The more she listened, she realized it was just one voice she was hearing. It was one she both recognized and dreaded, Gillilion's. Her stomach knotted up even tighter as she cursed her damn luck. What was he doing up here? She went to shut the door and run. All good sense urged her to run as fast as she could to get away, but something in the General's tone made her freeze, kneel, and listen.

"... You might as well jump from one of the windows in here then Ezra. If you're not willing to fight for the Queen, you're worthless!" Gili's voice grew louder. The more he spoke, the angrier he got. "I would throw you from the window myself if I knew it wouldn't upset the Queen. Your House has always been a pain in the ass to keep in line, but stay in line they did. So will you!" The threatening tone underlying his last words was unmistakable.

"Bird man fly! Bird man fall!" Came another voice; screechy, and mocking. Just hearing it sent a shiver down her spine. It was one she didn't recognize, but for some reason one she knew that she should fear it.

"Dammit man, I'm talking to you!" Gili yelled.

"Smack him! Whack him!" Encouraged the other voice, just like a school child urging a bully to strike a classmate.

Indys was tempted to open the door just a little further so she could see who the other voice belonged to, but remained still. It would be more than simple recklessness to push her luck any further. She still had heard nothing from Ezra's mouth. Was he okay?

"House Cleave has had the most Dracgons of any House in court," Gili went on. "Probably because they are the one House constantly giving the Queen problems. Have you ever thought that maybe the bad things that have befallen your House are due to the apparent lack of obedience within your blood?"

Indys was baffled. What was he trying to say? Was he suggesting something other than natural acts of war had killed the Dracgons of House Cleave? Something more sinister? Something more directly associated to himself? What?

"Bitch slap him Gili!" Came the mocking voice. "Bitch slap! Bitch slap!" It urged, cackling.

Indys could only guess that the second voice was that of a man's. It was hoarse, screechy, raspy, and high pitched all at once. It gave her the same sensation experienced when she'd drug her fingernails down the boards the Braids documented training schedules on. The emotion that just hearing the voice invoked from her was beyond confusing to Indys. To her, the voice itself was spinning a sense of fear, despair, and hopelessness in her mind. The sounds of struggle and scuffling now came to her ears.

"You're gonna hear me Ezra. This daydream staring you got going on isn't gonna work with me," Stated Gili. "You've been getting away with this shit for too long. Now speak!"

If Ezra did say anything, Indys couldn't hear it The Rackals inside the aviary suddenly started cawing and flapping their wings, making an awful racket. She then heard the loud, blood curdling roar of a Dracgon, and instantly the Rackals quieted. Gili must've used his Draca to intimidate the Rackals into sudden silence.

"I said you were gonna talk to me Ezra." She heard Gili say menacingly.

Indys now heard someone choking, or being choked.  

"Choke this chicken shit, Gili,"The voice of mockery urged. "Choke the chicken, choke the chicken," It cawed, seeming to revel in the suffering of another.

"Wh...what if our fight isn't right?" Queried a now gasping Ezra.

Indys was almost shocked to hear his voice, yet comforted at the same time by knowing Ezra was still reasonably okay. Two loud slaps followed, the force making Indys cringe. She had to fight the urge to go charging into the aviary and aiding her fellow Dracgon. She found herself contemplating what the Queen would think of her General if she knew what he was doing to Ezra.

"You don't have the right to wonder if our fight is right, boy. I've been alive for eight hundred years and have seen all the atrocities committed by Vampire, Werewolf, and Dragons," Seethed Gili, through clenched teeth. "For you to even question it stinks of treason. Maybe I should just end you now!"

She could hear Ezra fighting even harder to breathe.

"Chokin' the chicken, chokin' the chicken!" Spoke the other's voice hysterically, with pure glee.

