The Divine Gambit

3. The Banshee Queen

"It is my honor to introduce the Eighth Seat, Her Royal Highness, the Queen Aisling; Long may She reign."

The elderly majordomo stepped aside, and a woman in a black suit walked into the room. She was fantastically pale, her eyes such a light blue that they were almost colorless. Her hair, by contrast, was perfectly black, absorbing all the light that touched it as if she were a walking event horizon. She looked much younger than I had anticipated the leader to be -- physically, she appeared to only be a few years older than I was. As she entered, I saw Cynthia and Sam stiffen and freeze.

I felt my stomach turn over, a sudden wave of fear crashing over the seawall that was my perception. My new senses rapidly detected it, a sour and displeasing affront to my nostrils. It was instantly overwhelmed by the surges outpouring from Sam. The terror rushing off her was imposing in magnitude, dominating the concoction of emotions I was detecting to such a degree that it became painful. The cold, calculating beast in my mind noted that, for the first time, I was tasting something from Cynthia. It was faint, barely noticeable behind Sam's agony, but the dread controlling her leaked through whatever obscured her from me.

I could sense some apprehension from Beth, but it was even less than what I felt from myself. She was nervous about meeting someone influential and making a good impression, not gripped with absolute magical horror like Sam and Cynthia were. She also had yet to notice the O'Briens' condition, her green eyes tracking the new arrival, which likely explained some of her limited response.

I started to feel the icy grasp of pure terror spreading from my gut, threatening to spread like a cancer and dominate all of my faculties. Her presence was almost overwhelming. Almost.

I felt the voice in the back of my mind growl, and the fear I had felt was suddenly gone. He was insulted that we had been forced to endure this mistreatment and further insulted at the ease with which he could brush it aside. If we were to be tested, he desired a challenge, not a trivial formality for tormenting little girls. With my senses returned, I stood and bowed slightly while speaking, "Your majesty, it is a great honor to be invited to meet with you." Beth had stood when I did, but Cynthia and Sam remained rooted in their seats, cemented in terror. They didn't even seem capable of noticing that anything had changed in the room.

Aisling responded as she glided across the room, moving in an effortlessly refined manner. "Save your honorifics for when you have enough knowledge for them to carry meaning." Her voice was calm and measured; She wasn't trying to insult me with her statement, just cutting past the formalities. I waited for her to take her seat before sitting myself.

At her seat, several papers were waiting for her. She began to glance at them, skimming their contents. I put my hand on Cynthia's leg and rubbed it softly. I needed her guidance and support, but she was completely frozen, locked up in fear, and unable to assist me. It made me wonder why Beth hadn't been -- after all, she was in the alley where we met. It would've been much more understandable for the unrefined teenager to be affected here, especially when the two witches had been incapacitated. After a handful of seconds, I felt Cynthia's hand shift to rest on top of mine. I kept massaging the front of her thigh for the time being. I could see how much of a struggle it had been to move her hand to mine, but when they connected, I found her fear fade from my senses.

Aisling set the papers down and stared at me intently, her hueless eyes boring into me mercilessly. "Cynthia thinks that you are a dragon. Cynthia has an impeccable record with correctly identifying those undergoing transitions."

She paused, and her intense gaze fell on Beth. "You are a human. That is what the report says. But you aren't afraid of me, and I can't find you underneath the shielding layers of enchantment. Enchantment with no paperwork or history."

Beth answered timidly, "I find you quite intimidating, your highness. I am quite afraid and not used to places like this. Cynthia said something similar about me being unsensable. James did something, I think, but neither of us knows what."

Aisling tutted back like she was dealing with a child who was out of place. "You aren't afraid like you should be. Look at Cynthia's daughter." We looked at Sam, and I was pained by what I saw. Sam had her head down, her eyes clenched shut, and her hand gripped the fork she had been eating from with as much force as she could muster. All the color had drained from her face, matching her white-knuckled fingers. She was thoroughly gripped by horror.

