Bird of a Wing - Chapter 20: Chapter 20

Ryraso woke to the sound of birds. The gentle sound lulling him and letting him wake up slowly. He was cold, he could feel a rough blanket on him but he felt cold. The air smelt fresh, the scent of greenery surrounding him. He could hear a low murmur of people nearby. His head ached, a dim memory of what Tai'ray had done returning to him. For failing to submit, he had forced the pain of every injured k'nairi on him. Enough pain to make him scream and pass out.
His eyes fluttered open to look up at a green tent canopy. He blinked slowly, his body feeling very heavy, like he was buried in sand. He moved, reached over his body to touch his wrist and felt relieved to find his seal was still on. He was safe from Tai'ray being able to get into his head, for now.
Panic surged in his chest as the full memory of what had happened returned. Tai'ray wanted him in the royal nest. Tai'ray had hurt Taidra and Isst. Nel'os was willing to let his mate force him. Inai knew he had omitted information about his time with the k'nairi.
Ryraso swallowed, his throat dry. He turned his head to see the tent opening just as two familiar faces walked in.
"Ryraso!" Aw'endo and Eyeri yelled before running over to him. Ryraso finding himself being hugged by two boys tightly.
"Aw'endo, Eyeri," Ryraso murmured softly, kissing them on their foreheads as they looked up at him with teary eyes. "Aw'endo, how come you're still here?" he asked, stroking Aw'endo's hair gently with a soft smile on his face.
"I wanted to stay with you," Aw'endo murmured blushing.
"It's fine darling," Ryraso murmured giving the k'nairi youngling a kiss before he got nervous about whether Ryraso wanted him there or not. He pushed himself so he was sitting up, the action painful and he hissed. Eyeri helped him by putting pillows behind him, Aw'endo sat on the side of the bed, his fingers twitching.
"Is Isst okay?" Ryraso asked sounding concerned, looking around and seeing no one else in the tent other than him and the two boys. The wound he remembered being inflicted on his old friend was a bad one.
"He's fine. I stitched him up with no problems. Taidra's fine too, the Winglord must have been feeling kind or Kelenn is right that he likes Taidra because the wound was really light. I fixed up the rest of the injured too. Nothing too bad," Eyeri rattled off, not wanting his father to worry about anyone who had been injured during the battle. Eyeri was gripping Ryraso's sheets so tight his knuckles were white, Aw'endo's wings were trembling. His boys were scared and upset, not a good combination.
"I'd better go see Inai then," Ryraso murmured, not wanting to draw what had to happen out painfully. He had made his bed and now it was time for him to lie in it. Both boys paled and looked at each other uncomfortably. "He's angry isn't he?" he said softly.
"Just a little?" Eyeri said hesitantly.
"I'd say more than a little," growled an angry voice. They all turned to see Inai walking into the tent with a dark expression on his face. "I would say furious with you healer!" he growled.
Ryraso shifted uncomfortably, going to move out of the bed to stand, suddenly aware of the rank difference between them. Inai stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder, with a gentler look on his face.
"Stay there Ryraso!" Inai ordered. "As for you two!" he looked at the two boys, wrapping an arm around Eyeri who was closest. "Go sit with Isst and the others. Now!" he said sternly.
The boys looked in between Ryraso and Inai. Ryraso nodded, his eyes firmly on the floor. If he had been a k'nairi, his wings would have been shivering in fear. He respected his leader very much and for him to be this angry at him. He wasn't afraid to say he was slightly scared and very nervous. The two young men dashed out of the tent, Eyeri bowed slightly at Inai as he was released, Aw'endo copying the motion. They both knew when to be respectful to powerful people and the last thing they wanted was to be in Inai's bad graces, not when their father figure was.
An awkward silence filled the tent after the boys left. Inai glaring darkly at Ryraso as the man looked at the ground. Simply unable to face his leader yet. He had just single-handedly destroyed the Namya's hope of winning the war.
"You feeling better?" Inai asked, his voice full of restrained anger, but also concern. It was that concern with gave Ryraso the strength to answer.
"Yes sir," Ryraso nodded, feeling a little out of his depth. If he had been dealing with a k'nairi, he would have known but Inai was a different type of creature. Even after four years of serving him, Ryraso wasn't always certain just how he would react to things.
The High Priest nodded accepting the answer before walking over to him and slapping him across the face. The sound ringing in Ryraso's ears for a moment, before the burn hit. A hand pulling his face gently so he was looking at the furious face of Inai.
"You lied to us," he growled, "You lied to us all and for that I should exile you. On top of that, you withheld important information about k'nairi plans which are going to sway the war in the D'mar's favour!" Ryraso looked away, knowing it was in Inai's complete right to do that. Same as he was in the right to simply just give him to Tai'ray. Inai let go of him, "Do you have anything to say to defend yourself?" Inai demanded.
