“So, if everything is okay,” I said, “then what's going on in there?”
Ella shrugged. “Dragon business,” she said. “The King had something to talk to Quint about.”
I felt my shoulders tighten with tension and a surge of nervous energy shoot through me. Not knowing what was happening in that room, what was being said – it was scaring me half to death. Ella put a hand on my arm and gave me a gentle squeeze. I looked up and she gave me smile, as if she were intuiting my thoughts.
“It's going to be okay, Alexis,” she said. “Whatever happens, everything is going to be okay.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Call it instinct,” she said. “Call me psychic. I just know that everything will be fine. Everything is going to work out.”
I looked at her and she gave me an encouraging smile. I wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe that everything was going to be fine. But life hadn't exactly taught me to be optimistic about things. If anything, it taught me to expect the worst. It was something I tried to overcome – and was doing a better job of it – but it was something I still struggled with from time to time. Especially when I was stressed out and my emotions were running hot.
“By the way,” Ella said, a mischievous grin tugging at her lips. “Great work out there today. You really took Deyro down a few pegs – a much needed few pegs. He was limping around like an old man who'd busted a hip. It was fantastic.”
I gave her a small smile, blushing beneath the weight of her compliments. “Thanks,” I said. “I don't know what happened. It was like seeing him smirking at me and dismissing me like he was – it was like he just flipped a switch inside of me or something. I was so mad and –”
“And you let your confidence out,” she said. “You became a force of nature.”
“But I always fight with confidence,” I said. “I always feel powerful with a sword in my hand.”
“Most of the time,” she said. “But something Quint and I have both noticed is that you hold yourself back when you think somebody is your superior in some way.”
I chuckled. “I certainly don't think of Deyro as my superior.”
“Not in most things, no,” Ella agreed. “But when it comes to fighting, you allow yourself to take a back seat to him. You allow his cockiness and arrogance to overshadow you. You pull yourself back and let him take the lead. I've seen it more times than I can count.”
I ran a hand through my hair and let Ella's words rattle through my mind for a moment. I certainly never thought that I'd let myself take a back seat to Deyro – never on the field of battle. But then, how would I know? Others can see those things I can't see. I tend to perceive myself in a certain way, and it's only when others point something out to me that I can see it. Maybe this was one of those cases.
“Anyway,” Ella said. “I'm really proud of you, Alexis. You were amazing today.”
“Thanks, Ella,” I replied. “For everything.”
“I need to catch up with Zarik,” she said. “But we'll get together later? We still have a training session to do.”
“Looking forward to it.”
Ella gave my arm one last squeeze before getting up and walking away. Zarik was across the gym from us and gave me a wave as they departed. I looked at the closed door to the conference room again and felt a wave of trepidation wash over me.
I had no real reason to feel so sketchy about what was going on in there – but for some reason, I still did.
“You cheated.”
I looked up to see Deyro standing there, a dark look upon his face. He obviously wasn't taking his humbling defeat very well.
“How do you figure?” I asked.
“You hit me in the balls,” he seethed.
I shrugged. “That's not cheating,” I smirked. “That's just using everything available to my best advantage.”
“There are rules –”
“Oh,” I snapped. “And the Shongtal or whatever other creature we're fighting out there is going to adhere to your little set of rules? Are you really that naive? Or just stupid, Deyro?”
His face darkened and I could see the anger in his eyes. He was genuinely upset. But, that was his problem. Our fight had been on the up and up. He'd taken me too lightly and he'd paid the price. Maybe he'd learn something from it.
But then, knowing Deyro, he probably wouldn't.
“Did you ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I'm pretty good in a fight?” I asked.
“I never said –”
“And that maybe you underestimated me?” I went on as if he hadn't tried to speak. “That maybe, I'm better than you thought and you took me too lightly?”
He looked at me, opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again. I could see in his eyes that it wasn't a thought that actually had occurred to him. Which figured. Of course, it had never dawned on him that I could be better than he thought because he didn't respect me. Didn't respect my abilities. He – like a lot of other people – saw me as less than. As somebody not up to their level. Their standard.
Anger flashed through me, coursing through my veins like a raging river. I was so mad, I wanted to get him back out on the sparring mat for another round right then and there. I wanted to make him bleed. Wanted to make him hurt. I knew he'd hurt me in the process, but as long as I got my licks in, I was okay with that.
But I knew I couldn't do that. I knew that Quint demanded that we all – human and Dragonborn alike – find a way to work together. Find common ground. If we were at each other's throats, we were going to be useless when it came to battling the evil in the streets. We had to stay sharp and we needed to be unified.
But that didn't mean I had to keep working so closely with Deyro.
“I think we should probably get new partners,” I said. “I don't think us working together is going to work anymore.”
A surprised – perhaps even hurt – expression passed quickly over his face. But he managed to rein it in and stuff it down quickly. As fast as it had appeared, it was gone just as quick.
“Probably a good idea,” he said, his voice tight.
“Deyro, Alexis,” Quint's voice boomed from across the gym.
