Legend of the Touched (17 page)

The glow of blue magic surrounded the fists of the
Oceina Lord. His First Council placed a hand on his arm as if to
hold him down, and he whispered something. The young lord glared,
pulled his arm away, and sat back in his chair saying nothing. Matt
wished he didn't hold himself back. He wasn't proving anything by
doing so.

His father stood from his chair. "Now, I believe we
are done here unless there is more to be discussed?"

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The Oceina

"I swear if he tries to touch her, I
will
kill
him," Darien vowed through clenched teeth. It had taken everything
within himself to not leap across the room and kill the Inero Lord
on the spot. If Lance hadn't been there, he might have tried. "Now,
I believe we are done here unless there is more to be discussed."
He mocked the man's voice. "How about how he's some kind of a
lunatic?"

He, Lance, and Arthur were in the office set aside
specifically for his people. It was the only place quiet enough for
him to think. He definitely wasn't ready to face the rest of his
cabinet members to discuss plans and options. Even more so he
wasn't looking forward to the moment where he had sit and say "I
told you so" to an entire room full of men who were older than
he.

Well, his father had told them so, and they had
refused to listen. It might be too late for them to create an
effective counter plan. Hopefully someone would know something. He
couldn't think clearly at the moment. Not when he was so furious
and could hardly see straight. The Inero Lord had threatened his
entire people and Tai. No one got away with that. Darien would
fight to the death for them both.

"Breathe," Lance said. Why was he so calm? Why wasn't
he as angry?

Darien closed his eyes and listened to his brother's
advice anyway, taking in a deep, slow, breath. "Fine. I'm
breathing. Happy?"

"It's a start." Lance sighed. "He's got a lot of guts
to come right out and say all of that. I suppose he doesn't think
we're much of a threat, especially with the Terran already on his
side. Of course he can just drop the bomb."

Darien shook his head, trying to keep himself calm
and not go into another rage. His magic was starting to flare up,
and as much as it would have helped him feel better to destroy
something, he knew it wouldn't do much good. Plus, he had to set an
example. The Council Island was considered Holy and neutral ground.
Lashing out at the Inero would be forbidden. Hopefully his kin
remembered that. They could not start fights, or they could
possibly face execution. Lance and Arthur made sure to drill that
rule into his mind. The word was passed to all of the other Oceina
present as well. Thankfully, the number of his family had been
small, maybe thirty in all which was nothing compared to the
thousands that usually attended.

"I wish I knew what was in it for them, so I could
understand why they would even do such a great betrayal," Darien
said. "The Terran don't like to pick fights. I've never seen them
active in any of the past wars between the nations. It's always
been the Inero and someone else. Because of the balance in place
with our magics, there has never been anything massive. Now that
it's disturbed, I don't know how this will play out."

Arthur, who had been on the phone during most of this
conversation, finally hung up to offer his own words of wisdom.
"The Aero Lord has agreed to meet with you. I'm not sure if we
should be optimistic, however. When things are complicated, they
don't do too well. They're absorbed in their culture and beliefs.
Remember when you see him that honor is very important, and so is
humility. He likes you, perhaps more than your father. Don't do
anything to spoil this favor."

Darien breathed out a sigh of relief, glad his uncle
was one step ahead with an idea. Now that everything was out in the
open, he didn't have to figure out how to convince the Aero Lord of
what was going on. "All right, I'll be calm soon. I also want to
wait until more people have cleared out. I would assume the Inero
and Terran that are here have already started to leave?"

"That's what Brian said. He saw a lot of them heading
for the docks not too long ago," Lance said.

"I told Lord Patlih that we would see him after
dinner in the late hours. It would be more discreet," Arthur said.
"Whatever we can keep to ourselves will be to our advantage. And I
should add, my Lord, that you performed well today. I know it must
have been hard to keep quiet, but it's in our best interest to
appear mature as well as strong. He must have figured out you knew
more than he anticipated which is part of why I believe he took
control like he did. Lord Lynx is not easy to surprise, but you did
it. I believe he thought he'd take your land from right under your
nose."

