Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 28: Chapter 28
You are reading Bird of a Flock (Bow 2), Chapter 28: Chapter 28. Read more chapters of Bird of a Flock (Bow 2).
Nel'os gripped onto Tai'ray tightly as he passed out. The caretaker who had struck his mate had disappeared leaving them alone in the corridor. Cradling Tai'ray's body close, Nel'os transported them to the Royal nest. No one could come into the room without permission. It would keep Tai'ray safe if anyone realised that the Winglord was injured. Nel'os heart beat fast, and he tried to calm himself down. He had transported the moment he felt Tai'ray be injured, leaving Ryraso without warning.
"Shit," he cursed as that fully occurred to him. "Ryraso!" he called over the link mournfully, slightly embarrassed by this reaction. When he had felt Tai'ray being hurt, he had assumed someone was trying to take his mate out and had just moved. A person could only become the Winglord by challenging the current Winglord and defeating him but that didn't stop some people trying to more underhanded ways to remove a Winglord.
"Yes, Nel'os?" Ryraso said bemusedly, clearly confused by the fact Nel'os had left him.
Nel'os felt this and suddenly was aware he was talking over the link and not a private bond. Others could theoretically listen in and find out that the Winglord was not conscious at the moment. That was too dangerous. He breathed slowly and focused on Ryraso, blocking others out of the conversation.
"Can you come to the Royal nest?" Nel'os asked gently. He needed Ryraso. He needed him to check that Tai'ray was in fact ok. He needed him so he didn't have to worry about where Ryraso was while an escape attempt was happening.
"Okay?" Ryraso said hesitantly.
Nel'os bit his lip, knowing Ryraso didn't feel safe sleeping in the nest yet but it was important. He could feel Ryraso coming though, and he took a breath of relief. He looked over his mate and pressed his ear to Tai'ray's chest. He closed his eyes and just listened to Tai'ray's heartbeat. He focused on the sound to try and calm his own heart as he waited for Ryraso to arrive.
"Nel'os?" Ryraso called into the room as he entered. The magic locks on the door opening for Ryraso as someone who had been invited by the link. "Is something wrong?" he asked, walking over slowly, cautiously.
"Ryraso," Nel'os called, his voice shaky. "Tai'ray was attacked. He was hit on the head. Help?"
"Of course," Ryraso nodded, his hesitant steps disappearing and he quickly got to the nest and crawled over to Nel'os and Tai'ray. Ryraso hands moved over Tai'ray head, searching for a bump and gently let his healing magic flow into the Winglord. "He feels fine," Ryraso murmured. "No lasting damage." He looked up at Nel'os seriously, "What happened?" he asked.
"He was in the temple thinking and a caretaker struck him," Nel'os swallowed. "I think. He didn't exactly have time to talk," he added with a worried chuckle, clearly scared and unsure what to do at that moment. Nel'os' hands wouldn't stop shaking and he gripped onto his clothes to try to stop them but it didn't seem to help. "He's fine", he murmured, taking deep breaths, clearly trying to reassure himself nothing bad was going to happen. Seeing Tai-ray slumped over in the water had sent horror through him and Nel'os couldn't seem to get that moment out of this mind.
Ryraso looked over at him with gentle eyes, not missing how Nel'os was feeling. "Come here," Ryraso murmured, reaching over to pull Nel'os over for a kiss. The kiss was gentle and deep, Ryraso trying a calm the man down. Nel'os clutched onto his arm and kissed back, leaning his head forehead so their foreheads were touching. "He's fine," Ryraso promised, meeting his eyes.
"Ry" Nel'os whimpered, gripping onto him, "Tai will be okay? Won't he? He's survived worst."
Ryraso wasn't entirely sure if Nel'os was stating those words or asking him. Still, he made an agreeing noise and ran his hands though Nel'os's wings soothingly, enjoying their softness. Nel'os seemed to be reacting worse than he normally did with this. Ryraso dreaded to think how Dyn'ad would be at the moment. He prayed Dyn'ad didn't catch Eyeri before Tai'ray had woken up. That was a sure recipe for trouble. "Of course, he will be fine," he smiled and nuzzled Nel'os. "We just have to wait now. Aw'endo is safe with O'chuter and Herymi in the other room."
