The Divine Gambit Ch. 09

The next thirty seconds passed with only the sounds of two women breathing heavily and water sloshing into the gutters lining the pool. Given that Zoey was still clinging to my arm, her firm body pressing into my scaled limb, the pool water dripping from her platinum hair as she recovered her senses, I could not ignore the circumstances. I had an epiphany that I was exceptionally uncomfortable with.

I had caused it. Somehow, the dragon’s influence or the strange dream connection caused this reaction in the two women without giving them any warning or ability to consent. What’s worse, it wasn’t the first time this had happened. I had attempted to ignore it – to deceive myself that what I had thought was happening wasn’t the truth so that I could live without any guilt. I had done this to Sam twice. In the car on the initial drive here and again when we were enchanting our names. I had forced myself on her without understanding it myself. I knew that, logically and objectively, I hadn’t intended for this outcome or desired to do something against the will of these three women. It wasn’t comforting in the slightest.

Additionally, my willful ignorance and intentional rejection of my previous observations meant that I could have prevented this if I had been more honest with myself. With the idea that I could have avoided this outcome, I felt as though I had been unfaithful to Beth and Sam. We hadn’t established ground rules for our new confusing relationship, and I had already gone to others, albeit very indirectly. The coldly analytical part of my mind argued that Beth would tolerate my transgression, having already invited Sam to join her and knowing that Zoey was likely mated to me as well.

I remained unconsoled. Her eventual acceptance of my actions was unrelated to the anxiety growing in my chest. The more significant issue was that I had done something without knowing if it was acceptable. I was in a hastily constructed fragile relationship with murky, undefined boundaries. Yet I marched on through the swamp without taking any time to understand my companions or respecting that they might have their own desires. If I wanted to be with Sam, I needed to try and be the man she thought I was, an unflinching bastion of justice. I held pieces of Beth and Zoey’s souls; I couldn’t afford to damage their trust or cause them pain. I couldn’t break off relations with Beth; dismantling our relationship in such a manner would simply be damning both of us to a lifetime of dissatisfaction and torment.

My descent down the spiral of self-incrimination was interrupted by Mallory giggling and distractedly saying, “Well, that was a nice surprise!” I looked her over with my new dragon eyes and found her lounging against the wall with a contented smirk on her face. For the first time since I had initially seen her from across the gym floor, her eyes lacked their piercing, observant, calculating sharpness.

“I’m sssorry. I didn’t mean for that to happen.” My mouth was different, and speaking was awkward while I was still adjusting to the new arrangement of my teeth.

Zoey had seemingly recovered, and she took a step away from me to behold my dragon body in its entirety while leaving a hand remaining in contact with my limb. She seemed utterly captivated in observation. I wasn’t looking back at her, but somehow I could understand her movements just by feeling the mana in her body.

Mallory blinked several times, answering while slowly clearing her mind and returning to her senses. “I don’t think you need to apologize for that.”

Eventually, she found her way through the mental haze and joined Zoey in inspecting my new body. When her clouded vision cleared, and she comprehended my new form, she gasped.

“Holy shit.”

Zoey echoed her sentiments silently, mouthing the phrase without saying anything.

“Guysss, you’re ssstarting to freak me out. Zzzoey, I’m ssstill jussst Jamesss.” Saying my own name now was difficult, the trailing slithering of my lizardlike tongue slowly fading into obscurity.

That seemed to shake them from their inactive reverence. Mallory came wading over, and when she reached me, she cautiously touched one of my wings. At first contact, she flinched back sharply before recovering her confidence and softly stroking my scaled appendage.

“Hey, batgirl, you’re here to teach me how to fly. You can gawk at me later.” As soon as I said it, I regretted it. I was just beyond my satiation limit for worshipful gazes and patronizing assistance. I understood I might as well be a deity showing up out of the blue, but I preferred Mallory when she silently surveyed me.

