The Divine Gambit Ch. 08

8. Unseen and Unexpected

My first conscious breath of air filled me with a sense of determination. I felt ashamed of how I had acted last night -- petulantly whining over problems instead of taking steps to address them. Beth hadn't expressed any genuine discomfort with the news, so I shouldn't have spent so much time and energy fussing over it. Her ardent support and attention made me regret how I had interacted with her. I needed to remain vigilant to ensure I wasn't taking advantage of our relationship, but until she displayed displeasure, I would stop persecuting myself. I kissed the back of her head as I held her gently against me. I could hear her heartbeat rhythmically pulse away. My thoughts hadn't yet stirred her from sleep today.

I had several issues that I needed to address. The largest was not time-sensitive, but I desired to be out from under Aisling's dominion eventually. Everything I owned could be attributed to the good graces of the banshee regent, which was unbecoming for one who should be a king in his own right, and the dragon inside me was uncomfortable with how quickly I had accepted her handouts and the leash that came with them. He insisted that a house leader shouldn't be so beholden to anyone that he could not remunerate his debts. I had time to work on this and had asked Cynthia and Evgenia to investigate ways I could pursue this without disturbing the status quo.

The second problem was definitely time sensitive, but I had little agency for the time being. I needed to discuss my situation and relationship with Zoey in order to understand what she had experienced yesterday and what she wanted to do moving forward. I had no way of contacting her before our meeting tomorrow and scant leverage to coerce her into explaining. I would simply have to be prepared to respond to the situation presented to me then and hope that she was amenable.

Similarly, but lesser in magnitude, I needed to define my relationship with Sam and make a personal connection to Evgenia. I thought Beth had intended for Sam to be a second girlfriend, but I had no idea how she would feel about proceeding before my impending werewolf dilemma was resolved. I got hints that Sam was amenable to that role, but I hadn't exposed her to the new reality. Evgenia had been the most relaxed after I healed her since I had signed her forms, but I still couldn't get a read on what she expected. She seemed to freeze when I tried to act as an employer but was professionally distant when I attempted friendship.

My other problems were more general and relied on others being comfortable giving me the information. I needed Antonin to teach me more about actually using magic. His lectures were helpful to my human side, but my other half was desperate for more practicality. I needed Zoey to teach me more about shifting between my forms. I was optimistic that she would still be able to do that. If what Cynthia and Evgenia had said were true, I was surprised that she could deny my questions and stonewall any personal interaction. Her wolf must've been in turmoil, and the human mind overcoming it would've been challenging.

Beth turned in my arms, our intertwined minds rousing her, and she snuggled her head into my shoulders. She spoke drowsily and lazily, "How are you today?" She scrunched up her face, rubbed her eyes on my skin to shake the mental cobwebs loose, and blinked as she adjusted to the morning light.

She spoke again, more soberly, "You feel better. You feel determined and focused."

"Beth, thank you for being so patient with me last night. I'm regretful of the circumstances I think you are being forced into. I feel as though I'm taking advantage of you."

She started to speak, but I pressed on, "I'm aware that you feel otherwise. I want you to tell me if there's the slightest problem, and I will do my best not to burden you with my self-inflicted emotional drama."

She shook her head, "I'll tell you if I have an actual problem. The slightest problems can be overlooked."

"What happens if I continuously repeat something that's only a slight problem?"

She stretched out, her taut and lithe body tantalizingly touching me, and she yawned before answering, "If it happens all the time, it isn't a slight problem anymore. If it happens once and not again, it's not a problem at all. We'll figure it out."

I understood what she was saying, not to sweat the small things. I continued to the next order of business, "What do we do about Zoey and Sam? I don't think there's anything conventional about our situation, and Sam had been interested before. Now Zoey either is forced to accept joining or to feel incomplete until she dies alone."

She laughed and said, "I'm willing to bet Sam's mind won't have changed. She didn't care about sharing with me. You just need to explain to both of them what the upsides of cooperation are." She ran her relatively tiny hand teasingly over my half-erect dick.

"You don't actually want me to just go bite them and subject them to my whims like that, do you?"

