Chapter 22 / 37
Written by Jessi Maxwell - send C&C to Megami_no_Remon@hotmail.com
Shaiyra was dying.
This fact caused Treize no little amount of distress. He had done all he could to see the boy had proper medical attention after his aborted escape attempt.
There had been no further attempts.
Shaiyra's wounds were slow to begin healing and seemed to resist the efforts of Treize's medical staff. They kept him tended as best they could.
For the first several days, Shaiyra had snarled and raged, hissing in pain and acting like a feral, caged animal. His rage had slowly subsided. He stopped fighting the staff, he stopped his frenzied pacing, and he stopped picking at his bandages or snarling. Finally, a couple days later, he stopped moving at all and just sat or lay on his bed, unmoving.
He sat there now, his already pale skin an ashen shade of gray. His silvery hair had lost its luster. His lips were tinged with blue, and he could not stop shivering. Treize had ordered heat brought to the room, but it hadn't seemed to make a difference. No one else could stand to be near the place - the concentrated heat in addition to the sunny summer weather was stifling.
Knowing the dragon-boy's aversion to light, and how in the past he had drawn strength from the shadows, Treize had ordered the lights removed in a last ditch effort. It had seemed to put Shaiyra more at ease, although there was no other obvious effect.
Treize frowned deeply as he approached the chamber. The heat was witheringly oppressive and he had it turned off, for the time being. Running a finger under his collar and wiping the sweat from his brow, he walked into the chamber.
Shaiyra remained where he was, numb. His eyes were still bandages, but there was nothing wrong with his hearing. Treize knew his boot-heels had clicked loudly on the steel floor as he had entered. "My dear young Shaiyra, good morning."
Shaiyra didn't move, and he was silent for so long that Treize thought he simply wasn't going to respond. When he finally did speak, alarm shot through the general at the choked sound of Shaiyra's breath rattling in his throat, and the low rasp in his voice. "My brother...I have failed him."
Treize frowned. "Shaiyra..." He sighed. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
The dragon-boy was silent before shaking his head once. "No. My death comes. Soon. Within the week."
"Is there no way for it to be avoided? I do not see any reason for you to suffer if I can ease it."
"There is nothing you can do, human." Shaiyra responded. He tried to dredge up something of an acerbic tone, but he failed. His mind, his emotions...all of it was sluggish, shutting down piece by piece. "I cannot survive in your world."
Treize nodded slowly, a pang going through him at the lifeless tone. "Is there any request I can grant to make you more comfortable?"
Shaiyra was silent - Treize had his answer. Feeling helpless, the general ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "I am...sorry."
"I care not what happens to me," Shaiyra rasped quietly, his fists clenching. This was the most fire in his voice Treize had heard in a while. "At least he will be spared my vengeance."
"Vengeance?" Treize asked, arching one elegant eyebrow.
Shaiyra smiled bitterly. "Yes. On our father." He spat the word as if it were a curse. "For abandoning us to our cruel fate in the first place."
Treize mused over this for a moment. "I see. And what of your mother?"
The silver-haired boy paused for a long moment. "We have no mother."
The general nodded sympathetically, even though the boy could not see it. "I apologize, I didn't realize your loss."
"There was no loss. We have no mother. We..." Shaiyra appeared at a loss, a little growl tingeing his voice. Though the train of thought wasn't pleasant to him, Treize felt it good that the boy was showing some sign of spirit. "My race is somewhat...parasitic in nature."
"Parasitic? How so?"
Shaiyra seemed at a bit of a loss how to explain things simply. "My race does not reproduce like other dragons, or like humans. The seed of the male finds its way to the belly of the host in which it is planted. Gender is unimportant. It takes root and grows. Some genetic material is borrowed in the process to complete the young. The young grow, feeding off what is taken in by the host. Eventually, they grow to a point where the host body can no longer sustain them, and they break free, consuming the host until big enough to hunt on their own."
Treize stared in shock. He was glad the boy couldn't see the appalled look on his face, and his gut twisted at the thought of death from a bellyful of wyrmlings eating and clawing their way free.
Shaiyra snorted derisively. "Our father cut us free of our host. I do not know our 'mother' ever knew we existed. Then the bastard discarded us to die, too young to survive on our own. But I was strong enough. I kept us alive."
// What terrible hardship their lives must have been...and now, to be stuck here and dying, knowing his death will likely cause the death of the siblings he fought so hard to protect...what a bitter pill to swallow. //
The dragon-boy sighed listlessly and then lay down on his bed. "Leave me. Do not bother sending food, I can no longer eat."
Treize frowned, and then hesitated at the door. // I should not be considering this... // "If...I were to leave this door open and look the other way, would it do any good at all?"
Shaiyra appeared surprised by the remark and half sat up to regard Treize. For the first time in his captivity, Treize heard true warmth in the boy's voice. "No. I haven't the strength...but..." He fidgeted for a moment. "I thank you. You are...honorable...for a human."
"I shall order my men not to disturb you further."
"Thank you," Shaiyra whispered as Treize turned to leave.
Treize's eyes were dark and moody. He snapped the orders briefly at the guards he had set to watch the room. They hastily saluted and scurried to get out of the general's path.
// Is there nothing I can do? Must I be so helpless that I cannot save the life of one young man?... Though he's not a man, by his own claim...and I find I believe it. To think that the Earth I love so much is a slow poison, to slowly choke the life from this boy...it is unimaginable. To never enjoy the light of the sun and know that every breath sends you hurtling towards your last...//
Treize stopped in front of his library with a frown, and then called for one of his men. "Lieutenant. Inform my men I am not to be disturbed unless the situation is very grave. I will be doing some very important research."
The young man saluted. "Yes, Your Excellency, sir." When Treize dismissed him, he hurried off to do as he had been bidden.
Treize entered his library with a determined gleam in his eye. He didn't know if there was anything to be found that he could possibly use to aid the ailing dragon-boy, but he was surely going to give it a try!