Legend of the Touched (28 page)

"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.

Silently, Darien led them inside what remained of his
home and brought them to the portal hoping it was still there. He
didn't know how long the spell would last with the building falling
down. Letting out a soft sigh of relief when he saw the glowing
sigil, he motioned for Alex and his sister to come into the closet
as well.

"Hold on to me and don't let go."

Alex held on to his forearm with a hot sweaty hand.
His sister grabbed his wrist with a shaking hand that was cold as
ice. Hopefully she wasn't going into shock. Once he was positive
they had a firm grip on him, Darien touched the portal and they
were taken back to Sanctuary. Allegra's knees buckles and she fell
to the floor, her entire body shaking and she started to sob. Not
quite the reaction Darien had been expecting, though he was
surprised neither one of them had a complete freak out to begin
with. Maybe that's what she was doing? He let Alex comfort his
sister.

"You'll be safe here," Darien whispered. "Take your
time. I'm going to start some tea, and then I can answer your
questions. You probably have a million of them. We're all tired,
but I think we'll also all rest better without them in our
heads."

"Yeah," Alex said softly. He watched Darien with a
different sort of gaze than what was familiar. His eyes were
narrowed thoughtfully and even his smell was different. It didn't
remind Darien of fear which was surprising. Allegra was terrified
of him. He hadn't smelt that stench since when he first went to
take Tai from the altar. Why wasn't Alex afraid though? It didn't
make sense.

Without another word, Darien left them in the
entryway of the castle to go to the massive kitchen a few rooms
away. He was still trying to learn his way around the place. The
kitchen and den were the only places he was completely familiar
with.

He was pretty confident Alex and Allegra wouldn't
leave the castle. Even if they did, Sanctuary was in the middle of
nowhere. All there was around them for miles was forest and water.
Where would they go? It was why he felt no qualms with bringing
them back to begin with. If there was no one around to talk to,
there was no one they could tell.

Once in the kitchen, Darien started the teakettle.
The only sound he could hear was the sound of the stove burning.
Quiet, maybe he could get a hold of Tai again. She was okay, and
that was a small comfort for him. He clutched his hands into tight
fists.
God give me the strength to do what I need to, and to be
patient until it is time.
Waiting was the hardest part. He
wanted to go to Inero
now.

There was a quiet cough in the doorway, and when
Darien turned to see, there stood Tony with one of his boys.

"Why are there humans in the foyer?" Tony asked with
a raised eyebrow.

"They're friends of mine and Tai's from school. There
was nowhere else for them to go. Their family was killed in the
attack today. The boy speaks the dragon tongue. It made sense to
me."

"You pitied them." His brother sighed. "You know our
secret is important."

"Yes, I'm aware, and so what if I did pity them?
They're special to Tai. She wouldn't be okay with me leaving them
stranded to fend for themselves. I'll figure out what to do with
them. He wants to help. We need that." Darien didn't need his
brother to tell him all of the ways he was being stupid right now.
He needed support.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "We do. There have
been other humans who have learned of the secret. They're called
Guardians. It's a new kind of brother. Something I've seen on
occasion when visiting our uncles to the West. According to the
book you have me reading, it used to be a more common practice.
I'll finish up this for you." He gestured at the tea. "Bring them
back. I'm also going to make a meal. You need to eat. You need your
strength."

"I'm not hungry." Darien had far too much adrenaline
in him to rest.

"You're going to anyway." Tony grabbed him by the arm
and shooed him out the door.

When he returned to Alex and Allegra, he saw them
sitting in the corner holding one another. They spoke softly.

"This can't be real," she whispered.

"But it is, and I need you to stay strong right now,"
Alex said.

"You know they aren't going to let us go. We'll never
be able to leave here again. The dragons eat humans, especially
girls. Why on earth would you agree to come with him? I always knew
there was something strange about him."

"We all noticed it. I think if he was going to eat
us, he either would have done it or not left us alone to run away.
Do you want to? We can give it a try if you're not sure."

She cried, her voice overcome with sobbing. It was
then that Darien decided to let them know he was there.

"The tea is ready," he said quietly. Alex helped his
sister stand, and they followed him back to the kitchen. Darien
motioned for them to sit at the table with his nephew, and he
helped Tony gather up cups and plates to help serve. Soon everyone
had tea, and a bowl of fresh oatmeal with brown sugar and butter.
Introductions were made, and then they got to business.

Tony decided to start the questions. "How much do
they know?"

"They know I'm a dragon, obviously. I also told them
that all dragons are also human. The details beyond that, we didn't
have much time for, but I tried to explain why we were given this
ability at least. That we change so we can remember to respect the
humans, and care for them. That in a lot of ways, we
are
human too." He briefly made eye contact with Allegra and watched as
she shrunk in her chair, moving closer to her brother.

