Enslaved

Chapter 46

With every single flap of his wings anger flowed through him. He hadn't even seen the shooter, he had been to preoccupied with the stunt Kaida had pulled and what he was going to do when they got back to camp. He scolded himself for the millionth time, forcing himself to not fly as fast as he could with her away from any and all danger. His eyes were glued on the Emperor's hybrids where they were huddled together in the middle of his men, disarmed and some injured. His rebellion had circled around them to keep them from flying off, a few not a part of the group as they hovered around the ground and above the betrayers, making sure nobody moved. It was a complete standstill, just as Ryuu and Kajeel had taught to them years before. His chest swelled with pride for a second before he pushed that aside. He would praise them later, when they were all safe at the camp. He stopped as he reached the outer circle and looked down at Kaida.

"I need you to go to someone else." His heart screamed at him not to let her go under any circumstances but he could not bring her into the center of the enemy when she couldn't fly. "I have to question them."

She nodded and reached out, tapping the nearest man on the shoulder. Ryuu looked up at them and carefully passed her over, his eyes threatening the hybrid the entire time with death should anything happen to her. Just as he was about to fly off, he felt a hand on his wrist and he turned. Kaida had her small hand wrapped around his wrist, her eyes staring into his.

"Be safe."

Ryuu very nearly ripped her from the other hybrids grasp and flew away with her right there to the nearest healer so she could go with him to interrogate these traitors. He gave her a grim smile before turning back around and flying straight up, noticing immediately when her hand left his wrist. He looked down at the huddled group of the Emperor's hybrids before he scanned the ground, noting the few bodies of his men amongst the many scattered enemy hybrids. He then folded his wings and flipped over backward, shooting for the center of the circle. Just before ramming into another hybrid, he flared his wings open and drew his sword at the same time, being very careful of his wings. Before the hybrid even knew what was going on, his sword was under their throat and his face was right in front of theirs, his pupils razor thin.

"Who are you." Ryuu snarled, his voice deathly. "And how did you track us down."

The hybrid swallowed painfully, causing Ryuu's sword to dig deeper into his throat and draw blood.

"We w-work for the Emperor." The hybrid's voice was strained and his eyes darted behind him before back to Ryuu's. "I don't know how we found you, we were just told to go here and kill any hybrids we came across."

Ryuu snarled, angling his sword.

"Wrong answer."

He buried his sword in the hybrid's throat and ripped it out just as fast, whirling around midair and stopping in front of the next one. He watched at their eyes all followed the nearly decapitated hybrid until he hit the floor and back flapped thrice so he could see all of them. He brandished his sword.

"I dislike repeating myself." Ryuu called out, louder this time. "How did you find us?"

The silence hurt his ears for a few seconds before a hybrid near the back rose above the rest, sporting an ugly gash along their arm that travelled all the way across their chest as well. Did the Emperor not provide his men with armor?

"I will only tell you if you let us go with our lives."

Ryuu smiled coldly, gripping his sword tighter.

"You're not really in the place to be making bargains." Ryuu called over to them. "And why would I even consider one?"

The hybrid shuddered, their wings faltering slightly before they regained their rhythm.

"Because I know who the traitor is within your rebellion."

Ryuu let out a laugh, causing more than a few of the rebellion members to look at him as well as the others.

"Good for you." Ryuu sneered. "But I will weed them out eventually and right now, they haven't done anything major so I can let it slide until I find them."

The hybrids eyes widened for a second before they flew slightly closer to Ryuu and that's when he noticed the long brown hair tied back. A girl.

"Please." Her voice sounded defeated. "We were not raised to love the Emperor. He's going to think that you killed all of us anyway; we will finally be free from his reign. Just let us go with our lives and I will tell you who the traitor is."

Ryuu tilted his head, his eyes scanning the huddled enemies more closely. They all had fear in their eyes, he noted, and they were all looking around them for any means of escape, not for attack. Ryuu felt his shoulder relax very slightly as he looked back to the girl and tilted his head.

"Why should I believe you."

She only shook her head.

"I have nothing to prove what I say is true. I only want to survive." She glanced behind her before looking back to him. "That's what we all wanted when we joined him."

Ryuu stared at her for a while, studying her face before he deliberately raised his sword, watching as her eyes widened as terror filled them. He then sheathed his sword and tilted his head again, sliding his hands into his pockets.

"I will give you a different bargain. Take it or leave it." Ryuu said, staring at her. "If you don't take it...I cannot simply let you go, you do know that, right?"

She swallowed, letting out a breath as she nodded.

"Join us." Ryuu deadpanned, studying her reaction closely. "Join us and fight to be free from that murderer. We will protect you."

She blinked, her wings faltering again as she clutched her injured arm closer to her.

"Join us and tell me who the traitor is. Then we have a deal to let you all live."

She turned to look at the others huddled close together before looking back to Ryuu.

"I agree." Her voice was shaky. "We will join you."

Ryuu let a smile snake its way across his face.

"Then welcome to the rebellion!" His raised his arms out to both of his sides, gesturing to his men. "You will be under a constant watch until I deem you are all trustworthy but I honor what I said, you are now all protected."

He flicked his wings just slightly and his men all sheathed their weapons and flew into the circle, holding their hands up and calling out for the injured to come forward. Ryuu watched as a tear slid from the girls eye and he flew forward so he was right in front of her, and he grabbed her uninjured arm.

"You're safe now."

She gave him a wobbly smile before taking a deep breath. Ryuu's expression sobered and he took his hand off her arm.

"Thank you." She sniffed before taking a deep breath. "Now I guess it's my time to uphold my side, huh?'

Ryuu nodded, his expression cold.

"I wasn't supposed to hear the conversation." She started, brushing the tear off her face with her good arm. "They didn't know I was in the adjacent room when they started talking. The Emperor and the traitor, that is. They were talking about the leader of the rebellion and how he had finally found his mate. The traitor said her name is Kaida?"

Ryuu snarled menacingly, causing her to flinch. Who knew who Kaida was to him within the rebellion?

"A-anyway, I heard what the Emperor called him." She looked behind her again as if to reassure herself that her friends were still there and being taken care of before turning back to Ryuu and taking a deep breath. "The Emperor called him Kajeel."