Enslaved

Chapter 11

Kaida stared up at the sky, the wind blowing across the inflamed skin along her ankles and wrists. She swallowed and marveled at the feeling of smoothness just as the healer, Vivia, she remembered, appeared above her, her eyes filled with worry.

"My dear, you need to sit up so I can get these clamps off your wings." Vivia's voice wafted over Kaida, turning into mush in her head as she relished the feeling of the wind across her bare throat. "Kaida?"

She blinked, moving her eyes ever so slowly to meet with Vivia's as her thoughts spiraled back down into her head. She had forgotten the uncomfortable position and pain from laying on her wings until Vivia mentioned it. Ryuu had eased that pain when he had held her head and upper shoulders in his lap but he had left, causing her full weight to go back onto her wings. Why had he gone so quickly?

"Yes?"

Kaida carefully sat up and Vivia let out an exhale that might've been in relief before she knelt down by Kaida's head and rested a hand on the apex of her right wing, her fingers gentle and warm now. She carefully lifted her wing so the light glinted off of the metal band at the very top of her unused wings, around the smallest and boniest part. With what felt like barely second, Vivia had the band hissing open and clattering on the floor, making Kaida shiver as the air caressed the paler scales where the band had been. Vivia made quick work of the other two bands on Kaida's wing before she quietly moved around her and started on her left wing, this time going from the largest band around the thickest part where the wing folded in. Her right wing started shaking like a sail in the wind as Vivia's fingers brushed over a rather large, mottled scar along her wing right underneath the band that had barely healed. Without so much as a word, Vivia unlocked the band, carefully pulling it out of under her wing before moving on to the middle band. Movement flickered on Kaida's left and she turned her head slightly to meet Valik's worried eyes where he stood almost looming over her.

"Are you okay?" His voice was cautious and his eyes kept darting to her right wing before back to her.

She nodded minutely and Valik's posture eased slightly before he knelt down by Kaida, laying one hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Vivia eased the middle shackle band off her wing and out of under it and moved on efficiently, tackling the very last band that still kept Kaida from opening her wings. Valik's eyes flashed with a powerful emotion that Kaida had never seen before and she felt her own eyebrows furrow slightly in question. Valik's mouth parted into a very small, very precious, and warm smile.

"We're out, Kaida." His voice sounded at the exact same time as Vivia got the last band off Kaida's wings. "We're free."

Kaida sat straighter, drawing her wings over the earth sharply and nearly causing Vivia to fall over when she clipped her left ankle. Valik stood and offered Kaida his hand that she immediately took and stood up, opening her wings to the sunlight and fresh air for the first time in her life. She felt something warm and wet roll down her face and she realized that she was crying just as Valik walked around her so that she was face to face with him. His eyes were full of tears he refused to let fall as she closed her wings and, for the first time since she had lost her mother, gave a heartfelt smile.

She turned to Vivia to thank her and noticed that she was holding aloft bandages and ointment with an air of authority. Kaida swallowed but nodded and quicker than she thought possible, Vivia bandaged her wrists and ankles before spreading ointment over the pale scarred scales on her wings. Kaida met Vivia's eyes as she stood, holding her case of lock picks and medicine and Vivia's eyes crinkled as she frowned. She put her box back down and applied some cream to her hand and stepped forward.

"Your neck, my dear." Vivia's voice was gentle. "May I?"

Kaida nodded and Vivia carefully rubbed the cream over the whip mark on her neck and the flame hot skin where the neck shackle had been before pulling away and picking up her box of tools.

"Thank you." Her voice wobbled with emotion and Vivia just gave a warm smile before turning and walking away, disappearing into the crowd.

She then looked around and noticed that there was a small circle around her of hybrids just watching her and she dropped her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face as her smile widened. She shuffled her feet and stretched her toes, marveling at how much dirtier they were now that she was out of those wretched tunnels and in the sunlight where she could properly see. She lifted her head slightly to look around and noticed how everyone's gaze was to her right, staring at something that demanded their attention.

She turned and saw a slight platform where the male that had introduced himself as Ryuu was standing with a different male to his right, a step or two behind him but equally as large and broad-shouldered. Ryuu stepped forward as Kaida looked back to him and as she watched as he opened his wings and down-flapped violently, causing an echoing boom to ricochet through the small clearing and catch everybody's attention. Kaida flinched but watched as Ryuu closed his wings and waited as the last of the murmurs drifted into silence. Ryuu shuffled his wings against his back before taking one more step forward, drawing everyone's attention directly to him.

"Hello and welcome to everyone here. We are more than glad and more than proud of all of you for making it here." Ryuu's wings shuffled again as he resettled them against his back and adjusted a strap of his glittering, blood-crusted armor. "Starting things off, I am Ryuu. I founded this rebellion years ago and have no intentions on letting it fall apart until we have our home back. There are only a few rules here. Do not intentionally put yourself or others into danger. Do not expose us to the Empire. And do not cross any lines and or question my leadership or you will end up dying. Everything I do is to keep you safe. We are only alive because of split-second decisions by me and my second in command."

Ryuu gestured to the male standing slightly behind him to his right and the man stepped forward so he was side by side with Ryuu and shuffled his wings in what Kaida thought was anticipation.

"I am Kajeel, second in command here. Anything that Ryuu doesn't see comes through me and in emergency situations I am in charge. Again, do not question the leadership here. All that we do, we do it to keep you alive and safe. However, don't worry, we aren't cruel or anything."

Kajeel gave a smile at the few laughs that echoed across the crowd before he stepped back and returned to his position slightly behind Ryuu, who cleared his throat and drew the now less cautious eyes back to him.

"We are not dictators. We just have to stress that with these heinous times, you cannot question us if you don't want to go back to those tunnels. We lead to keep you safe." Ryuu's eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Kaida for a second longer than everyone else, causing a few gazes to slant to her before going back to the platform. Why did he look at her like that? And why did it make her feel lighter? "This is also nothing like the Emperor's reign; we are fair and everyone has a say in how things are run. You are all allowed to ask any questions about our leadership or the camp you wish and there are changes that are constantly occurring. All new members are required to attend flying lessons three times a week in case we are forced to move camp so I expect you all to know how to fly by this time next week. Now, find someone to help you and they will lead you to where you are sleeping tonight and where dinner will take place. Again, we welcome you here and wish you a speedy recovery."

With that Ryuu flared open his wings and shot off the platform, Kajeel on his heels as they arched their flight and flew off behind the platform, skimming over the trees before diving down after only a few seconds. Kaida's thoughts were momentarily stunned at the ease at which he flew, at the simple display of power he showed just by taking off. Murmuring broke out across the plain as everyone tried to find someone to help them get to where Ryuu went but Kaida stood still, her eyes wide as her thoughts turned to something else. Valik wrapped his hand around her arm, right above the shackle mark on her right wrist and shook her.

"Kaida?" His voice was slightly scared. "Kaida, are you okay?"

She blinked slowly and turned to him, her eyes still wide. He opened his mouth and Kaida gave a nearly imperceptible shake of her head and looked around for someone to help them. Her thoughts were flying faster than she had seen Ryuu take off. How in the world was she expected to learn how to fly by next week? Especially when she had never flown before in her life?