Nel'os hugged Ryraso, looking at Tai'ray worried, his wings shaking. Some time passed and Tai'ray remained stubbornly asleep, and Ryraso found himself humming a lullaby as Nel'os held onto him. Eventually, there was a knock at the door and Ryraso slipped off the nest slowly. Nel'os gripped his arm and shook his head.
"Nel," Ryraso warned gently. "It's fine. You should stay with Tai'ray. I'll go and see who is at the door," he said patting Nel'os talons. "It might be Aw'endo." Nel'os let go of him reluctantly and watched him walked to the door. Ryraso opened the door slowly and found Herymi standing there, clearly nervous. "It's Herymi," Ryraso called back into the room.
"He can come in," Nel'os said softly. "Just not close," he added, moving to take a protective stance at the end of the nest.
"O'chuter sent me, he was worried after you two left suddenly," Herymi admitted, standing inside the room but leaning against the now closed door again. It was awkward for anyone to be in the Royal Nest room. There were meanings behind being in the room and it was only in unusual circumstances that others were allowed inside. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his eyes taking in Nel'os' protective stance. He recognised that stance and the implications behind it.
"Tai-ray was attacked. He should be fine when he wakes up," Nel'os said stiffly. Herymi was trusted somewhat. The man had proven to be loyal to his family and that was important. Still admitted to anyone that Tai'ray had been attacked was a hard thing to do.
"He was attacked in Navat?" Herymi hissed, his concern clear. Navat was meant to be one of the strongest places in the world. Not to mention the safest place for the Winglord to be and yet he had been assaulted. For some humans to break in and steal away Eyeri on the same day as someone hurt the Winglord was almost unfathomable. They were really going to have to tighten up security now. "Should the guards be on the lookout for suspicious characters?" he asked, shifting slightly so he was in a stance ready for combat himself.
"It was a priest," Nel'os commented with a forced calmness. "This was not an attack by the nobles. The man will be dealt with when my mate awakes. Go! Tell your mate our Lord will be fine," he ordered. If Herymi was only here to find out what had happened, he could leave. Nel'os did not want any more people than necessary in the room at that moment.
"Is fine," a tired voice interjected. Nel'os was up and by Tai-ray in the blink of an eye, kissing the man passionately. Herymi bowed before making a hasty retreat, not wanting to see any more than that. Ryraso let out a sigh of relief and moved back to the bed. Nel'os pulled him on bodily and dragged him over to the Winglord so Tai'ray could kiss him too without having to move far.
"Tai," Nel'os said pitifully.
"I'm okay," Tai-ray said, tugging his first mate close while letting his chosen look over him. "I'm okay," he repeated, hugging Nel'os close and letting the man curl into his side. Tai'ray wrapped his left-wing around the man tightly. "The man's intent was not to harm me but to induce a vision," he explained softly, sounding almost too at ease with the entire situation.
"Other than a nasty bump, he looks fine," Ryraso backed up. With the worry of Tai'ray not waking up now gone, he felt a little uncomfortable with being there. He wasn't theirs yet and while he had offered to force himself to endure sleeping in the room, Tai'ray had rejected that proposal.
Tai'ray's eyes flashed over to him and there was a weird look in them for a moment. Impatience and a touch of sympathy. Tai'ray reached out his hand towards Ryraso and Ryraso took it. Letting Tai'ray tug him down so he was curled up on the opposite side of Tai'ray. The Winglord kissed Ryraso's forehead firmly and continued to pet Nel'os gently. "Love," Tai-ray murmured to Nel'os, reassuringly the younger he was fine. Nel'os griping on to him like he could disappear. For a moment they all lay in silence, none of them really knowing what to say given the situation.
"Dyn'ad's spotted Eyeri," Tai'ray finally murmured, making Ryraso tense. Tai-ray kissed him on the forehead again. "He won't hurt Eyeri. I swear on this," Tai'ray promised.