"I'm sure," Darien mumbled. He closed his eyes.
I
did well. Thank you God for the strength.
Without it, he knew
he wouldn't have gotten through the meeting. Funny, because Darien
had never been a man of faith before. His father had pushed it on
him during his last days of life, and even then Darien hadn't
wanted anything to do with it. It wasn't until after Orion's death
that he decided to give it a try. Faith was helping him see and do
great things. He still didn't feel as though his was strong, but
every little bit counted for something in his eyes. If he didn't
believe for anything good, how could he ever do it?

"We will survive," Arthur said and forced Darien to
look at him by grabbing his chin. "I believe this with everything
in my heart. God will not allow them to win. What they are
proposing is blasphemous and wrong."

Lance put a hand on his shoulder. "Besides, how is he
going to wipe out an entire species of dragon? You're right about
one thing, he is a lunatic."

His jaw still tight, Darien nodded. "He can try, but
there's no way he'll succeed."

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The Inero

"That was inspiring Father," Matt said as he kept
pace with Lynx. The two were heading back to the Inero housing
complex to gather their things so they could go home. His father
nodded, but didn't say anything. Strange for him to be so quiet.
"Is something troubling you?"

"How did he know so much?" Lynx asked. "I thought you
said all of the spies had been dealt with?"

"As far as I know they were," Matt said. "Perhaps
Orion had more information than he let on as well?"

"No, it's not possible. Orion suspected, but that's
why he sent the spies. If they didn't make it back to him, then
there was no way for him to be informed."

"Maybe he sent more than we thought. That is a
possibility. I'm sorry I failed you Father." He sighed, his eyes
downcast. Three spies seemed like a small number to him, at least
when it came to spying on an entire nation.

Lynx threw up a hand to silence his son. "You are
only capable of so much. I wonder if there is perhaps an inside
source, a sympathizer amongst our ranks."

Matt snorted, disgusted by the idea. "Who would want
to sympathize with them Father, really? They're practically
heathens with the way they renounce their dragon heritage to blend
in so well with the humans."

"I don't know, but I'm not ruling anything out. In
order for us to succeed our entire people need to be united. If you
know of anyone who doubts, then you must bring them to my
attention, do you understand? Whoever is not for us is against us."
He stared at Matt, long and his gaze was firm. Almost like he knew
something Matt didn't.

"I will," Matt mumbled. "Forgive my asking, but I
feel as though I'm missing something."

"Bring your brother home. I want him close to me for
a while."

"Jason wouldn't—."

"I certainly hope he isn't a traitor, but I do know
how much he craves peace. I wouldn't put it past him to do
something foolish like attempt to bridge a gap between our two
peoples. Staying on that island will have made him soft as well. He
needs to be back
home,
just for a little while and then he
can return. If he has yet to bed his wife, that will also be
another sign," Lynx said.

He hadn't yet, at least not as far as Matt knew. "I
don't see how that has—"

"They left to honeymoon my son. If that were really
the case, he'll return a man."

"It's complicated," Matt whispered, wanting to defend
his brother. But the seeds of doubt were now in his head as
well.

"So you do know some things?"

"He's happy there. He does like the peace and quiet.
It's good for him to be away so he can work out his problems he's
having with his woman."

"I wasn't aware there were any."

"That's why I said it's complicated." Matt frowned as
he reflected on all of his conversations with his twin. "But you're
right. He's coming back soon. I can keep him here for a while.
Being back in the city will remind him that we are his home, his
kin."

"Yes, make sure he remembers who
I
am," Lynx
said through clenched teeth.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The Oceina

Later in the evening, Darien put on the best clothes
he had packed. A suit, though he didn't have a tie and he wondered
now if maybe he should borrow one. They didn't mesh well with his
personality though, and the last thing he wanted to do was come
across as fake. The Aero Lord would see right through that. Still,
it was important for him to come in with a good impression. He
wanted to make sure the Aero Lord knew he was respected. The last
time they had spoken one on one, he'd called Darien his friend. He
needed to keep maintaining the strength of this relationship.

