Blood-Bound Ch3
#3 of Blood-Bound
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Ch3
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"Master?" I asked, hoping I would not be reprimanded for talking out of turn. I was still kneeling on the ground in the restaurant, my new Master next to me, trying to stop the bleeding, but having little luck. "The blade was magicked."
"How do you know?" Tiran asked, genuinely curious. I looked toward him and my polite expression faded a little into an actual smile.
"It hurt more than it should when he used the blade, and there were runes engraved on it." Runes meant old magic, and magic that couldn't be remade. The only magic now was simple protection and healing, nothing near the spells of old that could wreak havoc and destruction upon nations. Those spells were all gone, the only ones remaining being small enchanted blades or armor.
Tiran lifted me, standing me up so we could leave. As soon as his rough claws released my weight, though, my knee made a snapping noise. Pain rushed to my head and I swayed on the spot, feeling sick. Master Tiran jumped at the crack, and once realizing what it was he lifted my small frame into his arms, rushing to get into the outer world.
My consciousness started to fade as we left, but I kept it long enough to finally see what the city looked like.
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I woke with a start, my heart racing in the dim room. Underneath me was a simple cot, supporting my weight as I sat up and took in my surroundings. An ornate rug covered the floor, the edges revealing a highly polished wood floor. The walls were what seemed to be glass, rippled for privacy, yet letting in the evening light from outside. One entire wall was taken up with an open air balcony, the view stunningly high up.
From here I saw rooftops and the high flags of the castle in the distance. To the right was the wharf, waves reflecting the sun on their crests. I shivered as the wind blew in through the open walls, my bedding stirring slightly beneath me. Fall was fast approaching, and the colder winds ran over my heat-tempered body.
I looked around more and saw, to my astonishment, that Tarin was sitting in a chair next to me. His head slumped and light breaths coming from the curved beak. His wings were unsettled, resting strangely against the back of his chair. In his hand claws were two disks. The copper one was my blood coin, but next to it was a fine silver circle inlayed with runes and twirling patterns. A faint light shone from the silver and I raised a hand to my chest.
A faint scar now resided where before had only been a bloody mess. I ran my hand over the scar and was amazed that now not only did it look like a feather, but it felt like a feather. I reached down to my knee and felt carefully along it, making sure that it was fully healed.
I rose from the bed and stretched, my body having been repaired. I took a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around Master Tiran's shoulders, tucking his wings for him the best that I could whilst I decided that I would explore the house, and familiarize myself better for Master. As an afterthought, I removed the two discs from his talons.
I walked to the wall and ran my hands along the rippled form, looking for a door to the inner part of the house. Finding none I walked to the balcony, and from there walked into another room. The view was stunning from this high up, and now I realized that I was in a tower near the top of the cliff on the outskirts of the city. Below I could see many small figures, wearing colors from bright green to a mottled gray.
From here I could tell that none wore crimson like I did. I ran my hand across my waist where the loincloth was usually bound and I realized for the first time that I wasn't wearing anything anymore. My body was fully exposed to winds up here, causing goosebumps to ripple down my thighs. At least at this height no one below would be able to tell that I was nude.
I turned quickly and walked into the next room, my face flushed from my realization. This room was more filled than the last. A low table rested in the center, surrounded by plush cushions and looking remarkably like the table that I had shown Master Tiran to in the restaurant. A bookcase took up a side wall, the glass behind it dark from being pressed into the cliff.
A door led from this room into the main building and was latched with a small metal clasp. I reached toward it and grabbed on only to be shocked by what felt like a fire blast of pain that traveled up my arm, spreading over my body as I yelped. The last trace of the fire lingered in my new scar, and I lifted my hand to feel it.
The first thing I felt was cool metal pressing against the skin. I realized that I still had the two metal discs in my hand and pulled them away. The burning feeling surged after the metal left my skin, burning deeper than it had when I had touched the latch.
I quickly brought the metal back and soothed the pain, sighing when the burning faded. A blast of energy flowed from my hand and a blinding light poured from between my fingers. The metal faded from my hands and I panicked, dropping to the floor to find the fallen tokens. As the light faded and the spots left my eyes I looked around in confusion.
