by Riley Storm
Out in the open, in the real-world scenarios where such things happened, Christine doubted any of them would have survived. Altair had killed the team with his selfish ego, and the worst part of it was that he couldn’t see that he was being selfish, only thinking of himself. That he was proving he didn’t care about anyone else.
“Everything okay?”
She turned to see Becca—Rebecca Florentine—standing nearby, leaning against one of the stacks.
“Hey, Becs,” she said, using the even shorter abbreviation of the woman’s name. “What’s up?”
“I, uh, I saw you. Well, more like I heard you and him. Thought I’d come over after he left. See how you’re doing?”
Christine gestured at the empty chairs at her table. “Come on down. You can be the next contestant.”
“Oh boy, what am I competing for?” Becca asked with a little smile, sliding easily into one of the seats.
“A chance to unfuck this situation.”
“Haha. I’m going to pass on this one. I bid one dollar.”
Christine glared. “Now that’s not very nice.”
“Sorry, Chris, but this is your situation to resolve. You need to get him in line, and soon. Otherwise, next time he’s going to get us all killed. Or worse, he’s going to pull some brain-dead stunt like that while we’re out there. And we’ll be dead for real. This is dangerous enough without him.”
“What?” she rocked back in her chair. “Why the heck is this my responsibility?”
Rebecca gave her a long look. “Are you seriously going to make me explain that?”
Frustrated at everything, Christine almost snapped at the other woman. Catching herself just in time, she took a long, slow breath in. “If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it. I’m clearly not thinking straight if it’s so obvious to you.”
“He does seem to have you a little distracted,” Rebecca teased, then sobered at the glare she received. “Sorry. Anyway, it’s obvious to everyone else that you’re wanting command of the team. You’ve been gunning for it from the start, and honestly, either you or Mads is going to get it.”
Christine nodded. Maddison Gardener was her real competition for the leadership spot, and if Christine couldn’t have it, Gardener was the one woman of the group she would feel most comfortable in her place.
“If you want it though, you have to put in the effort,” Becca explained. “That means on and off the battlefield. We need to operate as a team, working together. We can’t have someone just waiting to run off and do their own thing at every interval. You know that as well as I do. One more stunt like that, and he’s likely to be kicked from the program.”
“I know,” Christine agreed. “There’s a lot of possibilities of working together, of ways that he can strengthen our team. I’d hate to lose him. I just don’t know how to get through to him.”
“Use your connection.”
Christine stared blankly. “Huh?”
Becca smiled, shaking her head. “You can’t be serious, right? The two of you clearly have some sort of thing, don’t you? We can all see it, Chris. We’re not blind you know. He’s always staring at you—even when you’re not looking, he watches you.”
“It’s not my fault he likes to look at me,” she pointed out. “I wouldn’t know why, but maybe he finds me attractive. That’s not under my control.”
“Right.” Becca didn’t look like she was buying the reasoning. “I might believe that, if it weren’t for the part where you’re always looking back, stealing glances at him, looking at him while talking to the entire team.”
Christine was speechless with anger at being called out. Had she really been doing that? How dare Rebecca insinuate such a thing!
Are you mad about her accusing you of being obsessed with Altair? Or are you mad that she’s right, and you just don’t want to admit it to yourself?
“Am I really doing that?” she asked, wanting confirmation that it wasn’t some sort of joke, that Becca really was serious.
“You two were having a staring contest while the snow elementals overran us on the first day,” Becca pointed out. “Not a glaring, anger-filled hate show. But a starry-eyed, lovey-dovey thing. Don’t tell me you didn’t realize that?”
“I…uh…” Christine blushed, not sure what to say. She’d tried to push that from her mind, labeling it a momentary weakness.
But maybe it wasn’t. Maybe it was indicative of something more, by the sounds of it.
“Anyway, whatever is going on between you two is none of my business—”
“Nothing is going on,” Christine said forcefully. “Why does everyone keep assuming that?”
Rebecca looked at her in silence, her face screaming the answer.
“It’s not,” Christine added flatly.
“All I’m saying, is if he keeps this up, he’s going to get kicked off the team.” Becca shrugged helplessly. “You’re the best bet to get him in line.”
“I don’t think he’s going anywhere,” Christine said, ignoring the last part of the other witch’s comment.
“Just a moment ago, you agreed with me and were saying it yourself,” Becca pointed out. “What changed?”
“I thought about it a bit more. Remember, no other dragons volunteered to go. How bad would it look and be for our relations with the dragons if Circe suddenly did an about face and said, ‘Thanks but no thanks, you’re a nutcase.” No matter how diplomatically she worded it, that would be bad.”
Becca nodded. “That all makes sense. I can agree with that.”
Christine grimaced unhappily. “Why I do I feel like I just made your point for you somehow, and you’re about to drop the hammer on me?”
The other woman grinned. “Whatever gave you that impression?”
“Your shit-eating grin, for starters?” Christine said dryly.
