Bird of a Wing (Bow 1)

Chapter 26

Tai'ray stormed down the corridor from the throne room, his footsteps echoing. The conversation with Loror had not gone well at all. The Warlord has accused him of endangering the entire war effort over one man and more. Loror had also told Tai'ray to give up on Ryraso once and for all as it was clear the healer had no intention of going with him willingly.

The words swirling in his mind with the frightened yells of Ryraso denying him until Tai-ray yelled in frustration and punched the nearest wall. A big crack appearing in the stone from the force of his hit. The pain reached his mind and he breathed slowly, forcing himself to calm down a little. His mates giving him the mental space he needed. Tai'ray's thoughts on Ryraso were now stormy. On the one hand, he wanted Ryraso so badly in his nest on the other, Ryraso had genuinely been scared. What the human had asked Nel'os had cut deeply in Nel'os' own scars.

Not that Tai'ray didn't have his own reasons to be furious with Loror. The man had known that Ryraso had an apprentice and hadn't seen fit to tell him. An apprentice close enough to be considered a son and who Aw'endo had apparently grown close enough to that he was willing to risk angering them over. Tai'ray would have to take Eyeri into account now with his plans.

As far as his encounter with Loror went, Tai'ray had been lucky. Very lucky, had he had caused the Namya a massive blow by destroying the ship. That fact alone was the only reason he was still standing. He was going to have to be more careful in the future, or risk the K'nairi losing the Winglord and the new one being a wingless human. Even if said human was very powerful. Loror would not be able to hold the link. They would fall into ruin with him as their head.

By the skin of his teeth, Tai'ray was still in Loror's good books. He just had to tread carefully for the next few weeks. Luckily Loror had begrudgingly given him permission to catch Ryraso for his own. Loror had seemed almost impressed by his decision to drag every traitor back for their due desserts. But then again the Namya would be a considerable amount of men down by the end of the process, as well as completely out of people to defend them in the air. There were a few humans who were able to fly using magic, but none of them could fly well enough to be of any real threat to the K'nairi as a force. Maybe a few K'nairi on their own, but not a division. Plus Tai'ray would be kidnapping them as well. As far as he was concerned, anyone who flew was under his domain.

"You shouldn't punch the walls," Sakmi commented as he appeared by Tai'ray's side, the aloof spymaster, leaning on the wall next to him and crossing his arms with a disapproving look. "You could hurt yourself."

"Not a good time Sakmi!" Tai'ray growled between gritted teeth. He felt like he was about to attack someone and he did not want that person to be Loror's lapdog. His dislike for Sakmi was highest when the man was sucking up to Loror's rules, outside of those times he liked the man somewhat.

"I have your orders," Sakmi offered a roll of paper, his eyes looking up and down Tai'ray's shaking wings calmly. "Lord Loror has given you the next six months to sort out your empire. Under the condition you and your men retrieve the majority or more preferably all of the K'nairi caw by that time," he revealed softly.

Tai'ray blinked, looking at Sakmi in disbelief, his hand moving from the wall to take the roll of paper to look over it. Loror... Tai'ray knew he had been impressed and was looking forward to the possible effects to the D'mar's fight but to actually be given his support was not something Tai'ray had expected. Especially given the dressing down he had just received.

"Our lord has also promised that if you succeed, an order will be sent round that anyone who is found to harm a human caw will be put at the mercy of the K'nairi," Sakmi added, able to see the shock on the Winglord clearly.

"He isn't mad," Tai'ray murmured, reading the orders on the scroll in shock and growing joy and delight. If he had freedom to move as needed to collect his missing people, that changed everything.