Chapter 199
ConcessionsTwo hours later, Alexander found himself a guest of Sheikha Khalida Al-Hashara, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai.
Assuming one was still a guest even when there were a dozen armed guards in the form of superheroes escorting you whether you liked it or not.
Augustus and Annie stood behind him, both on high alert and positioned to react as quickly as superhumanly possible should things go sideways. Which, given the tension in the room, they very well could.
Felix sat by his chair in cat form, one paw pressed against his leg, slowly healing the damage he’d accumulated during the fight. He’d already done what he could for Annie’s eye, but unfortunately, he could not repair the eyeball back to function. That would require a trip to a specialized healer back on Astra Omnia.
Assuming they were able to leave Dubai. That was still very much up in the air.
To his left, Jasmine sat with her briefcase open on the table. Talia had insisted that he insist they pick up their legal representation.
It was probably the smart thing to do. And Alexander was known to listen to good advice.
On occasion.
Talia herself was present in digital spirit. Droney, floating just over his shoulder, was providing her with eyes and ears. And a mouth, courtesy of Droney’s speaker system, should it be needed.
Maximilian, Julia, and Raelene sat opposite Alexander, the long marble table stretching between them. They’d also brought along their legal representative, Brandt. Where the Dragon Lord had returned to his usual picture of a stoic leader, Julia had been fidgeting nonstop.
Unusual. But not undeserved, given the circumstances.
Even he was a bit worried. Grimnir was outnumbered three to one. Four to one if you counted the Throne of Scales.
The room itself was built to impress. Vaulted ceilings inlaid with gold and lapis lazuli. Floor-to-ceiling windows lined one wall, overlooking Dubai’s nighttime skyline. A single enormous rug, deep blue and cream, broke up the expansive marble floor. Carved wooden screens separated the main chamber from side rooms, their latticed patterns casting shadows in the light. It was the kind of room designed to make visitors feel small while pretending to make them feel welcome.
The guards were spread evenly along the walls. Relaxed in a way that meant they were anything but.
That made sense. Alexander wasn’t very relaxed either. He had one of his mental threads already inside the ring, ready to deploy everything in an instant. Augustus had standing instructions to tear open a portal the moment he thought it necessary, and damn the consequences.
A door opened at the far end of the chamber. Sheikha Khalida Al-Hashara entered without fanfare, flanked by a single aide carrying a tablet.
She was younger than he’d expected. Early forties, perhaps, though her sharp features made it difficult to guess. Dark hair pulled back from her face in a simple style that suggested she hadn’t had time for anything more elaborate. She wore a tailored charcoal suit over a high-collared blouse the color of ivory, no jewelry except for a single ring and a thin chain at her throat. No abaya, no headscarf.
A deliberate choice that said more about her politics than any speech could.
She moved with the unhurried pace of someone accustomed to rooms going quiet when she entered. Her eyes swept the table once, cataloguing everyone present, lingering briefly on Annie’s ruined eye before settling on Alexander.
He felt the faintest brush against his thoughts. Light. Almost polite. Testing whether he’d notice.
He noticed. And his Will responded, rebuffing the probe.
Her expression didn’t change, but something shifted behind her eyes. Acknowledgment, maybe. Or reassessment.
She took her seat at the head of the table and glanced at one of the guards along the wall. A small nod. The guard raised a hand, and the air around the table changed. The ambient hum of the city beyond the windows vanished.
A superpowered privacy field.
“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” she said. Her voice was low and measured. “As I’m sure you can appreciate, it has been a complicated evening.”
Alexander chuckled. It almost sounded inappropriate amongst all the marble. “AEGIS gets caught red-handed trafficking slaves on your soil, attacking registered international superheroes, and to top it off, you get to deal with a bunch of rogue supervillains that broke the law in the middle of sanctioned, galactic arbitration. Complicated is the perfect word to describe it.”
The Sheikha studied him for a long moment. “You… cut quite clearly to the heart of the matter, don’t you?”
He shrugged. “Better than ignoring the elephant in the room.”
Felix glanced up at him. “But I am a cat right now, Alex.”
Alexander glanced down and patted him on the head. “Not you, Felix. It’s a saying.”
“This is a serious problem, Alex,” Maximilian said.
He raised an eyebrow at the Dragon Lord. That was the first time the man had ever called him by his nickname. It was always Alexander this, Rooke that.
Maximilian continued. “Breaching the rules of arbitration means the revocation of your protected status while in Dubai. And that’s just the beginning.”
Jasmine cleared her throat. “That is only relevant if you, as the aggrieved party, press the matter, Mr. de Castillo.”
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“Actually, Ms. Sharp,” Brandt replied, “AEGIS representatives have already reported it directly to the ESA. They will also have submitted a complaint directly to the Galactic Council’s Arbitration Committee. It is out of our hands.”
Alexander pinched the bridge of his nose. That was problematic. Without a doubt, Grimnir had earned some goodwill with the Council during their time on the Nexus. But he doubted it would be enough to avoid repercussions in this case. Arbitration was not a game. It was the backbone upon which even entire species could negotiate terms in good faith. They wouldn’t, couldn’t abide having someone thumb their nose at it.
Talia’s voice came through Droney’s speaker. “Surely the circumstances cast AEGIS and any… accusations they make in an unreliable light?”
Sheikha Khalida glanced curiously at the drone. “Talia Kim, correct?”
“Yes, Sheikha. I apologize that I cannot be present in person.”
“Not at all. And you are quite correct that tonight’s circumstances will have far-reaching consequences for AEGIS.” Her eyes took on a dangerous glint. “Regardless of whatever else happens here, I will see to that personally. But it does not change the truth, nor erase the evidence of Grimnir’s actions.”
Khalida’s voice softened. “Even if they were honorable.”
Silence fell across the room.
Maximilian closed his eyes. “We have not always seen eye to eye, Alexander. Our disagreement is fundamental to our natures, but I genuinely believe that we agree on the end goal. The law matters.”
“Unless it gets in the way of what’s right.”
“And who decides that, Alex?” Maximilian opened his eyes and met Alexander’s gaze. “You? Me? What about the Sheikha here? Should she decide for both of us?” He sighed. “No. It cannot be any of us. We hold too much power at our fingertips, and we are destined to hold so much more that even our slightest whim might reshape the world for billions.”
Alexander paused. The man seated opposite him spoke with such conviction that it was easy to see the Dragon Lord beneath. And he couldn’t even disagree with what Maximilian was saying. He knew all too well how easily power swayed one’s thinking.
It was far too easy to look down on the world when you could soar to the heights they could.
Maximilian’s shoulders slumped. The shift was barely a fraction of an inch in the man’s posture, but it was there. “I hoped that if we could bring together even just a few of the divines in agreement, we might keep a semblance of order even against whatever the System might have planned.”