by JF Jenkins
"I don't intend to hurt you," Lynx said. "I have only hurt one woman in a way she did not deserve, and as you can see she's forgiven me for such behavior. So long as you are cooperative, you will be treated as a guest. Trying to escape will land you in my dungeon, and I don't know what the guards will do to you down there."
"The others who were brought with you will be killed if you do not cooperate," the one called Matthias said coolly. "We have the First Council and his wife."
"Ah, yes, see? The First Council is useful to me. The girl is not. She is easily expendable. I'm sure you've grown to care for her as a friend over your time there. And she must also have children. You wouldn't want to be responsible for them no longer having a mother would you?"
"No," Tai said through clenched teeth, already hating the man more than she did two seconds earlier. It disgusted her that he would dare to try to manipulate her by such means. There was no honor in that.
"Such a smart girl," Lynx said. "Navi, why don't you show her to your room so she can rest? I'm sure it's been a long journey."
"Yes, my Lord," Navi said and took Tai's hand ever so gently. The woman stayed close, almost as if she were some kind of guardian angel. She took Tai to a room that was lavishly decorated. The four-post-bed had black curtains hanging from a golden rod. The comforter on the bed matched this as it too was black, and the bed itself was covered in a multitude of gold and black throw pillows. All of the furniture was made from a dark wood. There were tiger lilies in vases giving the room an exotic touch. Navi sat Tai on the bed, and then gave her a hug that Tai couldn't help but reciprocate.
"Whatever happens, I'm on your side. We'll both be free, I promise," Navi said in barely more than a whisper. Tai almost didn't hear it herself, and she didn't dare respond beyond a nod. Navi moved her hands to Tai's wrist where the glowing blue bracelet was. "Clever," she mumbled and with a hard tug was able to break open the clasp. The magic of the bracelet stopped flowing over Tai, and it became a dull silver. "I'll have to put it on again, but you have a few seconds."
Tai didn't waste any time. The magic disrupting her communication with her husband was gone now. Darien, I don't have long. I'm okay, for now. The Inero Lord is keeping me in his chambers.
Tai? He hasn't hurt you has he? Touched you? I'll kill him if he—Hearing his voice brought tears to her eyes.
I have to go again. I'll see if I can get a hold of you again soon. I'm scared, but no, he hasn't touched me much.
Much?
I love you. I'm sorry. I— The bracelet was snapped back onto her wrist and she was once more blocked from him. She looked over at Navi with teary eyes. "Thank you."
The woman nodded. "Sleep now, so we can talk in the night. It's the only chance we'll have."
Chapter Sixty-Three
The Inero
Lynx was nothing but smiles, and it unnerved Matt. Not so much the fact that his father was smiling, but how he did it. It was a smug smirk, dark and sinister. Matt knew the news of the successful operation would please his father. He didn't realize it would bring out such a cold side of the man. Then again, war was not meant for the softhearted.
"Things could not get better. Well, no, I suppose that is false. They could get better, but for the time being this is more than perfect. I can't wait for the Great Oceina Lord to send his grand cavalry to save his wife and kin. We'll be able to take out a great number of them all at once. You've strengthened the borders, yes?" Lynx said.
"Yes, of course," Matt said. He was prepared to not sleep all night. If the situations were reversed, Matt would retaliate immediately and use every resource to bring Kat back to him. Though he would also have more than one plan at his disposal. He could only assume the Water Lord would do the same.
Matt glanced at his father. "I've also increased the security in the castle. More guards at all of the doors, and more night watch rotations."
"I don't see the point. He won't get through the borders."
"All the same. Just in case, I think it best to be ready. Don't you?"
"You give the boy a lot more credit than you should," Lynx said.
"Not giving him enough could be our downfall. After all, he did figure out the Terran's involvement. I've seen him in action. His magic is extremely powerful, and his anger is settled deep in his heart." Matt pointed out. He took in a deep breath. "Ultimately, I will do what you will, but that is just my suggestion."
Lynx leaned forward and their eyes met. "Then you stay behind and guard the castle. Besides, you will not be needed at the border. Not with the Terran mixed with our warriors."
Matt sighed with relief. "I'm glad. Now that Jason is back, I'd really like to spend some time with him, my wife, my child once this is all over with."
"You have put in quite a bit of work. With your plans, we should be able to handle things without you being on the field. Instead you can watch from here, at my side. As it should be." Lynx grinned at him. "We will rule a great empire together. When my reign fades, you will take over."
"Which is what I've always dreamed about," Matt admitted.
"Speaking of your wife and child, I heard another scan came back as a positive identification of your offspring being a girl."
Matt fought the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't like being reminded of that, or of the promise they'd made to the Terran. There was enough pressure on him as it was. Plus it felt like a bit of a condescending statement to make.
"I'm glad they're more certain. Kat will be even more excited." That sounded like a good thing to say in response.
