Enslaved

Chapter 10

Ryuu watched as the healer took off Kaida's neck band and she crumpled, falling on her wings as her knees buckled. He lunged toward where she fell without thinking and watched as Valik grabbed her right arm, keeping her head from hitting the ground as he eased her to the grassy floor on top of her wings. He was in front of Valik before the male even had time to crouch down with Kaida, causing him to flinch at the wind that buffeted his hair. Ryuu knelt down as the healer came around to him, her apologies coming in an unending stream from her mouth.

"I don't know why she just collapsed, I'm sorry sir." She was babbling, the metal band from Kaida's neck forgotten in her hands. "Nobody has ever done that before, I'm so sorry."

Ryuu didn't bother to look at her to reply.

"It's not your fault, Vivia." He muttered, lifting Kaida's head off the ground and doing his best to shift her weight mostly off her wings. "Just get the rest off her."

Ryuu felt eyes boring into the right side of his head and turned, locking eyes with Valik as he stared at Ryuu. Ryuu barely noticed when Vivia walked around to Kaida's feet and started on the shackles there, being very careful of how the chains dug into the earth where they had been broken off into sharp ends by swords. Ryuu didn't take his eyes off of Valik's, having a silent and swift stare down. Valik blinked and looked away first, letting Ryuu look back down to Kaida, completely dismissing the other male and watching as Kaida's eyes flickered underneath her lids. She was more than stunning, even without opening her beautiful eyes, and Ryuu wondered how he had gotten blessed her as his soulmate. How he had gotten blessed with a soulmate at all.

Vivia hissed at what she saw as she unclasped the shackle around Kaida's ankle, causing Ryuu to look up sharply, but she moved on to Kaida's left ankle, working swiftly and efficiently. Vivia had just taken the other shackle off Kaida's ankle when her eyes opened and her breath caught as her eyes locked on Ryuu's, who was leaning over her. Ryuu shifted his weight as Vivia came around Kaida's left side and lifted her hand, inspecting the shackle that wound around her wrist. Kaida's eyes filled with panic for a moment before Ryuu, without even thinking about it, started rubbing soothing circles on her shoulder blade, just to the right of where her right wing joined her back.

"It's okay." Ryuu's voice was quiet and not a voice he had used often, surprising himself. "Vivia is just trying to help you. She's going to take your chains off."

Kaida's eyes shuddered before the panic leeched out of them and the chink of Vivia getting the chain off Kaida's left wrist was the only noise that echoed across Ryuu's ears. Vivia swiftly drew the chain away from Kaida's irritated skin and moved around her, starting on her right wrist.

"Ryuu!"

Ryuu turned his head to the left and looked nearly behind him and around his wing, seeing his second in command sidling through the crowd of hybrids with his wings tucked in tight, offering a few hushed apologies to anybody he bumped.

"Ryuu, I've been looking everywhere for you. There is someone who has been asking for the leader of the rebellion and I told them that I would find you."

Ryuu looked down at the golden-haired hybrid in his lap, not wanting to leave her here while she was vulnerable.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, his eyes scanning her face. "Will you be okay if I leave?"

She swallowed, looking to Valik for a second before looking back to Ryuu and nodding. Ryuu studied her face one more time before he set her head down on the ground gently and stood, taking three steps before he was face to face with his second and willed his eyes to turn dark. He heard Valik move around him and then start speaking lowly to Kaida but shut out the noise, focusing on his second.

"Of course. Lead the way."

Ryuu followed him into the throng of freed slaves, weaving in between wings and arms and legs as he was led to the edge of their encampment towards a slave who was standing there, shuffling their wings against their back, the bands of pale scars stark against the rest of the pitch-black scales. His people, enslaved for lifetimes because of spiteful cowardice of their abilities, through hateful acts against their peaceful lives. Ryuu's lips parted in a silent snarl at the humans who had spent their lives tracking and hunting his people to ruin their peaceful lives. He would free all of his people and gratefully watch the humans who had hurt them for decades burn.

"Ryuu?"

Ryuu looked up and met his second's face, shaking his head to clear it and allowing the snarl to melt off his face as he saw the slight, scarred girl standing behind him. He shook himself and forced his face into a pleasant one, nodding at his second and causing him to take a step to the right, giving Ryuu a clear view of the female who gazed up at him with doe eyes. She was small, with caramel-colored hair and honey-colored eyes that were shadowed with an inner darkness that seemed stuck to her soul. Ryuu blinked at her before holding out his hand in what he hoped was a familiar gesture.

"I am Ryuu, leader of the rebellion." He introduced himself calmly, keeping his voice pleasant. "What's your name?"

The girl opened her mouth but just as fast closed it, reaching out her right hand to shake his with slim, shaking fingers.

"H-hello, Ryuu." Her voice was soft but shaking slightly, her Draconic slightly better than Valik's. "I'm M-Mae."

Ryuu smiled at her and they dropped hands.

"Kajeel said that you needed to speak with me?" Her eyes shot to his second in command before locking back onto his face. "And that it was urgent?"

She nodded, a few strands of hair falling out from behind her ear and into her face. She made no move to brush it away as she took a deep breath.

"I-I was often the one the s-slavers u-u-used when they....when they w-wanted fun." Ryuu suppressed his flinch at her words, the blinding fury at what she hinted at. "And a f-few days ago, one of t-the slavers let it s-slip that they were moving u-us somewhere for a s-special reason."

Ryuu furrowed his eyebrows and tilted his head in question, wondering why all the slavers around this area were taking all of his people to the same place as one large migration. Mae's voice floated above his tumultuous thoughts, breaking them apart like clouds on a sunny day.

"He s-said that they were taking us all t-to the same place over the mountains." Mae's eyes filled with tears and the horrors of what she was remembering. "They w-wanted us all in one place so they could w-w-wipe us out f-f-forever." Her voice changed to mimic the slaver who had told her this. "'To wipe their stain from Vaerali for good.'"