Chapter 6
Lachon Findel stood outside a cave entrance in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, mentally preparing himself for the meeting he was about to have. The air was cooler here than in Vancouver and he was dressed in hiking gear. The wind blew his hair in wild waves around his face and he had a five o’clock shadow at nine in the morning. The mountains suited him.
Getting to the entrance to the cave was no small feat. He'd had to park his Range Rover two miles down the road and hike up the rest of the way. The two Elemental's inside preferred solitude. They relied on others to bring news of the goings on in the outside world.
Time to get this over with, he thought, as he squared his massive shoulders and walked into the cave to find Ealian and Taurin Gondien. You'd think as the oldest living Elemental he would be over getting the creeps. He'd seen it all—done it all, yet something about where these two lived still freaked him out. Because they were twins, they shared their elements.
This fact made the pair a thorn in his side he couldn't pluck just yet. He'd been telling himself that for thirteen hundred years. If only he'd removed them as a threat a thousand years ago, he wouldn't be in his current predicament. But hindsight is twenty-twenty, isn't it? At one-thousand, seven-hundred and thirteen years old, Lachon had outlived every member of his race. Taurin and Ealian rounded out the council of elders. After losing Domhall, it was important to keep the council strong for the race.
The council were the soul of the race, and in addition to their elements, each member represented a part of the soul. Lachon represented Justice and Water. Taurin was Choice and Earth, and Ealian was Passion and Wind. There should have been a fourth to balance them, Domhall. Domhall represented Love and Fire, but he’d walked away after the death of his daughter. Once, Domhall and Lachon had been the best of friends, but not for a long time, not since the night they’d all agreed with Taurin's choice to wed her to the dragon. After Domhall left, Taurin and Ealian changed. Domhall’s departure altered their ability to feel true love. Ealian's lust turned into something ugly and Taurin's choices became increasingly harsh. Lachon was left with law to keep them balanced.
He rounded a sharp curve and entered the largest cave. He’d never understand why they lived here. The damp cave was lit by beeswax candles that left every corner in shadows. Fires around the rooms sat in old metal brassieres. Thick pillows and blankets lay everywhere to try and stave off cold. He supposed it lent an air to their mysteriousness—if you went in for that sort of thing. Lachon didn't. As elders, they had more money than the human gods could dream of. They could have purchased a castle and lived like kings. But for some reason the two of them liked living in the shadows. That was also part of what creeped him out. Over the years, the siblings had gotten darker and darker. Lachon felt ill around them. They cast a pallor over everything they touched.
“Greetings old one,” Taurin said as he entered the room from a smaller cave off to the side.
That was the other thing that annoyed Lachon. Just because they were old, didn't mean they had to act ancient for God’s sake. No one was interested in the overblown persona Taurin and Ealian kept up. Taurin entered the space dressed like every Hollywood pirate over the last twenty-five years. His dirty blond hair left streaks of grease down his back and his frilled cream shirt was as grimy as his tan slacks. He wore varying amounts of leather cuffs on both wrists, plus scuffed riding boots. Lachon wondered if the man was trying out for a Jack Sparrow cabaret part. Having been around to meet some of the worst pirates in history, he couldn't imagine why Taurin thought he could pull this off. If he’d come face to face with Hayrettin Barbarossa looking like this, he’d have lost his head. Lachon almost pitied him, then remembered he'd stopped pitying others over a thousand years ago.
Ealian flowed into the room behind her brother, naked except for a pale green silk housecoat. It never ceased to amaze Lachon how similar the two looked. The fraternal twin’s hair, eyes, and bone structure were eerily close. Even their body type was the same.
Ealian inched toward him. Each step made Lachon’s skin crawl as he watched her hip-bones sway under the silk of her dressing gown. She'd taken to wearing only wraps about ten years ago and he wondered, not for the first time, if the brother and sister had resorted to drug use to try to add excitement to their lives. The two were private and thick as thieves.
Ealian reached him and rested her hand on his chest as she crooned. “Lachon, darling, you’ve come to visit us. Why, it has been ages since we last had the pleasure of your company.”
