Enslaved

Chapter 42

Ryuu watched as Kaida struck yet another punch on Kajeel and flitted away, not giving him a chance to land a blow on her before she was a few feet away and in a defensive pose. Ryuu watched as Kajeel charged her and she blocked the blow to her ribs, ducking and rolling underneath the blow before standing and whirling around, taking a few hopping steps back from him. The sun beat down on Ryuu's armor, heating him from the inside out and he stood, shaking out his wings before jumping out of the tree and soaring down to them, landing in between them to stop their practice. Kajeel grinned at him slyly, his shirt clinging to him with sweat and Ryuu gave him a grim smile back.

"It's almost time to go." Ryuu looked at Kaida before turning back to Kajeel. "You're to run the camp while I'm gone."

Kajeel nodded, wiping his forehead, and Ryuu turned back to Kaida.

"You have more than proven that you can defend yourself." Ryuu felt his heart swell with pride and happiness at the thought. "You can come with us."

She grinned from ear to ear but Ryuu held up a finger so he wouldn't forget what else he had to tell her. She had the uncanny ability to make his thoughts change direction like the wind.

"Kajeel will take you to get outfitted with the minimal amount of armor you will be able to fly with and find someone to help you plait your hair back. You will be carrying slaves only, not fighting."

She nodded and walked around him to Kajeel and Ryuu watched as she smiled at him before they started walking toward the majority of his people were waiting for his order to take to the skies.

"Looks like all our hard work paid off! Good job impressing him, little dragon." Ryuu heard Kajeel's praise and he couldn't help his smile at her nickname. He would tell her his soon enough. "Now just prove to him that you deserve to be there."

Ryuu turned away from them and took in the armor-clad hybrids waiting, some glancing in his direction but most just talking with each other restlessly. Ryuu started in their direction, hoping that Kajeel would make sure to give Kaida the correct armor. He couldn't let her get hurt, he couldn't let her get taken. Not now, not after he had finally found her. He shook himself out of his worrying thoughts and scanned the crowd for Kajeel and Kaida, wondering where Kajeel had lead her in the short amount of time he had taken his eyes off them.

He finally spotted her at the edge of the group, talking with Kajeel as he handed her a sheathed dagger and showed her how to conceal it on her hip. A pang of worry caused all the breath in Ryuu's lungs to leave in a whoosh as the thought of her going on this raid with him looped around in his mind again. He knew that she had gotten much stronger thanks to Kajeel's report to him earlier and from watching her fight but he couldn't bear the thought of her getting hurt or losing sight of her in the midst of the battle and getting taken. Kajeel had told him all about their training but had also filled him in on what had happened during that attack, how Kaida had warned all of the hybrids in their camp and how she had gutted an enemy hybrid completely through the stomach before Kajeel had gotten to her. Kajeel also told him that after the attack, he had started training her with weapons; where to strike, how much force to apply, and how to carry all of the different weapons. Ryuu was beyond grateful. For more than two reasons, the Emperor was after her and he didn't want to find out what the other reason was for. He reached them and Kaida spotted him first, offering him a tense grin before he turned to Kajeel and nodded, wishing he could bring the male along.

"Thank you." He told him, holding out his hand. "I know you staying behind yet again is not ideal but there is nobody else I could trust to do it."

Kajeel gave him a wicked smirk before taking his hand roughly, clenching his fingers around Ryuu's.

"I understand dude." He said, shaking Ryuu's hand roughly before letting go. "Go save our people."

Ryuu gave him a smile before Kajeel opened his wings and took off, angling his flight toward the eating area where the rest of the freed hybrids were watching. Ryuu turned back to Kaida and looked her up and down, making sure that no strap of armor was too loose or too tight while also measuring it in his head. Would she be able to fly with it on? He locked their gazes and noticed the nerves she held at bay barely peeking through her expression and he forced his own anxiety back.

"Keep your wits about you." He told her. "Fly fast and fly sure. You are only to help carry the freed slaves back into the camp, okay?"

She nodded, swallowing thickly and Ryuu laid a hand on her armored shoulder.

"It's going to go smoothly and there will be no casualties." He felt her take a deep breath. "You've trained for this. You can do this, I know you can. For Valik."

A gleam sparkled in the corner of her eye as he took his hand off her shoulder and opened his wings, taking off right in front of her and watching as she didn't so much as flinch before he redirected his gaze to the whole crowd of hybrids. One by one they all looked up at him until he held everybody's attention and nobody was talking, the rustle of wind being the only noise around them.

"We have received information that there is a mining colony near this camp." He called out over the crowd, watching as they frowned in concern. "We are going to find that colony and free every single one of those slaves to show the wretched Empire just who they messed with. For Vaerali!"

"For Vaerali!"

As one the whole crowd took off, their shouts echoing off the hillside where the water crashed into the lake and the surrounding trees as they all rose into the air and followed Ryuu as he flew over their little camp, aiming for the forest area. His eyes searched for the mountain base Kaida had told him about, his mind seeing slaves shackled and bound together, marching in straight lines with slavers lashing whips against their skin and scales alike. He would free them, no matter how it happened.

He would free them all.