The Remains of Dawn

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Oriel sat on the edge of the bed testing out the pain in her back. The pain was better earlier this morning, but it still brought tears to her eyes. Tassian had changed her wrapping earlier and told her that her wounds were healing. A wound this big could leave a scar on her back. It'd be a reminder of her mistake.

"Stop thinking about that, Eagle," Tassian told her gently as he stood in front of her. He gripped her chin and pulled her up to meet his eyes. She didn't know how he always knew what she was thinking about, but it left her feeling safe. "You didn't make a mistake, Eagle," he continued to talk to her. He held out both of his hands. "Do you want to stand up?"

Oriel smiled up at him as she grabbed onto his hands. "I do." She pushed against his hands and her body strained as she stood up. Her knees threatened to buckle, but they stopped after a couple of minutes of standing. She still felt like she was off-balanced as she stood there, but she knew that eventually, that would stop as well.

"How are you feeling?" Tassian asked her. He leaned out and pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Oriel nodded. "Good." She looked up at him. "Better. Can you let go, please?"

Tassian slowly let go of her hands and took a step away from her. She knew that he would catch her before she would fall. Oriel took a step and swayed on her feet, but she was able to quickly right herself. She kept stepping towards Tassian, but he would take another step back until his back hit the wall on the other side of the room. By then, she was confident with her walk. She still felt slightly off-balance, but the more she walked, the more it would go away.

Tassian wrapped his arms around her waist and pinned her against him. "Told you you'll learn fast."

Oriel chuckled as she ran her hands up and down his chest. "It was all in my head?"

Tassian nodded as his arms tightened around her. "That's right." He started to lower his head down to hers when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Tassian growled slightly before picking his head back up but didn't let go of Oriel.

"Did I interrupt something?" Borus laughed as he walked towards them. Oriel turned around and gave him a crossed look. He smiled at her in return. "I see you're feeling better. I am surprised though."

"Why?" Tassian asked him sharply.

Borus's eyes snapped over to him. "What happened to her caused a lot of damage. I guess I'm not getting used to the quick recovery that the both of you make."

Oriel started to open her mouth to explain when she felt Tassian's hand brush against her chest and pick up her necklace. "This is the only good thing that Queen Krathys gave us." He held it out for Borus to see properally. "It's the only thing that has kept us alive after all of our injuries. This is the only reason why she was able to heal."

"I will still have some problems," Oriel continued. "But, my muscles and pain are getting much better."

Borus smiled as he gave a sharp nod. "That's good." He motioned to the stairs. "Should we head down?"

Oriel nodded and started to follow him when Tassian grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her back towards him. She placed her hands on his chest to catch herself. He tilted her head up to look at him.

"I need you to promise me that you'll stay by my side no matter what," he asked of her. "Please."

Oriel smiled up sweetly at him. "I promise, Tassian." She stood up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his lips. "I'm not fragile."

"Oriel," he started, but she placed her hand over his mouth.

"I'm not fragile, Tassian." She placed a kiss on his cheek before manuevering herself out of his grip and walking over to the stairs. She placed her hand onto the railing and gingerly walked down the steps. She could feel Tassian's presence closer behind her, ready to catch her if she fell. When she stopped at the bottom, she felt out of breath. Her legs muscles were aching.

Tassian wrapped his arms around her waist and let her lean against him. "Rest, my love. Take deep breaths."

Oriel leaned her head back against his chest and let her body relax. Once she was ready to move again, she let him hold onto her arm as she moved towards the table and sat down in a chair. Everyone was already there waiting for her.

Draya placed a hand on her knee and gave her a smile. "I'm glad to be seeing you up and walking again."

"Thank you," Oriel replied as she tapped her hand. "I'm still weak, but I'm progressing."

Tassian sat down next to her on her right, his wing wrapping protectively around her. "I'm keeping a close eye on her, Draya."

"I know you are," she responded gently to him. "I trust her in your hands." She turned back to Vega who was sitting at the head of the table.

Vega was sitting straight like a Queen with her hands folded in her lap. Her hair was starting to turn more gray every day. "We're all glad that you're feeling better, Oriel." She cleared her throat. "We need to start putting together our plan. We know what we have to do."

Draya nodded. "Yes, but we need horses."

"There's a stable hidden behind the tower," Tassian spoke up.

Vega nodded. "The soldiers horses are in there."

"We need to be careful about where we go in her kingdom," Oriel said. "She'll have all of her guards, soldiers, and assassins running through kingdom trying to find us."

"There's also the two maniacs that are still out there," Borus grumbled. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Tassian and I can handle them," Oriel told him. She looked over at Tassian and noticed that his jaw was clenched. "Now that that lizard man is gone, there is no one that can control me."

"What about that woman's other cat?" Borus asked her. "She still has one more."

Oriel nodded and started to open her mouth when Tassian interrupted her. "It'll be dealt with." He turned to the rest of them. "We need to get you to the castle and stop Queen Krathys."

Vega looked at Tassian. "I will need both of your help with stopping her once I get into her throneroom. The last time I met her, I failed to protect my kingdom by myself." She rolled up her sleeve and held out her arm for them to see.

Oriel's heart dropped when she looked at Krathys's name carved into her arm. The scarred lettering was horrible. It was crooked and jagged. "This is what she had done to me the first time we met. She is powerful, as the two of you know," she motioned to Oriel and Tassian with her head. "She overpowered me and carved her mark into my arm." She rolled her sleeve back down. "I will not lie and say that I'm not afraid of meeting her again, I am. I'm terrified, but for my kingdom I will join you."