The Remains of Dawn

Chapter Six

Oriel glared at him and started to open her mouth when the force of the blade against her neck started to get harder. "I wouldn't call out for him if I was you. I'd like to live."

"Why are you doing this, Dyso?" she asked him quietly.

Dyso jumped down so he was facing her and kept the knife firmly against her neck. He stepped close to her so there was only a couple of inches between them. He searched her face intensely and rested on the blade. He barely moved it causing a small drop of blood to the surface. Oriel hissed as a slight pain came from the cut. Dyso wiped off the blood with his thumb and placed it in his mouth.

"Have you always tasted sweet?" he asked her as he smirked.

Oriel snarled at him and was disgusted by this side of him. "I asked you a question first, Dyso." She slowly started reaching for the small knife that was strapped to her side.

"Tassian is one lucky man." Dyso sighed. "Both of you are traitors to our Queen. That's why I'm doing this. Neither of you ever deserved her love. You were her favorites. I don't know why. There's nothing special about either of you." He leaned close to her neck and breathed in deeply. "I could just kill him and take you for myself. I could convince the Queen to not kill you. I'd be her new favorite after this."

Oriel wrapped her hand around the hilt of her knife and slowly started to pull it out when her hands were grabbed and trapped above her head, the knife flying to the ground.

"You're not that great of an assassin," Dyso hissed. "I know all your thoughts. I know your moves. I know you." He looked down at her and smirked. "You're going to pay for disobedience with your life."

Two swords suddenly appeared on either side of Dyso's throat. "Don't fucking touch her," Tassian growled.

"Tassian," Dyso chuckled nervously. "What a surprise. I was just having a chat with Oriel here."

"A chat doesn't involve a knife to my throat," Oriel hissed at him.

Dyso looked down at the knife and back at Tassian before lowering the knife and stepping back from her. He held his hands up and watched as Tassian's swords followed him at his throat. "You both are in a lot of trouble. All you need to do is come back with me and explain to Queen Krathys what you both are doing and things could change. Both of you are her favorites, she'd do anything for you."

Tassian stepped in front of Oriel. "We're not going back, Dyso."

"You have too, Tassian," Dyso kept stepping back as Tassian took a step towards him. "Queen's orders."

"Not going to happen," Oriel spoke up. "You know she's wrong Dyso. You know what she did to us was wrong."

Dyso snapped his eyes over at her and glared. "Queen Krathys did all of us a favor! She took us from our homes where we would have died of hunger or worse!"

"Do you remember your past, Dyso?" Tassian asked him.

Dyso stared at Tassian. "No. I don't."

"Dyso - " Oriel started.

"No! You are coming with me, dead or alive." Dyso lunged at Tassian, dodging the swords, and tackled him to the ground. Tassian's swords flew out of his hands and out of reach. Dyso landed on top of him and threw a punch landing it hard on his jaw.

Oriel flinched as she heard the crack of Dyso's knuckles on Tassian's jaw. Oriel looked over to where the swords were laying and ran to pick them up. Before she could get to them, her ankle was grabbed and she was pulled down. Her head landed hard against the ground flashing stars across her vision. She blinked, forcing the stars to go away, and looked behind her to see Dyso, blood running out of his nose, pulling her towards him. She tried to reach towards the swords as she kicked. Her foot landed with his face and she heard a sickening crunch.

He let go of her ankle and watched as Tassian pulled him off of her and continued to throw punches. She turned and raced over to the swords. Picking them up she swung around and slammed the hilt of the sword into Dyso's head causing him to slump over Tassian.

Tassian pushed him off of him and stood up quickly. His nose was bleeding, a long cut was on his forehead and his lip was split down the middle. He looked down at Dyso and shook his head. "You were right."

"I wish I was wrong," Oriel sighed.

Tassian turned towards her and grabbed her shoulders forcing her to face him. His eyes searched her face and traveled down until they landed on the cut on her throat. His eyes turned dark as he stared at the cut and then looked back at Dyso.

Oriel grabbed his arms. "I'm fine. You're the one that needs to be taken care of. We need to make sure that he's out of the way and then go back to the cave a fix you up."

"Leave him to me." He bent down and slung Dyso over his shoulder and spread his wings.

"Tassian," she warned. "Don't kill him."

Tassian growled, "Fine." He spread his wings further and shot up in the sky.

Oriel held onto the swords as she traveled back towards the cave. She never felt Dyso come up to their cave. Who knows how long he was there before he decided to strike. She placed the swords on Tassians bag and grabbed her canteen and one of her shirts when she heard Tassian land at the mouth of the cave.

"We need to go, now," he told her as he walked over to her.

Oriel shook her head. "First, you need to be cleaned up, then we'll leave." She pointed down. "Now, sit."

Tassian sighed and obeyed her as he sat on the ground. She sat across from him and poured the water on the shirt and began to clean the blood off of his face. When she got to his lip, she accidentally pushed too hard and caused him to flinch. He reached up and grabbed her wrist.

"I'm sorry." She started to reach forward to finish cleaning his face, but he stopped her. She looked at him questionably.

Tassian sighed. "I'm never leaving you alone again. I can't watch someone pin you against themselves and threaten you."

"Not everyone is Dyso," she started. "I'm unable to feel his presence. Once, I let my guard down and this happens."

"What if she made more like him, Eagle? Your senses aren't going to be able to work."

Oriel looked down and clutched the shirt in her hand. "I'll have to figure out a way around it." She looked back up at him. "Please, let me finish so we can leave."

Author note: Thank you for reading this chapter! Please leave a vote or a comment!