When You Gonna Wake Up?
(Chapter 2: War of the Fey: Book 1)
“I can’t wait to see those fools’ faces!â€
“Ha, no kidding. Who leaves something as precious as their amplifier unguarded?â€
“More like who leaves just two fey, and a human to guard it?â€
“Tch, apparently the Unseelie court truly is foolish.â€
“That’s enough! You should all guard your tongue!â€
“Why? It’s not like this trash can do anything. He’s weak.â€
“You don’t know that for sure, besides I sense that there’s something different about this boy.â€
Colton kept his eyes closed; trying to trick his captors into thinking he was asleep. He needed them to think that or else he wouldn’t be able to get anything. This was his mission after all. He was merely a tool for the Unseelie court to gather information, nothing more, and nothing less. Or so some people felt the need to tell him, and Colt knew that was far from the truth. The palace guards knew the truth too, for being a human he could take any fey on and hold his own against them. He knew the tricks of the trade to fight them, it was why five years ago on his sixteenth birthday they’d demanded that his parents forfeited him to their care. His parents in turn had made a deal to release him to the fey when he’d had nineteen winters behind him in the mortal realm. They said it’d make him more desirable. In truth, it just gave them more time with him.
The Unseelie court had gone with the agreement, something that he wasn’t sure how to feel about, but knowing that he couldn’t fight it since it was his lot in life. He kept his breathing slow as a Seelie fey reached out and grabbed his chin, seeming to be investigating something but unless he blew his cover, Colton wouldn’t be able to figure out what exactly. The Seelie fey’s hand was painfully hot compared to the cool embrace of the Unseelie court. He didn’t send up a pray to anyone, he didn’t believe there was anyone out there that could help him. Even regretfully the Moon Mother wasn’t able to help him.
Feeling the crescent moon shaped amulet that hung around his neck, Colt tensed a fraction when he felt one of the Seelie fey reach down, and feel it. Before he had the chance to blow his cover, he felt the anger rolling off of one of the other fey, who stalked over and yanked the original one away from him. “You shouldn’t touch that; we don’t know what powers it hold let alone if it’s made of iron. We’ve taken the boy from his home that should be enough for you, now leave my sight before I attack you. Matter of fact, all of you are to leave me with the prisoner. I can manage him on my own should he wake.â€
Colt breathed as if he was asleep, still trying to hide the fact that he wasn’t. After a few minutes the other fey left, leaving him with just the one. Five minutes after they left, almost as if to make sure they had left, the fey guard whispered to him, “You can open your eyes boy, I know you’re awake.â€
Colt’s eyes snapped open, blue-grey eyes darting to the fey guard; surprise clear on his face at being called out so quickly. Seeing the amused smile on the tan face, he watched the gold eyes in front of him as emotions warred in their depths. Bracing himself for the incoming interrogation, Colt was again caught off guard when the Seelie fey said, “You seem tired being chained up like that, how about I let you down and get you something to drink?â€
Colton didn’t have a chance to answer as the fey cut him loose from his restraints. Tumbling to the floor, he immediately fought the urge to rub at the pain that flared up in his side; however, though it did remind him that he wanted to hit the winged freak with some cast iron upside the head. He considered it a small victory that his time with the Unseelie court led to him camouflaging his disgust at the memory. Analyzing his guard, he tried to get an idea of what they were like. The Seelie fey seemed weary, but rather mellow compared to his companions. He hid the smirk that wanted to flit across his face, the reason was that he swore the Seelie fey in front of him was high but there was no clear evidence of it.
