Bird of a Wing - Chapter 26: Chapter 26

Tai'ray stormed down the corridor from the throne room, his footsteps echoing. The conversation with Loror had not gone well at all. The Warlord has accused him of endangering the entire war effort over one man and more. Loror had also told Tai'ray to give up on Ryraso once and for all as it was clear the healer had no intention of going with him willingly.
The words swirling in his mind with the frightened yells of Ryraso denying him until Tai-ray yelled in frustration and punched the nearest wall. A big crack appearing in the stone from the force of his hit. The pain reached his mind and he breathed slowly, forcing himself to calm down a little. His mates giving him the mental space he needed. Tai'ray's thoughts on Ryraso were now stormy. On the one hand, he wanted Ryraso so badly in his nest on the other, Ryraso had genuinely been scared. What the human had asked Nel'os had cut deeply in Nel'os' own scars.
Not that Tai'ray didn't have his own reasons to be furious with Loror. The man had known that Ryraso had an apprentice and hadn't seen fit to tell him. An apprentice close enough to be considered a son and who Aw'endo had apparently grown close enough to that he was willing to risk angering them over. Tai'ray would have to take Eyeri into account now with his plans.
As far as his encounter with Loror went, Tai'ray had been lucky. Very lucky, had he had caused the Namya a massive blow by destroying the ship. That fact alone was the only reason he was still standing. He was going to have to be more careful in the future, or risk the K'nairi losing the Winglord and the new one being a wingless human. Even if said human was very powerful. Loror would not be able to hold the link. They would fall into ruin with him as their head.
By the skin of his teeth, Tai'ray was still in Loror's good books. He just had to tread carefully for the next few weeks. Luckily Loror had begrudgingly given him permission to catch Ryraso for his own. Loror had seemed almost impressed by his decision to drag every traitor back for their due desserts. But then again the Namya would be a considerable amount of men down by the end of the process, as well as completely out of people to defend them in the air. There were a few humans who were able to fly using magic, but none of them could fly well enough to be of any real threat to the K'nairi as a force. Maybe a few K'nairi on their own, but not a division. Plus Tai'ray would be kidnapping them as well. As far as he was concerned, anyone who flew was under his domain.
"You shouldn't punch the walls," Sakmi commented as he appeared by Tai'ray's side, the aloof spymaster, leaning on the wall next to him and crossing his arms with a disapproving look. "You could hurt yourself."
"Not a good time Sakmi!" Tai'ray growled between gritted teeth. He felt like he was about to attack someone and he did not want that person to be Loror's lapdog. His dislike for Sakmi was highest when the man was sucking up to Loror's rules, outside of those times he liked the man somewhat.
"I have your orders," Sakmi offered a roll of paper, his eyes looking up and down Tai'ray's shaking wings calmly. "Lord Loror has given you the next six months to sort out your empire. Under the condition you and your men retrieve the majority or more preferably all of the K'nairi caw by that time," he revealed softly.
Tai'ray blinked, looking at Sakmi in disbelief, his hand moving from the wall to take the roll of paper to look over it. Loror... Tai'ray knew he had been impressed and was looking forward to the possible effects to the D'mar's fight but to actually be given his support was not something Tai'ray had expected. Especially given the dressing down he had just received.
"Our lord has also promised that if you succeed, an order will be sent round that anyone who is found to harm a human caw will be put at the mercy of the K'nairi," Sakmi added, able to see the shock on the Winglord clearly.
"He isn't mad," Tai'ray murmured, reading the orders on the scroll in shock and growing joy and delight. If he had freedom to move as needed to collect his missing people, that changed everything.
"No, Lord Loror is mad with you. Our lord knows better than to stop you in a matter such as this, however," Sakmi commented dryly, his fingers running along the crack in the wall with a look of annoyance. "Ravn has also returned with news about what Inai is planning with Ryraso if you would like to join me in my room for a debrief him."
Tai'ray looked at him warily as he said those words. Sakmi didn't, in general, let anyone in his rooms, he certainly didn't invite Tai'ray. "I would, but what are you hoping from me Sakmi?" he asked, knowing the man wouldn't be doing this out of nothing.
"Nothing currently Tai'ray," Sakmi shrugged, before meeting Tai'ray's eyes without a trace of fear. "However I suspect within the next year or two, I may need your help with a matter. So you will forgive me if I try to add a few favours in your direction."
"May I ask what this matter is in relation to?" Tai'ray asked darkly.
"Lazra," Sakmi said simply.
