Bird of a Flock (Bow 2) - Chapter 30: Chapter 30

Tai'ray picked the pleading boy up and flew up into the clouds, heading back to the palace. The guards had already rounded up the Sparrows and were currently transporting them to the dungeons. He would have to deal with them later too. There was one human who wasn't a Sparrow who would cause a few issues but the others he would be keeping in Navat. It would be easy enough to arrange and ensure.
As he flew, Eyeri continued to struggle in his grip and beg Tai'ray not to do this to him. Eyeri was kicking and twisting like he wasn't being carried miles up in the air but it seemed his fear of the situation was overriding his common sense. Eventually, Tai'ray grew tired of the boy's wild struggling and pleads. He let go of him, holding the human youngling by one arm, hovering in one place in the air.
Eyeri screamed in pure terror, looking up at Tai'ray with an almost betrayed look, tears running down his face. His legs kicked out as if they could do anything to stop his descent if Tai'ray chose to let go of his arm and let him plummet to the ground below. The mantra of 'please, no,' changed to 'I'm sorry."
"Right boy, listen up," Tai'ray yelled down at the child, his talons digging into the boy's arm. "I can either fly back to the palace with you like this, or I can carry you like I did the days it took to fly here. Either way, you are very much going into the cage. Now stop struggling, and the apologies. It's too late for that now," he ordered darkly. It was an unfair threat to make and he knew it but his patience was gone with Eyeri at the moment.
"I'm sorry, please don't do it. I won't try again I promise. Please don't. I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Eyeri continued to plead, repeating those words over and over, though he was no longer struggling against the grip. His body was jerking slightly from hiccups and Tai'ray could feel the boy's heart fluttering wildly.
"Be quiet," Tai'ray growled, really not having the patience to listen to Eyeri's pleas. He should have spoken when he was given the chance to explain; now it was just annoying. "I do not want to hear another word from your mouth. Is. That. Understood?" he yelled.
He got a choked sob in reply. He waited a moment but Eyeri said nothing, just crying. Gently, Tai'ray pulled the boy back up, held him like a toddler, hugging him tightly. Eyeri buried his face into the crook of Tai'ray's shoulder and sobbed, clutching onto the man. Tai'ray hugged him and stroked his back gently, rocking the human boy as he cried. He waited for the worst of the sobs to die down before he carried on to the palace. "I'm sorry, youngling," he murmured to the human young, "But I can't have you escaping," he breathed as he let his wings given a powerful flap to get them moving again.
Eyeri clung to Tai'ray as they flew back to the palace, no one stopping them. It was the Winglord, after all. No one would dare question him in his own city. He was barely aware of the journey as he cried. He had failed to escape, again, and this time he was going to suffer for it. As were his brother, Zaro and the Sparrows.
When they landed, Tai'ray carried Eyeri right to the consort rooms. Eyeri slowly calmed down as Tai'ray hummed and bounced him up and down. Once inside the rooms, Tai'ray locked the main door and set the child back on his feet. Eyeri rubbed his eyes and sniffed, Tai'ray making him look him in the eyes again. Eyeri met them and for a moment all Tai'ray could see was a vulnerable young boy. Then his vision expanded. Eyeri was young and vulnerable but he was not a baby. He was a young man and had to learn to face the consequences of such actions. Especially when said consequences had been warned.
"Go use the restroom, Eyeri. Wash up and get ready for bed while you're there," Tai'ray ordered softly, pushing a strand of hair behind Eyeri's ear. "You'll be in there for the night." Eyeri's eyes filled with fear again but he nodded mutely and quickly rushed to obey. Obedient and meek until he was running off to escape with his brother, Eyeri was going to be acting like a slave again for a while, Tai'ray could feel it. There was no middle ground.
Tai'ray exhaled, rubbing his temples as he walked over to the cage room. It was unlocked and waiting. He walked in to find the keys to the golden cage hanging in the lock. The sheets had been changed and there were some blankets and a pillow waiting to the end. The servants were as prepared as ever for all possible results. Tai'ray looked at the golden cage, feeling a slight wave of regret but he couldn't go back on his word on this. He couldn't let Eyeri escape.
He had only used the cage a few times in his tenure as Winglord. It had once been a very common tool. The former Winglord had liked to isolate new consorts in the cage to break their spirit down. Nel'os would have been bound for the cage for possibly up to a year for his struggling if Tai'ray had not defeated the man. And now he was going to put his son in it.
It was not a good feeling.
Tai'ray put the pillow and blanket, before turning around, intending to hunt Eyeri down. But, surprisingly, Eyeri was standing in the doorway, looking very young and fragile. He had clearly cleaned up and he was wearing a sleeping top. Aw'endo was next to him, hugging his shoulders and looking up at Tai'ray with big eyes himself. "Come here, Eyeri," Tai'ray ordered, his voice less angry now. More disappointed than anything else. "Aw'endo, go rest in your own room," he added.
"Da," Aw'endo murmured, looking up at Tai'ray with big eyes. Clearly begging Tai'ray not to do this.
"Aw'endo," Tai'ray said warningly. He knew Aw'endo would want to protect his brother but this was not the time. "Eyeri will be fine. Go rest."
Eyeri shifted slightly and hugged Aw'endo, murmured something Tai'ray couldn't hear into his brother's ear. Aw'endo hugged him tightly before kissing Eyeri's cheek and leaving the room.
"Come on," Tai'ray coaxed gently.
