Legend of the Touched (18 page)

For another minute, Darien kept staring at the
multitude of stars, letting the Aero Lord's words sink in. Then he
nodded, before meeting the man's black eyes. "Thank you for your
wisdom and encouragement. I truly appreciate it."

"You're welcome, come and sit." Patlih extended a
hand towards a chair.

Darien sat down and folded his hands in front of him
as he waited politely, watching as Patlih poured them both a cup of
tea and served him a small cake. "Thank you."

"I know why you've requested a meeting with me," he
said.

"I'm sure it's obvious," Darien replied with a small
laugh.

The Great Aero Lord also laughed and then closed his
eyes. "As much as I want to give you assistance in this great
endeavor, I'm not sure I can. Not yet. There are many factors for
me to evaluate. What I can offer you is a place of sanctuary should
the need arise. You may send your kin, your wives, your children to
my home. As your friend, I will not deny what safety I can provide.
That act alone will cause retaliation on my nation from the Inero
you realize, so I am putting myself at some risk. However, entering
into war against them will not help. Our magic is their strength
anyway."

"They allied with the Terran," Darien said softly and
took a sip of tea. It was smooth with a slight floral flavor and a
tiny bit of sweetness.

"This partnership will not last long. Lord Kinsley
was brutal. Lord Taylor is not. I wasn't aware of their joining
forces, but it makes sense now why the Terran Lord seemed so kind,
gentle, and remorseful during the meeting. Without his total
loyalty, Lord Lynx will not have a long lasting ally. The Terran
are known to bolt half way through a fight anyway."

"They've melded their magic together to make powerful
weapons and armor."

Patlih raised an eyebrow while drinking his tea. "How
interesting. I wasn't aware that was possible."

"It's why the Inero have had poisoned water and poor
produce in the city," Darien added. "My father had sent out spies
before his death. Five left, and only two returned alive. Two were
executed, and the other is missing, presumed dead. I think they are
the reason the borders had been closed between our two nations. It
made them easier to capture."

"This is a possibility." He ate his cake and didn't
seem troubled by this information in the slightest. "Anything
created in poison will end in it. They will regret perverting what
God had made pure. He speaks of your people reaping what they sow,
but he's setting himself up for a far worse fate."

Darien nodded, staring down at his hands for a
minute. "Is what he said true? About the land?"

"Not from what I recall, but it's been some time
since I last read the Holy Book and the creation story inside of
it. If you want to know the truth, I would look inside of
there."

"I don't remember anything like that either.
Sometimes, I have a hard time trying to figure out what to
think."

"Then I suppose you should pick something and believe
it with all of your being and stop thinking so much."

With a slight nod, Darien took another drink of tea.
This time he had a long sip, letting the flavors linger on his
tongue. "I don't have a lot of time. His boldness means he's ready
to strike any day."

"You're probably right."

"I'm not sure I'm ready."

The Aero Lord's gaze met Darien's. "You're going to
have to be."

Chapter Forty

The Oceina

Tai ate the ice cream, savoring the flavor on the
spoon. Darien should have never told her about it, because she'd
gorged on it for nearly an hour, slowly devouring it all. It tasted
good, and made her feel better about everything. Eating in general
did. A small comfort she could count on regardless of what was
happening around her.

"You found it," Katelyn said from the doorway of the
kitchen. She was smiling though, so she couldn't have been too
angry. Tai didn't know her well. The most they interacted was
during meal times, but the young woman was usually busy trying to
keep her sons in order instead of talking.

Tai blushed. "I did. Actually, Darien did. I'll
replace it, I promise."

"No, it's fine. Probably better you're eating it
actually since I know I shouldn't." She laughed and sat down across
from her. "I have to watch my girlish figure after all."

Tai scoffed quietly. Katelyn was gorgeous. She was
curvy in all of the right ways, with straight, dark hair and
dazzling blue eyes. Full pouting lips too.

"I wanted a lot of ice cream too when I was pregnant
with my second. Craved it constantly."