Tai'ray nodded slowly in understanding. Lazra was Sakmi's youngest female spy, one of his teenagers. She was already at an age where the men were looking twice at her now and Tai'ray was not surprised Sakmi was looking for a way to send her where girls were safer. "If you need to send her to Navat, just say the word," Tai'ray promised. "You know we will always look after younglings regardless of your own status."
"Thank you Tai'ray," Sakmi smiled sadly for a brief moment. "For now, I want to keep her with her brothers, but it is good to know you will accept her presence there if needed." He paused, tilting his head as he communicated with one of them. "Ravn is waiting," he commented, turning on his heel and walking off. Tai'ray almost rolled his eyes at the action. It was almost like Sakmi was embarrassed to have admitted a weakness to him.
Tai'ray smirked and followed the man. Unfortunately, it wasn't a weakness he could use against the man. Sakmi's younglings were strictly out of bounds when it came as leverage. Loror would come down on the fool who hurt them without mercy and that would be if they survived Sakmi. Sakmi was fiercely protective of his younglings.
Sakmi's room was large like Tai'ray's but more cluttered strangely. Mostly because of the collection of beds and bedding which covered the expanse of floor. In the corner behind a closed curtain, Tai'ray could hear an adult snoring. Which of Sakmi's spies it was Tai'ray didn't know but Ravn was sitting drinking some tea at a table while the youngest of all of them read a book on the biggest bed in the room. The youngest smiled and waved at Tai'ray but didn't actually say anything. The room smelt vaguely of herbs, Tai'ray suspected to mask the smell of so many people sleeping in a room. K'nairi nests were well ventilated to help that problem, but this base was half built into a mountain which meant the airflow wasn't brilliant at the best of times.
"Winglord," Ravn signed with his hands. One of Ravn's quirks was that he preferred to use sign language rather than talk. Tai'ray knew it as well as any of the elite squad did, it was a strangely useful tool to have.
"Ravn, you have information for me," Tai'ray signed back with a small smile as he gracefully sat on a cushion next to the table. Ravn had dark brown skin but being Fini had hair which was as white as snow and purple eyes. He had dreadlocks which were normally tied up but were currently loose around him.
Ravn nodded and slid over a map with a path marked on it. "This is all I can find. Inai is planning to send Ryraso and his sons to one of the strongholds in the south," Ravn explained.
Tai'ray blinked twice, looking down at the map in surprise. "You know where Ryraso is going to be sent," he signed, as his mates looked through his eyes at the piece of paper. The path didn't lead all the way to the south, however. Sakmi too looked over the paper, pouring two more cups of tea peacefully.
"Not exactly, this is just the first part of the journey. Taidra is making sure they are all more cautious than normal because he knows there are people watching the camp. You will have to do your best with this information to work out the best place for an ambush," Ravn admitted, still signing but with a sheepish expression on his face. "I know they leave tonight."
"Taidra has fully recovered then," Tai'ray signed with a pleased look in his eyes. He hadn't wanted to hurt the security director but sometimes things got out of control.
Ravn nodded, shooting Tai'ray an unhappy look at this. "The twins are also recovering and have made it clear that they don't want anything more to do with Ryraso after this." If Ravn had been speaking out loud Tai'ray would wager he would have sounded like he was scolding Tai'ray for this. Like most of Sakmi's younglings, Ravn was protective over Taidra. A side effect of being young, Tai'ray guessed. It was easier to empathise with your enemy.
Tai'ray winced at this news however, that the twins no longer wanted to associate with Ryraso. While he knew his threat to Sayskel and Dyn'ad's threat to Kelenn wouldn't be the only reason for that, chances were they hadn't helped the situation. There was a twinge of regret and a stronger twinge of embarrassment from Dyn'ad. His threat had been particularly graphic and unlikely to actually happen but in the heat of the moment, Dyn'ad's control had slipped. They would have to rectify that at some point. The twins were excellent fighters, they didn't need them hating the k'nairi.
"I also know that one of the bodyguards being used to transport the three is also a caw, so be careful before you slaughter them," Ravn signed after another sip of tea.
"Why would I kill them?" Tai'ray asked.
"We know you," Ravn and Samki both said out loud, making the youngest look up from his book confused.
"True," Tai'ray allowed with a dark smirk, his mates with him in the back of his mind as he began to plan. They would have to move fast as the information on the map said Inai was sending the men that night. If they failed Ryraso would disappear into the underground network and that was the last thing they wanted.
Ryraso would forgive them for this, eventually.