Eyeri's eyes were on the floor but the boy walked over. Tai-ray picked him up and placed him up in the cage. Sitting him on the edge of the cage door, Tai'ray gave the youngling a tight hug and rocked him gently. Tai'ray could feel the boys nerves. Eyeri was gripping the edge of the metal so hard that his knuckles had gone white.
"Please no," Eyeri pleaded one last time, latching onto Tai'ray's jacket. "I swear I won't try to run again. Just don't lock me away."
"Hush," Tai'ray said gently, pulling Eyeri's shoes off the boy. "It will only be until the ceremony," he tried to reassure. That made Eyeri pale for different reasons. Tai'ray calmly forced Eyeri's legs into the cage. Shutting the door and locking it as Eyeri began to struggle again.
"No," Eyeri cried, trying to open the now locked door. Tai'ray reached through the bars and cupped the boy's face, wiping away the tears. "Tai'ray, please. I'm sorry but don't keep me here," Eyeri begged, hiccuping softly.
"See you later little one," Tai'ray said sadly. Tai'ray left to the sounds of Eyeri begging him not to do this. As he closed the door, the sounds disappeared. The room was designed to block all sounds. After all, it would do no good to make the other consorts hear the screams of those who had misbehaved.
Tai'ray closed his eyes and tried not to weep. He had things he had to do now that needed him to be in one piece. As much for Eyeri's sake and for his own.
——•——
"Go, don't get yourself in trouble too," Eyeri whispered in Aw'endo's ear as Tai'ray ordered him to leave and rest. Aw'endo wanted to fight but Tai'ray was not joking around at the moment. He was deadly serious and Aw'endo could see his wings twitching as he began to lose patience with the two of them.
Aw'endo tightened his hug on Eyeri and kissed his cheek before basically running away. Leaving his younger brother to his fate like a coward. Eyeri should not have tried to escape but at the same time, Aw'endo didn't agree that putting him in a cage was the best answer to the problem. Exhaling and ignoring the watering in his eyes, Aw'endo left the consort rooms as Eyeri started pleading again. He didn't listen helplessly as his brother begged not to be put in the cage.
Feeling guilty and slightly ashamed of his cowardice, Aw'endo let his feet guide him. He didn't really care where he went just as long as it was not there. He couldn't even bring the words to try pleading with Tai'ray. Not that it would have done any good but he could have tried at the very least. The idea of Eyeri alone in the cage made his stomach twist unhappily.
Exhaling loudly, Aw'endo looked up from his wandering to discover he was in front of a shrine to the Goddess. He looked down at the ground and rolled his shoulders before pushing through into the room. The shrines were small rooms but there were many of them for when people felt the pull to pray. The room was sparsely decorated, a mural of the goddess and some rugs for people to kneel on. A candle was burning under the mural and one other person was in the room.
Aw'endo's heart ached and the moment he saw who was in the room, he dived at them. The k'nairi yelped but quickly shifted so he was hugging Aw'endo. "Hey Aw'en. Long time no see," the man said gently, petting Aw'endo's hair.
"They caught him," Aw'endo murmured. "They caught Eyeri and his brother."
"I see and this distresses you," the k'nairi stated, shifting to make himself more comfortable with the young man clutching to him. "Did you not want them to be caught?"
Aw'endo shook his head. "It's more complicated than that, Cai'ress," he muttered, still holding onto Cai'ress' waist. "I'm happy they caught him. I am. Eyeri is so much safer here but what Da is going to do to him now..." Aw'endo trailed off. "Eyeri is scared the brand will make him a slave and now Da is forcing him to stay in the cage until the ceremony," he said bitterly. "There are other options that don't feed his fears."
"There are," Cai'ress nodded. "But your father is bound by strong rules. I'm not sure if there is precedent for this but he is bound to have his reasons," Cai'ress said diplomatically. "All you can do is wait and be there for Eyeri when he is released. I doubt Tai'ray will make him stay in there until the ceremony. It will probably just be for the night."
"When he gets nightmares," Aw'endo scowled.
Cai'ress nodded slightly, not having known that fact. "A danger, certainly," he acknowledged. "There is nothing you can do however Aw'endo. Not without making the situation worse. You can only hold back and act when you can. I know it is hard but..." Cai'ress trailed off. He shifted slightly and ran his hand through Aw'endo's hair.
"It is the way of things," Aw'endo exhaled. "There must be something I can do to stop feeling so helpless," he whispered. "Ry always says there is always something."
"There are many things you could do," Cai'ress nodded. "You could beg your father to let Eyeri out but if you do so, do not doubt the Winglord will have thought of the issues you have with this. You could sneak into the room and spend the night in there, even if Eyeri is stuck in the cage. But if you are caught, you are bound to be in trouble. Also, your guardians may not want you far from them if one of their charges is already distressed. The best thing you can do at the moment is not make things worse."
Aw'endo shifted silently and hugged tighter. "The others are calling me a failure," he said softly. "For not lasting more than a week in the D'mar army before ending up captured."
"They know nothing of what happened, ignore them. They are only jealous that you succeed, even if it was only for a week," Cai'ress sniffed unimpressed with the antics of teenage bullies. "Considering that it was you getting captured that has led to the Winglord finally rounding the caw, I would say you did the right thing," he added. "People have been waiting for years for action and now it is going to happen."
"I hadn't thought about it like that," Aw'endo said, his unease getting worse. He had seen how happy Ryraso had been on the warship. He really hadn't been thinking past having a family. He had caused this too.
"You need to hold your head higher around those boys," Cai'ress said, petting Aw'endo's hair but oblivious to the younglings internal conflict. "You are worth more than most of them put together."
Aw'endo didn't feel like it. He just seemed to cause trouble and get people hurt.