Suddenly she was pushed aside, losing her balance, and falling on her butt. The aviary was once again alive with the shrieking caws of the Rackals. Indys had fallen to the right of the doorway, above her now was the Rackal that had been perched on the roof. The beast had knocked her to the side and pushed the door that she had been hiding behind wide open with its large beaked head. The Rackal tried futilely to enter the aviary, its wings flapped frantically. The creature was bouncing back and forth as they hit on each side of the door. It was entirely intent on getting through the door, but no matter what angle it tried, it was just too big. The wings were like thunder in her ears, and Indys knew that she was only moments away from getting caught. She tried to remain hidden behind the wall near the door, but the stupid Rackal was going to get her caught! Its strong wings battered her, making it hard for her to keep her senses about her. A Dracgon's roar filled the air once more, but this time it had no silencing effect. If anything, the Rackals' frenzy had gotten even louder.

Despite the fear she felt, she risked a peek around the doorway; hoping that the crazed Rackal would keep the attention of the occupants held. She quickly pulled her head back, trying to make sense of what she had seen. Gili had Ezra pinned up against one of the bird cages and was lifting him up off his feet while choking him. The other presence in the room was someone she had not expected. It was the Queen's black masked, ebony clad court jester, Vex. He can talk! Was the first revelation that came to mind. Quickly came the second; the fool was skipping happily towards the doorway with a pitch fork in both hands. He had raised it above his bobbling head, and he was going to see her at any moment. Any other time the fool's jests might have been funny, this time they just seemed dangerous.

Indys mind raced, looking for a way out, taking in her surroundings a split second more she acted. She waited for the Rackal to back up and try and ram its way in the door once more, then she quickly rose to a crouch, and sprung like a cat, first to the half wall, and then to the roof of the aviary. Her Draca powered strength propelling her further than any other Human would be capable of. She caught the ledge with both hands, and went into a handstand facing the stairs. She then spun around on her hands so that her back was to the stairs, then brought her feet down as quietly as she could. She let out a quiet breath of relief as she laid on her stomach in the spot where the Rackal had been perched only moments ago. She was now able to gaze directly down at the doorway.

The Rackal jammed its head in and out of the doorway two more times before Indys saw the sharp tines of the pitchfork jabbing at it. The Rackal flapped its wings and hovered away from the doorway as Vex continued to thrust the metal teeth at it. The Rackal would drop down to harass him, but Vex was quick with the pitch fork and would stab at the Rackal to return the favor. They went back and forth a few more times before the Rackal hovered just above Vex, out of range of his prodding pitch fork. Indys was amazed by how aggressively Vex went after the predatory Rackal. He showed no fear of the beast whatsoever. Vex stood on the small landing just outside the door, still jabbing and making 'fwwwpp, fwwwpp' noises with his mouth, deliberately baiting the creature with every attack. The standoff was came a stalemate now that the Rackal had gotten out of range, but the Jester seemed content just to keep the Rackal away from the door.

Indys felt it was going to happen before she saw it begin. Suddenly Vex's head started turning in her direction. She was paralyzed with terror. Whatever she tried to do =wasn't going to matter anyway; there was no place for her to hide. She was going to be caught and was positive that she would receive a vicious punishment. Just as she was certain the fool would spot her, the Rackal suddenly darted at him. Vex retaliated with a thrust that the Rackal was only partially able to dodge. The pitchfork poked through the thin fleshy part of its left wing, missing the bone. The Rackal squawked in pain but nevertheless continued to press its antagonizer. The beast's claws closed around the pitchforks handle and viciously ripped it from Vex's grip before dropping it over the side of the stairs. Within a split second the fool responded, his movements were a blur, and his speed and agility were jaw dropping. Indys watched in awe as he jumped from the landing to the half wall, and then launched himself from the half wall, careening off of the outer wall of the tower, and then high into the air to grab the Rackal.

Vex's back was now directly to her, at her eye level. Her eyes widened in horror as she heard the shocked Rackal screech and then moments later the loud snapping of its neck. Fool and beast of prey hung in the air for a brief second before dropping to the stairway heavily. More bones crunched, and Vex had been sure to land on his dead burden. A moment after his landing, Vex rolled away from the beast, continuing down six or seven stairs before gracefully popping to his feet. Indys found it hard to swallow, her mouth bone dry, but her body was moving before she even knew what was happening. She rolled to her right; barrel roll after barrel roll until she got to the other side of the circular roof, and out of eyesight of the fool. She laid on her back, taking deep breaths, not believing what she had seen.

