Bird of a Nest (bow 3)

Chapter 34

A/N: Gore warning. Seriously, I went a further than I planned. Its safe until the end of Tai'ray's part. After, skip to the next chapter (when there is one)

Tai'ray closed his eyes at those words. Standing outside Pol'ar's office with a hand raised to knock. Fuck. Ryraso wanted to leave them. Ryraso didn't trust them anymore after this.

"Ryraso," Pol'ar's voice was gentle and coaxing. "Don't speak like that. We don't know what has happened yet. You love them; you know you do. You are just a little hurt and shaken at the moment. There is no need for such dramatic actions."

"They left him to die. What would they do to me if the nobles who created this find another way to try to dispose of me? If they make it look like I betrayed them?" Ryraso challenged.

Tai'ray looked to the side, shame rising in him that his love could think that but unable to think of anything in say at that moment to counter it. He walked away from the door. He didn't want to listen to any more. It wasn't meant for his ears, regardless. It wasn't like the feelings weren't bouncing through the link loud and clear. It was like the Goddess was taunting them, not letting them connect to Ryraso but letting them feel the emotions that he was drowning in. Doubt, guilt and horror.

"Cai'ress deserved it," Nel'os declared, the image of the blood gushing from Ryraso still very firm in his mind. The smell of blood, the greyness of his skin and the fading light in his eyes; all of them would be having nightmares for years after.

"I doubt that," Tai'ray replied gently, knowing Dyn'ad was too busy to join in with them. Tai'ray rubbed his arm. He didn't know how to feel about this. The link was calling for Cai'ress' blood but this. This was different. Ryraso wanted Cai'ress safe. The attempted murderer of a Royal was severe. Not death sentence worthy, a prolonged grounding in all honesty based on previous such things.

But Ryraso was right. It was their fault this had happened. To be exact, it was his fault. He had thrown the man out of court, determined to get the threat to his nest out of there. Now that action was serving the same danger.

Fault or not, the actions had still been taken. If Cai'ress was still alive, he would have to face the consequences for the attempted murder. Tai'ray clenched his fists as Nel'os muttered about that being obvious with a dark and dangerous edge to his tone.

"Nel'os," Tai'ray scolded. "We did this,"

"No, we didn't," Nel'os disagreed. "We did not put that knife in Cai'ress' hands. Cai'ress choose to that. He can rot in the gutters."

The tone was cold and was as sharp as the knife Cai'ress had used to stab Ryraso. Their bond ruined the cold and uncaring image, revealing Nel'os' true feelings. Ryraso was wrong. Nel'os had feelings about Cai'ress. That was the problem; he wanted to hate him. The person he had trusted had tried to kill someone he loved. How had he read Cai'ress' nature so wrong? How could any of them want anything to do with the man after this? It was wrong. It was unforgivable. No excuse could make this better or acceptable.