That brings his head back around fast, shock taking over his expression, and I’m not sure if it’s because I guessed right or because he never considered that option. Before he can clarify, the already subdued room falls silent, and we look up to see that the general manager, Craig, has entered, along with the head of HR, Erik from Marketing, and some guy who’s kinda famil— Wait. Is that Henry Locke?
“Thanks for coming in on such short notice,” Craig says. Like always when he’s talking to the team, he doesn’t bother to raise his voice, but he’s got the kind of natural charisma that means everyone shuts up so we can hear. “I know you’re still on vacation, and we won’t keep you long. There have been some changes here over the summer, and we wanted to communicate them before press releases go out.”
That sounds… somewhat threatening.
“As of 11:59 last night, Coach Franks is no longer a part of the Warhammers organization. We thank him for the years he’s dedicated to this team and wish him all the best with future endeavors.”
Shock ripples around the room, but I sit like a stone statue. Franks, gone? That’s… Am I still dreaming?
I study Craig’s face carefully, looking for any hint that maybe I misheard or misunderstood him. There’s nothing, except… maybe he doesn’t actually wish Coach Franks the best. That’s not super surprising, since they clashed pretty much from the day Craig first got here.
Okay, so Franks is gone, hip hip hooray, someone organize the parade. But that means we need a new head coach…
My gaze darts back to the man I’m ninety-nine percent sure is Henry Locke, former NHL All-Star and, more recently, assistant coach for a team that’s made the NHL playoffs three seasons in a row. It has to be him, right? The new coach? Why else would he be here right now?
As though he can hear me thinking, his eyes lock with mine, and then Craig says, “I’d like to introduce your new coach, Henry Locke. We’re excited to have him aboard and look forward to great things.”
Coach Locke steps forward, his gaze scanning the room. “Good morning. Like Craig said, we won’t keep you from the last days of your vacation. Enjoy every second of your break, gentlemen, because when training camp starts, we’re making some changes.”
CHAPTER TWO
Ari
OCTOBER
In the more thanfour thousand years that I’ve known Eoin, I’ve considered him to be a good boss and a great friend. Right now, I’m struggling to remember why.
I sit in my car outside the Warhammers’ training facility and wonder how long I’m going to be paying for the ignorance of my youth. I’ve already spent thousands of years trying to redeem myself, but I guess that’s not enough.
Sighing, I shove open the door and haul myself out of the driver’s seat. Eoin swears this assignment isn’t punishment, that instinct guided him to give it to me, but as far as I’m concerned those two things can both be true. We all know that instinct is a result of our connection with the life force, and the life force will decide when my penance is done.
Whatever it is that got me lumped with this job, I can’t deny it’s a great opportunity for me. If I ever decide to leave the security team and do something else, it’ll show potential employers that I’m quick to learn and can be flexible. And if I stay put—which, let’s face it, is the most likely option—Eoinand the king will remember that I can take on anything the job throws at me, even stuff like this which is out of my scope, and that I only complained… a lot. But I did it anyway.
Plus, this is the consort’s pet project, and he specifically suggested me to fill the role until someone more suitable can be found. That’s not something an elf can just turn down without a really good reason, and sadly, “I think this is a stupid sport and I made an idiot of myself in regard to one of the players” isn’t a good enough reason. They already know the latter, anyway.
Reminding myself that bolstering the participation of young elves and dragons within the community of species is a good thing—I of all people get that—I march toward the door.
“Ari!”
And stop to wait for Erik from the team’s marketing department to catch up with me. I have conflicting feelings about Erik. He’s an elf, and the person behind this drive to attract dragons and elves to this sport, and specifically to the Warhammers, so this whole mess I’m in could be labeled as his fault. On the other hand, he’s so earnest and enthusiastic, it’s hard to hate him. He genuinely wants to see our people integrating better here on Earth and thinks that hockey is a good way to do it.
“Hey,” he says, a little out of breath, as he reaches me. “Good morning. Is that your car?” He points, and I glance over at… my car.
“Good morning. Yeah, it is.”
“Oh. I… um.”
He’s one of those people whose expression shows their every thought, and I canseethe moment when he decides not to ask the question he’s dying to ask. Fortunately for him, it’s one I’m used to hearing.
“Yes, I’m portal capable,” I tell him, starting toward the door again. He falls into step beside me, his confidence bolstered by me volunteering information.
“That’s what I thought, because all the elves on the king’s security team are, right? But in that case, why did you drive? Why do you even have a car? If I was portal capable, I’d never travel any other way.”
Portallingisawesome, but when you’ve been able to do it most of your life, it becomes just another method of travel. That’s not something I can say to someone who can’t portal, though—not without sounding like an ass. Instead, I reply, “Driving is kind of epic. When I open a portal, I have to control all the elements to make it work right. When I’m driving, I can only control the car—everything else is up to the life force and the other people on the roads. It’s a wild adventure.” I fucking love it. There are rules and guidelines to make it safe, but ultimately, most of it is just pure luck. Given how restrictive my childhood was and the regulations I work within now, I like having this one thing that I have so little power over.
Erik doesn’t seem convinced. “I guess. But you can’t tell me that sitting in peak hour traffic is better than a portal that will take you to where you need to be in a single step.”
He might have a point.