Aisling continued, "You are afraid, but you are not incapacitated with terror. I was told you were protected with unrecorded enchantments, and I wanted to investigate this assertion myself. I have some answers now, and it would be cruel to continue torturing my servants."

I watched Aisling, and she visibly softened. Her eyes sparkled blue, her hair began reflecting light, and I could see her cheeks touched with the slightest blush. She no longer appeared as a character on a backdrop. Now she resembled a mortal, capable of interacting with the environment around her. Cynthia's hand gripped mine entirely, and she lightly squeezed it. I went to withdraw it from her leg, but she pinned it where it was. The tangy fear retreated somewhat, no longer smothering and oppressive. Evidently, Aisling intentionally forced the girls to feel that way to see what would happen, and she had relented now that she had her conclusions.

Sam opened her eyes and dropped the fork back on the table. She spent a few moments breathing violently and then whispered, "Holy fuck" to herself before looking up and seeing all of us looking at her. She blushed and squeaked out, "Your highness! I'm terribly sorry; I forgot myself."

Aisling nodded proudly, "I believe that is quite an accurate description. It is no offense to me -- that is the reaction humans should have when I want them to. Please, enjoy the dinner for the time being."

When she said that, the younger man came in and provided what must be the main course for the meal. As we ate, Aisling looked through the remaining papers, rummaging through the pile seemingly indiscriminately. Ten minutes passed with only the sounds of us nervously eating the opulent fare and Aisling manipulating her documents. When we consumed this course, Aisling appeared ready to begin discussions earnestly.

"Cynthia, you believe this man to be a dragon. You have only been mistaken in the past under incredibly trying circumstances and when someone was trying to mislead you. I trust your opinion and am not trying to toy with you or undermine your conclusion. This is simply too monumental an event to not discuss in its entirety. Please give me your reasonings when you are ready."

Cynthia took a moment to collect herself, trying to rationalize that the Queen was familiar with her work, and then spoke. Her voice wavered on her first words, but she promptly found her footing and laid out her formulaic approach to eliminating every other conceivable scenario. She discussed, at length, my answers to the situations she had established to test me and how they confirmed her suspicions and procedurally reduced the potential pool to two. She concluded her description by describing the scale of force she had experienced on our road trip, another data point functionally confirming her conjecture.

"The confirmation for me was when you asked me to get him to push; To get his being to expose itself utterly and reveal itself. I had warded myself according to the established protocols, using specific, personalized protections that named him directly, and was wholly overwhelmed anyway. He brushed them aside like dusty cobwebs and filled my entire being with his magnificent presence. I don't know what else would be able to do that completely untrained, twelve hours after awakening and twelve hours after emptying itself of mana to layer archaic protections over Beth.

"The only thing we haven't technically eliminated was a demonic incursion and possession pretending to be a dragon awakening." Cynthia paused, and guilt came off her, the second taste of emotion surprising me. Aisling hardened as the words left the senior redhead's mouth, her hair darkening and the hint of warmth being icily sucked out of the room.

Cynthia shivered but forced herself to continue, "I know that there hasn't been a reported crossing in my lifetime, but the circumstances around James are strange enough that I considered it. We don't have any official guidelines for that evaluation --"

"For good reasons," Aisling interjected. "There hasn't been a demon sighting in hundreds of years because we forced them to leave our plane alone. They may as well not exist."

Cynthia swallowed, "I referenced his behavior against some historical accounts of first contacts. I haven't proved that James definitely isn't a demon, but I also have no further suspicion of it. All of the documents suggest that possessions attempt to remain hidden as long as possible while they acclimate. He awakened, broadcast his spark freely, and enchanted Beth within an hour with shielding charms. What demon would try to imitate a dragon of all beings -- and one awakening in a completely unprecedented manner? What demon would use its own energy to create an aegis over an insignificant human girl without an obvious self-serving interest? It doesn't align with any of their documented behaviors."

Aisling softened somewhat, finding a middle ground between the terrifying visage she could wear and the almost human she had seemed just a minute ago. "Good. I am ordering you to leave that suspicion out of your official report. We do not want those kinds of rumors to spread."

