The tent flap opened, and Aurem blinked, snapping his gaze to the entrance, expecting Turuk. Instead, Aurem bristled immediately, as he saw the Puny- Geran- Undari warrior strutting in, as if he owned the place. Aurem barely restrained himself from sending a bolt of lightning at the man, as his dark eyes shifted from him, to Soren. The puny warrior said something in a demanding tone, and Aurem wondered if the guard would interfere with anything that happened. Turuk might be in charge, but he was almost certainly busy with Siira and the pups. Now, Aurem was even happier to have returned to the tent.

He shifted slightly, glaring at the man, as he stood between Geran and Soren, knowing he must not have looked very intimidating by the sneer on the man’s face. If he tried anything, Aurem didn’t care- he would use his magic and wipe one more piece of shit from the face of the planet. Even if it got him killed, he figured Soren would be all right at least. He shifted his fingers slightly, knowing from the man’s expression that he was up to no good. He’d seen his type before, when on the streets. And plenty of times since, while living in the tower.

“Aurem,” Soren’s voice whispered from behind him, and Aurem felt a faint touch on his back. He could hear the slight waver in the mage’s voice, despite the way he tried to hide it.

Aurem huffed, and then shook his head. “No need to worry, Soren, he’s just in here blowing off hot air. Turuk is the one in control here. If he had the power, he would have done something by now,” Aurem said haughtily, lifting his chin. He watched Geran’s expression, seeing the rage flare in his eyes. So, it appeared he understood some of what he said, if not all. It was good to know that he understood Delfin, at least as well as Turuk.

He snarled out something in the Undari language, and Aurem forced his expression to blank. He couldn’t pick out a single word of the tirade, but could guess is was fueled by anger at his words. If the man knew delfin, Aurem wasn’t sure why he didn’t simply speak the tongue. Perhaps he thought it beneath him. The weak one with delusions of grandeur always had such ideas. If he thought to intimidate, Aurem wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. And he hoped Soren was hidden behind him enough to keep his fear from being seen. It would only stroke the man’s rotten ego. Aurem had enough experience at ignoring the barking orders of those who felt themselves superior to him. It only helped that he had no idea what the man was saying.

Geran strode closer, and grabbed Aurem’s wrist harshly. Gritting his teeth, Aurem reacted without thinking, and wrenched his hand away, backhanding the bastard across the face with a fling of curses in his own language. Despite being Undari, the man snarled, and stumbled back a step, shocked that he had been struck. The blow came before Aurem could block it, and Aurem then fell to his ass as pain exploded across his face. He grunted, and clutched at his jaw, only relieved that it hadn’t been his nose again. He heard Soren yelp, and kneel at his side, feeling the younger mage grab onto his shoulder and arm. He tasted iron, and felt the heat of blood in his mouth, knowing his cheek was cut inside. He grimaced at the taste of iron.

For a moment, Aurem’s ears rang, and his head swam. Despite being puny for an Undari, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still strong. Wincing, Aurem scowled, keeping his magic at bay, just barely, to keep Geran from finding out. He felt the warrior grab onto the collar of his furs, and felt himself lifted up a bit, only managing a half glare, as Geran came close. “You will bend for me, mage,” he snarled out, a thick accent coloring his words. The man spoke Delfin as if he had lived there for many years- despite the accent. Aurem shivered at the look of pure hatred in the man’s eyes. The dark brown eyes glittered with the want to hurt.

Despite the situation, Aurem felt rage flash through him, and spit blood in the bastard’s face. “I will not,” he hissed up at Geran, seeing the utter rage flood through his features. Aurem winced, and closed his eyes, preparing himself to be hit again, as Geran’s hand curled into a fist. He heard Soren yelp a protest, and then a louder voice broke over the chaos in the tent.

Aurem cracked an eye open, relief flooding through him, as he saw the tall figure of Turuk standing in the entrance of the tent; behind him and to the side, Aurem saw the concerned look of the guard that had been outside of their tent before. So, it seemed that one was on their side, or at the very least Turuk’s. Whatever Geran’s rank, it was clear normal members of the group couldn’t interfere. Turuk was clearly the one in charge, judging by the way Geran barely contained his rage. But contain it, he did, even if Aurem could feel the rage like electricity in the air.

The anger in Turuk’s voice caused Aurem to shudder, pressing his palm further against his chin, trying to nurse the wound which throbbed with an intense pain. His magic ached to heal it, but he held himself back, knowing it would be a disaster if Geran found out about his magic. Had he been unsealed completely, Aurem knew his magic would heal the wound on its own, without restraint. For once, Aurem was glad the silencer wasn’t completely removed.

Aurem breathed out a soft sigh of relief, as Turuk said a few more harsh words, and Geran stormed out of the tent. “Aurem,” he heard Soren whisper, seeing Turuk had turned his back on them, and was now murmuring quietly to the guard. Wincing, Aurem turned his gaze to Soren, and sighed, allowing himself to relax slightly. He smiled, and then regretted it, wincing again. “I’m sorry,” Soren whispered, his eyes shifting down in shame.

“Don’t,” he murmured, nudging the boy with his elbow. “I’m reckless, and did it to myself,” he answered, honestly. It seemed from the time he was old enough to make stupid decisions, he always wound up choosing the ones that would get him punched. He scoffed lightly at the thought, and rubbed his chin gingerly, allowing his magic at last to numb the pain. “Besides, he’s the worst kind of bastard,” he grunted, shaking his head.

“I don’t like him at all,” Soren murmured under his breath, and Aurem felt him shudder. “The way he looked at you, and me…”

Aurem hummed in agreement, and then reached out, and squeezed Soren’s arm. His amber gaze shifted, though, as Turuk approached them, and crouched down. Aurem suppressed a shiver as Turuk reached out, the man’s fingers brushing over the skin of his jaw. His hands were warm, and calloused, but Aurem didn’t move away from his touch. He held the crimson gaze evenly, waiting for him to speak. “Aurem heal?” He asked quietly, frowning in a stern manner.

Aurem hesitated, and then nodded, finally releasing his magic to heal the cuts in his mouth. The pain was soothed completely by a gentle heat, feeling his magic knit the skin back together, and reduce the swelling. He still tasted the lingering flavor of blood, but water would wash that away eventually. Grunting in contentment, Turuk shifted his fingers over the previously injured chin, seemingly contemplating something. He heard Soren stifle a gasp at his side, realizing he hadn’t told the boy that his magic was somewhat released.

“Good,” Turuk seemed to decide something with a nod, and Aurem felt fingers briefly shift in his pale locks. Despite himself, Aurem leaned into the touched, and then scowled as Turuk gave a faint smirk. He grit his teeth, and then leaned away from Turuk’s hand, hating himself a bit. There was absolutely no explanation for this new development. He had barely said more than a few things to Turuk. And the man was his captor. Aurem glared up at the man despite himself, and pursed his lips in a thin line. Trying to look every bit that he despised the man in front of him. The actions only caused the smirk to widen into a grin, and Turuk gave a deep laugh. It rumbled in his chest in a way that make Aurem’s cheeks burn. Gods damn it all.