Beth frowned and fixed her resolute verdant gaze on me, "Of course not. If you continue being the caring, loving, genuine, perfect guy you are, they will come right to you. Did I mention hot and powerful? Add hot and powerful to the list. They don't hurt."

I was uncomfortable listening to her praise, and I felt woefully inadequate. I didn't view myself the way Beth did. I supposed that wasn't entirely relevant, as Sam seemed to agree with Beth, and Zoey was fatefully obligated to.

I glanced at the clock and realized that I had slept in, nearly matching the schedule I held in my old life. I exasperatedly exhaled as I realized that I had called last week my "old life." It was both nonsensically absurd and absolutely true, but I hadn't left any time for grieving, as it was nearing noon. It was long past time for me to get up and join the living... and the undead, since I could smell Evgenia moving about in the living room.

After a momentary pit stop in the bathroom, I wandered into the living room and began preparing a cup of coffee. Evgenia was sitting at the dining table, perusing an unquantifiably large stack of documents.

Sam was sitting on the couch with several crystals haphazardly arranged on the cushion next to her. She cautiously raised her voice to ask across the room, "You, uh, sleep well? You were doing astronaut impressions yesterday."

I wasn't awake yet and spent a moment trying to interpret what she said as the coffee trickled into a mug. I hadn't figured it out when the water had finished running and wasn't any closer after I took a sip.

"I don't have a clue what you're trying to say."

Sam shrugged apologetically. "You had your head in space. Distant. Didn't even play with Beth."

How on earth could she be confident about that? Did I sleep hard enough for Beth to have gotten up earlier, and they had talked? That didn't seem likely with how we had woken up. Beth had followed me to the bathroom and impatiently lingered to use it herself -- if she had been up earlier, she would've taken care of that.

Oh. Sam had probably just heard us the other times. Which meant Cynthia and Evgenia had as well. That was embarrassing. Where was the nearest hole to crawl into?

"Sorry, I had a lot on my mind. It's been a long week, and it's only Wednesday."

Sam smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. I sat beside her on the couch, careful not to disturb the minute gems she had arranged.

I continued, "Do you want to come to my lesson with Antonin today?"

Surprise flickered on her face for a moment, "Oh! Sure, that'd be cool. I mean, I don't really like him, but it was awesome to do that with you."

"It would be really reassuring if you joined me. Plus, we could see if my conjecture about testing my reactions was correct. If he's still unpleasant to you, you don't have to come again."

She seemed dejected that I had so quickly offered to let her off the hook. I didn't want her to think I was trying to get rid of her; I also didn't want to pressure her into coming if she was going to abhor the lessons. I blundered on.

"I just don't want you to feel forced into doing it. I like spending time with you, and you seemed to enjoy the actual learning session."

Evgenia snorted from the table and offered, "He just doesn't want Antonin to throw him out when Beth interrupts him again."

I bashfully nodded, "You are a lot better suited as a partner for me there."

Something that I had said there had her heart fluttering, and I smelled veneration from her. Beth came into the room, and the emotion was replaced by Sam's regret.

Beth plunked herself into my lap and looked at the gems on the cushion. "Whatcha doin' with those?"

Sam stammered as she tried to find an appropriate answer, "I was just, uh, trying to, you know, just kinda checking how much juice I had. Yeah. Combining them."

She wasn't being entirely honest there, but I had no idea why or what had flustered her. I seemed to be having a worse time understanding everyone as my time in this world progressed. It was actually slightly frustrating to have bits and pieces of information I wasn't typically privy to when I couldn't proficiently use them to draw conclusions. Knowing that something was wrong without any of the details was as irritating as the first pollen of spring stuck in your nose.

"What's your mom up to today?"

Sam sighed with noticeable annoyance and said, "There was some emergency mess back home. A group of goblin hooligans started a fire on a Treant's property while he was slumbering. The old guy demanded half their clan hoard as damages. She's going to be stuck in negotiations all day. Treants take minutes to say just hello, and goblins have their attention on something else by the third word, so I'm sure it's really frustrating to mediate for them."

