Legend of the Touched (20 page)

"Okay, and? Any leads on what it is I'm supposed to
be doing exactly to bring about the Great Dragon?" Darien
asked.

"No, I haven't gotten that far yet. Obviously that
would be the ideal solution since the Great Dragon is going to
bring about world peace. Not after a pretty nasty battle for the
souls of all species first."

"What does it say about the battle we need to fight
now?
I don't think it's over souls."

"I don't either, but it's a catalyst. The groundwork
is all being laid out. I think what's happening now is what the
book refers to as 'the corruption'. What makes it hard is
everything is vague. It can be interpreted in a lot of different
ways. What I can tell you is that the Touched have been charged
with balancing whatever 'the corruption' is. All four of you,"
Lance said.

Darien stood and looked down at the counter-top. "I
figured."

"I've got a lot of notes, a lot of places to look
still. I'll find it."

"Thank you." He poured his tea. It would hopefully
put him to sleep for the night so he wouldn't be keeping Tai awake
again. "Let me know if you want help."

"You focus on resting first. Besides, I work better
alone. When I get closer to finding something, I'll probably need
you more."

Brian walked into the room with the pizza cutter he
had borrowed over a week ago. "Shouldn't you be making up for lost
time with the wife anyway? Or did you figure out your dream?"

"I'm not having it anymore," Darien said. "And I am
making things up to her. We have a date planned."

"Oh, you have a date planned." Brian nodded though
there was only sarcasm in his voice.

Darien's eyes narrowed. "What is that supposed to
mean?"

"Just spend more time with her than just a date every
so often."

"I do!"

Tony popped his head in. "Hey. I didn't know we were
having a party." He smiled genuinely which was a nice sight to
see.

"We might as well make it one," Lance said. "Let me
get Asher, Noah, and Christian here too."

With a sigh and a shake of his head, Darien went to
put another pot of water on the stove. "I'll get some more tea
made."

He couldn't remember the last time all of the
brothers had been in the same room together that didn't involve a
family event of some kind. Darien liked it. Being with his brothers
helped him feel small again, and not like a Great Dragon Lord,
something he needed for his own sanity. Like a calm before the
storm.

Chapter Forty-Six

The Inero

Hand in hand, Jason and Gwen walked to the hill where
Oliver lived with his family. Jason was nervous. If this man could
so easily figure him out, what about the other dragons who lived on
the island? He didn't want to be easy to read in case the news got
back to his father. Not like Lynx cared much since he had yet to
try and check up on his son. Which made Jason scoff since he was
supposed to be one of the favorites, but it only further proved
he'd only been appeased because of his brother.

He knocked on the door, giving Gwen's hand a squeeze
while they waited.

"Relax," she whispered.

"Trying to," he whispered back.

A young boy of around ten opened the door and stared
up at the two. Jason gave him a small wave which caused the boy to
run away. He scowled, and Gwen started to laugh.

"What's funny?" He frowned.

Her laughter subsided into a sigh. "I forgot how
adorable kids are."

He raised an eyebrow. Most of his encounters with
kids hadn't been what he would consider adorable, but he couldn't
remember the last time he'd actually interacted with one for more
than a few minutes. It'd been at least a number of years before
he'd interacted with one, period. Oliver came down the hall wearing
a big smile on his face. He waved for the two of them to come
in.

"That's my youngest Luke. He's a little shy with
strangers. Besides, he's supposed to be doing his homework," Oliver
said and led them into the house. Jason took in the simple and
homey decor.

Family portraits hung on the walls along with a
number of baby pictures. It reminded him of the house he and Gwen
had been trying to make for themselves back in the city. She had
tried so hard to create a similar atmosphere for them. Granted,
they didn't have any personal pictures to put on the walls, but she
found landscapes and other paintings to hang up in their place. Now
that he could see what she was trying to do, he wanted to start
taking more pictures of them to put up. Oliver's place felt like a
home, which was nothing like the castle.

They were taken to the dining room which had a couple
of candles lit and a huge feast sitting on it. A roast chicken
surrounded by red potatoes and onions was the centerpiece; fresh
bread and a fruit salad rounded out the meal. There was a vegetable
tray, as well as one with various types of cheeses on it.

