by Jade White
Macy guessed that the other women must suspect that Sophia and Aaron were once lovers, and that the private matter she wanted to discuss was between one of Aaron’s past bedmates and his present lover, and it was thus for their ears alone. She said to her other friends, “You all don’t mind if I give Sophia a minute, do you?”
There were no objections. The group of women calmly dispersed, and Macy and Sophia went to a place near a wall, away from the main body of the party. Macy once again checked for Aaron’s glance and found his eyes darting away from the men with whom he was conversing to keep tabs on her.
Once they were away from everyone else, Sophia, having no more need of the scales on her skin as her calling card, let her reptilian flesh melt back to completely human, and asked Macy, “It’s not about me, actually. I was more interested in knowing about you.”
“What about me?” Macy asked.
“I’ve just been wondering how everything has been going with you…and Aaron. I’m really not one for eavesdropping, but certain thoughts have a way of standing out…”
Macy arched her brows at that. “‘Certain thoughts…?’”
“Well, yes,” Sophia said frankly. “There are some things—the most important things—that are never far from a person’s mind.”
“And you picked up on something…from me?”
Sophia grinned, almost like a red-haired Cheshire Cat. “Yes, I did. I’m sure you know about me. Aaron must have told you. Yes, I see the moment now; he did tell you.”
Macy blinked. In fact, she was just remembering that Aaron told her who Sophia was and what she did for some of the newspapers that Aaron owned. Did Sophia actually “see” and “hear” that? From Macy’s own thoughts? Could it actually be true and not just a “reputation”? Macy was reluctant to go to the exotic, paranormal answer until she was absolutely sure that all other answers were off the table.
Carefully, Macy asked, “Just what is it that you think you’ve…‘picked up?’”
Sophia almost chuckled at that. “You don’t need to be so cautious about it, Macy. Everyone knows what I do. And I promise I’m not about to go telling people. I’m not a gossip columnist; I’m a psychic, and I don’t put out information without people’s permission. I was just interested because it’s a very unique, very special—possibly very important—position you’re in now, expecting Aaron’s children.”
Macy felt her skin turn suddenly as clammy as some people thought a reptile’s skin was. She took a step away from the dragon female and, in a startled and nervous hush, said, “You…know that?”
“Yes,” said Sophia, again being candid. “I know that the little bump under your gown is not from eating a billionaire’s rich food. I know you’ll start to show more in another couple of weeks. And I know there are three of them. Triplets.”
Raising a hand to her throat as if to choke off a sudden wave of nausea, Macy could only say, “You actually know that…”
“I do,” replied Sophia. “And I also know that you’re not really aware of how important your pregnancy might be. That is, important in ways you haven’t realized.”
Now Macy’s nerves were on edge. “What are you talking about?”
“You mean Aaron has never spoken to you about this?” Sophia considered, then answered herself, “No, of course he hasn’t. He’s not spiritual, is he? He wouldn’t…”
“Spoken to me about what?” Impatience crept into Macy’s voice.
“There’s a prophecy about this,” replied Sophia. “In our faith, we have a prophecy, the Prophecy of the Dragons Three. We all learn about this, even those of us who stop practicing the faith. Naturally, since Aaron doesn’t have a spiritual life to speak of, he’d never bring it up…”
Macy now felt the tension in her shoulders that warned her that her patience was growing ever more finite. “Will you please just tell me what this is about?” she insisted. “I don’t know about any Prophecy of any Dragons Three, and if you want to know the truth, I’m about as ‘spiritual’ as Aaron is.”
“Of course you are,” said Sophia. “That’s probably why you’re such a good match for him. You’re both such…physical people. The Prophecy of the Dragons Three goes back to the beginning of our kind, when the Vonsahlans first created us out of the common people of Kinross Green, Scotland. From that day to now we’ve waited for the day our makers would return. And we’ve had a prophecy about who would help them come back. Our ancestors foretold of the day when three weredragons with gifts of the mind would use the Beacon that the travelers left behind and help them return to Earth. We’ve waited for that day. We’ve known it was coming, and we’ve waited for the sign of three Nathairfear born with special gifts. Your children, Macy, could be important—very important.”
Macy frowned, already weary of this dialogue and the portentous supernatural overtones of it. She had always found human superstitions tiresome and she was quickly finding dragon superstitions were not much better. “My children,” she said with a touch of defensiveness, “are very important.”
“They may be important to more than just you,” Sophia maintained. “They may be important to all of our kind and the world. You should raise them in the faith, help them be ready for when the time comes.”
And now, Macy was no longer even mildly amused. “Listen,” she said, “I don’t know how you found out that I’m pregnant or that I’m having triplets. If someone at the hospital leaked confidential medical information to you, there’s going to be a hell of a lawsuit, and Aaron and I may be taking them and you to court. If you do have these psychic gifts you claim to have, and that’s how you know I’m pregnant, I wish you’d keep your talents to yourself—that, and your ideas about the way I should raise my children. Aaron and I will decide how to bring them up for ourselves.”