Lachon noticed her tongue was slightly blackened, her speech slurred, and knew he needed to tread lightly. “Ealian, I miss the company of you and your brother greatly, but you know how business takes me away for long times.”
“Ah business,” Taurin said. “Why do you insist on carrying on business in the human world? You don't need to run that business. You contaminate yourself by exposing your body to the humans.”
“I know you feel that way, Taurin, but I don’t. I believe it’s important for me to understand human ways and laws so that I can better serve our people. Though I respect your choice, it is not mine.” Lachon bowed his head slightly and glanced into Ealian's eyes as he spoke, as a sign of respect. He knew she was the one who held the power of the siblings.
“Of course, dear Lachon,” she said. “We respect your opinion on the matter. I'm sure you must find all kinds of wonderful things to ignite your passions by interacting with the humans. Though I personally wouldn't wish to have my body infected by them.”
Taurin spoke up from across the room. “Don’t concern yourself, sister. I would never let anyone unworthy come near your sacred body.”
“Of course not, brother,” she said while continuing to stare at Lachon and stroke his chest. “I know you’ll always protect me.”
Lachon held his ground and his tongue, until Ealian tired of her game and moved away from him. He was going to have to take one hell of a hot shower tonight to wash the stench of her touch from him. “There are items of importance we need to discuss.”
Ealian lay her slight body in a pile of pillows by one of the fires. Her legs stretched out free of the gown she wore. Her tiny breasts were almost fully bared. Taurin sat closely beside her, motioned Lachon to a pile of pillows directly across. “Of course, what is of such import?” he asked as he absently began to pluck at the loose threads on his shirt.
Lachon slowly lowered his six foot, three-inch body down to the pillow and tried to arrange himself in such a way he didn't feel like he was lounging in an opium den. “My sources may have discovered something. There have been rumblings of an emerging Element.”
Ealian and Taurin appeared only mildly interested. “What sources, dear friend? We have heard nothing.”
“With all due respect, your sources are not mine. The Oracles have felt a shift. Someone is coming into power. Only they can't see who it is.”
Ealian sat up. “Who do we know that is of age to come into their powers?”
“None of our people, Ealian. I've discreetly checked.”
“Well, check again. Go ask your record keeper. She would have the answers we need. The Oracles talk in riddles. The record keeper knows facts.”
“We could do that but I fear we cannot ask her.” Lachon paused. “She called the dragon recently.”
Lachon braced himself for their reaction. Taurin finally stopped playing with his shirt to give Lachon his full attention. Ealian began to shake. Control over her passion was never held too tightly. He didn't want to be stuck in the cave with her if she came undone.
“Why would our record keeper call the guardian of the races? She's never met him. Why would someone from that family be reaching out to the dragon?” Ealian jumped up to pace. Her dressing gown and need for seduction forgotten. “What are they playing at?”
Lachon remained seated so as not to add fuel to Ealian's questions. “I don't have the answers yet, Ealian. I've sent rangers to see what they can learn.” He leaned forward. “It is puzzling though. Domhall’s been quite quiet of late.”
Taurin walked over and rested a hand on his sister’s shoulder which she shook off with a look of disgust. He spoke with a deceptive mildness. “We need to gather all the information before we begin to guess what is going on, sister. Lachon is right in this. You are gathering to storm for no reason.”
“Do not tell me to calm, brother dearest.” A sneer curled her lip. “That family has been an inch from treason for years. Look what almost happened. A daughter with too much power betrayed her kind and Domhall left us.” She practically shrieked the last bit out. “Lachon, find out why she contacted the dragon. Or speak to him yourself if you must. He understands law.”
Finally, Lachon stood. His immense size dwarfed Ealian. “As I said, I’ll find out everything I can. I’ve never walked away from my duty to our race. I do not need you to tell me how to do my job, Ealian. Keep your temper. I came to you as members of the council to let you know of the strange power shift. I will take care of it—whatever it is.”