She could hear weeping coming from the aviary.

"You make me sick," Came Gilis venomous tone. "You have no business being a Dracgon."

"I didn't choose to be this," Replied a sad, but defiant, Ezra. "If I could be free of this curse I would, believe me, I would."

"Waaa, waaaa," The fool performed his impression of a squalling infant. "Cry, cry... Blow your nose, dry your eyes." Ezra was mocked in a sing-song voice.

"Curse...? Curse? You are a fool," Said an angered Gili. "You are bestowed with the greatest power man has ever seen, and you call it a curse? You just don't have the stomach for it; you're fucking weak. If you want free of this "curse", then just die." The last words were a snarl.

Indys heart was in her throat. Would they kill Ezra? She strained to hear more. After a long, absolutely silent pause she heard footsteps walking away from the new Dracgon. She let out the long breath she had unknowingly held in her lungs as her tensed up muscles slightly relaxed. She could understand frustration with Ezra, but to treat him like they had was unthinkable! She wondered if the Queen approved, if she even knew about it. What about Niko? Was he aware of it? Did he endorse these tactics? Her mind was racing now, full of questions with no answers, she struggled to latch onto and focus on one particular thought. She couldn't believe something she had grown up believing to be the greatest honor a noble family could receive was turning out to be so dark, so appallingly dishonorable. She continued to stare at the moving lights, wondering what her next move should be and struggling to get her thoughts back under control.

"You can come down now Indys."

Indys didn't move. How did he know she was up here?

"Come on, you can't enjoy lying in bird shit all that much."

His comments confused her, she rolled over and realized Ezra was right, she was lying in bird shit. Lots and lots of bird shit. In all the excitement, she hadn't realized that the roof of the aviary was covered with bird droppings. She was covered in it, had even barrel rolled across half the roof. She might as well have been a broom, you could see a clearer patch on the roof where she had just rolled.

"Be right there," She replied. "I wanted to give you a hug anyways."

She got up and carefully navigated the roof, walking around to the other side to the stairs. Valiantly attempting to shake the bird shit from her clothes as she walked. Yeah, she for sure was going to have to visit the springs again.

As she approached the stairs, she could see Ezra kneeling down. He was gently folding in the dead Rackal's wings. He was so gentle while doing it, she could tell the beast had meant something to him. Tears were running down his face.

"This was Roos," Ezra began. "He was eight years old and had already fathered six Rackal hatchlings of his own. He was one of the best messenger bird killers the Queen owned... He didn't deserve to die in this way."

Indys jumped from the half wall to the landing. "You need some help with him?"

"Please."

The two of them gently picked him up and carried him back to the aviary, Indys could see the hurt in Ezra's eyes. The aviary was a large circular room, mimicking the shape of the round tower it was housed in. Numerous sized bird cages outlined the entire outside wall of the room and contained numerous species of the creatures, with two large tables in the center of the room. The tables were littered with a few smaller cages, some were in use, and others in different states of being stripped for parts. The room had numerous lanterns hanging from hooks in the ceiling to light it. Shadows would dance over the cages and their bars, exposing some of the birds, while hiding others. They carried the dead Rackal just inside the doorway, and Ezra motioned with his head towards the door of an open cage. Indys gently carried the beast just under the wings while Ezra held the feet and most of the body. The two Dracgons gently placed the fallen creature within his nest.

"I am sorry, friend," Whispered Ezra, kissing the beast's large, oblong head. "I should've kept you out of harm's way... I never thought the fool could move like that." The last sentence seemed more to himself than to Roos.

Indys stepped back now, silent, unwilling to disturb the mourning Ezra. Unashamed, Ezra wept in front of her as if he'd just lost a close family member; the deep degree of his sorrow surprised her. Especially since it was coming from a twenty-year battle-hardened Bishop of the Queen's Dracgons, but the loss was genuine. Ezra was devastated, and although he was Dracgon now... He was still Human. Indys knew his grief would be another obstacle in getting Ezra to work with Niko, and her.

