Date: 2021-12-09 05:00:00+00:00
Description: The Dragon Elite are back and more powerful than ever. Note: History Rewound was previously published as a part of the megabook, The New Elite. And they have a new evil to face that wants nothing more than their demise. The dragonriders have battled many villains, but no one like this. The modern world has brought with it strange new advances. And strange new evils. Hiker Wallace will have to overcome a challenge like no other. When the Gullington is hit like never before, Sophia Beaufont and her dragon will have to seek new solutions. Will the new Dragon Elite survive a magitech villain with
Rights: Copyright 2021 Sarah Noffke. All rights reserved.

History Rewound

Exceptional Sophia Beaufont™ Book 08

Sarah Noffke

Michael Anderle

This book is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

Copyright © 2020 LMBPN Publishing

Cover copyright © LMBPN Publishing

A Michael Anderle Production

LMBPN Publishing supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

The distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact support@lmbpn.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

LMBPN Publishing

PMB 196, 2540 South Maryland Pkwy

Las Vegas, NV 89109

Version 1.00, December 2021

(Previously published as a part of the megabook The New Elite)

eBook ISBN: 978-1-68500-622-8

Print ISBN: 978-1-68500-623-5

The History Rewound Team

Thanks to the JIT Readers

Angel LaVey

Billie Leigh Kellar

Dave Hicks

Deb Mader

Debi Sateren

Diane L. Smith

Dorothy Lloyd

Jackey Hankard-Brodie

Jeff Eaton

Jeff Goode

Kathleen Fettig

Larry Omans

Lori Hendricks

Micky Cocker

Misty Roa

Nicole Emens

Paul Westman

Peter Manis

Veronica Stephan-Miller

If we’ve missed anyone, please let us know!

Editor

The Skyhunter Editing Team

Once again and a thousand times more, for Lydia.

— Sarah

To Family, Friends and

Those Who Love
to Read.

May We All Enjoy Grace
to Live the Life We Are

Called.

— Michael

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

Chapter 59

Chapter 60

Chapter 61

Chapter 62

Chapter 63

Chapter 64

Sarah’s Author Notes

Michael’s Author Notes

Acknowledgments

Books By Sarah Noffke

Books By Michael Anderle

Connect with The Authors

Chapter One

The ragged breathing of the prisoners was the only sound Sophia could hear. She and Evan were trying to figure out how to make them talk. They had been at it for hours and were no closer to getting any answers.

She cut her eyes at Evan and he nodded, knowing he had been tapped into the interrogation.

The dungeon in the Castle of the Gullington would be beautiful if not for the smell of mold and sweat, and if one could forget what happened in such places. It had been ages since this dungeon had held any prisoners, although Evan admitted Hiker had once locked him in the cell where they presently stood for sassing him.

Sophia stepped out, pulling the gate shut as she watched through the bars. The dripping sound at her back reminded her of the techniques Hiker had used on one of the three prisoners.

Sophia had never seen the Viking so angry. The steampunk cyborg pirates weren’t intimidated. Evan had wanted to take things further, but Hiker had refused, saying they wouldn’t be forced to stoop to immoral levels. Sophia was impressed. It was easy for people to do the right thing when they weren’t facing a real challenge. Sticking to ethics when your enemy looked you in the eye and spat in your face was a lot more difficult.

Hiker had simply wiped his face of emotion and left the room, giving the job of interrogation to Evan and Sophia. She had tried to be crafty and trick the prisoners into telling her something about the person or people they worked for.

She’d had seconds to shield herself before the cyborg fired at her through its mechanical eye. After that, Sophia had put a spell on all three of the prisoners, disarming any other defenses they may have. It was a taxing spell but necessary. The Castle would have done it for her if it hadn’t been in disrepair and not operating at peak level. The dungeon, according to Hiker, used to automatically disable prisoner’s magical powers, keeping them restrained and from attacking.

Whatever Mama Jamba had done to reinforce the Barrier, the Castle seemed to be holding and not crumbling as rapidly as it had been. The protection would only hold for about another day or so, though, and the Dragon Elite would be forced to defend their borders and watch the Castle degrade once more.

Evan picked up the leather belt they had taken off the pirate whose hands were restrained in the rusted chains on the brick wall. All the cyborgs had been smart enough not to carry any identification, but the one they were currently interrogating had a personalized belt, his first and last name engraved into the leather.

Hiker hadn’t seemed surprised when Sophia discovered it.