Cynthia bowed her head in acknowledgment, and then continued, "There is another complication I need to bring to your attention, my Queen."

Aisling nodded, indicating for Cynthia to continue. Cynthia fiddled with her handbag a moment and produced the tablet she had utilized in the diner. She fussed with it for a moment, and I could see her scrolling through the video of me responding to her questions. She found the moment she was looking for and passed the tablet to Aisling.

Without further discussion, Aisling started the video from the point that Cynthia had selected. It was the final hypothetical situation Cynthia had posed to me. Aisling watched, and the rest of us listened as past Cynthia established the scene. Aisling was then enraptured by the recording as I struggled against the answer everyone seemed to expect I would give freely.

Past me gave the shocking answer. The video ended, and Aisling softened further. I heard Sam take a profoundly deep breath. Cynthia spoke first, "As you saw, even connected to his dragon soul, he was able to oversee his own choices. This eliminated any trepidations I had about a possession -- a demon would've given the expected answer hastily to conform to our expectations. Unfortunately, I was unsure about how to proceed, your grace. I didn't want to share this information except with you personally once I had confirmed a meeting with you."

Aisling nodded and mused in her thoughts for a moment before saying, "That was a prudent decision. Keeping information about James discreet would be ideal." She paused for a moment and sipped the champagne poured during dinner. It was the first time she had touched any of the offerings.

Aisling eventually continued, "James, you'll have to remain here. In the city, for the foreseeable future. I need to understand exactly what you are and what you could be capable of. I will arrange for you to meet with a scholar I trust intimately." She spoke with a conviction that offered no option for refusal, yet she paused and awaited a response.

I answered her cautiously, "I could be amenable to that, your highness."

Having played my part in the conversation, Aisling continued, "I shall see you compensated for these inconveniences." She slowly leafed through her documents with controlled and deliberate motions before selecting the ones she desired. She confirmed the information on them was what she wanted to see and then passed it to me with a pen and, confusingly, a small knife.

"This is a general agreement for your loyalty while you remain in my lands. Read it. Sign it. Your name in ink and your thumbprint in your blood on the lines."

Another piece of paper was slid across the table.

"This is an agreement for a residence in a building I own on the north side of town. With Cynthia as your handler, it would be convenient if she stayed near you. She also has access to additional funding to accommodate your daily needs here. Tomorrow, I'll have a legal advisor meet with you with the requisite agreements to solidify our relationship while you remain in this region. Afterward, I would encourage you to meet with the archivist here."

Aisling paused again, waiting to see if anyone would interject with a question or comment. I felt she desired someone to ask something, so I asked the most obvious question that came to mind to interrupt the silence.

"Why do you believe it would be beneficial to meet with the archivist? I'm not sure that I follow the logic here."

She smiled, and chills ran down my spine. I saw both Sam and Cynthia shiver, the elder O'Brien's hand clenching mine desperately. I couldn't tell if this meant that I had asked something incredibly foolish or if it was what Aisling had desired someone to ask. I also couldn't tell if Cynthia was trying to encourage or discourage me or if it was simply a physical reaction to the banshee's magical pressure.

"Antonin is almost as old as I am, and he's the only one in my court that I know with certainty has interacted with another dragon. You need training in many disciplines, as you are essentially a newborn with no parents or clan to care for you. He will be able to identify what you require immediately and who can provide services with the necessary discretion. Don't misunderstand me, dragon; I am not running a charity here. The faster you can shed your naive, ignorant youth and grow into a mighty force, the faster you will become a productive and profitable member of our society.

"You will become a great boon, eventually. The amount of energy you can provide, should you find yourself engaging in commerce here, can provide wealth for all of our residents. Other leaders, be they political, economic, or industrial, could become jealous of this development. You are a wonderful resource for me; Others may try to sway you to their causes. If you decline these invitations, they may decide it is in their best interests to remove you from my realm by removing you from every realm. So, I need to accelerate your transitionary period before others learn of you until you are powerful enough that everyone will respect you individually. The more I invest in this, the faster I see my returns."