“Think about it,” Becca said. “If we can’t kick him off the team, if he’s here to stay, then that means we need to get him in line. We need to make him part of the team. And you, dear leader, are our best choice for that. You can’t really tell me that getting him to fall in line wouldn’t help your case for leadership big time.”
Christine groaned and leaned over the desk, resting her head on her arms. “Dammit,” she swore, knowing the other woman was right. “Damn. Damn-damn-damn.”
“Look at it this way,” Becca said cheerfully. “You get to spend even more time with him. You’ll enjoy that.”
She glared at the other woman. “We. Are. Not. A. Thing.”
Becca winked. “Yet.”
Then she was gone, sliding out of her chair and leaving Christine alone with her thoughts.
She’s right you know? You need to get him in line. Which means spending time with him, understanding what’s driving him, and finding a way to convince him that his actions are going to get more people killed than if he would just work with you. And that is what a leader does.
Christine cursed her inner voice. Why did it have to be right?
“Okay, time to put your big girl pants on,” she muttered, standing up.
It was time to track Altair down—again—and find out just what was up with him.
Good luck, her inner voice chimed in.
You’re going to need it.
Chapter Fifteen
Altair
He was beginning to feel like his life revolved around two places lately. The training arena, and the library.
“Back again?” the witch at the front desk asked as he strode in less than two hours after leaving.
“Yes.”
“What can we help you with this time?”
Their cheeriness wouldn’t usually bother him, but right now Altair just wanted peace, quiet, and to be left alone. If he could have entered without going past them, he would have, but the library only seemed to have the one entrance that he was aware of.
“I need all accounts of demons and demon lords that have made their way out of the Abyss,” he said. “Sorry, correction, all of them t
hat are not Lord Berith.”
He’d left the library in a hurry, deciding to go and get some food while he chewed on what Christine had told him. Eventually, his curiosity had gotten the better of him, and he’d come back.
“Of course. Just give me a moment.”
The witch scribbled things down on a piece of paper after consulting a book and pointed him in the right direction. He nodded his thanks, marveling at the impressive knowledge of the witch, and went in search of the books.
This time, he took the stairs though, not wanting to alarm them. He descended into the same section as before, snagging several of the books on his list. Instead of using the public table though, he delved deeper into the library until he came across a secluded corner deep in the stacks. It was unlikely anyone would bother him back here, he was sure.
Laying out the books, he opened the first one, entitled Demon Lords and their Stays on Earth: A Treatise.
Burying his nose in it, he began to read, grateful for the peace and quiet, but also the distraction of the book, something to keep his mind occupied. Too many dark memories had been stirred up by Christine earlier, and he needed something to take his thoughts away from the past, away from his failures, so that he could focus on the here and now and ensuring that such things were never repeated.
An unknown amount of time passed, but he was halfway through the book when the table shook slightly, indicating someone else had sat down.
Not wanting to be disturbed, Altair didn’t even bother looking up, doing his best to make the point to the newcomer that he didn’t want to chat or be social. Hopefully, they would get the idea and go somewhere else.
His hopes were dashed, however, when a finger appeared over the top of his book, grabbing it by the spine and gently forcing it down to reveal a round, familiar face on the other side.
“Hi,” Christine said.
The initial rush of anger at being interrupted was put on hold as he recognized who it was.
He gestured at the books questioningly.
“I’m not here for the books,” she said.
Altair gave her another look, wishing she would just get to the point. Though he knew deep down that she hadn’t meant to stir up his mind earlier, the fact was she had, and it was bothering him. A lot. He didn’t want to interact with her just now, he needed time to settle his mind, to recover his composure.
“I’m here for you,” she said, interpreting his look correctly.
Altair frowned. For him? Was he needed somewhere? Was there more training that he hadn’t been aware of?
He glanced around and went to get up, but she stopped him. “No, that’s not what I meant. We don’t need to go. I came looking for you. I…I want to talk to you.”
Shaking his head, Altair pressed a finger to his lips, then pointed to a sign on the wall off to the side that said No Talking.
“Really?” Christine’s brow wrinkled in frustration.
Altair just pointed at the sign again and then bowed his head over the book, trying to make it clear he was done talking to her.
There was movement across from him. He started to sigh with relief until it became evident that she wasn’t actually leaving him, that she was just adjusting herself. A moment later, he heard her mutter something, and then a weird pressure tickled at his ears.
His guard rising slightly, Altair looked up to see what was going on.
But he couldn’t. The rest of the library was obscured behind some sort of translucent barrier, everything blurred and fuzzy looking.
“What is this?” he asked, tensing.
“This,” she said calmly, “is a sound barrier. It means that we can talk in here, and none of it will filter out into the rest of the library. So, you can stop acting like a child and talk with me.”
Altair sighed. “You’re assuming I want to talk with you, Christine.”
“You need to.”
“No, I don’t,” he growled forcefully.
“Well I’m here, and I’d like to talk. Could you please humor me? I…I think we need to.” She bit her lip, clearly uncomfortable with what she’d just said.
