The Inero faltered slightly, all but their leader. The others fell back towards him for protection.
Again, the strange dragon smile played on their fearless leader’s face, and he laughed. “You’re going to be a fun one. Now I’ll show you mine,” was all he said, and then a mass of red fire erupted from his body and completely surrounded him and his small troop of warriors. The flames around Darien glowed so brightly they almost became white, and melted around him into a smooth, protective shell. When the light faded and Darien could once more see in the darkness, all of the Inero were gone. He was alone once again with his father. His dead father.
Darien! Please answer me! Tell me you’re alive! Tai was practically screaming in his head. She had been for a while, demanding for him to answer her, and he was just now beginning to process it.
I’m here.
Thank you, God! Are you okay?
I’m not injured, he said. He wasn’t okay. He was anything but okay, but that’s not what she wanted to know. Completely numb, and staring blankly in front of him, he picked up his cell phone and dialed the number of his eldest brother.
“Darien? Are you okay? Tell me you’re all right!” Brian answered, and he sounded relieved. News must have traveled fast, and under normal circumstances this would have made Darien smile. Tai was genuinely worried about him.
“I need your help,” Darien whispered. “I’m at the city park. Dad, he, he’s....” He swallowed hard, not wanting to say it. But he had to. “He’s dead.”
“What?” Brian managed after a long period of silence.
“Can you guys please just come and help me? I can’t take care of this on my own,” Darien whispered some more. He hung up, not wanting to speak anymore, and not being able. The instant he hung up the phone, he started to cry. Softly at first, and then the reality really began to settle in as the pungent smell of blood filled his nostrils.
His father was dead, and only ten feet away from him with a gaping hole in his chest. Those realizations, along with the smell, and the sight of the gore of his entrails dripping outside of his body, how lifeless it was, made Darien’s stomach turn. He soon found himself losing his dinner in the foliage that lined the sidewalk.
After, he gained the courage to move his father’s body to the tree where Darien had been bound only minutes ago, and was able to make him appear as though he were sleeping in case there were any humans who passed by. They didn’t need to see the mess. Calling on what little magic he could focus on, he was able to wash the blood and gore from the pavement. Water poured from fingertips, and it sparkled with a slight blue glow under the moonlight. Then he sat by his father’s lifeless body, and sobbed into his knees as he waited for his brothers.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
It felt like hours before his brothers arrived to help him. Brian, Asher, and Lance were the ones who came. They approached slowly. Fear stung Darien’s nostrils as they got closer. Their fear being so strong the smell made him nauseous. When he met Brian’s eyes, he saw pure shock and awe. Lance was the first at his side, but Lance had always been the most empathetic one of the family. While the eldest of his brothers focused on solutions, Lance was the one who focused on who the problem was affecting. In fact, Lance was the only one Darien was positive loved him. Darien got a similar vibe from Tony sometimes, but Tony had a tendency to be too wrapped up in his wife and the rest of his life to notice anyone else existed.
Brian went to check on their father to be certain he was in fact dead. Asher stood and stared, processing the sight before him.
“Are you hurt?” Lance asked him quietly.
Darien immediately shook his head, his face still buried in his knees. He hadn’t looked up at them for more than a few brief seconds, and this had only been to confirm who they were. If he looked and saw his father’s body again he might lose it. He’d done a good job of keeping control over his grief and anger over the loss. Crying in public would only draw attention to himself. The more these emotions grew and pushed aside his fear and shock, the harder it was to keep his composure. If he looked at the body, that would make everything real all over again, and he wasn’t ready for that.
“I didn’t think so, but I had to be sure. Didn’t smell like yours.” He gestured at the blood staining Darien’s clothing.
“What happened?” Brian demanded. He stared down at Darien in disbelief. Brian had always been unsure of what to think of his youngest brother though, and he didn’t keep that a secret.
Instinctively, to protect himself further, he curled into a tighter ball. Darien didn’t believe his brothers would hurt him, but the harsh tone made him all the more defensive after the attack by the Inero. Both Brian and Asher stepped away from him as he did this. Even Lance flinched slightly before touching Darien’s arm firmly.
“Let’s go home, get you cleaned up and checked out.” Lance suggested. “Then we can talk.” He shot a glare at Brian. “Come on, I’ll help you to the car.” He pulled Darien to his feet, and never once let go of him as the two walked to the car.
Brian and Asher exchanged a glance before moving to grab their father. They pulled him off of the ground, making sure to be gentle. Then they all went back to the car. They all hated placing Orion into the trunk of the car like they were criminals. The only other way he would have fit inside with them would have been to spread him across the back seat over their laps. This felt even stranger though. None of them wanted to look at the body anymore; none of them could stomach it. He’d understand. He probably would have laughed. Darien blinked back more tears, putting on the bravest of faces he could muster. He didn’t want the women and children to see him as such a mess. More importantly, he didn’t want Tai to see.