"Does he know you are awake and safe?" Ryraso asked slowly, his voice choking up slightly. Now was the moment of truth it seemed. Was Eyeri to remain in Navat or was he to remain free?
"Dyn'ad does," Tai'ray promised, closing his eyes. "I had a vision or a dream. I'm not sure which," Tai-ray commented. "Before he knocked me out, the caretaker said there was something I needed to know, but not learn," he said with the tone of someone unhappy with a puzzle that had been given to him. Dealing the priests did that at times. No one ever seemed to be upfront and simple about issues. Even Inai had a habit of going all mystically and confusing when talking about divine issues.
"What did you learn from the vision then?" Ryraso asked, not fighting as a hand stroked his hip but almost painfully aware of it. Tai-ray shrugged mumbling something under his breathe. Nel'os could see what Tai'ray was remembering in his mind. Just what he had seen and why it was confusing to Tai-ray. Nel'os sat up sharply and looked Tai-ray in the eyes.
"Do you think that is even possible?" Nel'os demanded. "It would change so much."
"It is possible, isn't it? They were our food Nel'os. But now..." Tai-ray trailed off. A loud bang interrupting him. Thundering across the city, shocking everyone. Pain rippled through their bond with Dyn'ad. Nel'os cried out, clutching his heart. "They crashed," Tai'ray muttered. "Nel'os go to the archive. See if my vision was true or not," he ordered. Ryraso was confused by the strange order and was about to demand more when Tai'ray said his next sentence. "I'll get Ry to Dyn'ad."
"What?" Ryraso frowned. "That was..." he trailed off in horror as the words hit. 'They crashed.' Dyn'ad and possibly Eyeri had crashed into whatever had made that loud crashing sound.
"I'm not going to the archive when..." Nel'os yelled.
"Nel'os!" Tai'ray yelled back, sitting up and gripping his shoulders. "We need that information. You know how to find it if it exists."
"But..." Nel'os faltered. Torn between an order from the Winglord and his injured mate and adoptive son. He wanted to go and see if they were ok but Tai'ray was right. They needed that information and they needed it fast.
"The longer we fight, the longer it takes to get Ryraso to Dyn'ad," Tai'ray commented seriously.
"Shit," he cursed as that fully occurred to him. "Ryraso!" he called over the link mournfully, slightly embarrassed by this reaction. When he had felt Tai'ray being hurt, he had assumed someone was trying to take his mate out and had just moved. A person could only become the Winglord by challenging the current Winglord and defeating him but that didn't stop some people trying to more underhanded ways to remove a Winglord.
"Yes, Nel'os?" Ryraso said bemusedly, clearly confused by the fact Nel'os had left him.
Nel'os felt this and suddenly was aware he was talking over the link and not a private bond. Others could theoretically listen in and find out that the Winglord was not conscious at the moment. That was too dangerous. He breathed slowly and focused on Ryraso, blocking others out of the conversation.
"Can you come to the Royal nest?" Nel'os asked gently. He needed Ryraso. He needed him to check that Tai'ray was in fact ok. He needed him so he didn't have to worry about where Ryraso was while an escape attempt was happening.
"Okay?" Ryraso said hesitantly.
Nel'os bit his lip, knowing Ryraso didn't feel safe sleeping in the nest yet but it was important. He could feel Ryraso coming though, and he took a breath of relief. He looked over his mate and pressed his ear to Tai'ray's chest. He closed his eyes and just listened to Tai'ray's heartbeat. He focused on the sound to try and calm his own heart as he waited for Ryraso to arrive.
"Nel'os?" Ryraso called into the room as he entered. The magic locks on the door opening for Ryraso as someone who had been invited by the link. "Is something wrong?" he asked, walking over slowly, cautiously.
"Ryraso," Nel'os called, his voice shaky. "Tai'ray was attacked. He was hit on the head. Help?"
