Wynn sat in the school library, jacket wrapped around him securely. He ping ponged between the adults as they talked rapid fire; they'd been doing that for the last hour.
Helena had thought ahead, calling their dad as Nathan had driven them home. Giulio had met them in the foyer when they'd arrived, rage purpling his face. He hadn't said anything as he'd ushered the teenagers into the kitchen.
Wynn's body felt like lead then and now. Then he'd merely fel the discomfort of being tossed around. Now his neck ached and his back twinged. When he looked in the mirror, he saw the bruises on his neck and some on his shoulder. The most prominent ones were the red marks that had banded around his wrists like shackles.
Jarrod's arm around him tightened. Wynn glanced at him, sympathy sprouting over his face. He had been shaken up but had held his composure. His eyes followed the pacing, hand gestures, and anger from all the adults.
Since he'd gotten out of the car, he hadn't said a word. He'd allowed Nathan to clean him up and had stared straight ahead. His eyes had been completely dead. He'd barely eaten when Giulio had made soup for them, pushing it around his bowl.
Nathan had followed them upstairs. Wynn was smaller than both of them so his shirts were too small, but he had sweatpants that would be the right size. He'd given them clothes and had gone to brush his teeth. Jarrod had been in his bed, sound asleep. Nathan had asked all of his questions with a simple look, to which Wynn shook his head.
His heart was broken. He'd just lost his parents after finding out they'd not only killed Gray's parents and run Callins off, but they'd killed his friend Christian. They'd done it to take over the Scale and make him the Keeper despite his latent magic. Then they'd used him to do whatever they'd wanted.
Wynn figured they hadn't expected a bunch of meddling kids to figure out their plans. He'd have settled for their arrest, but they wouldn't have given themselves up. He was certain they would have tried to con their way out of all the charges. Too many people in this town still trusted them.
Jarrod hadn't said too much in the five hours since the incident. He'd gone home with Nathan in tow to collect his father's books and his mother's computer. He hadn't asked Wynn to go, and the other boy hadn't mentioned it.
Artie had hacked into the computer while Giulio and Francesca had fed and tended to the other kids. They'd reconvened back at the auditorium after school hours so no one would see them. The kids were worse for wear, mostly tired from magic use.
Gray had bought coffee. When he'd handed it to Jarrod, they'd shared a look. Jarrod had nodded and had taken it. They hadn't said anything, but the silent understanding was there. Both had lost their parents. One felt guilty because his parents had killed the other set. The other boy simply understood that pain.
"Do they always argue so much?" Jarrod groused.
He was talking about Giulio and Francesca. They stood between the kids and the Wyvern Council. His parents were an imposing force. Unless someone used magic, they weren't getting near the fifteen kids.
"You have no idea," Wynn muttered.
The son wasn't surprised what his parents knew at this point. His dad had seceral books and recently he'd found out his mother's family had been part of the Italian Scale as well. They had kept everything quiet until they'd seen if their children showed any signs.
"I have never in my life seen a group of adults so highly unprofessional," Giulio started. It halted all the other adults' arguments. "I have never in the several millenia of history I've read ever heard aof a group of kids being a legitimate Scale. There was always at least one adult there to guide and train them."
"We do train them!" Anita Wayne claimed.
"How often? Because my parents were trained once a week just to be able to maintain the glow that always illuminated them." He pointed to Wynn and Jarrod as they sat hip to hip. "Those two had no idea who they were or what they were meant to do because you don't have the decency or the balls to tell them. So what happens? They're attacked and battered because they have no idea how to defend themselves."
Wynn's lips twitched. His father never pulled punches especially when his family was involved. He may not agree with them all the time, but he would defend them until he died. If someoen tried to hurt them, he would be a steadfast wall much like he was currently. He wouldn't allow anyone to stand against the defenseless.
Thomas Sylvan held up his hand. It wasn't in a threatening manner; he just wanted quiet for a minute. "Your parents were the Lock and Key? That can't be. Only one set is born every generation."
"That's not true," Jarrod said. He drew all attention to him. "I did some reading. Everything we've been taught was a lie. Each state never had a Scale until the Civil War. until then, one state sent each representative in hopes their person was chosen. It was always the best of the best. As for the Lock and Key, they are generational decades. There is one set each decade to make sure no one can interconnect. One Lock for one Key."
"Why does this country screw everything up when it has been blatantly written out?" Giulio asked. He tossed another book between them. "Under the original magical covenant of 1497, it was written that no one city shall have a Scales, each country having only one. How did you get so far away from the original rules?"
There was a loud 'pop' from behind Wynn and Jarrod. Neither boy turned around. They'd felt the magic building up behind them. A hand landed on their shoulder, and warmth spread throughout their bodies. It was comforting and familiar.