Lynx clapped Matt on the back. "I have a meeting with Seth, our prophet. He thinks there is a way to get you to remember your vision better from the summoning ritual. I don't think I need to explain how helpful that would be even though the divine revelation the boy got alone was well worth the risk. Whatever you saw as well would only add to the cause more."
"That's great." It was genuine good news. Matt wished he could remember more. Every so often he thought he heard a whisper of another inside of his head—someone who wasn't Jason or Kat. He liked to imagine it was God's way of trying to speak to him. A lot of times he still dreamed about the vision he had. Never could he remember the dreams, but he knew because he always woke with the same feeling of peace and comfort just like the day he had awakened from ritual. Did Jason have the same problem? Could he not remember his vision? His brother never wanted to talk about what he had seen, and Matt didn't think it a good idea to press him. Maybe it was time to change his approach.
All he knew for certain was that the dream was what kept him believing in his father's cause.
Chapter Sixty-Four
The Oceina
Darien watched his uncle Arthur pace the den of the castle Sanctuary. He could hardly sit still himself. Ever since he'd heard from Tai, he had a hard time fighting the urge to go get her. Rushing over to the Inero would only get him into trouble, he knew this. He had to wait until there was a solid plan, as well as the right time. Messing this up would not only mean death for him, as well as her, but his entire nation would be overtaken.
His brothers were all with him as well, sans Christian and Noah. Christian had been injured and needed more time to rest and recover, and Noah was calming the children. All of them were greatly shaken over the loss of Brian and Lance. Slowly, their family was starting to fall apart. He was determined to bring Lance back at least.
"Your uncles to the south are assembling the army. It's a shame they didn't stop this before it started," Arthur said.
"There were Terran," Asher pointed out.
Arthur nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me if they snuck in through the west. And since they were Terran, I'm sure our family along those borders would have thought nothing of it anyway. Don't they fly in and out of the country often for trade? Now the betrayal is known. This won't happen twice."
"So now comes the task of getting Lance and the others back," Asher said. "We can—"
"I'm going alone," Darien said quietly.
His unblinking gaze remained straight ahead.
Arthur faced him and halted in place. It didn't take long for his pacing to resume, however. "I don't think it wise for you to go at all. We just lost one leader. We don't need to lose another."
"Our brother and our father," Tony added, for the first time saying something since their meeting began.
Darien scowled and stood up from his chair. "The family doesn't respect me as their leader anyway. One way to earn it is to go. Besides, I'm not sitting here and doing nothing. They have my wife, my brother, my family. I have the strongest magic. I'll at least be able to hold my own in a fight. I'm going. The end."
Tony put a hand on his younger brother's shoulder. "Don't be irrational."
"I'm not. I'm thinking perfectly clear." Darien lowered his eyes. "All I'm going to do is sneak in and back out again. No big dramatics, no epic battles. Dad said to rely on the Touched. I think there's something all four of us have to do together to end this. Which is where you come in, Tony. You're to pick up where Lance left off in his research. Anyone else you can find to help with this would be good. There are a lot of texts to comb through. A lot of it was confusing for Lance which is saying a lot."
"Right, because he's the book worm," Tony mumbled.
Arthur shook his head. "And when you return?"
"Prepare everyone for war," Darien said. "If I don't come home, I'm leaving Oceina in your hands. We will hold our borders, or die trying. They won't take our land and they won't succeed in this ridiculous quest of theirs. Lord Aero has said we can keep the children safe in his home. We might want to think about sending them."
"Sanctuary is safe," his uncle insisted.
Darien nodded in agreement. "For now. Just think about it. When I come home, we'll begin stage two."
"And that is?"
"Whatever the Touched are supposed to do."
Chapter Sixty-Five
The Inero
"And when all of the Touched are assembled, the Great Evil will be held at bay for one last generation before exacting his wrath on the world, promising those he has deceived great power to do his bidding. Do not fear, for then the Great Dragon shall come to full glory and the struggle will end. Good will triumph for all of the life of the Great Dragon. All shall receive peace and prosperity..."
Jason stopped reading and felt a peace in that promise. "When all of the Touched come together...we can drive the Great Evil away." He felt hope for the first time since he realized that he was the host to such a monster.
No you can't, the demon said.
He ignored the voice. Not something that was easy for him to do, but he had to try. Now that the demon was getting bolder and trying to actually take control of his body, he couldn't be too careful. There was no room for him to let his guard down and give it any kind of hold on his life. He had to stay strong.
"It's settled," Jason said out loud. He knew what he had to do next. Taking out a sheet of paper from inside of his pants pockets, he wrote down a list of things he needed to do, the most important of which was finding Darien and forming some kind of an alliance. They each needed the other's help. They'd have to work together in order to find the other two Touched who were the Terran and the Aero. Then they could end the war, and evict the demon inside of him. If only he could remember more about what happened during the ritual, then things would be easier. He'd have more answers.