This was difficult for him to avoid because when he arrived back home, she was there in the entryway of their floor pacing and talking to Katelyn. She gasped when she saw him walk in with Lance. He still clung to his brother; his entire body shook as he held on to Lance for support to stand. She looked like she wanted to hug him, but she held back not wanting to knock him over with the force of her body weight flinging onto him. Was she crying?
I thought you said you were okay.
I said I wasn’t injured, Was his reply. He went past her to their bedroom. She reached out to him and grabbed his hand, and the touch made him feel strong and warm. He’d felt nothing up until then.
Are you sure?
Yes. He looked around them briefly. They’re looking at us weird. Lance had his arm around Katelyn, and they were watching with soft smiles and dreamy eyes. No doubt they were having their own private conversation. “I’m going to take a shower. Clean up. I’ll be quick.”
“You don’t need to be,” Lance said. “You can take all the time you need.”
“But Brian-.”
“Brian can deal.” Lance said firmly.
Darien gave Lance a grateful nod and slowly went back to his room. He peeled off his shirt, tossing it into the nearest garbage can he could find. It was ruined and he never wanted to look at it ever again. He was about to shut himself up into the bathroom when he discovered Tai had followed him in.
“What?” he asked her, and didn’t care one bit if he was half naked. She noticed, as she kept turning away, then turning back, and then every so often her eyes would run up and down him slowly.
“I just want to make sure you’re okay. I mean, obviously you’re not okay, but you know what I mean,” she said quietly.
“Tai, please,” he pleaded, trying to keep his emotions in check. “I’ll tell you all about it with everyone else.”
“I already got a lot of the details, Darien. I’m sorry. I’m just concerned. I thought maybe you’d feel better if we talked just the two of us.” She played with her hands, looking down at them sheepishly.
“Maybe later. Right now, talking is the last thing I want to do,” he mumbled. He was about to start a shower when Tai placed a hand on his to stop him. “Tai.”
“I know, you need to, but let me take
care of you. Trust me.” She looked at him with such large, pleading eyes, he couldn’t say no. He wanted to pull away and withdraw within himself, but if he did that, she might leave him for good. He needed her now more than ever. She was right. He’d wanted her to take care of him from the beginning, just as much as he wanted to be able to care for her.
Finally, Darien nodded at her and let out a deep sigh. “All right, I do trust you. I just feel so-.”
“Strange, numb,” Tai finished for him.
Those were just the beginning of his emotions. He nodded, and watched as she started up a bath for him, a bubble bath. She then got a washcloth, dipping it in the hot water as the tub filled. Hesitantly, she approached Darien and waited to see if he’d take it from her.
While her back was turned, he took the opportunity to strip completely and climb into the bathtub. He began to wash. As he cleaned himself though, it sank in that he was cleaning blood, his father’s blood, and he dropped the washcloth into the tub completely losing it in the bubbles.
He moved to reach for it, but Tai was faster. Her hands dove under the bubbles, grazed his legs, as she searched for the cloth. Gently, he took her hand with his and guided her towards it. When she picked it up, she gently pushed him to lay back and relax. He did so with a sigh, and closed his eyes. Instead of thinking about his father, he focused on Tai and the way she gently moved her hands over his chest. When she was done washing him clean, she smoothed back his hair and rested her head against his. He risked a glance up at her, afraid that if he saw her he might break down. He didn’t, but he saw that she was crying.
“What are you thinking?” He asked quietly.
“How scared I was because I thought I’d lost you.” She whispered.
Darien reached a hand up so he could grab hers. “I told you, I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
The story was difficult to retell, but some how Darien struggled through the whole thing without breaking down. Every so often he choked up, but he didn’t crack. He absolutely refused to. The more he spoke, the more the tension within his brothers began to ease. Their hardness began to melt away, and at the end, nobody had a word to say.
“I don’t understand why,” Tony whispered at last. “Why would the Inero want to kill dad? He didn’t do anything!”
Darien sighed, knowing full well it was because Orion had been getting too close to something. Whatever it was, it was something Darien caught glimpses of, but didn’t fully understand himself, and now he wondered if he ever would.
“That explains the glow,” Brian said quietly.
“Glow?” Tony asked.
Brian, Asher, and Lance all exchanged a look, and then Brian continued. “When we found you Darien, you were glowing. None of us knew why, just that it had something to do with the fact that you’re touched.”
Darien nodded slowly. This explained a lot about why his brothers had reacted so strangely to him. He wasn’t aware he had been glowing, that there had been so much magic resonating around him, to the point where they were legitimately afraid of him. This saddened him.
“I’m not sure why this is all happening,” Darien said. And I’m scared. But he didn’t want to admit to it. Lance gave his shoulder a squeeze. “What’s going to happen now?” More importantly, who was going to be in charge of the Oceina tribe? Orion had been the leader for so long it was hard to think of anyone else who could begin to fill his shoes. More importantly, how did the transfer of power go? The Oceina tribe believed in a head family of sorts. Darien’s bloodline had always been the chosen one for leadership. He was a direct descendant of the first, and all of his distant grandfathers had once been the great dragon lord. That meant one of his brother’s would be next.
Oh God....
What’s wrong? Tai asked.