I rubbed Beth's perfectly flat stomach as she sat in my lap and explained what she would do while we were attending the lesson, "I was going to spend some time today looking for a gym. You have to work out to help merge your two souls in different ways, so I figured I would find a gym for humans around here to work out too." Beth paused for a moment and then tentatively asked, "I was going to pick one and then go tomorrow when James does. Sam, would you like to go with me?"

Sam answered noncommittally, "I haven't really worked out intentionally since PE in school. What did you have in mind?"

"Just trying things out. Look at some of the machines. Talk to a trainer. Maybe use a treadmill for a bit. I don't know what I'm doing either -- I couldn't ever afford a gym membership even if I had time to use it. I don't know what to do there either."

Sam relented, "I guess I'll go with you. Worst case scenario, I feel gross and don't go back again."

Over our bond, I could feel Beth was determined to use this period to connect with Sam. She wanted Sam to grow comfortable with both of us. Sam had magic lessons with me, so Beth wanted a way to have her own interactions. It made sense if you understood that Beth really did want me to pursue another girl, and she wanted everything to be quiet on the homefront. She had already completed her lifetime of chaos -- having her own time with Sam would ensure it would stay that way.

The clock indicated that we needed to head to meet with Antonin. Sam never explained what she had used her gemstone sources for, but she quietly stored them in her bedroom before we departed. Beth gave us both intense hugs as we left the apartment.

On our way to the courthouse, Sam seemed apprehensive and indecisive. My inconsequential questions were met with nervous giggling and similarly trifling responses. I thought about warning her of what I intended to talk to Antonin about but then decided against it. I didn't even know the truth to tell her. With Antonin, I could simply ask the questions. I had no idea how to approach the topic with Sam.

Arriving at the courthouse and making our way to the archives, we found Antonin waiting for us, drinking his own coffee. He was dressed differently today, wearing ostentatious robes that jarred heavily with his otherwise spartan nature. The staff he carried had intricate gold and silver inlays of words in a language I could not read and, frankly, doubted any human living could read. He appeared before us as a pompous court official of times past, not as an elder too tired and venerable to be bothered with meeting expectations.

"That's quite the getup, Antonin. Did you have your class photographs today, by chance?"

Antonin responded with a sigh and a frown. "No, drakeling. These are of a different age, woven by the greatest clothiers Atlantis had, imbued with the energy of the titans in the name of my family. They were made for a man who was young, proud, brash, and part of a fraternity that considered themselves indestructible. Now, Atlantis is gone, and I am stuck donning a garish monstrosity made for an ancestor long deceased."

Surprisingly, the elderly elf stood and began striding towards the doors.

"Come along, drakeling. I did not wear them frivolously. You will learn something today that would not be best learned in a library."

Sam had been standing so that I would shield her from Antonin, veiling her presence with my body. When I turned to follow Antonin, she grabbed my hand to hold but continued using me as a screen.

"Antonin, I have some questions for you that I do not wish to forget. Could I ask them now while we are walking?"

"Very well, drakeling. Perhaps I will have something to answer with."

"Why does the magical world feel the need to withdraw from human society and hide?"

Antonin sighed, "Never an easy question with you, drakeling. I suppose it is to be expected."

The ancient scholar pursed his lips, and the hallway we traversed was filled only with the echoing sounds of our footsteps and the tapping of his staff. After a minute, he began to answer.

"It is a recent development. In times long past, when the gods supposedly still interacted with mortals, those with gifts walked freely and shared their capabilities with their communities. Over time the gods, individually and quietly, departed the lands, leaving an empty space at the top of every civilization. Those with powers sought to fill them because they felt entitled to them.

"As the world grew, and individual civilizations shed their self-sufficiency and isolation, petty squabbles between mages escalated as well. Disputes pertaining to a dozen sheep now involved scores of men at arms dueling at the request of the wizards. The world diminished in size as the powers cultivated and intertwined it. Even when the powers abstained, the men began fighting each other over the powers unprompted.

