Page 76 of Cultivating Caden
Ten pushed off the wall and sneered. “No, I expect that you’re going to listen and find out thewhybefore you freak out. Or don’t you care?”
“Yes, goddamn it, I care. More than I ever thought possible.”
“That’s good to hear.” Ten smiled.
“Listen, you have to tell me. How do you know things? What makes you so sure that demon isn’t going to hurt someone?”
Ten sighed. “Again, not a demon. I can’t explain it to you. I can try to show you, if you’re willing.”
Squatting down, Quade found himself at eye level with his son. Those silver orbs of his gleamed in the overhead lights. “Show me.”
Ten reached out and put both hands on the sides of Quade’s head. He drew in a deep breath, and then a moment later, images flashed through Quade’s mind. At first it was a trickle. A few here and there, then dozens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, millions, billions, all in a kaleidoscope of sights, sounds, and smells.
“What’s this?” Quade asked, his stomach flipping.
“People’s thoughts. I can see them all. Hear them as clearly as I do my own. There’s very few things that aren’t open to me if I go looking for it.”
It was nuts. How could a twelve-year-old boy process this much information? “How do you handle it all?” Just the things he was seeing threatened to overwhelm Quade. He knew if it wasn’t for Ten, he’d be driven insane by the overload.
“Dunno. Just do.”
The images began to recede, until Ten was the only thing Quade saw.
“How strong are you?” It was a stupid question. Quade had to wonder if Ten was even aware of his limits.
Ten giggled, full of mirth and happiness. “I’m not even sure. I can move objects, read thoughts, and probably a bunch of things I never even tried. But I don’t care about any of that. The only thing that matters is you and Poppa.”
Quade reached out and pulled Ten into a hug. “We love you too.”
“Then please, listen to me. A’kosh isn’t what you think he is. Think of his race as ants. You’ve got a leader who directs them all. Some of them hunt for food, and anything that’s edible fits that category. Some, like A’kosh, are workers. They’re sort of like waiters in a restaurant. They only live to serve. That’s what A’kosh is. His race isn’t necessarily violent, and they only do what they have to in order to survive.”
“So then why did he attack?”
“I could see in his mind that someone threatened his people, told him that he had to do what they said or they’d kill everyone. He didn’t want to fight, and he sure as heck doesn’t want to make you mad. He’s terrified of you.”
Damn.“I didn’t know.” A pathetic, weak excuse if Quade ever heard one. He should have made it his business to know everything before charging off to fight.
“Don’t beat yourself up, Dad. You couldn’t have known, and I get that. A’kosh wasn’t supposed to fail. Now that he has, he thinks his people will be killed. He’s afraid he’s going to die here. He’s sad and missing his home. Please, don’t scare him anymore.”
And just like that, Quade’s stomach knotted. He’d upset and disappointed his son. Sure, it wouldn’t be the last time, but this first one? It sucked.
“I’m sorry.” He’d once said he wouldn’t apologize to a child, but Quade was discovering that admitting his mistakes wasn’t horrible. In fact, he thought it made Ten trust him more.
Ten shook his head. “You couldn’t know. A’kosh is willing to give a sample of his venom if you think it’ll help. He feels really bad about what he did, and wants to try and make things right.” Ten turned, but then stopped. “Oh, and don’t worry about his lip. He’s got regenerative healing abilities, so it’ll be as good as new in a few days. Until then, though, it’s going to hurt a lot. I’ll do my best to keep the pain to a minimum, but even I can only do so much.”
Another lesson Quade had to learn. Because something was bug-ugly didn’t necessarily make it evil. And whoever—or whatever—they were fighting obviously didn’t care about getting innocents involved.
“What can he tell us about where they’re keeping his family?”
Ten’s gaze narrowed. “Why?”
“Because if I’m gonna save them, I have to know where I’m going.”
Ten’s eyes widened. “You’ll save them? Really?”
“Someone has been reminding me for the longest time that I’m not a monster. Maybe I should finally start to listen to him.” He ruffled Ten’s hair. “He’s pretty damned smart.”
Ten grabbed Quade’s hand and led him back to where A’kosh waited. As soon as they entered the room, A’kosh shrunk back into his chair, trembling.
