Bird of a Cage [BoW 4]

Chapter 3

Pain sparkled at the edges of his awareness. The stench of blood and fire clogged up his nose. His chest was tight, his heart steady, but breathing was painful. People were in the background working and moving. The clatter of metal again metal and footsteps on the soft ground surrounded him. They weren't in a battle. The aftermath, certainly, but not the battle itself. It was hard to pick up words or voices. They merged and parted like waves, never making sense for long.

"You should go," Feno's familiar and reassuring voice said. "People will notice that you're not one of us."

"Soon," Ravn replied. Something fizzled around Taidra. Something was wrong here. Why was Ravn by him? Fingers danced over his forearm, running in circles as they pressed to his pulse. "He should be awake." The words were pointed, almost challenging. Accusing Taidra of something? Taidra wanted to hide back in the darkness, but the pricks of pain were forcing him forward and into the world again.

"Let him pull himself together," Feno's voice held steady. Soothing and calm, for Ravn's sake or his own? Possibly both. Feno was good at that. Keeping everyone around him calm when the logical thing was to panic and flail. His chest untwisted, not entirely his lungs continued to hurt with every breathe but the stress drained. "It takes him a moment sometimes."

"But, his implant is not connecting."

It wasn't? That explained the quiet buzzing sound ringing in his ears and the lack of an A.I. pounding on his brain. Was it broken? That wouldn't be good. There wasn't anyone to fix it. Even if he could hunt down his father in the south, the tech wasn't around anymore.

That thought probably should alarm him more than it did.

He shifted. He needed to see where he was. Were they still in the fortress, or had they pulled back somewhere?

He got a glimpse of worried faces above him before his vision turned to white. Pain ground against his being, sliding under his skin under everything fizzed and popped sickeningly. A scream fell from his lips, increasing in volume as hands held him down. His leg seemed to remember it existed and felt like it was on fire itself. Someone gripped his neck and tried to force some liquid down his throat, but he spat it out. Less willingly so and more his body refusing the liquid.

"Taidra," Feno called, a hand making him look at his lover. Other arms were around him, keeping him steady as he continued to twitch painfully. "Swallow the medicine, baby." Large hands cupped his face, his thumb rubbing his cheeks reassuringly.

It didn't help. He knew he should. It was Feno. He could trust Feno. Panic was overtaking that knowledge. It wasn't safe. This wasn't safe. His A.I. wasn't responding, and he didn't know where they were. Ravn was here. He shook his head, biting his lip as they tried to get him to swallow the pills. Everything hurt. It hurt so bad. His chest, his leg, his throat, everything was colliding together, and he couldn't reach the memories. Why was it hurting? It hadn't hurt before he moved. He ached to return to that place again, where everything was floating, but it wasn't safe to go there. Not until he knew what was happening. He choked as his lungs desperately tried to breathe. His head felt terrible, and his stomach felt worse. It felt like he was dying.

"Sweetheart, come on, you need to sleep," Feno pleased, lips kissing Taidra's forehead. "I'm here. Swallow. Please."