You won't win, the demon said.
Watch me, Jason thought defiantly.
I will watch you fail. You believe these are promises? They are theories. They aren't real or set in stone.
Jason didn't have a lot of faith, but what little he did was enough to make him believe otherwise.
Chapter Sixty-Six
The Oceina
As soon as darkness fell, Darien returned to Oceina City through the portal. He needed to take care of Brian's body, something that would help him feel useful as he waited for time to pass. There were at least three more hours of waiting before he could begin his rescue mission. It didn't have to be only dark. It needed to be the middle of the night.
The building he once called home seemed to have finished settling from after the blast. A few more large chunks of concrete were in the middle of the lobby, but he didn't feel any sense of danger. The building felt eerie and haunted though. The place he once loved he now was unsettled in. He walked out quickly, found a dark alley he could transform in without being seen, and then flew to the school.
Caution tape had been placed around his brother's body and three security guards were there to keep watch. It touched him to know the humans respected his kind so greatly they felt Brian was worth protecting. There were a few flowers placed nearby as well. The security guards stared up at him with wide eyes and Darien could smell their fear. While they didn't reach for weapons to try and harm him, Darien decided it would be easiest to render them unconscious. Breathing a light mist over them, they soon fell to the ground in a deep sleep. He then returned his attention to Brian.
"Thank you for trying to protect our family. I love you, and I hope you are truly at peace. Until we meet again, brother," he said softly. It would have been wrong to not say anything. The pure blue flame of the water dragon conjured up inside of him and soon his brother's body was ablaze. It would be the only thing which burned, so there was no need to watch it. Darien didn't feel as though he could leave just yet though.
He watched the flames, meditating over the plan he, Arthur, and the other military had conspired. It would be dangerous, and while they all wanted to protect Darien, the part he had to play was vital. Only he had the magic to stand up against the Inero, especially now that they were enhanced with Terran magic. He also needed to find the one ally he had in Inero, Jason.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard footsteps approaching. The scent of Alex and his sister came to his nose before they appeared in his line of sight. Allegra clung to her brother's arm, hiding behind him, as he dared to come close to Darien.
"Please don't hurt us, my Lord. We didn't have any where else to go," Alex said quietly.
Darien sighed deeply and looked down, resting his head on the ground with exhaustion. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Alex's eyes narrowed and his brow furrowed deeply. "...Darien? No, it's not possible. But you sound like him."
"You should go home. It's getting late." Dodge the question. He should have thought before speaking, but he didn't know Alex would be so observant.
"I told you. We don't have anywhere else to go. The condo where my family lived was completely destroyed. My parents along with it. This is all we have."
"No other family?"
"No, not outside of a few older cousins who live along the border of the Terran lands. It seemed like a better idea to stay up here than go there. We heard about what happened."
"You should go North then."
"Please," Alex said and paused. "This is going to sound crazy, but Darien, if that is you, please let me help you."
For a long time, all Darien did was stare at his almost friend. This was the guy who had been lusting after his wife from the beginning. At the same time, Alex had a good heart, and if he had nowhere else to go, perhaps it was time for Darien to take a leap of faith. He definitely needed all of the help he could get. He closed his eyes, and began the transformation into his human shape. Allegra half gasped, half screamed. He was almost afraid to open his eyes and look at them.
"I knew it was you. The voice, and the way you spoke to the dragon earlier. It's what brought me back here because you said you'd be back here tonight. I thought it'd be you, as in, the man you. Then we could...something...I don't know. This...this is crazy," Alex said and shook his head.
"You speak the dragon tongue," Darien said quietly. "Not many can. Most your age are taken to the priesthood and trained for life in the temples."
"Wasn't something I wanted, so I hid, lied about it, so I could stay with my family."
"Oddly, I'm glad you did, because I
do need your help."
Allegra shook her head, and she still hid behind her brother. "This can't be happening. None of this is real."
"Unfortunately, it is. If you want to give me a ride back into the city, I can explain everything on the way. It's going to seem crazy, farfetched even, but it's the honest truth," Darien said. "We don't have a lot of time though, so if you mean what you said about wanting to help, we need to go now."
Chapter Sixty-Seven
The Oceina
Alex parked his car as close to Darien's apartment building as he could get. Darien could tell he was shaken up by everything he'd just been told. The truth of what happened and of the dragons. Allegra seemed to be having an even harder time with it. She wouldn't look at Darien, and she rubbed her arms slowly. It was a lot to take in, he knew that, and he couldn't imagine how much more difficult it was since they also had to accept the fact that their entire family was gone. Being orphaned at a young age was hard; Darien knew that one all too well. He couldn't imagine going through such a loss without his brothers. But to lose both of his parents so tragically and needlessly at the same time like Alex and Allegra, he wasn't sure what that felt like. Their family had been innocent. They were only humans and didn't need to be dragged into dragon politics.