"In recent times, several virulently ambitious men sought dominion over larger and larger swathes of land and more tremendous hoards of riches. Some simply wished their names written in the stars, some pursued immortality, and some chased hedonistic debauchery. Their influence grew and came close to toppling the societies men tried to build on their own. The wars of the coalitions are the efforts of the magical community preventing one such ambitious man from installing himself as a new god. Not any of the ones you're thinking of.

"Today, man is as powerful as the magical beings they once revered. Your match exists out there, Drakeling, in the dozens of jets each military uses. The stockpile of nuclear weapons in the major powers is comparable to the mana reserve in each Seat's territory. Men have twisted metal and energy to match the capabilities of magic.

"You ask why we hide, drakeling? Because we are no longer the undisputed claimants to the throne. Because our influence over the men has waned, and the few beings ambitious enough to invest in the influence have caused great suffering for everyone. When the men dropped their atomic weapons on each other, all of the Seats decreed our complete separation from mundane society. No more would we tolerate aspiring upstarts twisting governments for their own goals when the results would be disastrously catastrophic. A rageful dragon in years past could destroy a castle and hamstring a city for a generation; A rageful man could now destroy the entire world indefinitely without leaving his bedroom.

"The simple answer is that the Seats collectively decreed it, and disregarding your Seat is to incite death. The complex answer is that it was perilous for all inhabitants if the worlds remained intertwined. Now, the mythical denizens deal with themselves, and the mundanes know naught. We nudge them to and fro when needed, but never is it done by a single individual. Rarely is it done with only the oversight of a single Seat, such as the world is intertwined now."

Antonin had said much that was over my head. World geopolitics were too intricate for me to begin with; adding magical intervention by a secret society of watchers on top was overwhelming. I simply nodded in response. It wasn't exactly the answer I wanted to hear, but it was clear from the rancor in Antonin's delivery that there were substantial memories in his remarkable mind.

"I recognize that it is above my station."

The elder laughed. "Boy, the world is your station. Your unassuming nature is all that has kept you from being disposed of. If you had a tenth the desires of the troublemakers of the past, you would either be king of the world or already deceased, depending on your guile."

It was distressing to hear so casually talk of my own demise. Perhaps he was simply reinforcing my distaste for power by suggesting death was the alternative. The dragon soul disagreed with both my thoughts and Antonin's statements: Monarchy would be a stupid goal, far too restrictive for our talents. A crown was nothing more than a gilded noose with which others would hang you if you disappointed them. Far better to endeavor as an individual, beholden to no one and responsible for only our own brood. He snarkily dismissed a public leadership role, insisting that the president and all of the other suits in Washington only had the powers that the businessmen who financed them allowed. We should aspire to be like those men.

I ignored his cynical offerings and continued talking to Antonin.

"I have something more personal to ask you if that's alright."

"I will entertain you, for now, drakeling, but perhaps you will owe me another coffee before the day is out."

I swallowed hard and then gracelessly and carelessly explained my interactions with Zoey and her strange behaviors at the gym. I told him how heartbroken she had been, how confused I was when she refused to interact with me, and how Evgenia reacted. I continued explaining, ignoring Sam next to me. I hadn't prepared her at all for this. She grew despondent as I extrapolated what Cynthia and Evgenia had hypothesized.

I asked Antonin how I should proceed. Sam's emotions fell to the depths when he answered, "Drakeling, I agree with the consensus that you are her mate. If you want her, she will come to you. I would assume she was displeased with discovering your nature or that she perceived some other obstacle with engaging with you."

"What do you mean, displeased with my nature?"

"Drakeling, today you are benign. Naive, honest, genuine. Dragons are rarely such things for long, especially after centuries of hatred and distrust from everyone you encounter. She may simply have projected the stories of abusive, destructive, ruthless tyrants onto you and detested the concept of being mated with one. You are, after all, a member of a race that can forcefully compel others when you have grown into your powers. And since there have been no known births in a long time, with the only couple under significant scrutiny far from here, what should she assume? You are a devious predator who posed as a friend before she could know your true nature. You can compel her into anything she wishes if she follows the logical train of thought. There is no relationship with her mate, only the pain of rejection or mindless servitude in acceptance.