Seeing the amusement on his face, the Seelie fey’s weariness intensified as he tried to figure out what it was that Colt found funny. Seeming to give up on the silent figuring it out, the Seelie fey was about to ask when Colt laughed, “Your aura silly. It’s amusing me. Anyway, what’s your name?â€
The Seelie fey watched him for a few moments, the emotions and reluctance on his face as clear as day to Colt. He’s certainly not Unseelie court, but at the same time, the openness is a welcomed change. Colt mused to himself, taking the utmost care to keep his face unreadable. The Seelie fey relaxed after a few moments, seeming to decide that the release of a name wouldn’t be an issue despite the old myths with the fey. “My name’s Dazen, what is your name boy?â€
Colt couldn’t detect anything but genuine curiosity yet even with that reluctance swept into his bones. Its embrace was familiar, wrapping him up in a warm blanket, and holding him close to its chest like a mother does for her infant child. Shaking his head, he took a step back, eyes darting around him as he tried to find a weapon or an escape route. He knew that Dazen could tell that’s what he was looking for, after all he wasn’t being very subtle with it.
A sigh caught his attention, but Colt didn’t bother looking toward the fey. “I already know your name, Colton. Why do you think it is we kidnapped you?†Dazen’s voice was gentle, but there was a hint of steel in the words. This was the only indication he got before a steel weapon was thrown to his feet, staring at it for a few moments; he wasn’t sure what to think before he was hit in the stomach by the flat of Dazen’s weapon.
“Fight or die.â€
The words were callous, the familiarity of it propelled Colt into action. Grabbing the weapon on the floor with his right hand, he kicked out with his left foot, aiming either for his opponent’s stomach or the face. He just hoped he caught Dazen off guard, hoping against hope that Dazen wouldn’t have truly expected Colt to fight back.
Springing to his feet, he swung the sword in an arc even as he dropped into a crouch to avoid a retaliatory swing or block. Muttering a soft incantation, Colt felt the amulet at his throat start to warm even as he called on its magic. He hated using it to harm people, since his beliefs said that all ill-intent should be avoided, but he knew sometimes fur had to fly in order to maintain that peace. Reading into Dazen’s aura more, Colt snarled, “You don’t honestly believe the kidnapping was in the right, so why are you doing this?â€
Dazen expertly blocked his strike, a thoughtful look on his face as Dazen answered, “You’re only half-right boy. I believe I’m doing right for my side, but unlike others, I can see that this is wrong in the whole.â€
Confusion flashed across blue-grey eyes for the briefest moments, otherwise the human boy’s face remained unreadable. He couldn’t afford to show much confusion beyond what he’d already shown, showing emotion would mean his death. He’d learned that much in his two years here. He felt his bones protest when his sword collided with Dazen’s, the captain of the guard pressing against his blade to check it for resistance. He tried to stabilize his stance, to push against Dazen’s strike, only to see that it wasn’t working so he switched tactics without thinking. Stepping to the left, he came in with a left hook and felt the punch collide with his opponent’s cheek.
It wasn’t even a second before he was being forced back again, parrying one strike after another that came after him with the intent to harm. He winced a fraction when the cold steel of the opposing sword slid across his right cheek, leaving a tiny cut along the bone of it. Deflecting another strike that was aiming to give him a matching injury, Colt ducked low for a swipe at his opponent’s feet only to get a foot planted in his chest. Rolling with the blow to try and reduce the damage, Colt came to a stop with his back to Dazen. Before he had a chance to get up, Colt felt a foot placed up on his left shoulder blade and the blade of Dazen’s sword planting itself a mere inch in front of his nose. Colt at first was baffled by how Dazen had so quickly gotten around his side to his front without a sound, but at the moment he didn't have the pleasantry to think upon it.
Going a little cross eyed from looking at the blade, he took note of the runes that were carved into its sides. Filing it away for later, he listened as Dazen spoke softly, “You show promise, but you’re still too weak to be a match for the prince of the Seelie court at the moment. You should count yourself lucky it was me that decided to test you.â€
A groan escaping him, Colt hissed, “This was a test?â€
Silence hung between them, the pressure still at his shoulder kept him pinned as Dazen seemed to think over what to say next. He felt the pressure increase on his shoulder, leading to minor fidgeting to try and relocate the pressure. Colt froze though as a voice sighed in his mind,
You can put an end to this conflict. You just need to find your remaining allies.