I just realized something. Darien couldn’t even focus on what his brother Brian was saying, as everything began to click into place.
“Darien?” Christian asked. “Are you listening?”
“Sorry,” Darien said. “I just got lost for a moment. Hard to focus right now.”
“We’re almost done,” Lance said, and he said it with such authority nobody dared question him on the matter. Darien was grateful. There was only so much more talking he could endure. He’d gone through every detail, and every word exchanged by the Inero.
He wasn’t sure if he should get into the conversations he had with his father before he died. It didn’t seem like something they would understand. Orion had told Darien he tried to talk with all of his brothers about everything, his advisers even, and none of them understood. Darien himself barely understood, and now he was more determined than ever to get answers. His Uncle Arthur would have to know something. He was his father’s first council.
Darien nodded and played with his hands thoughtfully. “What was the question, Chris?”
“Did you recognize who any of the Inero army were? Their voice? Their markings? Their smell? Anything?” Christian was desperate to find the killer, desperate to avenge their father. Darien felt the same way even if he knew it wouldn’t be how Orion would want them to react.
With a slow shake of his head, Darien let out a deep sigh. “They were young. I remember they sounded like they might be close to my age.” He’d know the voice if he ever heard it again. “They were in charge. Young but lots of authority, and I couldn’t see any markings really outside of their ranks. You know, the white tattoo they put on their bodies? They were important. He wasn’t just killed by a random militia or underground terrorist group. I’m not sure how common the rank is though. There could be hundreds, if not thousands, of troops with a similar position.”
Brian put his hands through his hair and a small, angry, growl escaped from his lips. “This can’t be happening! Why would the Inero want him dead?”
There was a long pause, and Lance, ever the voice of reason, was the next to speak. “One thing at a time. Darien, go try to sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to need a lot of rest. We’ll call the rest of the family, and we’ll take it all from there.”
Most nodded in agreement, a few grumbled under their breath, but every one of them knew Lance was right. There wasn’t much they could do. They would call their Uncle Charles to come and take care of their father’s body, and a funeral would be planned, and then a new successor would be named.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Tai didn’t like what she heard inside Darien’s head. His thoughts had turned from being shaken, broken, and depressed, to determined, logical, and political. He was trying to put the pieces together, and those pieces were not creating a pretty picture.
She waited for him on the bed, sitting cross-legged, and quiet. Nothing was on in the room. The TV was a poor distraction, and this was one thing she didn’t want to run away from. He needed someone to care about him right now, and despite their differences, she was willing to put them aside so she could be the one to do so.
His eyes met hers briefly when he entered the room, and then they returned to the floor as he walked to the bed. Sharing a bed with him was getting easier. She’d never admit it, but she did like it sometimes. The extra warmth he provided, and just knowing he was there cut a lot of the fear away in the middle of the night. Sometimes she’d wake up from a dream, or her imagination would get carried away. Having him there provided her with an extra security blanket.
“What’s going to happen now?” she asked. She wasn’t really sure what else to ask him. She wanted to know more about these ideas he was having, these theories, but she didn’t want to ask until he was ready.
Darien shrugged and curled up under the covers. “I don’t really know. They told me to rest, but I feel like my mind is running a mile a minute. I don’t think I can. I still just can’t believe this is all happening.”
“I’ll say.” She ran a hand through his hair. The only thing she wanted to do was comfort him. He adjusted his position so he could lie in her arms and he closed his eyes looking
nothing but exhausted and empty of all emotion.
I don’t know what to do. He thought, and she wasn’t sure if she should reply until she realized he was too tired to verbally speak.
You said it yourself. You didn’t know what was going to happen, and you don’t need to know what to do next. You need to just focus on resting. It didn’t feel right to respond to him verbally. The quiet was more comfortable.
That’s not what I mean. I don’t have a choice, and I’m not sure what to do. This is all completely new territory for me.
I do not understand what you’re getting at then. Please, explain? Her fingers combed through his hair gently in long soothing strokes. It was just as comforting to her as it was for him. It helped reassure her fears. He was safe with her.
He knew this was going to happen. Darien put a hand over his face for a moment, as he collected his emotions together. He wants me to take his place.
Tai couldn’t handle the pure silence anymore. She had to speak again. “Are you sure?” She swallowed hard, unsure of what to think. There was little she understood about dragon politics, but what concerned her most was Darien’s father had just been murdered because of those politics. She didn’t want Darien to be in danger too.
Darien nodded his head against her chest, and Tai squeezed his shoulder in response.
I can’t do this. I can’t believe he thinks I’d be good for this job. Why does he think I’d be a good leader for an entire nation? This is a mistake. Someone please tell me this isn’t real. None of this is real. His mind was running so fast. She’d never heard him think like this before. Normally, he was very quiet, reserved, and had a few thoughts every so often, but nothing very concrete or necessarily worth paying attention to. He’d think about food, or whatever it was he was doing at the time, or something he was trying to remember from a day or two ago. This was the first time she’d never been able to follow along with him.
Legend of the Oceina Dragon (The Dragons Saga) Page 12