I'm going to bed. I just wanted you to know. I
know it's probably earlier there than it is here, so hopefully I'm
not interrupting anything important.
Tai popped into his
head.

He smiled for the first time since the meeting.
You're not. I'm just on my way out for a small get-together.
We're going to have dessert, I think?
That's what Arthur had
told him. Dessert and tea since Darien wasn't considered old enough
to drink in the Aero's eyes. Back home, once a man married he could
indulge in all adult activities. He didn't mind though, because he
wasn't a fan of alcohol or its taste. In fact, the Oceina believed
it was only truly useful for medical purposes, cooking, and holy
rituals. Many of the humans drank, but in the dragons' eyes, it was
considered almost shameful to have when it wasn't necessary. Darien
loved tea, and he loved the idea of sharing the tradition the Aero
had with it. The Oceina had their own tea rituals as well. In a lot
of ways, the two cultures were very alike.

Tai laughed a little.
Dessert sounds good. Just
thinking about it is making me hungry for something sweet.

I probably shouldn't tell you this, but Katelyn
always hides a stash of ice cream behind the ice cube trays. I
found it one time when I was looking for a snack. She has to keep
it from Lance since he's got as big of a sweet tooth as her
sometimes. Plus, he likes to give it to the kids all the time. I
doubt she'd mind if you had some, though,
he said. He tried to
keep his tone light for her. She still didn't know about what had
happened in the meeting. Darien wanted to tell her it all in
person.

Thanks, you're the best. But I did mean what I
said about going to bed soon. So enjoy your desserts, and I'll
enjoy mine, and I'll talk with you in the morning?
she
said.

All right. I love you.

I love you too.

His small smile widened, a plan beginning to form in
his mind. He could easily fly home after his meeting with the Aero
and be there before she wakes up. She'd think it was a nice
surprise right?
Of course she will.
Just thinking about it
put an extra bounce in his step as he walked through the forest of
the Council Island to the Aero-housing complex. On his way he
passed the path which lead to the Inero and he peered through the
trees to see what was going on over there. The building was
desolate of life. Not one light was turned on through the windows.
Good. He relaxed even more as he made his way to see the Aero.

Lord Patlih was standing outside, gazing up at the
stars when Darien arrived. He made sure to bow to the man, who
exchanged the gesture.

"I love them," Patlih said. "The stars, I mean. Don't
you?"

"Yes," Darien agreed in all honesty. "I especially
love to look at them out here because they're a lot easier to see.
Back home, the city lights drown out a lot of the weaker ones. We
can only see the strong, more prominent and popular
constellations."

"The stars can teach us a lot. Their stories are
filled with a lot of wisdom, and the science behind their
existence, their function, is fascinating as well. Some of those
stars we are looking up at now, no longer exist. Yet their legacy
lives on."

Darien nodded, gazing upward so he could take in the
blanket of small lights above him. "Which is pretty crazy when you
think about it, but cool. I mean, it's nice, good." He didn't know
how to talk to the Aero Lord. When he felt more comfortable, Darien
forgot to keep up his formal speech. He hoped it didn't come off as
disrespectful. Glancing at the Aero Lord, he saw the man was
smiling.

"Yes. First, I want you to see that sometimes
beautiful things are easy to tune out, but that doesn't mean they
have disappeared. This is important, because it can be applied to a
man's life as well. I'm sure you feel as though there is no hope,
and that the answer is not obvious, but perhaps that is because it
is being blocked from view by a strong force. Finding a clear sky
could be where your solution lies.

"Second, I want you to remember that a legacy has
been left to you, and you too shall leave one of your own. Someday,
your descendents will look back on all of this, and see the paths
that were paved for them through your actions." Patlih shifted his
eyes from the sky and onto Darien.