He wasn’t sure what was said, but he was positive that Dazen just whispered something about something strange happening. Curiosity getting the better of him, Colt was about to ask when he felt Dazen bend down and grab his arm. Allowing himself to be pulled to his feet, he felt the manacles slap around his wrists, forcing his arms to stay behind his back. Turning his head to glance over his shoulder, he winced when Dazen’s hand rammed into the back of his skull signaling Colt that he wasn’t permitted to look behind him. Staring ahead of him instead, he didn’t struggle as he was escorted back to the cage that he was held in before. He heard the lock slide free behind him. He expected to be immediately escorted in, so when that didn’t happen he was amazed. He didn’t dare turn around though since he was positive it’d just earn him another blow to the head.
“Don’t say anything about what that voice said. You mustn’t make yourself anymore of a target than you already are.†Dazen advised, his voice caught somewhere between two emotions, making it a little gruff from the volume he applied to keep someone from overhearing but still having it loud enough for Colt to hear.
“So, you did hear it?†Colt asked, his own voice sore from mimicking the tone and volume of Dazen.
A grunt was all he got in answer, but it also informed Colt that someone had just entered within earshot so Dazen didn’t want to get caught advising their prisoner. He didn’t have much of a chance to think it over, because next thing he knew he was landing on his back on the cage floor. A groan escaping him, he heard the door at the far end of the room open and shut firmly as Dazen retreated out of the room. Pushing himself up into a sitting position as well as he could with his arms restrained behind him, Colt looked around the room to try and judge just how severe his situation was.
The walls were done with oak wood, natural gaps in the wood allowed the glass to be inserted to allow a view to the outside world. He couldn’t see very well from his angle, but Colt was certain that the side he was facing was aimed toward the forest. His eyes moved away from the window, returning to scanning his surroundings and noticing the rather large desk in the middle of the room. A brief thought of why hadn’t he noticed it crossed his mind, but he quickly swept it under the mental rug. Speaking of rugs though, there was a large area rug centered under the desk that from what he could tell was made up red and gold yarn. His eyes next found the bookshelves that circled the room, the wood seemed to match the panels on the wall and the only time it wasn’t floor to ceiling on the height was the bookshelves that were under the window. In which case they stopped just below the window.
All the shelves were filled with books, but from Colt’s position he couldn’t make out the title of the books. Huffing in frustration, Colt just barely resisted the urge to flop onto his back, or just tumble forward onto his stomach. Even if it was only because he didn’t want to leave himself vulnerable to whoever may decide to come check on him next. Seeing as how there was nothing else to do, Colt turned his mind inward to see what else he could come up with while he waited for his next visitor. A part of him hoped that he wouldn’t get a visitor for the next several hours, and when he finally did he hoped that he had enough of a plan together that he’d be able to breakout of this prison and get his butt back on the road toward the Unseelie court. He knew that this was bound to be an issue, what with their amplifier missing and him being kidnapped? They were all bound to be calling for blood, and Mary was going to be stressed out over the way everyone was acting.
He hated seeing her stressed. It’d never sat well with him, even in the very beginning when he’d first met her and he’d hated being in the position he was in. He instinctively searched out the emotions of those around him, and he felt sick to his stomach when he felt the distant ache of sorrow from Mary. Taking a deep breath, he did his best to push Mary’s emotions to the side. Sometimes he disliked being an empath, other times he didn’t mind it. Turning his focus to the Seelie fey, he narrowed his eyes as a swirl of emotions enveloped him and they each took their turn being at the forefront. Joy, anxiety, fear, anger (something he didn’t expect to feel); insanity, sorrow was just some of the emotions that engulfed him.