Ezra was a slight man, especially when compared to Niko and Gili, he stood only an inch or two taller than her. His violet-purple hair was to his waist, unkempt, with knots and straw in it. Ezra himself would be a handsome man she supposed, if he was cleaned up, and perhaps got a little more sun. In his present state, he was pale with dark rings under his eyes and a strong jawline covered with an unkempt, gnarly looking beard. Ezra's violet eyes seemed pale and sunken. The whites of his eyes were either red from crying or from lack of sleep. Indys couldn't quite decipher which. Both? He was a sharp contradiction to any other Dracgon she had seen in her young lifetime. He seemed little more than a pauper in his sleeveless, stained shirt and trousers, the total opposite of the clean kept Niko and Gili. What had caused Ezra to descend to such a filthy existence? She pitied him. Consoling himself after a length of time, Ezra slowly rose and left the cage, unwilling or unable to speak to her at that moment.

The birds and beasts in the aviary seemed to pick up on Ezra's mood themselves. All of the creatures were silent and wide eyed as their gazes followed the grieving Ezra. He went and sat in the lone chair that was set next to the end of one of the long tables. He grabbed the lone book occupying space on the surface and opened it, sighing before he quickly began to pen his thoughts. Indys remained in the cage momentarily before she went near the table he was working at. She took a seat on the other table so as not to bump the writing Ezra and disrupt what he was doing.

"I won't under estimate the fool again," Ezra's voice was hard, determined. "Or Gili, for that matter."

"I am truly sorry for your loss," Said Indys. "I feel partly responsible for it... He kept Vex from seeing me, it was like he knew how much trouble I would be in if discovered."

Ezra closed his eyes a moment and stopped writing, as if thinking about what to say. When he opened them, he stared hard into her eyes for few seconds, his gaze searching. What was it that he was trying to find within her?

Indys felt uncomfortable and went to turn away, but then Ezra spoke."It wasn't your fault," He paused before going on, as if choosing his words carefully. "I was the one who told him to keep watch. I should've told him to fly away as soon as we saw it was Gili and Vex coming. I was the one that told him to protect you," His voice shook a little as he finished.

She looked at him, puzzled and struggling to wrap her brain around his words... Ezra was crazy! "You said nothing to Roos... Y-you didn't order him to do anything, he acted..."

"As I told him to," Interrupted Ezra. "I am 'knotted' with the birds. I can communicate with them; they will do as I ask, I can see what they see, feel as they feel, be as one with them."

Indys was stunned. He was 'knotted' with the birds? Her stomach sank, Ezra truly was crazy, he hadn't even opened his Dracgon mind up to Niko and herself. Now he's saying he is mind linked, 'knotted' with the birds? She felt a sense of dread wash over her entire being. She would have to tell Niko that Ezra was crazy, utterly out of his mind, and therefore of no use to their Braid.

Ezra picked up on her dismay. "Watch."

He got up and walked over to one of the smaller cages against the wall that held a small, colorful bird with a black breast and orange wings which that matched its long, pointed beak. He opened the cage and the bird happily hopped out onto his hand, looked at Ezra briefly, and then took off to fly around the domed ceiling aviary. It came to rest on the pages of the book that he'd been writing in, flicked away the quill that he'd been using with its foot, and then poked its beak into the inkwell and began to write on the page.

Indys stared wide eyed at the bird. It was a moment before she could slowly slide off of the table and on to her feet. She walked towards the bird, which paid her no mind, and was riveted as she watched it dip its beak once more and keep writing. She stood on the opposite side of the table, looking at the book from an upside down angle. The bird finished what it had written and delivered a hard peck to the page, punctuating the writing with a period. The bird looked up at her briefly, Indys could have sworn it winked at her somehow, before flying back to its cage and hopping inside.

I-N-D-Y-S. Is what she read in thin, sloppy lines.

The bird had spelled out her name? She looked at Ezra in disbelief. What he said was true! He was 'knotted' with the birds! Now it all made sense to her; why he lived in the aviary, why he was so fond of the Queens flock. He wasn't going mad, he just wanted to be near the birds! He possessed a power she'd never heard of another Dracgon wielding. She couldn't wrap her mind around all the ramifications word of this getting out could bring... Ezra was a miracle!

"H...how you do it? You know what this means? You have any idea what you could do for the Qu..." She stammered. "We have to..."

