Collapsed World [MxM, Non-Con, Mpreg]

Part 23 [Taj]

Taj hadn't expected Julius' response to be rage of all things. He had told Julius on a whim, to comfort him and give him some hope that all was not lost. Julius' reaction was a lesson learned to Taj that no good deed goes unpunished and he chided himself for opening his mouth and showing such weakness in the first place. His father had taught him better. How to use information wisely and sparingly to gain trust and power. Taj realized he had overplayed his hand and made Julius more suspicious and put his own life in danger. Taj grabbed hold of Julius' wrist, hissing in pain as his wings ground against the hard wall. He looked up into Julius' eyes, letting fear show in his own.

"I haven't lied to you." At least not an outright lie. He hadn't told the entire story for sure, but he hadn't said anything false that he could recall. 

"Just because I haven't told you everything about me doesn't mean I've lied. You haven't been honest about yourself either. I'm betting you weren't some low born Avaen before this all started as you let people think. I was trying to help you, give you hope, and you call me a liar." Taj let anger bubble up inside of him and directed it at Julius to hide his own fear that Julius might just kill him. "I offer to look into whether your mate is alive and you call me a liar and a traitor, is that how Avaens say 'thank you'?"

Taj struggled against the firm grip, his hand still on Julius' wrist, ready to press the nerve that would loosen Julius's grip just enough to get free. "You're not the only one with someone to protect. My someone is definitely alive and keeping some things to myself is the only way to make sure they stay that way. Any information that will help you I have always given, and I offered to look into your mate for you even though it puts me and the person I care about in danger. If my loyalty is only going to be seen as treachery and my life threatened, I'm better off alone aren't I?"

Taj pressed Julius' nerve hard and wiggled free of his grip and putting distance between them. The look of betrayal and hurt was clear in his eyes and it wasn't faked in the least. Taj didn't waste another moment before taking off to the sky and away from Julius' house and away from the city. He landed in the sparse forest behind his father's house, taking a few moments to collect himself. He was shaken, both by how well Julius had seen through him, and by the anger Julius had shown towards the first completely honest and good willed thing Taj had done towards him. Lykaios had been right to tell Taj not to trust them. Julius had not said anything about his suspicions until his mate came up. Taj didn't know if Julius had been using him or if he had believed Taj had been harmless as the rest, but whatever he had thought, it was clear that Taj was the enemy. Taj might not have taken it so hard if he hadn't opened himself up, for just a moment. He had felt connected to Julius for a moment in time and had offered a little of himself in return, only to be slammed against a wall and called a liar and a traitor. Not that he wasn't, but towards Julius it had been different. Taj wouldn't have let him be hurt.

Taj trudged through the thick tangle of forest to the special tree he left notes in for his father from time to time. Taj added an inquiry about the teal-eyed Avaen with the rose mark before stuffing the paper in the tree. He had no idea how long it would be before his father got the message or responded. It could be days, weeks, months. It wasn't like Taj could come check every day either. Message delivered, Taj headed back towards the resistance headquarters. He wondered if Julius would have the others take him to the torture rooms and use the techniques he had taught Julius. Taj sneaked into his own room and laid on the bed, debating whether he should leave or stay. Leaving might confirm some kind of guilt, but he was running a risk by staying as well. Maybe he should start the next part of his father's plan. Taj looked at the small angel figurine inside of which a vial of Azure was contained. The question of whether Avaens of different ranks and half-breeds could survive Azure was still in question. Perhaps tonight he should poison the officer's dinners and see what happened. If he was going to be killed anyway, he might as well do something that would help his father and mother.

"What's wrong squirt? You look like someone just pulled your wings out." Milo was a nice enough officer, quick to laugh and with a joke to lighten the mood. He wasn't high up on the resistance pole, but he was high born and unlucky today. Taj decided to only poison one person so as not to arouse suspicion. Milo was a random choice and Taj had put the virus in a plate he wasn't even serving. Winter would take the fall. Taj didn't feel bad for this as he was pretty sure Winter wasn't loyal in the least bit. He was a surly character and Taj could see the signs of one a little too broken by Corvines. If Milo got sick Winter would be blamed and Taj would have done the resistance a favor in exchange for the harm. Everyone would win.

"Mr. J was upset earlier and I made it worse instead of better. I'm trying to figure out if he'll kick me out or not." Taj answered Milo as Winter gave him the infected plate.

"I doubt it. The captain is a hardass, but he's not cruel like that. You're a good kid Taj, he'll forgive and forget." Taj highly doubted either.