Ryraso found himself speechless for the first time in a very long time, unable to defend himself against the charges because they were valid. He had knowingly and willingly put the ship in danger by not telling Inai about Tai'ray's threats and why the personal threats were extremely serious.
"I never lied about my relationship with the k'nairi. I did work for them like many healers have. It's just, no one ever asked how long." Ryraso said, his eyes firmly on the floor, knowing the excuse was flimsy at best. "As for the order, I couldn't risk telling you about that. Too many people are counting on former k'nairi workers to uproot them all. Anyway, there aren't enough guards to keep everyone safe from them. In the long run, it was better this way..."
"Better? How! As for no one asked how long, ten fucking years!" Inai paused, losing the ability to speak momentarily. "Ten years! You let us believe it was a few months like most healers!" His voice was furious.
"Eleven technically including the year it took me to get a pass," Ryraso murmured quietly, not looking up at Inai as he gave a noise of anger. "No one's life had to be ruined more than necessary," Ryraso defended, looking back up at Inai and regretting it.
"So waiting until they are kidnapped by their former employers is any better?" Inai yelled back at him. "When were you going to tell us? When we noticed the sudden increase in people disappearing or heck, being outright kidnapped by the k'nairi? What about the k'nairi who chose to join the Namya and break away from the Winglord? What happens when we lose them Ryraso? They are the only defence we have from air born attacks now." Inai exhaled and sat down on a chair nearby, leaning his head back. "How many are already gone that we are unaware of?" he murmured.
"I can't imagine many. It's only been a week and most of us who left tried to get as far away from them as possible," Ryraso whispered. "Mostly soldiers will be in positions where they can be easily taken. Not to mention, there will be certain humans the k'nairi were missing more than others." Ryraso gripped his arm where the scar from Tai'ray was, it was itching again. Not everyone joined the Namya and it would be impossible to track how many of the neutral caw had been taken, not without asking Tai'ray. "I know. We know, Tai'ray let nests place claims on people they wanted to keep." He swallowed, suddenly unable to speak.
Ryraso had known about the claims. He had even known Tai'ray was planning to claim him. The link had given more information than the warning and offer. He hadn't known Tai'ray wanted to make him a consort.
"How many?" Inai demanded, startling Ryraso out of his thoughts.
"Pardon?" Ryraso asked sheepishly. He wasn't sure what Inai meant by it, having zoned out.
Inai shot him a dark glare before repeating his question. "How many will be killed for treason?" Inai said darkly.
"Killed? None," Ryraso's voice was off slightly, like the answer was obvious. "The k'nairi will kill no one who they view as theirs."
Inai almost laughed from the sheer absurdity of the idea, "You mean to tell me that the race known for being the most brutal doesn't kill its traitors?" Even for someone who believed in the best of people like Inai that was hard to believe. Inai didn't know a lot about the k'nairi, he only knew a handful personally and three of them were the royal triad. He had seen Tai'ray fight. It did not leave much doubt as to what Tai'ray would inflict on to those who betrayed him.
"Yes. After all, traitors are simply people who have not learned to be loyal or had cause to be disloyal. How can they learn their mistake if they are dead?" Ryraso asked looking at Inai with some steel. Inai didn't miss the seriousness of Ryraso's tone. This was a man who had years of experience with k'nairi culture. Ryraso's voice softened, as did his expression as he saw he had Inai's full attention. "There is a lot more to the k'nairi than you understand Inai. A lot more you simply cannot understand because you are not part of the link. Only those of us in the link have any idea about the way they work and even for us, it is ... alien. If you believe they are nothing more than brutes after meeting the Winglord. After reading reports of the k'nairi who follow you! Then you are not the man I thought you were."
"That is not fair Ryraso. A leader is never the person to judge a race on, nor its outcasts. If anything they're the ones to judge on how different a culture is," Inai said seriously. "From what I have seen, the strong bully the weak in behaving and doing their bidding. Ruling over them like they are nothing. I've heard stories of k'nairi warriors having huge harems, full of mates unable to defend themselves against the berserk rages the k'nairi can fall into!"
Ryraso actually laughed at Inai's story. "No harem was like that. Tai'ray would never allow it!" he declared strongly. The biggest harem Ryraso had ever heard of was thirty and wasn't even really a harem. More the result of three merging. That harem was special, though, the number maximum was ten people, occasionally 11 or 12, but even ten was rare. The vast majority of nests were five or six members. "The stories are lies Inai! Sure a dominant is stronger than a submissive, but it is the submissive's choice to be in a relationship. Believe me if a submissive says no, it means no!"
"Then explain to me Ryraso why you were begging Nel'os not to let Tai'ray force you," Inai yelled, standing up and looking over Ryraso, penning him up. "Why Tai'ray's husband refused to look at you! If people are not forced into relationships, why were you so scared of him? I saw you Ryraso!" he paused, breathing deeply, looking into Ryraso's eyes with a look which kept Ryraso locked on him. "I saw you."