I hadn't expected her to put it so bluntly. Cynthia had said that the consensus was that Aisling was politically devious and capable of scheming and controlling. I wondered what angle she could be pursuing by evidently playing me straight up. It wasn't obvious what duplicitous chicanery she was engaging in, which made me even more nervous than if the ruse had been perceptible.

She answered me when she continued, "Members of my community primarily solve their grievances by answering to their house leader. Humans have their Archwizard, Werebeings have their clan Alphas, Banshees have their Queen, and so on. You are the only dragon -- so you both answer for and represent yourself in political matters as the head of the draconic house. It would be unbecoming of a house leader to be so unprepared for life here. It benefits me to have strong leaders, as weak leaders cause instability and insecurity among the populace. Decorum demands I treat you as a venerable house leader, even if you're a puny whelp unfit for anything today. Tomorrow, you won't be, and I won't have you lauding a perceived slight over my head in a generation's time when we could simply engage amicably."

Aisling had paused again, so I responded, "So, you need this Antonin to evaluate me and suggest other teachers for areas I'm deficient in. You're investing your time and connections in me because eventually, I will increase the potential output of your entire region, increasing your power relative to other leaders, and will additionally directly owe you favors then. That seems reasonable to me."

She smiled at me, an icy, chilled visage on her sharp features that didn't reach her eyes. She looked like a predator toying with a completely outclassed prey, satisfied with her dominant position and hungry to continue towards her unquestionable victory. I wondered if this was an act or a genuine display of contentment.

She spoke, "It's good that you can at least repeat my words back to me. I hope you enjoy the remainder of dinner -- I must excuse myself to make the arrangements your unexpected arrival requires."

With that said, Aisling stood and left the room. Sam sighed hard as soon as the door shut behind Aisling, and then she said, "Holy shit. I feel like I can finally breathe again."

The door opened again, and the young man brought another course of the meal to the table. Sam jumped when the door opened and then laughed at her reaction when she realized who had come in. We spoke more while we ate.

I asked what I thought would be a light-hearted question, "So, why the extra table setting?"

Cynthia answered, "Aisling is the Queen. That is where her husband, the Queen's Consort, would reside. She hasn't found him yet but would not dare dishonor him by not preparing his place at his table."

Sam and I softly chuckled at the absurdity of the answer, but Beth swooned. "Oh, that's just adorable. Touch crazy, but really romantic in its own way." The beast in my head told me that romance was far from what was on Aisling's mind -- being tied to a single family's lineage made Banshees incredibly stiff and perfunctory, in his opinion. Aisling followed a precedent that an ancestor had set ages ago simply because it had been established, not out of reverence to a prospective mate but out of duty.

The man came and retrieved our dishes, and I looked at the paper Aisling had left behind. It had an address and a pair of keys taped to it. Each key had a SIM card attached to them. I turned to Cynthia and said, "What would you say to checking out this place she seems to have loaned me? That's where she expects me to meet her lawyer tomorrow, I think, so we might as well look at it."

Cynthia agreed, and as we rose from our seats, the elderly man who had shown us to the room initially retrieved us. We traversed the maze of gratuitously decorated hallways in his wake and were let out in the same place we had entered. Returning outside was a major shock -- I was reminded that the everyday world still existed. The sun was setting, and the city was coming alive for the night. Ordinary people having their typical weekend evening passed me by on the sidewalk, none the wiser as to the insanity I had been through in the last twenty-four hours. It was surreal.

We descended the steps from Aisling's modern urban palatial estate and located Cynthia's vehicle. As we piled in, Beth refused to go around and use her own door. She clung to my arm and followed me into the back seat, sliding across my lap to sit in the middle. Logically, I was unnerved by this, but the beast in my mind was exceptionally content with how she was acting. He chided my reluctance and suggested that I encourage and reward her rapid affinity. After all, she was our first mate and prime; Why wouldn't we want her to be affectionate and attached to us?