He was standing in the doorway, a grim look upon his face – which, of course, sent a jolt of fear through me. Whatever went down in that room, it didn't look to be good. I just wondered what it was – and what it had to do with us.
I cast a look of pure disgust at Deyro as I got to my feet and walked toward Quint without waiting for him. He fell into step beside me, but neither one of us looked at each other or spoke to each other. It was out there – I wanted a new partner. I wanted to be away from his smug, condescending face. I didn't want to deal with his arrogant crap anymore.
I deserved respect and I wasn't going to settle for anything less.
“Yes, Warden?” I asked when we got to Quint.
“I need to speak with the both of you,” he said, his voice as grim as his face.
“About what?” Deyro asked.
“Not here,” Quint replied. “I want you both at Heat tonight at seven-thirty. We'll have a nice meal and – discuss – what King Shango asked of me. Of us.”
The way he said the word “discussion” plunged a dagger of ice into my heart. It sounded ominous and foreboding. Like whatever he wanted to discuss was going to have some very dire ramifications for the both of us.
“I'll be there,” Deyro said.
I nodded. “Seven-thirty.”
“Good,” he said and then looked meaningfully at both of us. “And the answer is no. I will not pair you up with a new partner. Make this work.”
He turned and strode off across the gym, leaving both of us with our mouths hanging open, trying to figure out how he knew what we'd been talking about. After a moment, we both cleared our throats and looked at each other. And personally speaking, I felt no less anger.
“So,” Deyro asked. “Since we're going to be stuck together, do you want to ride over to Heat to
gether?”
I looked at him and guffawed. “Yeah, no thanks.”
I turned and walked off, leaving him standing there looking after me.
Chapter Eight
Deyro
I sat at the bar nursing a beer. I checked my watch again and saw that it was only three. Still a while yet before we had to be to Quint's restaurant. The subject of that meeting was driving me crazy. I wanted to know what Shango had asked of him – and what Quint, in turn, was going to ask of us.
Whatever it was, I knew it had to be serious. This wasn't a “hey, run out and grab the King a dozen chocolate donuts,” kind of deal. Whatever it was, it was going to be heavy.
“Get you another beer?” the bartender asked me.
I drained the last of my bottle and slammed it down on the bar. “Yeah, why not?”
“Rough day, huh?”
I shrugged. “No rougher than usual,” I said. “Dealing with co-workers' crap.”
“That's the worst,” he said as he put a fresh bottle of beer down in front of me.
I took a long swallow of it and set the bottle back down. “She thinks I don't respect her,” I said. “Thinks I don't take her seriously. Underestimate her.”
The bartender was drying off some glasses and looked at me. “Do you? Take her seriously, that is.”
I nodded. “Of course I do,” I said. “She's very good at what she does. I mean, she's got some room for improvement, but I respect her abilities.”
The bartender laughed. “Do you tell her that? That she's got room for improvement?”
“Of course,” I said. “I want to help her be as good as she can be. I want her to be as good at her job as I am.”
“I can't believe that you're still alive if you talk to her like that,” the bartender said and laughed.
“What do you mean? Isn't honesty appreciated?”
“Of course it is,” he said. “But you need to know how to frame it. When you criticize her – or anybody really – all they're hearing is you saying they're not as good as you. They're not hearing that you respect them or their ability.”
“But offering to help them, to get to that next level – isn't that a sign of respect?”
The bartender laughed. “You aren't real good with the women, are you?”
“I think I'm just fine, actually.”
“Listen, friend,” he said. “If you really respect her, think she's good at what she does – tell her that. Tell her you think she does a great job. Don't muddy the waters by trying to throw in a lesson about how she can be better. Just tell her you think she's great and leave it at that. You do that, you thaw that ice and maybe later on, she'll be more receptive to learning whatever it is you have to teach. They key is making her feel valued. And not making her feel like she's inferior to you.”
I took a long swallow from my bottle and thought about what he'd said. Humans – for being so relatively simple – were very complex creatures. I apparently wasn't yet understanding how they thought. How they communicated. What they wanted. Men like Quint and Zarik – men with human lovers – obviously understood humans. If they didn't, they obviously wouldn't be with the women they were.
Both were with strong, intelligent, capable women. But, I had to wonder if they required the sort of coaxing or reassurance that Alex apparently needed. It was true that I respected her. For a human, she was a fantastic fighter. She'd bested me in single combat, but she'd done it by unscrupulous means. Say what she will, taking a shot below the belt like that was cheap. Dishonorable.
But as I thought about it, something she said came back to me. No, the Shongtal or whatever creature we were fighting wasn't going to observe decency and rules on the battlefield. Was I truly being naive to hold to a code like that? Trying to win a fight with some honor?
“Let me ask you something,” I said.
“Shoot,” the bartender replied.
“Let's say you're in a fight,” I said.
“Been in a few,” he laughed.
“It's a life or death fight,” I went on. “Would you take a shot below the belt? Would you actually hit your opponent in the balls?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Friend, let me say this, if it's a life and death battle, there are no rules,” he said. “You do what you have to do to make sure you make it home to your loved ones at the end of it.”