"Drinks?" Oliver asked, making a sitting motion with
his hands. Both Jason and Gwen took a seat.

"I'm fine with water, thank you," Gwen said. "Do you
have a little lemon? If that isn't asking for too much, I
mean."

"Not at all. One thing I love about living out here
on the island is the fruit is plentiful and fresh. I don't know how
much of it you've had, but try the mangoes. They're phenomenal. And
what about you Jason?" Oliver raised an eyebrow.

He eyed Oliver curiously. "Water is fine for me as
well."

Oliver shrugged and left them for the kitchen.

"Why are you so edgy?" Gwen asked quietly.

"I'm trying to understand why he invited us here," he
said quietly and wished they could communicate telepathically
because he didn't want to have this conversation out loud.

She put a hand on his leg. "This isn't the city.
People don't do things with an agenda all of the time in small
towns like here. Perhaps he genuinely wants to make a friend. It
would be nice for you to have a new mentor of sorts, an older
figure you can rely on who knows and understands who you are."

"I know, I was thinking that would be nice, but it
doesn't seem so simple." He sighed.

"Sometimes it is though." She kissed his cheek.
"Relax."

A few minutes passed of complete silence, and then
Oliver returned with the water glasses. He set them down for his
guests and then sat down across from the couple. "Sorry that took
so long. The boys all needed help with their homework. They're home
schooled, so I kind of play teacher twenty-four seven."

"Is there not a school nearby here?" Jason asked
curiously. He couldn't imagine doing all of his children's
education himself.

"There is but I don't approve of the curriculum that
the Great Lord has forced upon the country. Sorry, I don't know if
it's wise of me to say so, but sometimes I can't help it. The man
is a dictator, and I assumed that since you ran away from the city
you agreed."

Jason was amazed at the man's boldness. He'd never
heard anyone speak ill of his father before. "He is, and I do." His
answer surprised him even more.

"I can tell, just a vibe I get. You're not like a lot
of the other dragons that have come here. Most don't necessarily
like the city or the Great Lord as well, but when we were talking
earlier I sensed a great deal of disdain." Oliver poured himself a
glass of wine and stood when a woman entered the room. He helped
her into a chair and then started to serve. The woman was in her
mid to late thirties with long dark hair and chocolate brown eyes.
While Jason couldn't recognize Oliver, he knew he'd seen her
before.

"This is my wife Caylen, I should add. My first and
only."

"As it should be," Jason said with a nod. "As for the
Great Lord, I guess you could say we have a bit of a history since
he is my father and all." He tried to shrug it off as if it were
casual even though it felt nothing near so.

"He's the father of many. Most don't care." Oliver
pointed out.

"I'm complicated." He felt Gwen's hand squeeze his
leg. Was she encouraging him to open up or keep quiet? He glanced
at her to try and get a read on her face. She looked up into his
eyes, and he saw a soft sadness in them. He was supposed to keep
going, so with a sigh, he did so. "Unlike most, I had a
relationship with him, sort of. My twin brother is his favorite,
and so I was supposed to be through association as well. He however
had an easy time letting me go after he finished using me. Like he
does most. He broke the heart of my best friend and discarded her
like trash, and has manipulated my brother into doing things I
don't believe he'd do on his own."

Caylen's eyes went wide, but she said nothing. Oliver
looked over at his wife and then at Jason. "Did you say twins?"

"Yes, I know, it's not something common in dragons,
and yes, we're identical too." He didn't add the part about being
Touched. He'd gotten so used to everyone going crazy over the twin
part alone since it wasn't a common thing amongst dragons.

"No, you don't understand," Caylen said with a
sniffle and wiped at her eyes before shaking her head. "We should
eat."

"Are you—" Oliver began, but then stopped as his wife
started to serve everyone at the table. "Yes, food would be
good."

Jason raised both of his eyebrows and then shrugged.
Gwen did the same. For the most part they ate in silence, only
making a few attempts at small talk. He was glad for the good food
to stuff his mouth with because it made everything a lot less
awkward. Oliver left to start a pot of coffee and get dessert which
was a lemon meringue pie. The whole time Caylen stared at Jason
with wide, teary eyes.