It was the same power they'd felt several hours before. The bands on Wynn's arms throbbed and the red in Jarrod's eyes pulsed several times. Both their eyes glowed faintly with magic of the dragons.
If there was one way to silence a room full of egocentric adults, it was to bring something bigger and badder than they were. Having a humanoid dragon appear out of nowhere could do just that.
Everyone stopped talking as Pyre descended the stairs. The teens were the only ones who weren't shocked by his appearance. They sat unperturbed as their parents started gawking. Artie even started laughing because the moment was so absurd. All their lives they had tried to find the ones who had given them their power, and here before them was one. Of course they'd shut up and pay attention. This creature had just decimated two adults with a look.
"And everyone wonders why we've hidden ourselves away. Your constant bickering was proof enough you could not handle being near us when we walked the earth. Now that we've been gone, you have lost all control," he said.
Wynn noticed his form had corporealized. He still looked inhuman, but at least his form could pass the human world. His hair was unearthly red, and it made his skin look very pasty. The clothes he'd conjured wereout of date and hung off his slim frame. He looked as if he hadn't eaten in a very long while, which very well be the case.
The odor that wafted off him was a mixture of deep earth, brimstone, and burnt flesh. Luckily the latter was slowly fading away; the brimstone would probably always remain since he was a fire dragon. Wynn guessed he'd hidden in a volcano due to the heat. They were in the Ring of Fire where volcanoes were frequent. He could have very easily hidden anywhere in it.
Pyre looked between the adult humans, eyes piercing them. He dared them to say something. He was daring them to contradict them. Luckily the American parents had learned how to shut up. Even Anita stood with her head lowered. The slight tremors to her hands said she was scared.
"May I?" The being held out his hand. Giulio handed the books to him, shoulders turned to protect whomever the adults decided to attack. "You really have distorted your past. We should have realized that when we tried to help you."
He closed the book and dropped it to the floor. It landed with a loud smack that ricocheted around the semiquiet room. He opened the second book and looked through it as well. He made some disgruntled noises as he read bits and pieces, undoubtedly disliking what he saw. The second book followed the first.
"Your children have been highly misinformed. You were never supposed to congregate en masse. It would be too dangerous becasue our magic is too volatile. It seems you have mistrained it so you can blend in with others." His tone was annoyed but soft. He didn't want to rile people anymore.
He continued. "Your misinformed nature has led to five deaths you could have easily prevented had you followed the laws set in place before we went to ground. Now, you have made it possible for the Hunters to track us."
"Hunters?" Thomas asked. His face drew together in confusion. "Who are the Hunters?"
Pyre allowed annoyance to overtake his perfect face. "Your history has been so muddled you have no idea who your ancestors are." He swept his hand to Giulio and Francesca. "The only ones from a pure Scale family are these people, and the boys whose parents were lost. The rest of you are descended from the first Hunters who wanted to use our power to take over the world."
It meant Callum and Ryssa Wainscott's actions were abnormal from a true descendant. Somewhere down the line they were corrupted. It didn't make what they'd done any easier. Five people were still dead, and those left to pick up the pieces were the survivors.
Wynn looked at Jarrod and Gray. Their faces were drawn, as if the knowledge of their parents' demises had a twisted meaning. They looked at each other, a silent conversation passing between them. It seemed for the first time in a long time they had an agreement.
"Can those children be used to resurrect the others?" Anita asked. Her eyes gleamed with excitement, a weird emotion to have despite the circumstances.
The teenagers shifted uncomfortably. Nathan scoffed at his mother's strange outburst. He could see how they were descended from Hunters. His mother was way too volatile with information. She was truly a gold-digging person, which was how she had married his father.
Pyre looked at them, his gaze softening as he took each of them in. He knew they'd only done what their parents had asked of them and had no other knowledge of their heritage.
His eyes trailed to the two boys huddled in between them all. He saw the golden hue surrounding them, making everything about them stand out. They were truly the only ones who could protect them once they found them. Once they were raised, those two boys would be able to tap into whatever power that lay dormant within them.
So the beign ignored the questions. "I will be taking over this Scale. Children should not be in control. Everything shall be redone so everyone will be trained and taught properly. I will take the Oracle under my supervision as well."
"Oracle?" Thomas asked.
Pyre's face contorted. "You have so much to learn. We will be in touch."
He cast the teenagers one more look before disappearing the same way he'd appeared. It unsettled the adults, but maybe that was a good thing. Maybe they needed to have their world shaken so they'd realized how strange their lives were.
"What about Jarrod?" Roger Storm asked. "He can't return home. We have to know what else Callum and Ryssa had been up to."
Pain bit into Wynn's side as Jarrod's arm tightened around him. He pried his fingers off his thigh and put his hand between his. He was still grieving the loss of his parents even if he wasn't speaking about it. Now they were talking about what to do with him.
