough to make Dyn'ad drop Ryraso but to remind him of his own duties and deals made. Dyn'ad had no intention of failing them.
"Royal bonded Dyn'ad," a voice called. Dyn'ad turned, Ryraso still in his arms, to see Yerir'o exiting the shrine nearby. Yerir'o paused seeing Ryraso in his arms. "I'm guessing this is a bad time?" he said almost sheepishly.
"It is fine. Join me. Pol'ar is meeting me at the consort wing but the priests assure me that this will wear off," Dyn'ad shrugged. Yerir'o was his friend and someone who had fought at his back in the past, he trusted him enough to have him around while Ryraso was asleep. Plus, he was getting impatient with the lack of information about the front.
Yerir'o nodded and followed silently to the consort wing. Dyn'ad was pleased as Yerir'o walked in the manner of someone ready to protect at a moment's notice. It made him feel a little safer, even knowing the palace was safe. Dyn'ad kept expecting daggers to appear. They reached the consort rooms with no incident and Dyn'ad put Ryraso in 'his' own bed and tucked him in gently. Dyn'ad moved some hair out of Ryraso's hair and behind his ears, Ryraso looking flat out but slightly relaxed.
"So this is Healer Ryraso," commented Yerir'o softly, leaning against the wall by the door. "You chose a handsome one, if not a little fearful by his reputation."
"You never did meet him when he was living here did you?" Dyn'ad mused, looking back at his friend. "Slumming it in the south for two decades," he teased. "As for Ry... He speaks his mind. That is not always a bad thing. Is everything ok, Yerir'o? I heard you had lost some troublesome people."
"I was hardly slumming it. I just wasn't living in a palace. I was working on a ship. As for troublesome people," Yerir'o grimaced. "It was more two issues that arose at the same time. Though one is not really an issue, far from it. It's a very good thing, I think."
"Are you a sub or a dom? Spit it out," Dyn'ad chuckled.
"I received a message from Warlord Loror himself, to tell me he wants me to be the co-coordinator for the k'nairi D'mar troops during your leave of absence," Yerir'o admitted, shifting slightly, clearly nervous about being given such an important role in the army.
"Not surprising. You are an excellent General. It is an easy enough job once you scare people into behaving," Dyn'ad grinned, pleased for his friend. Yerir'o had a fantastic reputation and was a warrior through and through. He had gained his rank through working hard, not through connections. The years Yerir'o had lived in the south had given him an odd insight into how the Namya culture was and how the average solider thought. He would make a good addition to the elite party. "Just watch out for Sakmi and his brats. They get sneaky sometimes, especially Ravn," Dyn'ad warned.
"Given Sakmi is Warlord Loror's spymaster, that is not news," Yerir'o said dryly.
Dyn'ad just grinned at him. "Sakmi is a good ally to have. His loyalty to Loror is unquestionable," Dyn'ad said boldly.  "He also tends to have the best alcohol hidden away."
Before Yerir'o could reply, Pol'ar appeared in the doorway wearing a vaguely irritated expression on his fact, but that seemed to be the standard for a medic. "Well, let's have a look at him then," Pol'ar exhaled, stepping into the room without waiting for permission or knocking. The head healer had been in his room many times before to serve it's former occupants and didn't seem to care that it now belonged to someone new. Only that he had a patient once again in it. The healer walked over to the end and ran a hand over Ryraso, not touching him but just waving it inches from the man's sleeping form.
"What did Ton do to him?" Pol'ar asked frowning, sitting down on the bed and feeling Ryraso's forehead. "He looks completely wiped out."
"The Goddess wanted a word," Dyn'ad said tightly, trying not to react too much at the blatant disrespect Pol'ar was showing him. While Pol'ar was being disrespectful, he was also an elder. If Dyn'ad had not been Royal, he would have had to deal with far worse. This was a man who had worked in the palace longer than Dyn'ad had been alive. Once more, Ryraso was very fond of the man.
"Did she now?" Pol'ar clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Because Ryraso hasn't had enough of a stressful time recently," he muttered, shaking his head. Dyn'ad was suddenly struck by the fact Pol'ar was being very protective over Ryraso. Pol'ar took Ryraso's pulse and nodded to himself slowly. "Honestly, Ryraso feels fine. His mind is quiet but it feels more like an exhausted sleep rather than anything serious. I suspect this on top of everything else that had happened and is about to happen was just one thing too many."
"So he'll wake up?" Dyn'ad said softly.
"Of course," Pol'ar smiled reassuringly. "I'll stay here and watch over him for now. I'm sure you have things to do."
Dyn'ad hesitated not wanting to leave his mate alone while in his state. He did have to hold that War Council, however. Tai'ray poked at him gently and Dyn'ad let the uneasiness pass. "That would be kind. Tai'ray is on his way," Dyn'ad admitted. "Well, the second the Nobles accept that red is not going to be the colour of the ceremonial robes, he will be."
"Red makes them look like sacrifices," Pol'ar wrinkled his nose. "Black was used to show it was a punishment originally, and that the people wearing it were in disgrace. Green would be good to show that it represents a new start."
"Thank you for your advice," Dyn'ad found himself smiling slightly. He leaned forward and kissed Ryraso on the forehead before standing. He felt safer leaving Ryraso with Pol'ar knowing Tai'ray would soon be there too.
"Goodbye, Head Healer," Yerir'o bowed low before leaving the room quickly.
Pol'ar shot a suspicious look in the man's direction but let him escape. "Dyn'ad," he called before Dyn'ad could leave the room. "If you hurt him, I'll make your life hell," Pol'ar warned, knowing Dyn'ad would understand completely. Dyn'ad stiffened at the threat but nodded, meeting Pol'ar's eyes. No words were spoken but the message was clear. Dyn'ad had no intention of ever hurting Ryraso.