That had his attention. He could just pack up the books and leave, coming back at another time, but that didn’t seem to matter. Christine was obviously adept at tracking him, and if she wanted to find him, she would. Therefore, it was probably in his best interest to just let her talk. She had gone through enough trouble to find him and ensure that she could talk. Maybe if he let her, she’d leave him alone.
“Fine,” he said, sitting back with a heavy sigh. “Go on, give your speech so we can get this over with.”
Christine glared. “I’m not here to give you some sort of speech, Altair. I’m not going to preach to you or order you to do something. That’s not at all why I’m here.”
“Why are you here then?” he said, growing more irritated with the roundabout nature of her words with every passing second. How hard was it just to spit it out?
“I want to talk to you. I told you that,” she said snippily.
“You did that earlier.”
“My you’re feeling like a stubborn ass today, aren’t you?” she growled, feeding his attitude right back to him. “Fine, I’m here to talk with you. To have a conversation, something adults do, where both people speak and contribute to it. Do you understand that, or are you going to pick apart my words even more?”
Despite himself, Altair nearly snorted in approval. Christine never backed down, and she wasn’t going to put up with anyone pushing her around. He kind of liked that about her, even now, when he would much rather be at peace without her there.
“What would you like to talk about, Christine?” he said politely, giving her the floor to start things off.
“You know I want to be the leader of this team, yes? That I am vying to be the one in command of it.”
“I believe that has been established, yes. I’ve noticed the others mostly deferring to you, or that other one, Gardener. Though I have yet to see what that has to do with me. I’m not trying to take your place away from you, if that’s what you think.”
Christine laughed. “Oh, trust me, I don’t think you want it for yourself, no. But you are taking it away from me, even if you don’t want it for yourself.”
“How am I doing that? I’ve not made any attempts to lead the others,” he protested. “I’ve specifically tried not to do that. I know that as the sole dragon, I stand out more, so I’ve let you or whoever do all the leading.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I’m not worried about that at all, to be honest with you. But no, it’s not what you’re taking for yourself, but what you’re taking from me. Your actions, especially today, are preventing me from being able to lead.”
“Huh?”
“You’re out there, doing your lone gunman thing, Altair. Your actions are jeopardizing everything because you aren’t working with the team. You’re trying to do it all yourself.”
“I was trying to defeat the demon, to take him down.”
Christine shook her head. “No, I think there’s more to it. I had to think about it, to try and truly understand what it was, but I think I’ve figured it out now.”
He tilted his head forward, inviting her to continue with her explanation.
“You want all the glory for yourself. You want to have books written about you, to have people praise your name. That’s what it’s all about.”
Altair laughed, a sharp, harsh sound. “That’s preposterous,” he snapped. “I am not interested in glory and fame in any way. I am not that vain,” he denied hotly, not appreciating the way her comments made him feel.
Or how close to home they hit, even if they weren’t accurate.
“Really? I’m not at all close to the truth?” she pressed.
“Not even remotely.”
“Okay,” Christine said, leaning back against her chair. “Well then you can tell me what it is you’re really trying to do. What you think your actions are accomplishing out ther
e. Then I can point out to you why you’re wrong.”
Altair almost got up to leave, to walk away again. But that wouldn’t matter, he realized. It wouldn’t do any good for the situation. She was going to keep coming after him, tracking him down and questioning him until she got the truth out of him.
He was trapped.
Chapter Sixteen
Altair
Maybe he could outwait her. Dragons had phenomenal patience, and if he just didn’t answer, stayed silent and waited, perhaps she would get frustrated and leave. He’d noticed that humans tended to be rather impatient. It shouldn’t take long.
“Ah, are we playing the waiting game?” Christine asked, somehow sensing his ambitions before he’d conveyed them to her. “I can do that.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, one foot coming up to push her chair back up on the two hand legs as she waited.
“That’s cool with me. I’ve not got anywhere to go. We can wait here allll night if we have to. But you’re going to open up to me and tell me what’s going on, Altair.”
“My life is my life,” he said.
“You’re right, it is. But when your actions are continually at odds with the rest of us, then we have a problem. As the leader, it’s my job to solve it, and sometimes that means getting people to talk about things they don’t want to, so I can better understand them.”
Altair fell silent, not wanting to argue with her anymore. He watched as she rocked on the legs of her chair, regarding him from behind half-closed eyelids. There was a stubbornness there that he wondered if he could match. Could she be just as stubborn as he?
“I’m going to wait as long as it—Eeep!” she cried out, pushing too hard on the table and toppling backward.
Altair moved like the wind, but she had hit the ground and rolled over her head, landing in a pile before he could reach her side. The sudden action had caught him off guard, and he found himself bent over her as she lay sullenly on the floor, embarrassed by her actions.
“Are you okay?” he asked, concerned that she’d perhaps hurt her neck when she’d landed on her head and rolled back over it.