Bird of a Cage [BoW 4]

Chapter 6

Ravn didn't like seeing Taidra like this. Away from the warship and his controls and the people who cared for him, Taidra was so vulnerable. Even late at night, the man's mind was spinning and coming up with a million possibilities. His eyes were too wide, too wild for him to be resting well. Feno was no help at all either. Too busy flirting with others to notice that his love was drowning in paranoia that wasn't completely unfounded. No wonder Warlord Loror wanted a team watching over him. Loror hated he couldn't just take Taidra with the man being so close, but doing that now would increase the chances of Taidra's death too much. Their men weren't exactly light of hand. He wasn't even being given the normal about of drugs.

No, it was far safer to allow Taidra to be spirited away. It wasn't like they weren't looking for the base he was going to be sent for anyway. Wiljam was sure to reveal the location by accident someday with one of his explosions. They had to be patient. And ensure that Taidra wasn't murdered in the meantime. Ravn wished they'd give him permission to follow along. They'd find him eventually, but he could get a good idea of where the base was by then. Most people didn't get how magic worked, so it wasn't like he was in danger of being cut off from his family.

It would give him some peace and safety from Gjne too.

The tree creaked as Blek landed next to him. His younger brother had pressed a kiss to Taidra's forehead. Their sister was waiting for her own turn. Ravn reached over and tugged Blek close. Everything about this situation had him feeling more clingy than normal towards his adoptive family. Blek fussed silently but didn't pull out of the hold. Blek's head landed on his shoulder, the younger boy sleepy from the time of the night. Sakmi had them well trained to stay awake for long hours, but there were limits.

"How is he?"

Ravn shrugged, making a negative sign with his hand.  What could he say? Taidra was holding himself together by strings. The man was not getting the support he needed, and Ravn was half tempted to ignore Warlord Loror's orders and take him back to Lixa. At least there, he'd get medicine and drugs to help. Part of the orders was on the assumption that the Namya would look after their injured. They had in the past. Nordsol was a broken man to want to abandon people in the mud and leave them to die alone and abandoned. Ravn wouldn't let that happen to Taidra.

The two of them watched his tent from up high. Ravn's magic darkened the shadows of the night so no one could see them. Not that anyone was looking up, idiots. Blek grumbled unhappily, swinging his legs.

They were beginning to prep to move. The rain had stopped. If it didn't start up again, that day would be the day they betrayed their comrades. The people moved around the camp, dead-eyed and looking more like ghosts than people. Their pale skin bluer than its normal hue. Lost souls waiting to be culled for the good of Awacia. Ravn should feel pleased. The fire in the Namya was dimming to nothing. The Dmar were to win and destroy the people who had oppressed them all for so very long.

Feno wandered back into Taidra's tent. The large man smiled at one of the women in the camp. The look she gave back was concerning for different reasons. Ravn narrowed his eyes. There was something about that, a spark of something not dredged in depression and brokenness that didn't bode well.

"I don't like this," Blek said, fingers curling around Ravn's forearm almost as if to stop himself diving forward.

"He'll be fine. We just have to make his commander doesn't kill him."

"The Namya are supposed to be all fluffy and love everyone regardless of their abilities or capabilities. Feno is supposed to be a good man," Blek swallowed. "They aren't anymore."

Blek was watching the woman as well. They were meant to watch anyone new around the former Namya warship crew. The warship crew were resourceful people and the ones most likely to cause problems. Feno was potentially creating problems of a completely different nature to that they were keeping an eye on. They were going to need to stalk Feno and the woman for a bit and make sure nothing was happening. Feno's only worth was in his relationship with Taidra.

"Nordsol is stupid. Stupid people in power never leads to good things. The Namya are getting desperate now. Desperate people act differently to normal." It wasn't an excuse to start cheating, however. If that's what the interaction was. It was a temptation to at the very least.

They fell back in silence as someone twitched, looking around. Ravn trusted his magic to keep them hidden, but sound could slip through. They spent the next few hours until sunrise watching the camp as they went about their business, unaware of the spies. The sentries plodded around, the sound more physical than their actual presence. The rain tried to start again, but it wasn't strong enough to last. The chill settled in the early morning air. Everything was muted, the colours, the emotions; it all washed together and dribbled down into the sludge surrounding them.

Feno curled around Taidra protectively in their tent as someone wailed in the background in grief. One of the injured died. The one who had held on longer than the medics thought possible. The medic left the tent, dead-eyed and covered in blood. It would be nicer for the Dmar to kill them all. Better than the oppressive feeling of defeat hanging around their necks and dragging them down.

Belk slipped away back to his post. Ravn was the one in charge of watching over Taidra. Belk and his sister were in charge of watching the camp perimeter. Rab was somewhere in charge of watching the commander. Backup was close by if something went wrong.

Today was going to be the day.

Something tugged in the back of his mind. His father whispering for permission to come in. Ravn curled in the crook of the tree and closed his eyes. He was safe for the moment. Warmth filled him as his father's love and quiet relief flowed over his mind. Sakmi trusted them to do their jobs well. It didn't mean he didn't worry about if they were safe or not. Every check-in was confirmation that they were alive, well and not in pain.

"Rav?" Sakmi voice drifted in, soft but serious even as his presence hugged him with fondness and protectiveness. "What is the mission status?"

"The message has been given." Ravn pressed into the mental pull, pulsing his own feelings back to Sakmi. He could not keep his feelings of dread and concern from leaking in, but it would be clear it wasn't to do with the mission itself. "Taidra is aware of our presence as always and that we are watching over him. He is also aware of the implications that brings."

"Good," Sakmi caught the bad feelings and double-downed on the pulses of family, tenderness and joy. Ravn's chest tightened, and some of the weight on his shoulders lightened. He wasn't alone. He was in a team, and they would support him. "Keep him alive."

"We will," Ravn promised.

The pressure left, leaving a hole of emptiness behind but with the feelings of a solid foundation under his feet and knowledge in his chest that his family loved him. It was a shame that he couldn't find the words to tell them what he needed help with. He pulled his cloak closer to him and let his eyes close. Nothing was going to happen for a few more hours. He was close enough to the tent that if someone tried to enter, he'd wake. It was time to catch a few hours of sleep before the games began.