“Idiots love to put their names on things. Like they are going to forget who they are after a night of drinking whiskey,” he had explained.

“So,” Evan said, drawing out the word as he doubled the belt over and slapped it into his hand. “Rhett Wren. What a horrible name. It was like your parents wanted everyone to stutter your name.”

“Rut rho,” Sophia muttered, finally saying the joke that had sprung to her mind when she first heard the prisoner’s name.

Evan glanced at her, confusion on his face. “What?”

“It’s a Scooby Doo reference,” Rhett Wren told him dryly, giving Sophia an annoyed expression. “I have heard it before.”

“Yet, you were dumb enough to put your stupid name on your belt,” Sophia taunted from the other side of the bars.

“I’m proud of my name,” he grumbled, his fingers flexing in the restraints.

“The only name I care about, maggot eater, is the person you work for,” Evan threatened, pushing his face close to the prisoners, apparently unafraid he would get spit on like Hiker.

Rhett, to Sophia’s surprise, didn’t launch any saliva onto Evan’s dark face, probably because he was slapping the would-be weapon they had taken off the prisoner in his hands.

“I already told you, I don’t know their name,” Rhett said, his cyborg eye glowing in the dark cell.

“Then tell me how you know her,” Evan demanded.

“She recruited me,” he replied simply.

Evan grinned and stepped back. He glanced at Sophia. “Now we know Wiry Hair is the leader.”

She nodded. It was progress. She had assumed the leader of the band of cyborg pirates was the woman with the retractable hand who had stolen the dragon egg and escaped via blimp, but it was good to get a confirmation.

Rhett narrowed his human eye at Evan. “Oh good, after hours of this, you finally got some information. Feel adequate, dragonrider, since the world hates you.”

Evan pulled back the belt, about to lash the pirate.

Sophia jerked up her hand and restrained him using magic. Evan’s arm froze in mid-air, the belt suspended after it whipped backward.

Evan glared at Sophia, giving her an expression that spoke acutely of his disapproval of her restricting him from harming the prisoner. “Seriously, girl.”

She shook her head. “You heard what Hiker said. We aren’t going to inflict violence on them. Use your magic to torture him mentally. Use your words. But you are not going to use force.”

Evan sighed. “Fine. Will you release me?”

Sophia did, and Evan’s hand shot forward, the belt landing across the man’s torso, making a metallic sound. He didn’t even flinch but rather grinned at Evan. “Benefits of being made of mostly metal.”

Evan shook his head, backing away.

“Evan,” Sophia said, a warning in her voice.

“What?” he complained. “I was already wound up. When you released me, there was no stopping the attack.”

She opened the cell door and encouraged him to exit. “I don’t think you can restrain yourself. Take over disabling their cyborg powers. I want to try something.”

Evan stepped out of the cell, belt still in hand. “Okay, but no more talkie-talkie. It’s time to graduate to other methods.”

Sophia nodded and leaned forward to whisper in Evan’s ear so only he could hear her. “Shield yourself as well as restrict them.”

Understanding flashed in his eyes.

Sophia felt her magic released when Evan took over for her.

She lowered her chin to her chest and closed her eyes and sent out a signal. Almost immediately, screaming filled the air. All three prisoners were suddenly wailing as if in excruciating pain. They weren’t. Sophia wasn’t about to disobey Hiker, mostly because she agreed with him. The strong didn’t use force to get what they wanted. They used strategy.

Each of the men was being inundated with images that would scare them most, whatever was specific for each of them. The chains rattled violently from the walls as they jerked, writhing as if in physical pain. Rhett’s feet dropped out from under him, and he hung awkwardly from his restraints.

“Trin,” he groaned, drool running down his chin as his eyes remained closed.

Sophia stopped the spell and stepped close to the bars. “What did you say?”

The prisoner heaved all over the stone floor, instantly filling the air with a putrid smell.

“Oh, man,” Evan complained. “Gross.”

Sophia gave him an irritated glance. They were making progress.

“Tell me what you said, or I will keep torturing you the same as before,” Sophia threatened.

“Trin Currante,” one of the other prisoners groaned behind her.

She turned to face the cell holding a cyborg with a busted nose and scratches down his face. He had tumbled down the hill when Hiker fought him, and it had bloodied him badly.

“Trin Currante,” Sophia repeated. “What is that?”

“Who,” the man sputtered between breaths. “The woman you are looking for. Our boss.”

Sophia looked at Evan before redirecting her gaze to the pirate with large black goggles strapped around his head. “Tell me more.”

