Bird of a Nest - Chapter 52: Chapter 52

Cai'ress woke up feeling numb but physically warm. The bed underneath him moved, and the dull steady thumping of a heart was under him. He blinked the tiredness away, finding a thick blanket over him while he slept on Dyn'ad chest, arms around him tight to keep him in place. Ryraso was nearby, sitting up and stretching out. He had slept with them. He watched as Ryraso rubbed his shoulders, eyes looking over to the mostly closed window. He looked tired.
He felt like he should say something but was at a loss as to what. Cai'ress closed his eyes quickly as the man shifted, burying his face down into the warmth. It didn't work.
A soft snort came from Ryraso, and a hand-rubbed his covered side. Lips pressed to his forehead in a gesture which made him feel far safer than it had any right to and that made Cai'ress click again. His eyes stunk, and gentle murmurs whispered in the room. He opened his eyes again and find Ryraso looking at him, and Dyn'ad with an expression Cai'ress couldn't explain.
"Morning," Ryraso murmured, wiping a stray tear away. "It's still early. You should go back to sleep."
Cai'ress shook his head. He didn't want to sleep anymore. Slowly he attempted to slide off Dyn'ad's chest. Dyn'ad was going to have stiff wings after sleeping like that. He would have to offer to rub them out for him. The arms let him but Dyn'ad was waking himself, turning on his side and letting his wings flare out wide, a few loose feathers falling to the ground with hints of red coming through the edges. Cai'ress's muscles mimicked what would have been the same reaction; only nothing was there anymore.
"May I have some water?" Cai'ress whispered, sitting up with his legs dangling over the side of the bed.
"Don't move," Ryraso warned, resting a hand in his knee and squeezing slightly before stumbling over to where a jug was waiting. "Not sure if you can feel it yet, but your legs are going to be weak right now."
Cai'ress looked at them, ignoring the hard scar on his thighs where Oh'mat's man had hacked them off. A flash of blood filled his eyes, and Dyn'ad was pulling him back on his lap, murmured in his ear and skin touching as Dyn'ad rolled him. Promises of safety filled him, even as the link growled in the back of his mind. No harm would come from Dyn'ad or Ryraso, but they were far from the only people with his fate in their hands. Cai'ress tucked his head under Dyn'ad chin and focused on Ryraso.
The scars were healed, not fresh.
"Here," Ryraso held the cup until Dyn'ad took it from him. Cai'ress tried to wrap his fingers around it too, but his hands were shaking badly. Dyn'ad helped him drink, and Ryraso ducked out of the room for a brief moment before returning to sit next to them again. "I've ordered something to eat. Nothing heavy but, you need something."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't call me sir."
Cai'ress flinched. Sir was usually safe. Sir was respectful and with the lines not yet drawn... Or maybe they had been? He was to be a concubine. Even with Dyn'ad's promises that it was not the same as before, maybe it was still being owned by the Royals. Did Ryraso want him to call him Master? No, could be. Ryraso wasn't like that. He didn't have the right to call Dyn'ad or Nel'os by name anymore. He could feel that.
"Lot of thoughts rolling in there, Cai. Give us some hints," Dyn'ad breathed, the tenseness of Cai'ress's muscles not lost on him.
"What do you want me to call you?"
Ryraso looked confused. The sinking feeling in Cai'ress's stomach started but then rose as a more reasonable and not panicked offering back to his mind. Ryraso's title? Healer would make far more sense than Master. Possibly Royal Healer would be better, but Pol'ar was the Royal Physician so that may be wrong for different reasons. Ryraso was new to being a consort, so Cai'ress doubted Ryraso would want him to call him that either especially as he was fated to be a Bonded.
"By my name, what else?" Ryraso found one of Cai'ress's hands and ran his thumb over the knuckles. "You are not my subordinate nor my student or child."
"So, Healer Ryraso?"
"Just Ryraso is fine," Ryraso squeezed his hand. "You don't need to call me by title."