"But you didn't tell them the complete story of why?"
Tony asked.

"No, there wasn't time. It wasn't that long of a car
trip."

"Part of the reason we change is because dragons are
always born male," Tony said, and then dove into the whole
explanation. Darien was grateful his brother was willing to do the
talking, but he was growing wearier by the minute. The day's events
were starting to catch up with him. Perhaps sleep wouldn't be so
hard for him to achieve after all.

Alex nodded, leaning forward as he listened with
great interest. The guy was clearly fascinated by everything,
another thing Darien would have never expected.

"So you don't eat humans?" Alex asked and gave his
sister a side-glance. Both Darien and his brother shook their head.
His nephew giggled. Alex cracked a smile. "So all of the girls who
are supposedly eaten are actually…?"

"Chosen to be our wives," Tony said. "For the most
part, it works. Sometimes, not so much." He looked away then,
focusing his attention on his teacup instead of on everyone at the
table. Darien gave his brother's wrist a sympathetic pat before
taking a sip, waiting for the next question.

Alex stared down at his hands and fidgeted for a
minute. "So Tai is..."

"My wife, yes," Darien said, and he had to fight the
urge to give a smug smirk. It felt good to have it be out in the
open, but he didn't enjoy the disappointment that Alex wore. The
guy's shoulders slouched and his brow furrowed deeply as he
frowned.

He gave a small nod. "Well, she did say things were
complicated."

"Yes, I would say this qualifies."

"So what happens now? You do have a plan to get her
back right?"

"Of course."

"Good, because I want in. I want revenge."

Darien and Tony exchanged a glance. His way of saying
'I told you so' without actually uttering the words. "So that's
what I'm smelling coming off of you."

"Huh?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

"I can smell your emotions most of the time. I could
tell she was scared." He pointed to Allegra. "You were harder to
figure out. It's not important, so much as an observation. Any help
you are willing to give, I will gladly take. I can't put you in the
middle of the action. It wouldn't be right, and you wouldn't stand
a chance in a fight against another dragon."

Tony shifted in his seat. "That's not entirely true."
Both of Darien's eyebrows raised, and his brother continued. "The
Guardian. I told you about that. It's a type of binding that would
give you a lot of our magical abilities. Don't take this the wrong
way, but it would make you magically equivalent to our wives.
Longer life span, the ability to perform certain spells, and
immunity to our element. There are also the drawbacks with our
magic of course. Our sensitivity to the Earth, watching those you
love from afar grow old and die. This includes your friends, not
just your family. The secrets you already know must be taken to the
grave. You'd have to do the same with this one as well. I'm not
sure if Darien explained this to you before he told, but no one
must know. If you do tell anyone, it is considered a betrayal. He
risked a lot to bring you here and to give you his trust. Usually
there is a petition filed before a human is ever told our secret. A
human who isn't chosen to be a mate, I should say. He went against
that, and more often than not that comes with a high price."

Darien winced. He'd never been told about the
petition before. It sounded like a law he should have been informed
of a long time ago or, at the very least, after he had taken up the
position of the Great Lord. The process of becoming a Guardian was
something he'd never even heard of though. Perhaps it was another
part of his people lost over the years.

"He's also the leader of our nation," Tony added. "He
can get away with certain things, especially in the midst of an
emergency. Unfortunately for you, it puts you in an awkward
position because you didn't have much of a choice."

"I'm sorry for that," Darien said softly.

Alex shook his head. "You chose to show us, but I
wasn't going to let you go without a fight."

"True, he recognized my voice, Tony. He also
overheard and understood my conversation with Brian."

His brother took a small sip of tea. "This isn't a
decision to be taken lightly. And I personally feel it is only
something that should be offered to you, Alex. My brother is right
when he says we can use all of the help we can get. If you're going
to be living here, you should also be given the chance to defend
yourself should the need arise. Who knows what's going to happen
from here on out." He paused and looked at Darien. "I hope you
don't feel I'm over stepping a boundary."

"No, it's fine," Darien said. "Any advice at this
point is appreciated."

The brothers both went silent and watched Alex and
Allegra. Outside of Tony's son eating his oatmeal, no one did much
of anything.

"More please, Daddy?" the boy asked. Tony took the
bowl and left the table.

Allegra finally spoke. "I want to do something
too."

Chapter Sixty-Eight

The Inero

News traveled fast that Navi had returned to the
Great Lord's clutches. It broke Gwen's heart, but she was probably
the only person who felt this way. Most sympathized with Lynx,
probably because their livelihood depended on it. Navi wasn't
allowed to leave the Lord's bedchambers. Jason had said to wait to
go visit, but Gwen couldn't stand not seeing her friend.