The woman was clearly trying to connect with her. Why
now, Tai wasn't sure. Maybe she wanted a female friend as well.
With a small, polite, smile, Tai gave a slight shrug. "I wouldn't
say I'm craving so much as comfort eating."

"Is something wrong?" Katelyn asked. It seemed
genuine enough. Tai wanted to trust her. Why shouldn't she?

She gave another shrug, not wanting to let on just
how bothered she was. "I'm still adjusting is all."

"It takes time," she said. "But you seem a lot sadder
than simply having a hard time adjusting. Homesick?"

"In a way, yes. I miss the island. You were from
there too right?"

"Yes, we all were. It's one of a kind. I missed it
for a long time too. Lance was understanding of my pain and tried
to do everything he could to make here like there. It helped a
little. There's a lot to let go of."

Tai agreed. She stirred the ice cream in her bowl.
"It's harder because I miss him too. I understand why he has to do
his work, but it's hard. It's funny because for the first time in
my life I feel more normal than I ever did back home. Is that
strange?"

"No, not at all. I'm a firm believer in destiny. I've
always thought that once you reach your element, where you're
supposed to be, and doing what you were made to do, life feels
right. If that makes sense?"

"Yes," she said. It did make sense because it was how
she felt. Everything that had happened to her wasn't how she
imagined her life going, but it felt good inside of her gut.

Katelyn gave her a soft smile. "He'll be back."

"I know. It's stupid of me, but when we're at school
it's my favorite time because it's when he pays the most attention
to me. I know he only stays because of me. All I want is for him to
do something nice and fun with me. We're so new to this couple
thing. I kind of went off on him over not asking me to the school
dance, but it's not about that anyway. I just want to be by him.
I'm an emotional wreck." She slouched and rested her head on her
chin.

"You're human. You have emotions. Darien is too, even
if he also is a dragon. That's what's so beautiful about them. What
you feel is okay, and everything is heightened right now. I'm sure
he knows you didn't mean to take things out on him."

"Probably, he's always been a lot more understanding
than I deserve. I told him not to worry about it anyway, because I
don't have a dress and shopping for one is frustrating for me. Not
to mention I'm not sure if I'd enjoy it. School functions have
always been more about having the experience. I've had one, and it
was fun, but not necessarily what I would consider life
changing."

"It's an excuse to get together and have some
fun."

"Right."

"He's never been to one."

"I kind of figured that out." Tai laughed a little.
"He said he'd never bothered before."

Katelyn laughed as well. "Because he was waiting for
you. Now you're here. I think you should go. You've yet to do
anything fancy, right? I've seen him in a suit. I'm pretty sure
you'd like it too."

"I saw him in a suit too," she said remembering his
father's funeral. Darien had worn one then, but she imagined it'd
be a lot different to see him dressed up for something more
enjoyable. The point Katelyn was obviously trying to make still got
through.

"It still doesn't solve my shopping dilemma," Tai
added.

"You do know I'm a designer right?" Katelyn pointed
at herself with a smirk. "Come on back to our suite. I can't make
something from scratch, but I can get your measurements, show you
what's currently in the shop, and tomorrow I will pick up anything
you like when I go in. Then I will jazz it up, and alter it, so
it's something brand new and never seen before."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Of course!"

Tai could feel tears pooling in her eyes, again.
Stupid hormones.
She wiped at her eyes. "Thank you."

"Any time, you know that right? Anything you need,
don't be afraid to ask." Katelyn gave her a hug.

"It'll be a nice surprise for him," she said with a
small smile and things started to feel a lot less helpless.

Chapter Forty-One

The Inero

When Matt had told her he anticipated it being a
short trip, she didn't think he meant it. To him, short was much
different than how she interpreted the term. Of course, he'd been
alive for a lot longer. A handful of days wouldn't be viewed as
long to her either if she had been on the planet for around seventy
some years. He'd mentioned only being gone for a day or two, but
she figured something would come up. Politics were
unpredictable.