The coins were nowhere to be found, but instead I found what seemed to be a lump of scarlet covered metal. I gasped as realization hit me. Sitting on the floor before me was my blood-bond, separated from my being.
Somehow the bond had broken, leaving any need for obedience and being fully subservient to fade. I immediately felt bad about it. Master Tiran had wasted a small fortune on me, and now I wasn't bound to him. I ran a hand over my smooth skin, which would now start growing hair. I was unbound from the bond and the chaste mark. My body would start maturing to my nineteen years, and I was free.
I crouched looking at the metal lump, not daring to touch it. Its scarlet color had faded a bit, leaving a slightly coppery looking substance. The floor beneath it picked up the scarlet color, but blended well with the cherry wood.
I was so deep in thought that I did not hear Master... No, just Tiran... Come around the corner. A claw on my shoulder startled me and I stood up straight, bowing slightly to the hawk-man. He looked calm and collected, his wings folded behind him as he tilted his head slightly, implying confusion.
"I broke the blood-bond, I'm sorry."
He just looked at me for a second. "Well, one less thing I have to do!" Tiran's melodic voice informed me, assuaging my fears. "And I like the copper-gold feather."
I looked at him, confused by the last comment until he poked my chest. I looked down to see that the scar tissue had been replaced a multi metaled feather. I stroked it and was amazed that, even though it appeared to be metal, it was as soft as the chest plumage on Tiran. I smiled, the first real smile in a long time, and hugged Tiran.
"Whoa there!" he said in a nice tone. "You are still nude."
"I don't care!"
I slowly released Tiran and smiled happily as he walked over to the door, unlatching it without a problem. He lead me inside to a large kitchen/formal dining area. The walls were decorated with inlays and the floor was all covered in carpet, the lush fabric of it feeling good against my bare feet. The dining table was carved ivory plating, a mosaic taking up the middle. The kitchen itself was better equipped than the kitchen at The Je'weel, fresh produce sitting in baskets along the counter.
Knives hung along the wall in small stands, a section taken up by pots and pans. The multitude of metal instruments gleaming in the light from the rippled windows. Away from all the hanging items was a small food prep area, which looked well maintained. A hall at the other end lead down from this room and deeper into the cliff, two doors at the end across from each other.
"One is my bedroom, and the other is the bathe." Tiran said, standing close behind me as I took in my new surroundings.
"I am truly sorry that I broke the blood-bond." I stated, "And after you spent so much."
Tiran looked abashed by my comment. "I would not have kept you as a slave, I would have freed you immediately anyways. I believe that all should be free, able to gather their own way in life. Make their own mistakes, pay their own debts." Tiran's eyes looked far off, staring through the open door as the sun started to dip below the horizon.
"I don't know how to live on my own though, and I don't want to leave you after all you have done for me." I admitted quietly, my face reddening from embarrassment. I truly feared that he would force me to leave, have me go on my own into the world.
"Well, from what I saw at the restaurant, you are a brilliant cook. What if you stayed with me, and cook for me?"
I just hugged him in response, his arms wrapping around me as well. Having the large bird hold me was comforting, and I relaxed into it, breathing in the woodsy smell of the hawk. His soft plumage rubbed against me nicely.
"Now," Tiran stated, pulling back, "Let's get you some clothes!"
I giggled lightly and nodded in response. Tiran started toward the hall and led me to what had to be his room. It was dark compared to the rest of the house, and was warm, comforting. A large bed filled the center of the room. The only other furniture was a wardrobe, which Tarin was rooting through. He turned back to me and tossed me a garment that was a cross between the loincloth I had always worn and the shorts that he wore himself.
It was gold colored and had a silver rope belt, a long gold flap coming down from both the front and the back. I slipped it on, noticing it was a little loose at the back, most likely designed for Avians. As I tied the rope belt tight Tarin came up behind me and lifted me easily. He quickly jumped both of us into the bed, putting us smack dab in the middle of the plush mattress.
He held me close to him, wrapping his arms around me as he murmured goodnight in my ear.
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