"Of course," Ryraso nodded, his hesitant steps disappearing and he quickly got to the nest and crawled over to Nel'os and Tai'ray. Ryraso hands moved over Tai'ray head, searching for a bump and gently let his healing magic flow into the Winglord. "He feels fine," Ryraso murmured. "No lasting damage." He looked up at Nel'os seriously, "What happened?" he asked.
"He was in the temple thinking and a caretaker struck him," Nel'os swallowed. "I think. He didn't exactly have time to talk," he added with a worried chuckle, clearly scared and unsure what to do at that moment. Nel'os' hands wouldn't stop shaking and he gripped onto his clothes to try to stop them but it didn't seem to help. "He's fine", he murmured, taking deep breaths, clearly trying to reassure himself nothing bad was going to happen. Seeing Tai-ray slumped over in the water had sent horror through him and Nel'os couldn't seem to get that moment out of this mind.
Ryraso looked over at him with gentle eyes, not missing how Nel'os was feeling. "Come here," Ryraso murmured, reaching over to pull Nel'os over for a kiss. The kiss was gentle and deep, Ryraso trying a calm the man down. Nel'os clutched onto his arm and kissed back, leaning his head forehead so their foreheads were touching. "He's fine," Ryraso promised, meeting his eyes.
"Ry" Nel'os whimpered, gripping onto him, "Tai will be okay? Won't he? He's survived worst."
Ryraso wasn't entirely sure if Nel'os was stating those words or asking him. Still, he made an agreeing noise and ran his hands though Nel'os's wings soothingly, enjoying their softness. Nel'os seemed to be reacting worse than he normally did with this. Ryraso dreaded to think how Dyn'ad would be at the moment. He prayed Dyn'ad didn't catch Eyeri before Tai'ray had woken up. That was a sure recipe for trouble. "Of course, he will be fine," he smiled and nuzzled Nel'os. "We just have to wait now. Aw'endo is safe with O'chuter and Herymi in the other room."
Nel'os hugged Ryraso, looking at Tai'ray worried, his wings shaking. Some time passed and Tai'ray remained stubbornly asleep, and Ryraso found himself humming a lullaby as Nel'os held onto him. Eventually, there was a knock at the door and Ryraso slipped off the nest slowly. Nel'os gripped his arm and shook his head.
"Nel," Ryraso warned gently. "It's fine. You should stay with Tai'ray. I'll go and see who is at the door," he said patting Nel'os talons. "It might be Aw'endo." Nel'os let go of him reluctantly and watched him walked to the door. Ryraso opened the door slowly and found Herymi standing there, clearly nervous. "It's Herymi," Ryraso called back into the room.
"He can come in," Nel'os said softly. "Just not close," he added, moving to take a protective stance at the end of the nest.
"O'chuter sent me, he was worried after you two left suddenly," Herymi admitted, standing inside the room but leaning against the now closed door again. It was awkward for anyone to be in the Royal Nest room. There were meanings behind being in the room and it was only in unusual circumstances that others were allowed inside. "Is something wrong?" he asked, his eyes taking in Nel'os' protective stance. He recognised that stance and the implications behind it.
"Tai-ray was attacked. He should be fine when he wakes up," Nel'os said stiffly. Herymi was trusted somewhat. The man had proven to be loyal to his family and that was important. Still admitted to anyone that Tai'ray had been attacked was a hard thing to do.
"He was attacked in Navat?" Herymi hissed, his concern clear. Navat was meant to be one of the strongest places in the world. Not to mention the safest place for the Winglord to be and yet he had been assaulted. For some humans to break in and steal away Eyeri on the same day as someone hurt the Winglord was almost unfathomable. They were really going to have to tighten up security now. "Should the guards be on the lookout for suspicious characters?" he asked, shifting slightly so he was in a stance ready for combat himself.
"It was a priest," Nel'os commented with a forced calmness. "This was not an attack by the nobles. The man will be dealt with when my mate awakes. Go! Tell your mate our Lord will be fine," he ordered. If Herymi was only here to find out what had happened, he could leave. Nel'os did not want any more people than necessary in the room at that moment.