Luckily, my words had the desired outcome of reminding her that she was here to assist me, not appraise my physical magnificence. She began instructing me on how to manipulate my wings, move the joints, and control my body while doing so. A lot of time was saved because of my familiarity with maneuvering my body in the water. Mallory informed me that most first-timers pull themselves under the water's surface the first time they lift their wings, unaccustomed to the feedback.

We spent the next 45 minutes with Mallory having me perform specific training motions in the water, manipulating myself up and down the length of the pool. Halfway through, I had a realization and returned to the halfway form that I had taken with Antonin. Being much smaller now, I could use the pool's shallow end more effectively without scraping my torso along the bottom. Zoey occasionally contributed a suggestion about utilizing my tail to be more efficient in my movements, something which Mallory was unable to help with.

After that, I spent half an hour in a dozen combinations of middle point forms, simply moving through the water. Learning how each body part would move depending on how draconic or humanoid its neighbors were. I was essentially performing physical therapy, except instead of relearning movements on injured body parts, I was learning novel activities on freshly awakened limbs.

When I had finished learning to walk on my clawed feet while still otherwise in my human body, Mallory had me sit on the edge of the diving board, holding on to the flexible slat with my hands. I practiced flying there, timing the flaps of my wings with the undulations of the board and adjusting to moving through the air.

This was followed by having me bounce on the board while standing, flapping my wings, and leaping into the pool as the board rebounded and propelled me into the air. I was reminded of times on the team in high school, incessantly diving into and climbing out of the pool. Without the camaraderie of my teammates joining me in the drudgery, I quickly became tired of the monotonous exercise. It was effective for sure, and after fewer than twenty repetitions, I had flown half the length of the pool. I could have gone farther, but I was unsure of landing and, as such, allowed myself to sink into the comforting water.

With that success, Mallory cheered and clapped her hands together. Her eyes had returned entirely to their acute nimbleness, and the cheer didn’t fully illuminate them. Zoey was caught in her thoughts, pondering something I couldn’t decipher. As I relaxed and allowed the water to cradle me, she returned to the land of the living and checked the massive clock on the wall. Ostensibly we had used our allotted time because she suggested that we should all get changed and depart.

I thanked the two women for their time today and returned to the locker room. My belongings were exactly where I had left them, lying haphazardly on the wooden benches. I utilized the shower and allowed the refreshing unchlorinated water to rinse my body off. I was curious about my draconic nature — would frequent exposure to chlorine damage my hair like in the past? Would my dragon body heal the damage to my hair, or was the hair dead tissue and would, therefore, remain unrepaired? Yet another question for Antonin.

I felt an amused snort in my mind and realized that Beth and I had begun sharing thoughts. I anxiously wondered if she had heard my concerns earlier. She must have. I had been distressed and hadn’t bothered to withhold the problems. Given that she hadn’t reacted, or at least I hadn’t received any hints of one, I could only assume that my presumptions about her eventual acceptance were correct. It wasn’t a comforting thought.

Now decidedly more forlorn and no longer relaxing in the shower, I dried myself off and dressed. Gathering my bag and drink, I made my way out of the locker room. When I returned to the gym’s basement hallway, I found three women waiting for me. Two were predictable, but the third was surprising and caused significant potential for concern.

Zoey and Mallory remained at the end of the hallway outside the pool area, respectfully keeping their distance. Aisling was standing directly outside the locker room, her calm surface belying a stormy interior. She was here for more than a social visit.

“Dragon.”

“Your Highness, it is a pleasure. To what do I owe this honor?”

The frosty queen snapped her fingers, and things more than a few yards away became blurry. Zoey and Mallory looked like I was viewing them through an aquarium, distorted and unrecognizable, stretched and manipulated in a rapidly unstable manner. I looked at the tiles on the floor and saw how they became less disfigured by the spell as they approached me.

“First, an invitation: As the technical master of the dragon house and representative of all dragonkin estates in Philadelphia, you are invited to a private dinner hosted at my retreat in Villanova. Saturday. Dinner will be served at eight. Please arrive before seven so that we can get business concluded. Some of that business being you.”

