Chapter 15: The Dragon’s Debrief

It was late, and Stafford Regional had all been shut down for the night. However, there was still one last light on, deep in the bowels of the athletic department. In the gymnasium, through the new locker room, and past the old ones was Coach Veiss’s office. He often worked late, reviewing game plans, watching films, and screwing his team manager. Friday’s game was against the Wildcats, and though they had a decent team, Coach wasn’t worried. His victory might as well be pre-ordained as far as both teams were concerned. The Wildcats hadn’t won a match against the Dragons in over a decade, and there wasn’t any reason to think this year would be any different. In any case, Coach Veiss’ goal wasn’t just to win; he wanted to win by three touchdowns. Unfortunately, his nightly routine had been disrupted by an emergency, and he was forced into an impromptu meeting.

Lacy had just finished showering and was about to check in with her boss before leaving for the night. She’d just spent the last hour taking care of her teammates’ sexual needs, as she did almost every evening, and she was sore everywhere. Luckily, coach Veiss only required her to service the team captains. Anything else was at her discretion, and she preferred to make them work for it whenever possible.

However, on this particular evening, Lacy was more exhausted than usual, thanks to her encounter with George. He was the last person on earth she would have ever imagined fucking, yet it took her breath away and left her more satisfied than Coach ever had.

That aside, everyone seemed on edge for some reason. She suspected it had something to do with the convention she’d heard others whisper about. Regardless, everyone was anxious, and they all seemed to take it out on her. But Lacy took it all in stride. She was a queen, and all these silly boys would carry her to success like the dumb beasts of burden they were.

With a towel around her shoulders and a toothbrush in her mouth, she approached Veiss’ office. The door was open just a little, and she could hear him working on something. On any other day, she would look forward to being dominated by her coach and finally having a decent orgasm after the unpracticed fumbling of her teammates, but this time, she hesitated. The coach was the only man she’d ever really had feelings for, and he could fuck like a demon, but she found herself wishing he’d be too tired this time.

A voice came from inside, but it wasn’t Coach. “We were caught completely off guard. I take full responsibility,” said a man’s voice through the conference call.

Instinctively, Lacy stepped aside and pressed her back against the wall so she could listen out of sight.

“I took the necessary precautions after learning the girl was attuned, but she had outside help we didn’t expect. Of course, If someone had informed us of what we were dealing with from the start, all of this could have been avoided, and Jessie wouldn’t be wrapped around a fucking tree right now.”

Coach Veiss had his microphone muted as he listened to Charlie’s debriefing. “Prick,” he muttered.

Lacy recognized Charlie’s voice. She’d met him on a few occasions, and he always gave her an icky feeling. Coach Veiss was no saint, but Charlie seemed to revel in being a misogynistic asshole toward her whenever the opportunity arose.

“How many were injured?” said a man with a deep, soothing voice Lacy didn’t recognize.

“Ten minor, seven major,” replied Charlie.

“How many dead,” said the voice.

“Two. Both were veterans in good standing.”

Lacy balked. She knew Coach was involved in shady business, but hearing about people dying firsthand always unsettled her.

The man let out a genuinely mournful sigh and said, “Regrettable. I have healers en route. You should expect them by air within the hour. As for the deceased, forward their names to my secretary. I will make sure their pensions are passed to their next of kin. Once your men are stable, complete a full sweep of the region and destroy any remaining evidence of your occupation. We will need whatever fragments of the artifact you can secure.”

“What do we do about the princess?”

“Veiss and I will worry about that. For now, rest and recuperate. You and your men performed well considering the circumstances.”

Charlie sighed in relief and said, “Thank you, Aurum. If it’s alright, we’ll have a small service while we burn their remains. The guys are pretty shaken, and I think it would help to keep morale up.”

“Granted. Use whatever resources you deem necessary. We will have further communication soon.”

Charlie left the call, leaving only Coach Veiss and the mysterious Aurum to converse alone. Lacy was intensely curious but was having trouble following their conversation. It didn’t take a genius of her intellect to figure out that Piper’s disappearance was linked to their mentions of princesses, but she still didn’t know what that meant. And they kept throwing around terms like attuned and artifacts like a bunch of nerds playing a board game.

“So,” Aurum began, “Is it too soon to say I told you so?”

Veiss let out a derisive snort. “You act like this is my first go-’round. I have backup plans for my backup plans.”

The man sighed like a father, doing his best to hide his disappointment. “Veiss ... brother ... is any of this really worthy of you? This little club of yours is dangerous and could bring unwanted attention.”

“I wouldn’t expect you to understand, Aurum. You with your empire and your hoard. Not all of us are content spending eternity in your shadow.”

“I understand your impulses; you know I do. But there are more productive ways of achieving your goals. Not to mention more ... legal. You know there is an open seat for you on the board. You have but to merely abandon this foolish persona and...”

Veiss pounded his desk and snarled, “I’ll return when I’m good and ready!”

Lacy jumped and bit down on her toothbrush to quiet herself. She recognized that tone, and it never ended well for those across the table from him.

“I played by your rules, jumped through all your hoops, danced to your tune. I did all your dirty work for way longer than I needed to. I earned this vacation, and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Aurum seemed more concerned than intimidated. “Even at the cost of our reputation? Not to mention the senseless loss of life.”

“To hell with your reputation! What happened tonight was a fluke, a one-off, a simple miscalculation. You know I don’t deliberately put anyone’s life in danger if I can help it.”

“My fears are rooted in neither your competence nor your methods. It is your motives I question.”

“If you don’t like it, Goldy, you’re free to withdraw at any time. I have my own means. I don’t need the Conclave’s resources.”

“Ah, yes. I am well aware of the deals you’ve made. Am I really so unpleasant that you would rather cavort with...”

“They don’t come with strings attached. Simple transactions. Tit for tat. What I see is what I get.”

“There are always strings, brother.” Aurum sighed deeply. “Very well. If you will not change course, then at least assure me that you have this under control. We have no desire to clean up another one of your messes.”