Legend of the Inero Dragon (14 page)

Off in the distance, Kat laughed again, and
Gwen couldn't help but frown. Lenora played with the young woman's
hair. Navi's words replayed inside her head.

Lynx isn't the only one using them.

Chapter
Twenty-Seven

Hungry.
The word popped into Kat's head and she instantly recognized
it as her child's voice. Having Matt inside her head was more than
enough for her. Adding a baby on top of that was just about pushing
her over the edge. Thankfully, the child only communicated simple
things to her, but they weren't always things she wanted to
do.

I just ate.
She sighed, rubbing her stomach, hoping that the
motion would calm it. Kat was almost positive the baby was a girl.
Something about the tone in the voice felt feminine to her. She'd
always wanted a daughter, not necessarily so soon after entering
into marriage, but these things happened sometimes.

Hungry.

If I eat anymore, I think I'm going to be
sick.

Hungry!

Her stomach cramped up and she groaned. She
searched the suite for something small like a candy bar. She'd just
finished lunch with the other women at the pool not too long ago.
What she wanted to do more than anything was take a nap, which she
wouldn't be able to do if she felt like garbage. Hopefully
something small would appease the baby until dinnertime. Lenora had
invited her over for a grand feast tonight to help keep her company
while Matt was away. She didn't want to spoil it by eating too much
beforehand.

She opened up the candy bar, the taste of the
chocolate lingering, which instantly helped bring her mood back up
again. With Matt gone, she was on edge. What made things worse was
the worry she had over his mission. Every day she'd check in with
him to make sure he was okay, and when he'd tell her he had yet to
complete his task, her heart sank a little.

Happy.

I don't want to be happy. I
won't be happy until he comes home.
Kat
released a slow breath, grateful she wasn't completely alone. How
did a child, an infant, understand her emotions so much better than
anyone else? From all of her experience with babies, they didn't
come across as being perceptive of much. Perhaps things were
different in the womb. Since Matt was a dragon, that might have
changed things a lot, too.

Exhaustion washed over her. She lay down to
do what she had originally intended to do: nap. She didn't want to
mope over her husband being gone. The less she thought about him,
the faster the time passed. That's why she was so grateful for her
friends. They kept her busy and distracted. The only time she
thought about him was when she was alone back at the castle. She
made sure to only rest when she absolutely could not be awake any
longer. It helped with her not being able to think. If she was too
tired to focus, then she couldn't linger on negative thoughts.

Awake.

No, I need to sleep. You
make me so tired.
A small blessing in
disguise at the moment, because she wouldn't have slept on her own
without such an intense need to. The baby took so much of her
energy sometimes, and when it did, she felt a small warm tingle all
throughout her stomach—like magic.
I wonder
if it that's what it is.

Awake.

Kat closed her eyes, curling
up on her side. She grabbed Matt's pillow to hug.
You stay awake then. I need to rest.

The warm tingle returned inside of her, and
she smiled.

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Oceina City was nothing like home. Matthias
spent a lot of time checking out everything around him when they
arrived. The buildings reached higher than he'd ever imagined, some
covered by clouds. There were no skyscrapers in Inero City. He'd
seen pictures, or some in the distance when traveling with the
Terran, but never from the ground. They were massive glass towers
that glimmered in silver, emerald green, blue, or indigo. Beautiful
but intimidating as well. He didn't want to think about being in a
building so tall.

He traveled with four other members of the
Royal Guard. Matt was the youngest and the leader of the operation.
They respected him, though. They'd gone on other smaller missions
together and were considered the best of the best. He felt
confident in the task they were there to do.

They'd spent the first day there taking in
the sights and exploring the city to become more familiar with the
area. They had to know their playing field. Despite the city's
size, Matt doubted there were more people than in Inero City. Once
they felt comfortable with their surroundings, the five began to
trail the great Oceina Lord, Orion. They did so in shifts and in
groups no larger than three.

A week passed. Matthias was itching to finish
the task and go home. The Great Lord lived a boring life. Everyday
was exactly the same: The man left to work somewhere in the city,
would later go back home, then stayed there until late in the
evening most days. On occasion, he left to run an errand or two in
the city. For the most part though, Orion spent his time with his
family. Every night at around eight o'clock, he and his son left to
walk around a nearby park. It was shortly before then when the
Inero guardsmen gathered together after a small break.

"I think tonight is the night," Matthias said
as he stood outside the luxury apartment building the Oceina family
called home. He scoffed at the idea. An apartment for royalty? What
was wrong with these people? Upon first entering the city, he'd
thought perhaps they lived in the tallest skyscraper. A beautiful
silver and blue building with an almost halo-like silver ring
circling its top. It disappointed him to learn the building was
used solely for business. Shouldn't something so beautiful have a
bigger purpose?

The five were all together, standing in a
small circle, acting as though they were waiting for a cab. The
other four men exchanged an uncertain look, but their cool
composure remained. The retaliation could be great, if the Oceina
people had the guts. The water dragons were far too passive for
their own good.

"Tonight
is
the night," he said, removing all
doubt from his statement. It was time to take charge.

"Don't you think we should spend a little
more time observing, sir?" The man who asked the question was
Emery. At thirty years old, he was the oldest member of the group
and, generally, the most obedient.

Matt stepped in front of him. Their eyes
locked. Though Emery had nearly two inches on him, Matt's firm
stance made him more intimidating. His shoulders squared and he
held his head high.

"I'm tired of being here," Matt snapped in a
whisper. "There is no need for us to stay any longer. The man is
pathetic. It's time to put him out of his misery. We can be home by
tomorrow night."