“Macy, please,” said Sophia. “I don’t mean to frighten or offend you and I didn’t want to make you angry. I only wanted you to know what your family could mean. Your children could have the most incredible future. When the Vonsahlans return, they could bring secrets from their world, from so many other worlds, to share with us in ours. It could change everything. It could be the beginning of a new age…”
“Our children, Aaron’s and mine, have already changed our world. And we’re looking forward to it changing for the better. We’ll love them and take care of them.” Macy paused a meaningful beat before she added, “And we’ll protect them. We’ll be responsible for them growing up safe and healthy. And we have the means to do it for ourselves. If we need help, we’ll decide who comes into their lives and what kind of influence they have over our children. We’ve got all that covered. And if they grow up to change the world, it will be because they’ve been raised smart and strong and brought up to care and be kind. They won’t need any special gifts. Just being who they are will be gifts enough.”
“If they have the kind of gifts I think they may have,” Sophia pressed, “they’ll need to have someone in their lives who can help them develop in the proper way, teach them how to use what they’ve been given. Oh please, Macy, I know you’ve always lived in a human world of human ideas…”
Macy cut her off. “There are plenty of people with ‘ideas’ like this in the human world. Look, this is upsetting me. You’ve come to me knowing something that Aaron and I have kept private, and you’re bringing up all these magical ideas about who my children are and what they’ll do in the future, and I don’t need to hear any of it. And frankly, I can’t believe you’d risk your job over this. When Aaron finds out that you’ve been coming to me with these stories about our kids, which you’re not supposed to know about, what do you think he’ll do? He could not only fire you, but blackball you from ever working anywhere else. Is that what you want?”
Soberly, Sophia answered, “I don’t believe Aaron would do that. I don’t believe he’d be so small, so petty and vindictive.”
“It’s not ‘small, petty, and vindictive’ to look out for your family—which I know Aaron would do. I
suggest you drop this or there’s going to be trouble, maybe trouble that you can’t afford.”
“I truly didn’t mean to upset you,” said Sophia. “And I would never, ever have any kind of inappropriate intentions towards your children.”
“Then we’d really better end this conversation right now. It won’t come to anything good. I’m going to go back to Aaron, and I’m going to tell him about this. I don’t want you to lose your job or be kept from working, so all I’m going to do is have him warn you that our family is off limits from now on. I think I have enough of an influence with Aaron to save your career—as long as you agree to stay away and keep your…faith…away from us and the kids. Understand?”
Sophia sighed, finding herself no match for a mother’s instincts and protectiveness, and said, “I understand. And I hope someday you understand. I think the future says you will. When the time comes, I think you will. That’s all I’ll say. I’ll leave you alone now. I’m sorry—but I believe we will be speaking again.”
Macy watched the dragon woman turn and glide away back into the party. She took a moment to compose herself, touching her stomach and silently telling the three growing inside her that everything would be all right. Then, having mostly kept her calm, and satisfied that she would be no more upset tonight than she had been during her strange and unnerving talk with the “psychic,” Macy found Aaron still in that same group of men where she’d last seen him. She studied them for a moment, focusing her attention not on Aaron but on the man standing nearest to him, who seemed to be addressing Aaron in the same grave and portentous manner in which Sophia had accosted her. There was something familiar about him as well. She tried to remember talks that she and Aaron had had about people that he knew, people with whom he’d done business, and other Nathairfear with whom he’d had dealings of one kind or another. She was sure this was someone that Aaron had brought up in some conversation. She couldn’t place him at first.
Then, she did. She realized who the man was—and knew that Aaron was probably now in a spot not unlike the one in which Macy had found herself. Perhaps it was time for the dragon’s lady to take a hand in the dragon’s affairs.
CHAPTER EIGHT
They all wanted to know about the Beacon project, and Aaron found himself at the center of an impromptu Q&A.
Aaron faced half a dozen other men in suits, all of whom he knew to be Nathairfear in the business world, all of them highly placed and high-powered executives, and all of them wanting to know the same things.
“Was it actually necessary to move the Beacon again?”
“How good is the security you’ve engaged for it, really?”
“Is the place you’ve chosen for it really the safest place?”
“What kinds of upgrades did you make to the technology of the power source?”
“How redundant are the fail-safes against the dimensional breach?”
Aaron took on the questions one by one, answering them with the same practiced skill as he had faced the same questions during the bidding on the project. He answered firmly, assertively, confidently…
And then, one more voice joined the chorus, a voice that Aaron knew well and had been preparing himself to hear all evening. It was inevitable.
The familiar figure stepped into the crowd, fixed Aaron with a steely gaze, and not asked but demanded, “And what about the background and training of the three personnel who will activate the Beacon if it should be needed?”
Aaron sighed inwardly, not wanting to show the effort of marshaling his patience for Eamon Larch.