"Is fine," a tired voice interjected. Nel'os was up and by Tai-ray in the blink of an eye, kissing the man passionately. Herymi bowed before making a hasty retreat, not wanting to see any more than that. Ryraso let out a sigh of relief and moved back to the bed. Nel'os pulled him on bodily and dragged him over to the Winglord so Tai'ray could kiss him too without having to move far.
"Tai," Nel'os said pitifully.
"I'm okay," Tai-ray said, tugging his first mate close while letting his chosen look over him. "I'm okay," he repeated, hugging Nel'os close and letting the man curl into his side. Tai'ray wrapped his left-wing around the man tightly. "The man's intent was not to harm me but to induce a vision," he explained softly, sounding almost too at ease with the entire situation.
"Other than a nasty bump, he looks fine," Ryraso backed up. With the worry of Tai'ray not waking up now gone, he felt a little uncomfortable with being there. He wasn't theirs yet and while he had offered to force himself to endure sleeping in the room, Tai'ray had rejected that proposal.
Tai'ray's eyes flashed over to him and there was a weird look in them for a moment. Impatience and a touch of sympathy. Tai'ray reached out his hand towards Ryraso and Ryraso took it. Letting Tai'ray tug him down so he was curled up on the opposite side of Tai'ray. The Winglord kissed Ryraso's forehead firmly and continued to pet Nel'os gently. "Love," Tai-ray murmured to Nel'os, reassuringly the younger he was fine. Nel'os griping on to him like he could disappear. For a moment they all lay in silence, none of them really knowing what to say given the situation.
"Dyn'ad's spotted Eyeri," Tai'ray finally murmured, making Ryraso tense. Tai-ray kissed him on the forehead again. "He won't hurt Eyeri. I swear on this," Tai'ray promised.
"Does he know you are awake and safe?" Ryraso asked slowly, his voice choking up slightly. Now was the moment of truth it seemed. Was Eyeri to remain in Navat or was he to remain free?
"Dyn'ad does," Tai'ray promised, closing his eyes. "I had a vision or a dream. I'm not sure which," Tai-ray commented. "Before he knocked me out, the caretaker said there was something I needed to know, but not learn," he said with the tone of someone unhappy with a puzzle that had been given to him. Dealing the priests did that at times. No one ever seemed to be upfront and simple about issues. Even Inai had a habit of going all mystically and confusing when talking about divine issues.
"What did you learn from the vision then?" Ryraso asked, not fighting as a hand stroked his hip but almost painfully aware of it. Tai-ray shrugged mumbling something under his breathe. Nel'os could see what Tai'ray was remembering in his mind. Just what he had seen and why it was confusing to Tai-ray. Nel'os sat up sharply and looked Tai-ray in the eyes.
"Do you think that is even possible?" Nel'os demanded. "It would change so much."
"It is possible, isn't it? They were our food Nel'os. But now..." Tai-ray trailed off. A loud bang interrupting him. Thundering across the city, shocking everyone. Pain rippled through their bond with Dyn'ad. Nel'os cried out, clutching his heart. "They crashed," Tai'ray muttered. "Nel'os go to the archive. See if my vision was true or not," he ordered. Ryraso was confused by the strange order and was about to demand more when Tai'ray said his next sentence. "I'll get Ry to Dyn'ad."
"What?" Ryraso frowned. "That was..." he trailed off in horror as the words hit. 'They crashed.' Dyn'ad and possibly Eyeri had crashed into whatever had made that loud crashing sound.
"I'm not going to the archive when..." Nel'os yelled.
"Nel'os!" Tai'ray yelled back, sitting up and gripping his shoulders. "We need that information. You know how to find it if it exists."
"But..." Nel'os faltered. Torn between an order from the Winglord and his injured mate and adoptive son. He wanted to go and see if they were ok but Tai'ray was right. They needed that information and they needed it fast.
"The longer we fight, the longer it takes to get Ryraso to Dyn'ad," Tai'ray commented seriously.
End of Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) Chapter 28. Continue reading Chapter 29 or return to Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) book page.