The door opened to the apartment, and the
Dragon Lord stepped out with one of his sons. The young man
couldn't have been much older than Matt. He vaguely recognized him
from the council, but couldn't remember seeing him again after the
opening of the meetings.

"Right on time," he whispered. He waited for
the two to cross the street and turn the corner at the end of the
block. Matt knew where they were going. He had their routine
memorized.

The park was directly across from them,
hidden behind a ten-foot-high stone wall. The main entrance was
about two blocks away. The duo went in that way, walked the entire
two-mile trail, then exited through the back, closer to home.

Matt motioned for the others to follow him to
this second entrance. Fewer people walked by it. In general, the
park was dead at this hour of night. It would be perfect.

The group quickly ran across the street and
went in the opposite direction of the Great Lord. They turned the
first corner, some twenty feet ahead of them. Halfway down the
block was the back entrance.

The trail was the only part of the park that
was lit. Soft blue lamps spaced three feet apart left the area with
a romantic and magical glow. This was the kind of place Matt would
bring a woman, not a son, but perhaps they walked there simply
because it was convenient. He needed to stop trying to understand
these strange people. The five men ducked into the trees,
disappearing into the dark. One by one, they all transformed into
their dragon shape.

Matt was the fastest. His body grew two feet
taller, and he felt his face forming a lizard-like snout full of
fangs. When he opened his eyes, his vision shifted as his eyes
moved over to the sides of his head. He could feel his legs gain
more muscle and power and his tail grew out from behind him. The
last things to take shape were the sharp claws on his feet and
hands.

When they were all in their dragon shape,
they moved quickly and silently through the forest. Their powerful
legs made it easy to dodge fallen tree branches with each
stride.

"Stop, we'll wait for them
here,"
Matt ordered once they were more
toward the middle of the park. This was the darkest place along the
path, as well as the furthest away from potential
bystanders.

Forty minutes passed before his ears picked
up the sound of their chatter. He needed to rely on his hearing
more than sight.

"I have the rest of them in the bedroom for
you to read," Orion said.

"Thank you," his son replied.

Matt rolled his eyes at how weak this 'man'
was. This would be a piece of cake. Whatever the two were
discussing was of little interest to him. Something about journals
and the son's dead mother? The topic was obviously a stressful one
for them both. He could hear the tension in their voices.

The two walked past Matt and his men,
completely oblivious. The Inero guards were camouflaged well in the
darkness of the trees. Carefully, Matt conjured up a small ball
that glowed red like fire and threw it at the son. It hit him in
the back of the head, immediately rendering him unconscious. Orion
stopped and knelt down to check on him. Matt used this as an
opportunity to step out from hiding.

Orion didn't so much as bat an eye or look up
at him. A disappointing reaction. Matt had hoped for fear.

"I was wondering when you'd finally come,"
Orion said, his eyes never leaving his son.

"You were expecting us?
Perhaps you're not a stupid as I originally thought,"
Matt sneered, speaking in the dragon
language.

"Nor am I as blind. But I suppose that is
why you are here. I've learned too much."

"That is the least of our
worries,"
Matt said, pointing a claw in the
direction of Orion's son.
"Bind him until I
figure out what to do with him."

"He's not your concern,"
Orion said. For the first time, he looked at Matt. The man's blue
eyes were wide. Every so often, he looked back at his son. Matt
made sure to give him the opportunity to watch the boy be
restrained to a tree
by the other members
of the guard
. The smell of sweat and dirt
stung his nostrils. He loved it. He loved the power and control he
had over the great leader.

"I decide that."

He stalked over to Orion. He leaned down and
grabbed the man by the throat. The two locked eyes, and it
disturbed Matt to see the fear in the Great Dragon Lord replaced
with peace.

"Does death not scare you? It should,
especially knowing that your life has been such a waste of
time."

The Dragon Lord did not react. "My life is
not the one being wasted."

"Let him go!" A voice in the distance
shouted. Matt's gaze drifted past Orion's face to see the Great
Lord's son had regained consciousness.

He's awake.
Perfect
. He could watch his father die.
With one swift movement, his claws ripped through Orion's back and
pulled out the man's heart. He watched the blood and gore splatter
to his feet, pleased with his work. Father would be proud of
him.

"D-dad? Dad!" his son cried. Matt couldn't
help but laugh.

"What should we do with this
one?"
Emery asked, gesturing to the young
man tied to the tree. He wasn't even bothering to
struggle.

Matt paused for a moment,
trying to decide the best course of action.
"As far as I'm concerned, he can be an example as
well."

As soon as the words left Matt's mouth, the
son's eyes glowed bright blue—his whole body did—and fire of the
same rich color surrounded him.

The Inero guard moved closer to Matt. He was
Touched, and he would be the only one powerful enough to protect
them all from the water magic, their weakness. He closed his eyes,
focusing all his energy on one spell— teleportation. He wouldn't be
able to take them far, but at least they would be out of the reach
of the water dragon's strange blue fire.

"You're going to be a fun
one. Now I'll show you mine,"
Matt said
with a deep laugh. Red fire exploded out of him, then he and his
troops were transported deeper into the park. Hidden amongst the
trees once more, they each transformed back into their human
shape.

Matt took the time to straighten out his
clothes, acting as though nothing unusual had happened. "As much
fun as that was, I think it's time for us to leave."

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

"I haven't had a night off for a long time.
Not one when he's home, at least." Navi glowed as she spoke. Gwen
couldn't think of a time she'd been so happy. It made Gwen sad that
it took something as simple as permission away from her husband to
elicit it.