“Am I to come alone? Dress code? I don’t even know where Villanova is.” I hadn't meant to blurt out that last part, but I was entirely on the backfoot in this exchange.

She handed me what appeared to be a business card. It was completely blank, but I could feel the mana in the flimsy piece of cardboard.

“The details are there. Evgenia or Cynthia will know how to read it. Come alone this time. In the future, you may attend with your companions.”

She was being particularly curt today, much different from how she appeared on Saturday. Her visage was almost as intense as it had been when she had tested Beth’s protections. She paused for a moment and collected herself, and her imposing affectation seemed to increase in magnitude. In this instance, she was an unapproachable deity of death, and I had all her attention.

“I know you are new to this world, dragon, so I will give you some leeway. I have tried to be accommodating and understanding of your situation. I am going to ask you this only one time. Have you been involved with disruptions to my security and intelligence agents?”

“I… What?” I stuttered out, entirely blindsided by the question. After a moment, I gathered my sensibilities and gave an actual response.

“I had some kind of effect on Zoey, Sergeant Lyon, the first time we interacted. Antonin and Cynthia suggested that she was mated to me. I met Officer Mengue when I was with Antonin, and we had some kind of incident in the basement of the archives. I don’t really know the details, but it seemed like we overloaded some of the protective energy shielding storage. Antonin seemed to have handled it.”

Aisling held her glacial gaze on me for several seconds, waiting to see if I had any other transgression to admit to. When no more came, she sighed, and her features returned to humanlike approximations. Her eyes softened, and she was no longer an inquisitor on the warpath but a tired and overworked administrator defeated by a taxing problem.

She spoke, “I figured it wouldn’t be you, but it would’ve been convenient if the problems that started this week were caused by you. Several security agents have seemingly vanished, and several intelligence operatives have missed their check-in times. The evidence points to some kind of non-violent insurrection. That could be the first play in a violent uprising attempting to overthrow me, so I have to investigate.”

“You seem awfully trusting of just my word and even more so in sharing that information with me.”

She smiled, but the reaction made her only seem even more fatigued. She waved around herself, indicating the optical disturbances.

“This, all of this, caused that. You cannot lie under its control, not without some serious mental influence magic. It would be challenging and complicated for anyone outside of it to perceive our discussion without invitation. A wonderful interrogation tool, albeit it isn’t subtle and requires preparation. In addition, you are a child, and I am an ancient monarch well-versed in political gamesmanship. You are powerful but not skilled at manipulating people. It’s endearing, actually. Regardless, something has changed in the realm, and I need to get to the source of this sedition before it can come to pass. I apologize for accusing you, but I needed confirmation that you were innocent.”

I wasn’t bothered by her usage of this tool, just saddened and concerned by the situation that made it necessary. I had nothing to hide, and she had been more than fair with me. It was understandable to double-check the brand-new resident when things started going awry immediately after their arrival. It wasn’t required to get me to tell the truth, though — I had discovered at a reasonably young age that lying in any form made me uncomfortable, and even further, I was pretty bad at it. It’s not like Aisling could know that yet. I could use the situation to ask her questions, though.

I interjected before she could continue, “Actually, your majesty, might I ask you a question before you disperse the field?”

“That sounds ominous. If it would be useful for the boundary to remain, I should probably be aware of your concerns.”

“Is there anything exponentially more powerful than I am? Anything that would be so incredibly monumental such that interacting with it would be potentially dangerous?”

“The old gods, perhaps. I pray against all hope that you are asking out of curiosity.”

I shook my head, “Something interacted with me through a dream last night. It was incomprehensibly indomitable and showed me many things, images and visions, yet it could not speak or write. It seemed to say that the mere act of communicating with it was dangerous, and Beth said I had a seizure in the night.”

For the first time, Aisling seemed genuinely uncomfortable. She had been drained before, but now her unease was visible.

“The old gods disappeared eons ago, abandoning us to our own devices. I truly hope they have not returned. Yet they are the only ones who would have the magnitude of power you speak of. Discuss this with Antonin and no one else.”