"No need," Francesca said. "He will stay with us. He will turn eighteen next month, then he can decide what he wants to do."
No one argued. An adult was taking charge, as they should have done a long while ago. So with it all settled, the teenagers met with their paretns and they all went their separate ways.
~~~~~~~
Wynn closed the door to his room once again. It felt like he'd done that one too many times in the last several weeks. Except he wasn't staying in his room.
Jarrod was sitting by the window in his room. He wanted to be left alone. Wynn didn't blame him. There had been many times he had sat in that very room alone so he could collect his thoughts. If anyone wanted to use his room as a refuge, he would allow it.
His mother was making dinner as he walked into the kitchen. His siblings were screeching outside as they played in the backyard. He envied their innocence. They had no idea what had just happened in their family, and Wynn would do whatever he could to keep it that way.
"Sit down, figlio," Francesca said. He did as she asked, and she passed him an ice rag. "It'll help the bruising."
Wynn wrapped it around his neck and looked at her. "Will it help the guilt?"
"What guilt would that be?" He motioned upstairs. "That was not your fault, figlio. Maybe we could have helped if you'd told us sooner, but I understand your hesitance. It's hard to talk about something you don't realy understand."
"I was thrown into it, mamma. I wasn't given much to go on except dreams."
"We weren't sure if any of you were blessed. Franco never exhibited any signs and we weren't sure about you or Helena. So we waited. Had we known the pictures you were painting were your way of seeing your power, we would have told you much sooner. It was only after your father saw you sleeping with that boy did we know."
He ducked his head. After he came out, he was slightly embarrassed to talk about this. "I never saw a golden hue."
Francesca laughed. "You wouldn't. It's only seen by those with some sort of magic, and it's only unlocked when you're in close proximity to the other half."
Wynn cast his eyes to his mom suspiciously. "How do you know this?" Her smile was sly. "Mamma, are you a Lock or Key?"
She nodded. "I was a Lock, but I didn't grow up near the Scale. I had visions just as you did. Without the confines and help of a Scale, I couldn't do much. My other half died of a brain tumor when we were in college. We were never able to do what you have done."
She reached across the island to him. "Figlio, you have to be careful. What the First Flame said is true. Others will want to use you and Jarrod to do their bidding. What has been set in motion cannot be undone. You will feel the urge to find the others. You must know when to do it and when to trust your gut."
Wynn nodded. "I already know what I need to do. I'm just scared to do it. I'm scared to hurt people."
"You can't hurt someone if you haven't made any promises." Francesca caressed her son's face as he stared at nothing in particular. He was torn, and she would think him heartless if he wasn't.
She wiped her hands on her apron and reached for the mail. Sifting through it, she handed him two big pieces with his name on it.
"These came for you."
Wynn stared at them, his heart thundering in his chest. His future rested in his hands. It made everything so much more final.
Jarrod was still by the window when he returned to the room. He cast him a look as he sat down at his desk with a sigh. He wasn't dumb. He knew what the big pieces of mail meant.
"Congrats," he said. There was no emotion in his voice. "You got into the school of your dreams. You get to go home."
Wynn stared at his desk for a long while. He eventually decided it wasn't worth the argument. They'd had a long day, and he didn't want to ruin it by arguing.
Not that concerned with the man by the window, he changed clothes. He was tired and just wanted to crash in his bed. Jarrod could stay by the window for as long as he wished. He was going to relax and hopefully sleep peacefully. He could miss dinner as long as he could rest.
He was starting to doze off when the red behind his eyelids faded to black. The bed dipped, and a secure weight landed on his waist. A big hand splayed across his chest, warmth spreading throughout the space. Heart seeped into his back as two legs nestled in the crook of his knees.
"Congratulations," Jarrod whispered. He nuzzled his face in the back of Wynn's neck. "You deserve to go to the school of your choice."
Wynn covered the hand on his chest with his. "So do you. I sincerely hope you get into whatever school you choose."
"Can we stay like this just for tonight? I know what it means. I just need some comfort, more than what anyone else can give me."
The smaller man took his hand and wrapped it around his waist. Jarrod got as close as he could, burying his face in the back of Wynn's neck. Soon enough, his breath evened out and his hand loosened. A soft snoer broke the silence after several minutes.
He felt guilty for leaving. Despite understanding his feelings, he knew he couldn't stay. He couldn't give Jarrod false hope. He wouldn't make it, not with everything that had happened to him. Wynn would rather hurt himself than hurt anyone else.
In the distance, he heard his phone chime. Only one person had a chime as his text alert. Wynn didn't disturb Jarrod so he'd let it go, but as he fell asleep, he wondered what Gray wanted.