“What about it?” Aaron coolly asked back.
“The question, as you well know,” said Larch, “is what about the need for a backup in case the technology that you’re using to access the Beacon doesn’t work properly? What about the need for a way to access the controls if the connection fails?”
“Do you know what the odds are against a failure of the system?” Aaron countered. “The system has been thoroughly tested and will be tested on a regular basis. I’ll be supervising those tests myself, and the three technicians that I’ve picked to monitor, maintain, and use the system know it inside and out. I’ve made sure of that. And I also know very well what you’re getting at. There is no need for ‘psychically gifted’ Nathairfear to be operating the system. The time spent and money spent identifying weredragons with ‘psychic’ gifts, developing their so-called ‘gifts,’ and then training them to use the system is a needless use of resources. The tech works well enough without hunting for Nathairfear with real, provable ESP to use it. Leaving old prophecies out of the loop keeps everything working efficiently, and it will be efficient when the time comes for the Vonsahlans to return.”
“Then you admit they’re coming back some day!”
Aaron threw up his hands and rolled his eyes. The more he had this conversation, the more quickly he grew tired of having it. “Yes, yes, yes, Eamon! I admit the very strong possibility of their coming back and the need to be ready if they do. As long as the Beacon is here, they can come back at any time.”
“Then why do you deny our heritage as a people and our most dearly held beliefs?”
“They’re not my ‘dearly held beliefs.’ They’re the beliefs of a lot of old Scottish dragons hundreds of years ago who thought being transformed by the Vonsahlans made them superior to other humans, and their need to make themselves even more superior by making the operators of the Beacon tech twice as special. Throwing layers of extra superstition over what’s really science from another world and another dimension doesn’t make us better than anyone. It just makes us as superstitious as the humans. You don’t want to admit that, but it’s true.”
“Go ahead and mock our traditions,” Larch said bitterly. “Mock us, openly, in front of these witnesses. I’ll have people to back me up when I charge you with denying dragons of faith access to the Beacon. You’re deliberately shutting out the faithful.”
Aaron made a sickly frown. “You’re talking about the ‘pilgrimages’ that some of us like to make to kneel at the Beacon like some kind of shrine?”
“That is exactly what I mean! Since you’ve taken custody of the Beacon, no one has been allowed near it! You’re denying access!”
“I’ve put in security measures while the new facility was being finished and the tech was being installed and tested in the new location, that’s all.”
“And once the facility is complete and the tech is fully on line…?”
“Then we’ll be ready to let people come in and see the Beacon and do whatever kinds of meditation they want. We’ll have a special area of the facility, away from human eyes, just for that. Yes, yes.” Aaron nearly wanted to grunt in frustration. Larch was as annoying as a medieval knight jousting with a real dragon. Aaron wished he could just breathe fire on him, reduce him to a charcoal briquet, and have done with him.
“And when do you expect those accommodations to be ready?” Larch pressed.
“Soon,” said Aaron, hoping to end this latest round of this worrisome argument. “The Dragon Watch will put out an announcement when everything’s in place. No one is trying to shut anyone out.” His patience all but exhausted, Aaron added pointedly, “After all these years, I know that shutting you out would make you and yours twice as much of a pain in the ass.”
That moment hung in the air over the group of male Nathairfear. Aaron could sense the other men around him gulping and growing tense, waiting for Larch’s reaction.
Larch only said, “I’m also grateful, Aaron, that you said that for other people to hear.”
“Yes, yes, by all means, let them hear. Everyone knows what I’ve always thought of you and your dusty, creaky old faith anyway. You’re a relic, Larch. We know that the Vonsahlans aren’t gods and their technology isn’t magic. But just like a lot of humans, you’ve got this ridiculous need to make the world magical and have the magic be for your own benefit. I’m happy to give you what you want just to shut you the hell up, because I know people
like you are never going away.”
It was then that a new voice entered the conversation. “Aaron? I don’t mean to interrupt…”
All heads turned in the direction of the new arrival. For the first time since this exchange started, Aaron smiled. “Macy. Hey, what’s going on?”
Macy stepped to Aaron’s side and he put an arm around her. “I was just about to ask you the same thing.”
“We were just having an old discussion,” said Aaron. “I don’t think I’ve ever introduced you to Eamon Larch, an old friend of my family.” He restrained the irony and sarcasm in the introduction as much as he could, but Macy knowingly picked up a hint of it in his voice. “Eamon, this is my girlfriend, Macy Jacobs.”
Just as knowingly as the way she picked up Aaron’s attitude towards the other man from the subtle cues in his voice, Macy said to Aaron’s antagonist, “How do you do, Mr. Larch?”
“Charmed, I’m sure,” said Larch to the human female that he had heard Aaron was pillowing night and day. “Aaron and I were just talking about a project of his.” Almost dismissively, he added, “It’s Nathairfear business, you understand.”
