Chapter 28: Taran
He doesn't answer for a long time and I think he either didn't hear me or doesn't want to. Then he says, "No."
"Seems odd that you have a desert wren in your possession at the same time as you captured another and forced her into a cage."
He stiffens against my back and I worry that I've offended him. Still, I'm not one to let uncomfortable truths die.
"Coincidence." The tone of his voice is a warning that I shouldn't push anymore.
Of course, I push. I roll over to face him and push up on my elbow. I'm halfway draped across him, my legs tangling with his. He's so big he takes up almost all of the cot.
"Do you intend to let her and the chicks go once they hatch?" I demand.
"Of course," he says, and the growl in his voice suggests I've offended him.
But I know him, have watched him rule this city for as long as I've been here. He doesn't let his citizens make choices for themselves. He's decided a dictatorship will serve them best. I don't believe that he's going to just let those birds fly free. "And you'll let the hatchlings learn to fly on their own? Even if she pushes them off the roof before they're ready to go?"
"Taran," he snaps.
"The answer is important to me, Diogo." I press my hand against his chest. "Please?"
He sighs and shoves a hand through his hair, nearly toppling me over with his elbow. "I'll block the section of the greenhouse she leaves through when they're ready to fly. She can teach them using the shelves in there."
"Those aren't high enough!" I protest. "They won't learn properly."
"They'll have to make do." He sounds annoyed now.
"And once you decide they can fly, you'll open the greenhouse and let them go?" I persist.
"Yes, that was always my intention, Taran. Even before I met you."
I shove away from him and stand, pushing his shirt down my thighs so I feel less exposed. "Not good enough, Diogo," I say passionately. "You can't cage a wild animal and expect them to understand freedom when it comes. They'll die in the wild if they don't learn properly."
He sits up, studying me. Despite his casual posture I know how fast he can move when he's motivated. I take a few steps back.
"You can't cage her. She won't thank you. More than likely she'll kill herself trying to escape. You're far better off just providing her sanctuary while allowing her the freedom to live the way she's meant to."
"And what if she dies?"
"That's a risk I'm willing to take."
He stands, steps right up to me and says, "Well I'm not."
He takes hold of my arm and pulls me toward the door of the building, slamming it ominously behind us.
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