"Keep it a secret between us." Interjected Ezra, his voice resolute, shutting the bird cage and walking back to his seat. "Promise me, on your House, that you will tell no one. Please!"

She was baffled by him yet again. "But why? The things you could do for the Queen!" She said excitedly. "You will be a great hero!"

Ezra held up his hands and shook his head. "I never wanted to be a hero. Hell, I never even wanted the Draca." She could most definitely relate to him on this, she thought. He went on. "I just need to sort things out, it's all so new and... And I am still trying to understand it myself. So please, one noble House to another, swear to keep it secret until I feel it's time to tell the Queen!"

She looked at him and saw the earnest pleading in his violet eyes. In that moment she felt something. Something she had never felt before. A pleading, from her own fellow Draca ,to swear to this vow of secrecy. It was a pleading so forceful that the words came out before she could even think.

"House Anlace swears an oath to House Cleave, thy will be done." She patted both hands on her chest over her heart; once for her, twice for the Draca, thrice for the Known.

Ezra gave her a thankful nod and closed the book that the bird had etched her name in. Indys thought a moment, then spoke. "You must swear a House oath to me as well then, Ezra of House Cleave." She was determined to get something out of this visit other than the guilt of Roos's death. "You must promise to uphold all of your duties to Niko, myself, and to our Braid. You must become the Dracgon the Known meant you to be! Swear it Ezra!"

His face darkened. The relief he had just felt with her oath vanished, replaced with distress and hopelessness. For a moment, she felt guilty for asking this of him, yet she also knew that the Braid must come first! Niko and her, they needed him. Whatever force that had compelled her to swear the oath was clearly not doing the same to Ezra, for he stared at her long and hard before answering.

"You have no clue what you ask of me." His voice was barely more than a whisper.

"Then fill me in!" She yelled, slamming her fist on the table in front of him, "I've been here almost a year and hardly know you! You keep yourself apart from the Braid, you say almost nothing when you are around anyone! All I know of you is what I've been told or read about in the history books. You're a mystery to Niko and I, and it shouldn't be that way. One day our lives will depend on you! We should know who has our backs!" She let him have it more than she had intended, but months of frustration had boiled over and erupted in this pivotal moment.

Ezra crinkled his nose now that she was leaning towards him with her hands on the table, reminding her of the stink she had collected only a few minutes ago. She could see that he was still working on a response, he started to speak, but then stopped. He looked at her once more, the pleading in his eyes once again, but then gone. Replaced by... What? She couldn't tell, but his demeanor hardened.

"House Cleave swears an oath to House Anlace, thy will be done." He then patted his chest three times. "You and Niko have that coming," He said, looking at her once more. "Just remember that I will always have mankind's needs first and foremost in my thoughts; this I also swear, even before that of the Queen's."

"That's fine Ezra, thank you." She stood up straight, not sure why he had been so insistent about mankind's needs being put above the Queen;s. After all, weren't they two halves of the same whole? That's what she had been raised to believe. What was Ezra getting at? Indys wanted to stay longer, talk and try to understand all of this better, but the way she smelled was about to make her sick. Rackal droppings weren't like regular bird shit.

Ezra picked up on her thoughts, and lightened up a bit, "You might as well have been rolling around in cow shit. Rackals are large flying beast. We should all be thankful they have to be grounded before they take a shit."

She gave him a hard look. "Yeah, I'm so very thankful," She said sarcastically, walking towards the door. "We'll talk again later, Ezra Cleave."

"Yes we will," He replied. "You're a shrewd one, Indys Anlace. I'm going to have to keep a bird's eye on you."

She stopped a moment to say something, but the stench was really getting to her. She hoped that she wouldn't throw up during the long walk back to the springs. This night had given her a lot to think about, more than she had ever even conceived of imagining. She had no idea why Ezra wanted to be so secretive, but she at least had been able to lighten Niko's burden. They were going to make the Braid, a real "knotted" braid, Dracgon linked. A real weapon for the Queen. The excitement she felt for that lightened her steps back to the springs, she would dwell on the good that had occurred that night...

And worry about General Gillilion and the fucker named Vex later.