Bird of a Cage [BoW 4]

Chapter 24

"So," Yuin put his plate down on the floor, moving from the atmosphere from causal breakfast to a serious meeting. "Forgive my lack of knowledge of the k'nairi, Lord Nel'os, but just how did you go from threatening to rip Cetol'n's wings off to forcing him to eat because he's too skinny?"

 Nel'os gave him a strange look, finishing off his portion of food. "You don't like to beat around the bush, unusual for a commanding officer. I'm not sure I understand your meaning, though."

"Nel'os, you must understand from a human point of view what you are doing is strange," Taidra explained. His A.I. replayed the look on Nel'os' face as he cleaned Cetol's wings. Taidra hadn't seen it, too busy cleaning Nel'os, but the base saw it. The split second of confusion before relaxing back into teacher mode as he explained how to clean wings to Oira. Was there something wrong with Cetol'n's wings? Another clip played, this time of Nel'os studying Cetol's filed-down talons intently. 

Taidra needed more information. He didn't know what that emotion was; he'd not seen that look on Nel'os before. 

"You promised to hurt Cetol, and now you're preening his wings," Yuin said. "That's not normal."

"How old is Cetol'n on his file?"

That was not what either Yuin or Taidra expected. Taidra let his A.I. find the answer, and both men waited. Taidra re-ran the search, not happy with the first answer. Nel'os grimaced, tapping his talons on the table as they waited. Yuin played with one of his dreads idly, a couple of sparks lighting up inside. 

"36," Taidra said, not liking the maths. 

Nel'os nodded, body language accepting Taidra's claim. "He's not 36."

"You think that he's lying?" 

"Definitely," Nel'os agreed, spreading one wing out.  He gestured to one of the bottom layers of primaries. "These are the last feathers to grow in for adults. They are usually fully grown by your early twenties, but sometimes a few last a little longer. They should definitely all be in place before someone hits thirty. Cetol'n has some still growing. By wings alone, he is 28 at the oldest, more likely younger."

"Which is a problem because?" Yuin said, not understanding.

"He wouldn't be an adult yet." Taidra said, "What happened to him wouldn't make sense timeline-wise if he's that young."

Yuin sat back uncomfortably. "K'nairi are adults at 25."

"By 25," Nel'os corrected. "A k'nairi is considered an adult after navdia. The youngest natural navdia was 20, and the oldest is 27."

"That would explain a few things if he hasn't been through it yet," Taidra said, recalling his conversation with Oira about Cetol'n's lack of partners. "But he was bonded, wasn't he? He ran away from his mates. Intimate bonds don't start forming until after navdia."

"Fini, who doesn't know shit about the k'nairi. Explain Navdia?" Yuin ordered, his dreads sparking. The mage didn't normally show his annoyance, but Yuin had a thing about kids. Most notably, he'd accepted Sol and Oira on base because it was safer for them to be there. Until Oira turned 18, his rules with work were stricter, and while Sol wasn't a scientist, the rules for interacting with him were very strict. Yuin would not let a child get hurt on his watch because of the incompetence of mindless people. 

"Sexual awakening?" The voice of Taidra's aunt floated through his head, explaining that it was too limited an explanation. That was too simple and plebeian. The rush of hormones and sexual awakening, coupled with a heightened connection to the link and their innate magic, didn't have an easy comparison. "Puberty. The ins and outs are rather secret, but if Cetol'n hasn't been through it yet, he's not an adult and would have no sexual desires."