I agreed, “I intended to. I have talked with Beth, Sam, and Cynthia, but I will ensure it does not leave our circle. Thank you. I understand the reasons you felt this discussion was necessary. I look forward to enjoying another of your banquets, your highness.”

She gave a haughty smirk, “You are going to hate the discussion that precedes the meal. The meal is a trap to convince you to come.” No longer channeling her deathly banshee form, the lighthearted banter made me smirk.

With that, she straightened her posture, and the visible distortion faded. After another moment, the queen shimmered and then disappeared herself. I had been in this world for nigh on a week, but these were the first displays of overt magical use I had seen in daily life. The exhibition made me wonder about the mana inequalities of my new environment. It appeared to be no different than in my old life – the wealthy had an overwhelming majority, and the masses fought to utilize the forgotten scraps left to them.

Mallory, to my surprise, approached me next. The two security officers had waited for Aisling to conclude before attempting to join. Zoey remained at the elevator, her imposing figure mirroring the defeated image of Aisling I had just seen. Seeing her lacking her typical fierceness felt fundamentally wrong. Even her cold, professional indifference was better.

The bat scout stated, “Makes sense that the queen would make time for a personal visit to a dragon.” She laughed lightly at some joke only she understood. “So, James, you and I will practice flying once a week. Next week will be here in the pool again on Thursday after you train with Zoey. I don’t anticipate you staying here long. Soon, we’ll be outside somewhere. And if you cause that wonderful side effect every time you shift, I will look forward to the sessions more than you do.” Her teasing smile actually reached her brown eyes. She had concluded her evaluation, and I had conclusively passed. Skeptically, I considered this might simply be a second mask concealing another assessment. It seemed unlikely, but I wouldn’t underestimate the intentionally unimposing woman anytime soon.

I cringed at her reminder, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that would happen.”

“Don’t apologize; I enjoyed it, and Zoey needed it. She wants to talk to you. She’s going to ask you to lunch. Both of us are terribly confused about what is going on in your life. I think you’re just a kid even more lost than she is, but maybe you’re the world’s greatest con artist, and you’ve fooled even the queen. Don’t be too hard on her, or else I’ll... I dunno how I can even threaten you, to be honest. Just pretend I gave you one.”

Despite feeling like king shitbag, I smirked and exhaled at her assertion. “I am suitably intimidated. Look, I liked Zoey when we were kids. She is my best friend's sister. I don’t want to hurt her, but she freaked out, completely shut down, and wouldn’t explain anything. If she’s ready to talk now, I will go with an open mind.”

Mallory stuck her hand out to me. I shook it. We began walking to the end of the hallway where Zoey awaited.

“Thank you, James. You’re nothing like the stories that depict dragons. You’d make a really shitty all-powerful conquering tyrant and despot.”

“To be honest, I just want to be left alone, unbothered by everyone else's drama and insignificant troubles. I absolutely would make a really shitty despot. It sounds exhausting.”

She tilted her head and looked at me. “Huh. I have heard of a couple of those dragons. The legends say they lived longer.”

“Ambition does seem to have a negative correlation with life expectancy, and I intend to stay around a while.”

We reached the elevator. Zoey wrung her hands together in apprehension. She glanced up at me before quickly looking away.

“James, I think I’m ready to talk. Can we go somewhere else, though?”

I knew from Mallory that Zoey had intended to ask about talking over lunch, but she hadn’t outright asked. I gave her another opportunity.

“That sounds perfectly reasonable. I wouldn’t want to have this discussion where I worked.”

“There’s a bistro a couple blocks over. They serve nice sandwiches. Bake their own bread and press their own coffee. I like to eat there after work sometimes.”

I smiled patiently, “That sounds lovely. Lead the way?”

Mallory pressed the button for the elevator, and the doors opened immediately. The three of us got in. I hoped I would finally find some answers about the little girl I used to know and how she became an Amazonian Werewolf running security training for a Banshee Queen in Philadelphia.