Naturally, she was greatly surprised when she saw the
Terran dragon transporting him landing on the castle roof just
around twenty-four hours after he had left. The meeting must have
been incredibly short.

Kat glanced over at Lenora. They were at the pool,
attempting to relax. Kat was having a hard time getting
comfortable. Her back was hurting and so were her joints. Lenora
had found some servants to give her a massage, but it didn't help
much. It was only a temporary relief.

"I take it things went well," Lenora said.

"I think so?" Kat couldn't get a read off of Matt's
thoughts. They were disjointed and confusing.

The older woman stretched, and stood from where she
had been laying. The servant girl who had been massaging her
muscles pulled back startled. Lenora had no shame in her near naked
body and casually grabbed a towel to wrap around her. "We should go
see our men."

Kat was much more modest. She didn't move until a
robe was put before her, and even then she made sure no one was
watching before slipping it on over her shoulders. While Matt may
have thought her body was beautiful, Kat didn't always feel it.
Even if she had on her underwear, she didn't like the idea of
giving off a free show. She then went to her clothes and started to
put those on again while Lenora let out a rather frustrated
sounding huff.

She gave her pseudo mother an apologetic smile,
trying to be fast. "Thank you for doing this for me today. It means
so much. I've missed having time just the two of us here."

"Of course dear. I don't mean to rush you. I'm just
excited by all that's happening." Lenora waved for Kat to come
closer so she could put her arm around the girl as they walked
together out of the pool.

"I haven't been as well informed," she admitted.

"Your husband cares about your health. Our Great Lord
has decided to make his claims public. It's time for our people to
rise to greatness at last." Lenora beamed with pride, and Kat
wanted to share the enthusiasm. She was having a hard time feeling
it, though. The idea of hurting so many innocent people made her
heart break.

The Oceina dragons needed to be dealt with, but did
the humans in the city need to suffer? Or what of the water
dragons' small children, their wives? Would they all be killed? Or
was the plan simply to make sure they understood their place
better? So much of it she didn't understand. And Matt wasn't
providing her with comforting details. She was also too afraid to
ask in case he'd think of her as being unsupportive.

"I see I've upset you even mentioning it. This is
probably why he hasn't told you much," Lenora said softly.

"I'm not upset," Kat lied.

"The frown you wear on your face suggests
otherwise."

"I'll be happy when all of this is done and we can go
back to worrying about normal things," she said at last. Hopefully
that was diplomatic enough of a response. She felt like she had to
give smart reactions to things more and more. What happened to her
being a newly wed girl? She should have been like the rest of the
Elite – without a care in the world.

Lenora hugged her. "Soon. I'll be happy as well. To
think, we'll be married to the two more powerful men in the world.
We are queens."

But I don't want to be a queen. I just want my
family safe.

Chapter Forty-Two

The Oceina

Darien flew through the night. It'd been a long time
since he had last flown at a leisurely speed he could actually
enjoy. That didn't happen often. The feeling of the cool, moist
clouds as they passed over his skin reminded him of the water. The
moonlight guided his way, and all he could think about was how
surprised Tai would be to see him next to her in bed in the
morning.

He landed three hours before dawn, and slipped into
the apartment building, even taking the stairs to ensure he wasn't
caught because of the noise the elevator made. Slowly opening the
door to his suite, he stopped in the doorway when he saw that Tai
was still awake in bed and reading.

"Well, there goes my big surprise," he teased,
leaning against the doorframe. "What happened to going to bed?"

"I slept for a couple of hours, but then I woke up
and I couldn't get back to sleep," she said, and put her book down
on the nightstand. "You have good timing because I was thinking
about giving it another try. I'm pretty sure I'll succeed now that
you're here. Which is good because we do have to go in for class in
the morning."

Making his way across the room, he flopped onto his
side of the bed, and immediately wrapped his arms around her. He
kissed her neck. "Or we can skip," he softly sang against her skin.
"I'm kind of wired at the moment. I don't think I'll sleep before
daylight. Please? Just this once?"