"But that's wrong. I may not have seen the new official role and purpose of a concubine, but I very much doubt we are on the same level," Cai'ress frowned deeply, panic buzzing in his chest. If he got this wrong in public, he'd be punished. Maybe not by Ryraso, but the anger in the link, the court would be watching him close waiting for him to fail again. A second time and he wouldn't survive.
"Dyn'ad," Ryraso looked at the older man who shrugged helplessly.
"Nel would be the one to ask, not me," Dyn'ad said, having no idea what title Cai'ress was expecting to use. As far as he was concerned if Ryraso had given permission to be called by his first name, that was all that was needed. He kissed Cai'ress's hair, setting him down by Ryraso. "For the moment, you still have my permission to call me Dyn'ad."
"In private," Cai'ress nodded, hesitantly curling into Ryraso. Ryraso wrapped an arm around his shoulders and held him close. An unhappy look on his face. Cai'ress had annoyed him by failing to know proper protocol, time to prove his training wasn't a complete failure.
"In public too," Dyn'ad pressed. "I'll allow that in formal situations my title is better at the moment but," he paused seeing Cai'ress's face. He looked almost about to cry. Their perfect little noble submissive was struggling with the idea of breaking the rules aft he had done something terrible even if it hadn't been Cai'ress's fault. "We let you get hurt, Cai. Quite frankly, you being allowed to call me by name is the smallest thing I can give."
"You didn't," Cai'ress denied, trying to sit up again, reaching for Dyn'ad as he stood up and pulled out his outer layers. Clicking noises started again, and Ryraso tucked him back. "You didn't let me get hurt. I got myself banished."
Ryraso growled, and Cai'ress felt desperately confused. What was going on? He'd messed up. He'd done something to offend the Winglord into banishing him from the court. Sure, he wasn't sure what but there didn't need to be a reason. He was the Winglord. The Winglord's power was absolute. Once banished, that was it. Dyn'ad and Nel'os could hardly go against their Head by consorting with a banished lover. The scandal would ruin them.
"Cai, I should have... We should have done more than abandon you. It doesn't matter now anyway. What's done is done. Call me Dyn'ad, call Ry, Ryraso. The others will let you know their own wishes," Dyn'ad moved over to the door as there was a knock and accepted the tray of foods of a servant. The servant bowed deeply before leaving.
"But," Cai'ress protested, but the no more words came. He slumped into Ryraso and trembled. The healer rocked slowly as Cai'ress got his thoughts together. "You said yourself. My training is going to be tested. I need to be perfect now. I can't get something as small as a name wrong."
"When you are healed, Cai, you will be under watch. Right now, you need to worry about healing. And you were perfect before," Dyn'ad put the tray on the bed and watched as Cai'ress curled his legs under him. "You never once broke a rule or request. For the moment, you are injured and in need of healing. We will let you know when you need to worry about appearances." He passed a piece of bread over to Cai'ress.
The man took it hesitantly, looking at Dyn'ad with wide and open eyes. He'd heard that word loud and clear. 'Before.' Before he had been tortured and pass around for anyone with enough credits to use. "Then why was I banished?"
"That's not for us to answer," Ryraso saved Dyn'ad from that question.
Cai'ress swallowed but nodded, chewing on the piece of bread lightly rather than eating it. Ryraso shared a look with Dyn'ad. His love was grateful for the save but a worried about Cai'ress. There had been no questions about what a concubine was now, just a worried demand for what the protocol was. For the next few hours until it was truly day, they didn't talk much. Most prodded Cai'ress into eating and drinking before dozing together. Cai'ress's hands clutching onto whichever one of them was closest for comfort as they all simply waited.
Then Tai'ray arrived. Dressed in his formal wear, hair in perfect condition and looking distinctly pissed off at the world. Ryraso mentally poked at him and an image of some of the nobles appeared. Word had spread that Cai'ress was awake.
Cai'ress shifted, Ryraso and Dyn'ad holding him still to stop him getting off the bed. Fear radiated from him. Dyn'ad greeted Tai'ray out loud and one was returned.