Feeling Dazen’s emotions, he dove straight into them and was surprised at the whirlwind the fey captain was feeling. Blinking rapidly, Colt attempted to pull back and into his own emotions but got dragged back under the tidal wave. Fear slowly wrapped around him as his head went under the waves, filling his lungs up with imaginary water so the sensation of being unable to breathe cloaked Colt in a tight embrace as Dazen’s anxiousness closed in. He turned his thoughts to Mary, thinking of what she’d say in a situation like this. A smile flitting across his face, Colt nearly laughed as he heard her reprimanding him for letting his powers get the better of him.
She was the only one that knew Colt was an empath. She was also the only one that knew how to calm him down when his abilities overwhelmed him. He’d never been able to tell her just how important that was to him. Closing his eyes, he rested his chin on his chest, mediating until the sensation of drowning started to fade away. It was only after the sensation completely faded that Colt finally opened his eyes again, completely calm now after his near panic attack. Turning his mind again to the task of escape, he shut off his attention to those around him, not wanting to risk the chance of madness by channeling the emotions of those around him. It wasn’t an easy process, yet seventeen years of training did lend itself to making it a little easier.
Once more Colt was made thankful for his mother’s lifestyle choice, he was also glad when he chooses to start following in her footsteps at the age of twelve; yet his official training didn’t begin until two years later. If he could have, Colt would have reached up to touch the amulet at his throat, a memento from his mother before he’d come over. Although he did mentally touch it, which brought him comfort just like it has always done. The magic woven into the piece hummed softly at his mental touch.
He then did the only other thing he could think of to help his frazzled nerves. He went through the rituals to the best of his abilities. Feeling a peace settle over him like a blanket, Colt smiled a little. Even though the pain was still there, he noticed that it didn’t seem to be as noticeable since his mind had calmed itself. Although now he noticed that exhaustion though was closing in on him, washing away any thought of escape from his head. A futile attempt was made at trying to fight it off, but his eyelids were growing heavy even as his vision blurred. Shaking his head, Colt felt himself curl up on the floor of the cage and close his eyes to rest them for just a few minutes. Shortly afterwards he was fast asleep, his spirit diving into the dream realm.
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Dazen walked through the halls, attempting to make no noise at all to avoid unwanted distractions. His mind was working on crafting the report that he was to turn in to his leaders. The raid was successful. They’d gotten everything that the king and queen had wanted from the Unseelie court this time around. The servant boy was bound to be useful to them. The boy just had to be convinced to help them instead of the Unseelie court. It would be a clean report; it would make his monarchs happy. He should be thrilled that it was this easy, because in the past he’d had reports that weren’t this clean cut. His family would be able to rest easy tonight.
A frown came to his face, taking away the natural light in his amber eyes. Like he’d told the boy, he’d done the right thing for his side, even then though something about this just felt wrong. It had been at least five hundred years since they’d formed the agreement with the humans that lead to this situation, but Dazen had never been comfortable with it. They shouldn’t be taking slaves from the humans to begin with. His mind turned to the ancient prophecy he’d read years ago, yet the exact details of the prophecy currently slipped through his fingers.
Nothing he could currently do about it. He came to the throne room, raising his hand to knock on the gold, brass and onyx doors. He paused for a moment when the king of the court called, “You may enter Dazen. There’s no need to knock my friend.â€
Yeah, had he mentioned just how much the king terrified him? Not because the king was cruel, but because of the king’s uncanny habit of knowing when someone was right outside the room he was in. Let alone who was right outside of the room he was in. Taking a deep breath, Dazen open the door and walked inside, shutting it behind him once he was clear of it. He approached the monarchs of the court before he got down on one knee; keeping his head bowed to them out of respect.
“Your Majesty, if I may, I have my report for you sir. Milady.†He explained respectfully, never once lifting his eyes.
“Dazen, I told you before, unless there’s others around there’s no need to be so formal my friend.†The king laughed, his voice like a spring breeze and full of warmth.