“And you don't consider that dishonorable?” I asked. “A lack of decency?”
“The only thing that wouldn't be decent is not getting home to your family,” he said. “If you can't avoid the fight, you do whatever you have to do to make sure you walk away from it. If it's you or them, taking the nut shot is about the furthest thing from dishonorable as you can get.”
“Interesting,” I said as I drained the last of my beer.
Humans were interesting beings, I had to give them that. I was learning something new about them every day. It challenged my perceptions and my thinking. And although I couldn't yet say I was completely on board with everything the man was saying, I could see things a bit differently from his perspective. What he said made some level of sense.
“Get you another?” he asked.
I shook my head as I dug into my pocket, pulling out some money and dropping it on the counter.
“Thank you, but no,” I said. “I apparently need to go make sure somebody knows I respect them.”
“Good man.”
I turned to the bartender. “Thank you,” I said. “Your insight has been – invaluable.”
“Anytime.”
Chapter Nine
I stood before the door and cleared my throat. For some odd reason, my stomach was in knots. I suppose this is what the humans referred to as being nervous. But why was I nervous? I raised my hand and knocked on the door quickly, before I could stop and think about it anymore.
I waited a few moments and then the door opened. Alex stood in the doorway and looked at me, her eyes instantly narrowing with anger.
“I told you that I'd meet you there,” she said.
“I know you did,” I replied.
“Then why are you here? What do you want?”
“I wanted to talk to you,” I said.
She leaned against the doorframe and folded her arms over her chest. “I've got nothing more to say,” she said. “We're obviously stuck together as partners, but that doesn't mean I have to socialize with you. And it sure as hell doesn't mean I'm going to keep screwing you.”
A small grin touched my lips and I had to bite back the sarcastic comment that almost came flying out of my mouth. Even I knew it wouldn't be particularly well received in that moment and would only add to the tension.
“That's not why I'm here, Alex,” I said. “I actually have something to say.”
“Then say it,” she said. “And go.”
I looked up and down the hallway, my guts twisting and turning around in my belly like a bunch of greasy snakes.
“May I come in?” I asked. “Please?”
She looked at me a moment longer, her face openly hostile. But then she let out a loud sigh, rolled her eyes, turned and walked back inside. She'd left the door open, so I took that to mean she was inviting me in. I closed the door behind me and followed her into the living room.
She turned around, arms folded over her chest and stared at me for a long moment. I was quickly trying to formulate my thoughts into something coherent. It wasn't like I'd planned a speech out on my way over. I probably should have. At least that would have given me some place to start.
“So, what?” she asked finally.
“I – I just wanted to say that I respect you,” I said. “I respect your ability.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Is that what you came here to say?” she asked. “You think I needed to hear you say that?”
I nodded. “Actually, yes,” I replied. “I think you do. I don't think I've ever really conveyed to you that I do in fact, respect your ability. Your skill.”
She looked at me
with a curious look on her face. It was as if she were trying to determine whether or not I was being sincere or was just trying to placate her. But I'd had a little time to think about it on my way over. And what the bartender had said made sense to me. It was like a puzzle piece clicking into place inside my brain.
I was no expert on human women and their behavior. I wasn't even close to being an expert on human behavior in general. And that was a lesson that had been drilled into me at that bar. It was a surprising lesson learned in an even more surprising place, but a valuable lesson nonetheless.
Humans didn't think the same way we did. They didn't feel the same things we felt. Their mortality made things – different. And because I was still relatively new to the world of man, still relatively new to interacting with humans, I was smart enough to know there was a lot I didn't know about them.
Yeah, I knew some people thought I was cocky and arrogant. And I suppose I had to admit that in some instances, I was. I knew I was great with a sword in my hand. I was the best. I saw no shame in admitting that. While I didn't necessarily agree with the sentiment that I was a showboat, I suppose I had to understand that other people's perceptions of me might lead them to think that.
It was a hard lesson to learn and a bitter pill to swallow, but Quint's words and the words of that bartender really sunk into my brain. If I wanted to be a Warden and inspire people the way Quint did, I was going to have to take my lumps. I was going to have to learn to humble myself a bit and make sure people understood that I valued them. That I respected them.
“Where is this coming from?” she asked.
I sighed. “Let's just say, I've had an eye opening few days.”
“So, that bullshit earlier, about me cheating –”
I raised my hand to stop her – swallowing hard to get that bitter pill down. “That was my own bruised ego and arrogance,” I said. “You're right – any of the creatures out there we fight aren't going to abide by some code of conduct. It's naive for me to think otherwise. You do what you have to do to make sure you get home to the people you care about. I understand that now.”
She fell silent and looked at me, her eyes widening slightly. She looked at me as if I were some strange creature she didn't recognize. Or like maybe something had stolen my body and was speaking through me.
No Such Thing as Dragons : Complete Series Box Set (Books 1 - 5) Page 44
