Page 111 of Why Broken Wings Fray

“Sure do.” I was about to turn on my heel, to leave him completely, when I sighed and forced myself to stop. “Thanks. For helping me, I mean.”

“Don’t mention it.” He shrugged before rolling his shoulders back and plastering a very false smile on his face, his eyes shifting to something over my shoulder. Frowning, I turned to see a group of humans drawing near, their eyes wide and excited as they prepared for the journey across the bay.

There was a pang of envy in me as I saw that, as I realized that I would never feel excitement or whimsy at anything beyond Saoghal, ever again.

But I would worry about that later.

For now, I needed to go back to the Rachainn. For one reason and one reason alone: I needed to know what their plans were.

Raegan wanted me to step back and away, to run – but I wouldn’t, and I couldn’t.

~

I halted outside of the pub, grumbling beneath my breath as a pedestrian nearly slammed into me. I did not want to be here, to be back here, as if I had not just witnessed the true atrocities that Brian had promised me would not occur at his hand or his encouragement. But my loyalty to Raegan, my need to know what the Rachainn were planning to do to him, was what made me commit to the decision.

My hand had just lifted from my side, my arm extending to open the door, when a horrible screech echoed across the sky above me and nearly blasted my eardrums.

I knew that screech, which meant that as I turned my head and saw an African Grey parrot descending from the sky in the middle of England, I wasn’t surprised.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

Oh, Urram was very angry. Considering he was the only soul left on this planet that gave a shit about me, I decided to drop the usual back-talk and simply smile as I offered my finger for him to perch on. His wings tucked against his side as his taloned feet took to my finger, digging unnecessarily hard.

“There were some… complications.”

“Oh, I am aware. The King lays in a healers cot and won’t tell anyone what happened to him.”

“Oh?”

“Don’t play dumb. You both reek of the Rachainn. And blood. Why so much blood, Little?”

I had hoped no one would ever ask me what happened with Raegan, what happened in that dark, moldy place. Because I did not have the strength to revisit it, I did not have the heart to remember his face or his screams or the strong scent of his blood.

“It does not matter,” Urram cawed. “I have found you now.”

“You may go,” I said, my voice low and my eyes peering through my brows as I hung my head.

He let out a strangled caw and cocked his head, one dark eye blinking at me.

“You do not need to stay with me anymore, Urram,” I sighed, trying to bring strength to my shaking voice. “I free you. I free you from being my caraid. Go, and go now.”

If birds could laugh, that would be the very noise Urram suddenly burst out with. “You have learned nothing, Olivia Loughty.”

It was my turn to crane my neck slightly, my frown trying to force itself through my otherwise cracking face. “If you stay with me, you will be labelled a traitor–”

My sentence was cut short by a violent screech from the depths of his avian chest. “I do not see our bond as some feeble thing, Little. I am bound to you, by choice, for the rest of time. And I continue to choose that. I continue to choose you.”

“You won’t be able to return to Saoghal–”

“It is not you and me and them. It is only you and me, and it will remain that way regardless of what comes our way. There will never come a time where I am not beside you, caraid. Even when my wings no longer beat and my fire no longer flows, I shall forever be with you.”

I didn’t care that there was a tear in my eye, that it trailed down my cheek and Urram watched it with a stillness that only furthered my aching heart.

“You and me,” I breathed.

“For the rest of time,” he echoed.

Restoring a layer of courage to my thinly-stretched soul, I nodded at Urram and allowed him to climb back up to my shoulder. Taking a deep breath, sure that I was to regret it some day, I pushed open the pub door.