Dazen looked up at the king, again shocked by his acceptance of things that didn’t quite belong, much like himself. Daring a glance in the queen’s direction, Dazen saw that she was saddened by the way he was acting, since again she’d previously insisted on him not being so formal with him. It just didn’t sit right with him to be disrespectful to the two of them, never mind if they were practically family to him because of his mother. Swallowing the lump in his throat at the thought of his mother, Dazen mumbled, “Yes Your Majesty.â€
Standing up, Dazen met their gazes for several moments. Fidgeting a little bit, he explained hurriedly, “We succeeded in the raid, Your Majesties. I believe the human will be of assistance to us in keeping the Unseelie court at bay.â€
He paused in his report, trying to figure out how to explain his attention. He was again taken off guard when the Queen prompted, “But…?â€
He started a little at her gentleness, even if her eyes were firm since she knew something was amiss. Looking away from the blue eyes, Dazen continued in a soft tone, “But, if I may, I don’t think we should have done this. Sure, it helps our side but is it really what’s best for the whole realm?â€
He felt the spike in temperature in the room, which caused him to flinch visibly at the flare in the king’s temper. He hated angering the king of the Seelie fey, it felt as if he was betraying the man’s trust. Even worse, it felt as if he spat in the king’s face and then laughed about it in exchange for everything the king had done for him. Trembling a little, Dazen risked a glance in the king’s direction and saw the ruler’s grey eyes blazing with fury. Dropping to his knees, Dazen was about to beg for forgiveness when the queen spoke, “My husband, calm down. You know Dazen’s always been a little different, it’s why you made him the captain of the guard. It’s because he’s not afraid to question your orders, which has saved the kingdom from suffering numerous times.â€
This seemed to have the intended effect on her husband, for it lead to him calming down as quickly as he’d gotten worked up. Dazen still didn’t know how she did it, even after watching her do it for years. He didn’t dare speak until he was spoken to, not as of now with how close he was to getting in trouble. Then after a moment, the king looked at him and asked, “How have the others been treating you Dazen? Are they still being cruel, or does it seem like they’ve softened a little?â€
Dazen knew why the king asked, and he knew why he was shunned by some of the other fey. He was half-court, so because of that he wasn’t truly accepted by either court since he was a little too aloof for Seelie court, but he was too warm and passionate for Unseelie court. His mother had begged the king to take him in when she was on her death bed. The king had accepted her plea because of her reputation, Dazen has yet to disappoint him as for as the half-court fey knew. Even so, he was having trouble looking directly at the king, since he’d felt as if he’d finally failed him as he answered sadly, “They’ve been treating me the same as they’ve been all these years, sir. I’m sorry.â€
Dazen didn’t recoil as the king placed a hand on his shoulder, nor as the queen wrapped him up in a hug like she’d done all those years ago when he’d woken up in the middle of the night screaming because of a nightmare. He resisted the childhood urge to move closer to the queen, to take in more of her warmth for himself. He allowed the contact to continue as long as the two royals chose to give it. Hiding his mild disappoint when the two moved away from him, Dazen waited patiently until they were back in their thrones before he thanked them for the contact. The twin smiles told him that thanks weren’t necessary, if anything they were happy he’d permitted the contact.
“How come you believe that the human will be useful?†The king asked, returning to the task at hand.
Dazen couldn’t help but smile in response. Trust the king to remain focused on the present task at hand. “Because, first he knows quite a bit about the Unseelie court. Second, he knows how to fight, so we could use that to our advantage. Third, I don’t know what it is, but he seems different compared to other humans.†He answered truthfully, his tone suggesting that there was no doubt in his mind about the last bit.