"Something is going on." Jason averted his eyes to
his cup of coffee. Gwen stirred some milk and sugar into her cup.
Even though she didn't care for coffee, she was drinking it anyway.
She obviously had a problem with putting her host out of the way.
Must be a country thing.

Both Oliver and Caylen exchanged a look. She stood
from the table, and he stared at Jason.

"We're both kind of in shock here. I should have made
the connection earlier when I recognized you from our training
session. For whatever reason though, I didn't, not completely. I
remember you being Touched, and forgot about the brother part,"
Oliver said.

"Yeah, but I don't—."

Jason was silenced as Oliver continued. "You're
probably going to have a hard time believing this, but my wife, you
see, she, well..." Oliver trailed off and watched his wife walk
back into the room carrying a medium sized picture. She handed it
to Jason face down.

He turned it over and stared, recognizing it
instantly. His father had the same picture sitting on his desk. It
was of Jason and Matthias, freshly hatched from their eggs and in
swaddling blankets. It was actually the only baby picture his
father owned.

"And you have this because?" He raised his gaze to
look at Caylen. She didn't say anything and handed him a small
stack of pictures. The next he looked at was of her holding one of
them. He couldn't tell them apart when they were infants. The one
after that was of her smiling down at the two of them, another of
her and Oliver, each holding a baby. There were at least ten more,
and his hands shook as he went through them all. There were some of
when the twins were toddlers, playing with Oliver, some of them
sleeping, crying, eating.

Setting the pictures down slowly, he swallowed trying
to piece everything together. He was in too much shock, however, to
get his brain jump-started. Why did they have baby pictures of him
and his brother? When he looked up into Caylen's eyes, he
recognized his own, and he took in a deep shuddering breath.

"M-mom?" he choked out.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm your mother."

"He told me you died in childbirth." That was the
story Lynx had practically shoved down him and his brother's
throats ever since he could remember. It wasn't a hard lie to sell
since most mothers of twins, and Touched children, didn't survive.
Jason had always suspected it wasn't true though because of one
memory he had from when he was little. In it a woman smiled at him
and read him a story. The details were vague, but it was enough to
keep him believing.

"Obviously, I'm still alive," she said softly.

"He said you were one of his wives, but if that were
true then why is..." He glanced up at Oliver and the two made eye
contact.

Caylen shook her head, "No. I've only known one
man."

"Wait." Jason looked at the pictures again. More
specifically at Oliver who held him as an infant and not Lynx. He
studied his features. Both Caylen and her husband were
significantly younger then—seventeen years younger. He started to
see bits and pieces of himself in both of them, but he also looked
like Lynx too. "Are you trying to tell me that you're my father and
not..."

"Something along those lines," Oliver said.

"But I look like him too. We both do, I mean, me and
my brother."

"Because Lynx is my older brother," Oliver said
calmly.

Jason blinked, mouth hanging open. Gwen took in a
sharp breath and squeezed his arm. When he looked over at her, he
saw her smiling.

With a shake of his head, Jason stared into his
coffee mug. He didn't want to look at anyone. It was starting to
creep him out, seeing the couple in front of him and noticing more
and more how they reminded him of himself, his brother, and even
Lynx in a way. What he wasn't sure of was if his mind was playing
tricks on him or not.

"How do I know you aren't lying to me?" he
whispered.

"Let me tell you all about it, and you decide if it
sounds like something your
father
would do," Oliver said
with raised eyebrows. Jason nodded at him, and the man continued.
"Back when I was young, the process of marriage was similar to how
things are done now. There was still the choosing of the Elite, but
instead of randomly choosing girls for the sole purpose of
breeding, it was offered as a rite of passage to the girls. They
could decide whether or not they wanted the honor, and it was
proposed to them by the young man who desired to wed her. There was
some courting that happened before then you see. I had known Caylen
for a year or so before I asked her. Marriages from my time lasted
longer. I'm sure you've noticed that in other uncles?"