Enslaved

Chapter 8

Ryuu flew in a small, tight circle as he watched his hybrids picking the minuscule locks on the shackles that still encircled every slave's wrists, ankles, neck, and wings. He watched with satisfaction as the slaves stretched out their wings for the first time, lighter patches of scarred over scales where the bands had encircled them stark against the rest of the glittering black. He gritted his teeth at that but continued hovering until most of the slaves were shackle free and his people had carried off the excess chains, shackles, and cuffs, taking them off to where his forces would use the precious metals to forge new blades and reinforce their battle armor. He watched as one of his men opened his wings and shot upward, causing several slaves to be pushed backward by the force of his wind and look up at them tentatively. Ryuu recognized his second as he flew closer and it wasn't even a few seconds before they were face to face, hovering a few feet apart so their wings didn't crash into each other.

"How are they faring?" Ryuu asked his second, noting the human blood that caked them both and grimacing in disgust. "Anyone dissenting or refusing help? Any serious injuries?"

His second shook his head, his eyes going to the newly freed slaves before locking back onto Ryuu's eyes. Ryuu felt his shoulders relax slightly at that.

"You should go down there and speak with them before they get assigned to cabins and get told their roommates." They both glanced down at the milling hybrids on the ground, watching as the new recruits kept to themselves, even as the camps three healers went around, bandaging them and applying a cream to their wings where those heinous bands had been. "Just talk with them and try to make them more comfortable. That's what all the others are doing. Some of these slaves were raised in those tunnels, Ryuu."

Ryuu looked up at his second before gazing back down to the milling hybrids and nodded without looking back up. The sound of his second's wing beats distancing told Ryuu that he had flown back down to the ground and he waited till he saw him land and fold his wings, disappearing quickly in the crowd of people. Ryuu hovered in the air for another moment before arching his wings and soaring down to the edge of the crowd, coincidentally landing in front of the only slave he recognized.

The tall male had the perfect sized wings for how tall he was and his brown hair was curly but close-cropped, no doubt by the slavers. His head was turning this way and that, as if he was looking for something or someone. Ryuu landed beside him and folded his wings in close, noting how the healers had already visited him by the careful wraps around where his shackles had been and the smell of the healing cream emanating from his wings. Ryuu cleared his throat and the male turned around, immediately looking into his eyes and blinking in recognition.

"Hello," Ryuu said, giving the male a little smile in an effort to come across as welcoming and not frightening with his blood-soaked armor. "I do not believe that we were properly introduced earlier during the...chaos. I am Ryuu, the leader of the rebellion. I couldn't help noticing how you looked a little lost, is there anything I can help you with?"

The male frowned slightly before shaking his head and extending a hand out in front of him, his own shaking very slightly.

"N-no, I was just trying to find the slave who stood behind me." He stammered at first, his Draconic rusty, but gained control of his voice quickly. "Nice to meet you Ryuu, my name is Valik."

Ryuu shook Valik's hand, noting the subtle strength in his grip thanks to the mining before they let go and both of their hands dropped back to their sides. Valik's gaze looked around behind him again before returning to Ryuu, his light brown dragon eyes slightly troubled before he sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"Actually I could use your help if you're willing." Ryuu listened to Valik, noticing how his eyes seemed sad and haunted. "The slave behind me, she was the only one who ever even slightly disobeyed the slavers. I need to see if she is okay."

Ryuu tilted his head.

"What do you mean, 'disobeyed' the slavers?" He asked Valik, genuinely curious. "I've never heard of that before from a slave, much less of ones that spent almost every day in those tunnels."

"I mean she looked up at me." Valik huffed, turning and scanning the crowd again for this mysterious slave. "And even though the slavers whipped her within an inch of her life, she still looked up at me. She always seemed...curious. I have to apologize to her for not being able to stop what they did to her."

Ryuu sighed, knowing the feeling of failing a slave before and he laid a hand on Valik's shoulder, causing him to look back at Ryuu.

"What does she look like?" Ryuu asked, knowing that he had to help this male, even if he didn't know him. "So I can help you find her."

Valik's eyes clouded over and he shook his head slightly, his expression twisting.

"I only saw her twice, once while we were outside for the third time in our lives and the second time while we were running to the other side of that courtyard yesterday night." Ryuu waited for Valik to continue, keeping his patience as the male's eyes continued to scan the crowd. "She has waist-length golden hair and she's kind of short. Oh, and her wings are the largest I have ever seen on someone so small; they go at least half a foot over her head. And that was still while dragging along the ground in the caves."

Ryuu thought about that, remembering the flash of gold he had seen when he had been hovering outside the entrance to the camp, watching his force fly in with the freed slaves. Had that been her hair?

"Her eyes." Valik's voice broke through Ryuu's thoughts, sounding as if he had just remembered something. "Her eyes are two different colors, one green, and one blue."

Ryuu blinked in surprise, his mind whirling.

"Are you sure about that?" Ryuu asked, his brain going a thousand miles an hour. "You weren't allowed to even look up so when would you have seen her eyes? I've also never seen anything like that before and I've been alive a long time."

Valik opened his mouth to answer when he suddenly jumped into action, lunging between hybrids and disappearing through the crowd. Ryuu followed him, nimbly weaving between hybrids and apologizing to anyone who he ran into or bumped. He had just sidestepped one of them when he saw Valik's back to him, hugging a small, slight girl with long, waist-length golden hair shimmering in the light of the sun despite the dirt that streaked through it. Ryuu gave a soft smile at the reunited friends and was about to turn away when the girl looked up and met his eyes, her neck shackle still on and a line of enraged, red skin crisscrossed along her neck and chest, the imprint of a harsh whip being snapped across her soft skin. His eyes met her guarded mismatched ones and he seemed to forget how to breathe as all of the air left his lungs in one big, silent whoosh. The very world seemed to stop moving and all of the noise around him dulled to a near-silent buzz in the back of his head as he stared and stared at the most gorgeous hybrid he had ever laid eyes on. She was short, with wings that matched his in size but dwarfed her. Valik hadn't been lying about her eyes either, they were exquisite; one a sapphire blue and the other a warm green like the grass that covered the clearing. He had never seen anybody with eyes like hers in the years he had been running the rebellion.

He had only heard of stories where this happened, it was so rare. His father had mentioned it to him once, all those years ago when he had inquired about who his mother was. His father had told him then, about how sometimes if a hybrid is blessed, they will have an equal to spend their life with, someone who matched them in power and mindfulness. Ryuu had nearly forgotten this and had dismissed the very thought years ago and yet here she was, standing right in front of him with her eyes staring into his unblinkingly.

The girl standing before Ryuu was his soulmate.