The two royals seemed to think his words over for several heartbeats, leaving Dazen anxious to know his next batch of orders. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Dazen nearly broke down into hysterical laughter as the king ordered, “I want you to keep an eye on the boy, see if you can convince him to aid us in our upcoming war against the Seelie court. Before you do that, I want you to get some rest and then you are to return to your new post. Understood Dazen?â€
Nodding his head, there was no need for the king to dismiss him, but the king did it anyway because of formalities. Bowing low, he said his goodbyes to the two royals before he returned to his full height in a standing position, and headed for the door. Dazen was almost there when the king called, “Oh, and Dazen? In the future, please try not to worry about things too much. I don’t need my best warrior worrying himself to death. You should just let me do that, alright?â€
Dazen paused at those words, glancing over his shoulder he tried to figure out how to tell the king he just couldn’t follow those orders. Instead though, Dazen felt his mouth forming the shapes necessary to say, “Yes sir, I understand and I’ll try to do that in the future.â€
“Good, you’re dismissed to your quarters for now Dazen.â€
Turning to face the king and queen again, Dazen bowed low once more before he returned to his full height and continued his way out of the room. Shutting the door, Dazen leaned against the door, and exhaled in exasperation. How was he supposed to stay true to who he was and obey his king at the same time? Seeing no way to get out of the problem for now, Dazen shoved it into a glass jar, and headed for his quarters, figuring that maybe a little bit of sleep would do him some good on sorting this whole mess out.
You’ll do the right thing Daz, you always do. He told himself mentally, trying to comfort himself a bit so maybe he could get a bit of rest.
That’s why you’re part of destiny, they’ll need your strengths. Everyone has something the others need to restore the balance my friend.
Dazen nearly stumbled in his haste to spin around behind him. Even though he knew he wouldn’t see anything behind him. He knew that the source of the voice was in his mind, he’d heard the voice beforehand when he was back with Colton. As expected, there was no one behind him, the corridor was empty except for him. Unease getting a hold of him, Dazen quickly faced the other direction and all but ran for his room, ignoring the actual design of the corridor. Reaching his room, Dazen basically body slammed the door open, kicked it shut and then leapt into his bed. If someone told him the way today was going to go, he would have called them crazy. Although as of now there’s no way he’d ever do that to someone who tried to warn him about something. Luckily though it didn’t take him long to fall asleep, a welcomed reprieve from the day’s events so far.
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A few hours later, Dazen was back to work. He sat at the desk in the room Colt was being held in, flipping through the papers that laid on the desk he looked at the words without really seeing them. He’d read them several times before, so at least it wasn’t too big of an issue that he wasn’t truly reading it at the moment. He threw a glance back at the cage, it was made of steel and brass; not a single trace of iron was in it. It only made sense though, iron was dangerous for the fey; the reaction varying from one fey to the next, the degree of the injury also based on the type of iron used. Although if someone knowingly used it, there was a heavy price they had to pay. Dazen had seen and been involved in more than one execution where that was the fey’s crime. He wasn’t sure how they’d managed to use it without hurting themselves, although since they’d used it in an attempt to assassinate the royal family, Dazen wasn’t surprised on them being executed.
His leg sent a dull ache up to his hip, leading to him rubbing at it absentminded before he caught onto what he was doing. Looking back at Colton, he saw that the boy was asleep still. A shy smile spread across his face at that sight, the boy had been asleep when he’d walked into the room. There wasn’t any denying really though, he’d become intrigued by the boy as soon as they’d gotten his hands on him. It wasn’t uncommon to find a fey with a human servant, it just wasn’t common to find one in such a healthy state and to feel such loyalty to the court and fey that effectively owned them. He was pretty sure he’d only seen it twice before within the last hundred years.
Standing up he walked over to the cell and stared inside, trying to figure out why this boy was so unique to get such treatment from his family. He couldn’t see anything unusual about the boy, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. Scanning the human for injuries, he saw the evidence of all the mistreatment he’d befallen since they’d stolen him. His right eye was surrounded by a dark purple-black bruise; a cut was above the bruise running along the edge of his eyebrow which meant that there was blood dried within the hairs. His eyes darted to the bump that was on the side of the boy’s head, before his eyes were drawn to the bruise on his left cheek that was encircling a cut from a sword strike, and above that and on the right side of the face was the cut Dazen had personally dealt during their brief sparring match.
