Chapter Six

His heart leapt with nervous attacks, thinking she might die in blood loss.

"Are you also suicidal, woman?" he shrieked with fresh anger, rushing to unchain her. If only he could whack her head, he'll do it— two to ten times even. "Are you really desperate to waste your life or are you some kind of—"

How many times the woman left her in shockingly speechless, however right this instance, he sighed in resignation with a mixture of soft admiration while looking down from an unconsciously untamed woman.

A small yellow canary bird lay on her lap with a bandaged wing— she used a jagged piece of her own black cloak. An arrow near her feet were broke into two parts. Eagle could see what happened, like short preview: she helped a wounded bird by reaching out to it even she bleeds to death, she used the wood tray to have an extension hand. She tore a length from her dark fabric and tie it to the wing, Eagle also noticed the crumbs of bread on her lap, and she had fed the bird though did want to eat it on her own.

"You hard headed stupid untamed suicidal flower witch."

Sarcastic it may seems, but a smile thug on his lips.

The woman stirred in her sleep, the light behind her lids woke her up. There was a strange feeling besides the numbing pain… something soft under her head, warm and comforting above her and the smell of a bit strong yet sweet fragrance. Her mind process that she was on a bed! Her heart pumped faster to full alert and rose, she quickly touched her face, a relief when her mask and cloak intact. Her internal clock chimed: it was middle of the night between two to four in the morn, she just realized she fell asleep while—the bird she suddenly thought of the wounded canary. Her visions adjusted to the dim space, no bird and especially no irritating smug Commander. But wait, her hands are free with a new plaster, a mirror of her left arm.

Her restored energy broke into escape, she needs to escape and fast! She moved into an instant rush, out of bed and towards the window. A few steps more and she can jump out of—

Thud! A sound of her body slamming on the carpet, her brain exploded another cycle of dizziness. It was her right foot, as if it chained or bounded—Bingo! Her ankle IS tied by a thick thread or fabric, she didn't know which is which.

"Who in the sane mind made that loud sound?" a slurred voice from somewhere followed by a yawn. "Oh… I shouldn't have asked." Even at half sleep, it was none other than the cheeky Commander himself.

The pushed herself off the floor, searching for the owner of the voice. The Commander was on the foot of the bed, did she mention that the mattress can fit even to dozen people with more space below? The young man stretched his long arm and kept his droopy eyes open. He yawned again before meeting the fierce solid green eyes of the night.

He greeted her with a tired smile but it drowned on her scowl. She wasn't in good mood at all.

"Please, spare me the sermon." He dropped on the pillow again, his back on her. "At least wait until morning."

But, the woman couldn't wait until morning. "Where's the bird?"

Eagle's eyes fluttered open, did she muttered aside from her freedom? "What did you say?"

"What happened to the canary?"

His jaw fell, he couldn't believe it. "You aren't going to protest about…" he shrugged. "You know."

The woman pinned him with a glare. "I'll argue with you later. Tell me what happened to the canary now!" she hissed.

Eagle replied an eye-roll and stuck his thumb on behind him—below the bed. There, lay the yellow canary nestled on a pillow, with a regular rise of its breathing. Eagle looked attentively at her every move, her eyes soften with relief. She truly wasn't bad after all, but stupid. That is the judgment. She risked her own life just to save the abandoned creature, without caring what the damage will be. Or maybe she's just a suicidal, he'll stick to stupid suicidal that's for sure.

The woman's eyes turned to him. Oh no… "Release me now." Eagle's brows met again. "I'm weak, I'm no threat to you!"

"That's because you won't accept my hospitality!"

"You won't understand the reason why I don't want to eat!"

They were yelling at each other, tones were higher than normal. The composure which Eagle controls ticked one by one, he felt the spell getting a strong display.

"Why can't you just release me!"

"You already know why! I want answers!" Followed by Eagle's suppressed frustrations. "Why do want to kill me just because of what I am. Why do you know my curse, our curse!"

The woman flinch a muscle. The fabric on her chin tightened. "Can't you figure it out? Me and my sword and why I can't say anything about that damned curse?"

Eagle doesn't believe every word she said, anger swallowed him. "You will stay here until you answer them!" it was a mixture of pure threat and desperate call. She met his fume with… nothing. Eagle's frustrations soared including a fragment of realization, "You aren't just an ordinary civilian, so why are you feigning silence?"

The woman snapped her attention to her sheathed sword, a crackle of eerie air weighed in.

"You're a witch…"