"Dyn'ad, Captain Par'nast wishes to talk to you. Ryraso, the boys need you," Tai'ray said, his voice calm despite the fierce look in his eyes. Eyes that were now fixed on Cai'ress. A demand to be left along with Cai'ress. Cai'ress's hands gripped tight on both of them and Ryraso looked at Dyn'ad. Dyn'ad was too busy looking at Tai'ray. "Now, please," he added, in a more gentle tone.
Dyn'ad nodded, and kissed Cai'ress's cheek. Whispering a soft blessing before bumping his forehead and clambering off the bed. Ryraso watched him kiss Tai'ray passionately, and yet Tai'ray image of power did not fade. Ryraso squeezed Cai'ress's hand before slipping off the bed himself, grabbing his outer layers and putting them on. Tai'ray came to him, kissing him deeply and mentally promising not to hurt Cai'ress. The clothes were all show. Cai'ress needed to trust that the all-powerful Winglord was just so.
"We'll see you later," Tai'ray promised.
Ryraso looked up at him and over at Cai'ress. A plan was afoot. He waved at Cai'ress before joining Dyn'ad at the door and reluctantly leaving. "One chance," he warned Dyn'ad once the door was shut. "That's all I'm giving you for this."
"Hello, Cai'ress," Tai'ray greeted, sitting on the bed and pressing a hand on the man's chest to keep him from getting up. "Healers orders are for you to stay in bed," he warned, ignoring how fast Cai'ress's heart was beating right now from his presence. "And we need to have a talk, don't we?"
"Yes, Winglord."
Tai'ray smiled at the man unable to keep the sadness from his eyes but trying to let the man know he was not angry at him right now. "Dyn'ad has already told you about your fate for the foreseeable future? Though admittedly Healer Pol'ar will have far more say than us about the next few months." He waited a moment but there was no reply. Out of fear of Tai'ray or out of nothing to say, Tai'ray was uncertain. "Give me your hand."
Hesitantly Cai'ress obeyed, offering his palm face up. Tai'ray placed an earring and a piece of metal in it. One Cai'ress knew straight away, the earring was Oh'mat's. "Nasty piece of tech, this," Tai'ray noted. "This," he pressed on the piece of metal, "was embedded in your skin. It's a nerve enchanter. It's why." Tai'ray paused and took a deep breath. "It's why you hurt when he clicked his fingers. The earring was the receiver."
"I thought this stuff didn't work here?"
"It doesn't normally, but that building was protected from the link and therefore it worked," Tai'ray clenched his fist and placed it on the bed. "We are searching for any more places like that in Navat. This should never have happened. Navat is supposed to be safe and yet," Tai'ray paused. "I will make sure this does not happen again, Cai'ress."
Cai'ress was silence, just staring at the small piece of metal that had helped to ruin him. He swallowed, blinking fast as water came to his eyes. All that pain and it was such a small thing. "Is he still alive? The one who did this to me?" Cai'ress couldn't say the man's real name. Tai'ray couldn't blame him.
"Not for long depending on what you wish for. We weren't sure if you wanted to talk to him before it happened. Or if you wanted to see it."
"Talk to him," Cai'ress gave a strangled laugh of pain. "I never want to see that man ever again. No, my Winglord. I do not wish to talk to him. I do not wish to watch him die. I just want this to be over." He tightened his grip on the things and tried not to fall into a bundle of sobs again.
"Then he dies tonight."
"Please," Cai'ress begged, looking Tai'ray finally in the eyes. "I'm so sorry. I did everything I could and it still wasn't enough. Please don't ..." he trailed off suddenly not sure what he was begging Tai'ray not to do. Please don't send me away? Please don't hurt me and make me regret surviving this? Please don't make me a whore for the nobles? "I'll be good. I'll be so good," he promised, moving forwards, daring to take Tai'ray's hand. "I'm well trained now. I can show you."
Tai'ray reached out with his free hand and cupped Cai'ress's face, ignoring how he flinched, expecting to be hit. "You are in no condition for any such thing. It is not needed Cai'ress. You are safe, I promise."