He frowned a little at the sight of the boy’s face, he was definitely worse off for wear since they’d met him at the Unseelie court. He heard a slight rasping rattle as the boy slept, it was unfamiliar to him so it took him a moment to realize it was the sound of the boy’s breathing. He was familiar enough with medicine to know that noise wasn’t a good thing, so he swore softly at the sound. Eyes widening, he watched to see if he’d been too loud with his displeasure only to notice that Colt was still asleep, his breathing a little labored from the fact Colt probably had a cracked rib or something else.
Turning away from the prisoner, he headed back to the desk so there was some space between them again. Sitting down he looked at the research paper in front of him, eyes unfocused enough that he couldn’t concentrate on deciphering the words that were on the page. A quick glance around the room confirmed once more that they were alone, and he couldn’t hear anything outside in the hallway. Leaning backwards in the seat, he stretched a bit and placed his hands behind his head, using them to cushion the wood behind him. Focusing back on the prisoner, Dazen tried to think of how he’d get information out of Colton the next time that the boy woke up and felt like talking to him. He didn’t have to look to know that there was a bottle of honey liquor located in the bottom right drawer. He personally disliked liquor, only drinking it on a rare occasion, but he was figuring that maybe Colton would appreciate the liquid muscle relaxer to help with the soreness he was bound to be feeling when he woke up.
A weak smile came to his face at the thought, he hoped that Colton wasn’t too sore and that he didn’t hate him the next time they had a conversation. Turning his eyes back to the papers in front of him he tried to focus on the words again, but he felt his eyes go unfocused the more he tried to force himself to focus on the words. Exasperation escaped him in a rush, gathering the papers he slipped them into the top left drawer, his eyes briefly landing on a worn, black leather book that had something written on the cover in gold, but it was faded enough that he didn’t feel like trying to figure it out right now on what it said exactly.
“How long have you been there?†The words were muffled, hinting at the speaker being caught between the levels of wakefulness and sleep.
Amber eyes snapped upwards to meet with blue-grey, a curse on the tip of his tongue for being so stupid. Of course Colt would have been faking being asleep for at least the last few minutes, it was always easiest to get the information out of someone if it seemed like you weren’t looking for it. Leaning back in the chair, Dazen didn’t move from his position as he answered coolly, “That’s none of your concern. How long have you been awake?â€
“That’s none of your concern.†Colton parroted back, the same cool tone in his words.
Dazen smiled at the humor of his situation, shaking his head to conceal it somewhat from the boy. Even then though, a mirthful look remained in his eyes as it became clear the human boy was struggling to remain conscious, so it was only a temporary state then? It was just as well, kept the boy safer from the other fey that may not be as gentle as Dazen. Sizing him up, he advised soothingly, “Get some more rest, you need it. I’ll still be here the next time you wake.â€
It was clear to him that Colton didn’t want to sleep. There was some kind of fear that he was experiencing, but without crossing boundaries he wasn’t permitted to, Dazen had no way of finding out how he could help the boy. His heart squeezed at that, for he was no stranger to living in fear every day. At the same time though, Dazen knew the promise of safety and hope. This boy wasn’t aware of the fact he had that same promise here, so all Dazen could do was see about showing it to him through his actions. It was the only option that either one of the men had. Watching as the other occupant’s eyelids started to close, it was a moment later that they opened again. The prisoner’s eyes were glazed over with sleep, something he tried to hide with a determined glare.
Chuckling at the expression on the boy’s face, Dazen waved the tension away like it was a bit of fog. Watching him in amusement, Dazen repeated, “Get some rest, I promise you're safe. I also know at least for me; a bit more rest sounds heavenly. Good night, Colton.†Dazen didn’t bat an eye as a pulse of magic went out into the room, it combined with Colton’s exhaustion, coaxed the boy to get more sleep. Leaning back, Dazen closed his eyes to get some rest.
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