“I-I-I don’t know much,” he said, shaking his head like he was trying to dispel the images she had forced into his head.

The spell had been extremely taxing to do on all three men at once. Sophia hoped she didn’t have to do it again because it probably wouldn’t work.

Faking confidence, she pursed her lips at Evan. “Looks like I get to send their worst nightmares back into their head.”

“Do it, princess,” he encouraged.

“No!” Rhett yelled from his cell. “I will talk. I will tell you what you want to know, but there isn’t much. Trin saw to that.”

“Go on then,” Evan ordered sternly.

“She used the blimp to search Scotland and find this place when the Barrier came down,” Rhett explained in a rush. “We were sent in via portal and told to attack you all until she swooped in. That is all I know. I promise.”

“I don’t know, Pink Princess,” Evan complained, shaking his head. “I don’t think we can believe him. See if you can jog his memory a bit.”

“That is all we know!” the other prisoner behind them yelled. “We weren’t given a location. She recruited us and sent us messages about the mission.”

“How?” Sophia asked.

“Internal messages,” he explained, his breath rattling in his chest as much as the chains binding him. “Us particular cyborgs have visual message centers. It displays information over our cortexes.”

“What do you mean, ‘Us particular cyborgs’?” Evan questioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“We were made at a specific facility,” he answered. “We all have functions.”

“Facility?” Sophia questioned. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s shut down now,” Rhett stated, his voice suddenly sounding tired. “It was called the Saverus. Most of us were abducted and changed.”

“You mean, someone kidnapped you all and made you into cyborgs?” Sophia queried.

He nodded roughly.

“By this Trin Currante?” Evan quizzed.

Rhett shook his head. “No, she was one of us. She rescued us. Shut it down. Got rid of the magicians who ran it.”

“And then she enlisted you to help her,” Sophia said, piecing it all together.

“Well, we had to,” Rhett declared. “We owed her. She saved us. We were imprisoned before that.”

“Have you gotten more messages from her since being here at the Gullington?” Sophia was grateful they were making progress. After three hours of interrogation, it appeared she had figured out how to get them to talk.

Rhett groaned suddenly in pain. The other two prisoners joined in, both screaming.

“Hey, you didn’t have to do the mental torture thing to them again,” Evan complained, gripping his bandaged side. “I mean, I’m all up for punishing these guys after one of their mates stabbed me, but they were actually talking, and now, well, they’re making a bunch of racket and not talking.”

The men’s moans of pain had grown in volume, making it hard to hear anything else.

Sophia shook her head. “I didn’t do it. I don’t know why they are moaning.”

“T-T-Trin,” Rhett groaned between attempts to breathe.

“What about Trin?” Sophia asked, grabbing the bars of the cell.

“M-m-message,” he stuttered. “She just sent a m-m-message.”

“What?” Sophia questioned at once, her heart beating fast. “What does it say?”

“Ter-term-terminated,” Rhett told them.

Sophia whipped around, her mouth wide open as she gasped at Evan. “What does that mean? ‘Terminated.’ Is she telling them to terminate us?”

His eyes slid to the side as he thought. He shook his head and pointed to the cell across from Rhett’s. “I don’t think so. I think she is telling them what is happening to them.”

Lying on the cold floor of the cell was the cyborg pirate. The chains were barely long enough to allow him to lay flat. His face was to the side, and a puddle of blood spilled out of his mouth.

“What happened to him? What did he do?” Sophia raced over and grabbed the bars, studying the space. There were no weapons or any way she could see that he could have taken his own life.

Evan shook his head. “I don’t think he did anything. Look.” He pointed to Rhett, who looked like he was having a seizure, his head jerking back and forth as he foamed at the mouth. A few seconds later, he fell still against the wall, his eyes wide and unblinking. He was dead.

Sophia ran over to the other cell. The last pirate was the same as the others. They were all dead. Something had killed them, and she was assuming it was the person in their head. The Dragon Elite’s new enemy—Trin Currante.

Chapter Two

Hiker Wallace paced across his office, which looked a lot more like it did back when Sophia had first shown up, and the Castle was punishing the leader of the Dragon Elite. Most of the books were strewn onto the floor or lying sideways on the shelves. The long bank of windows facing the Pond was cracked, and his desk looked ready to fall apart at any moment. When the Castle had fallen, everything inside of it had too, slipping into disrepair.

“Trin Currante,” he said for the tenth time, his eyes off in thought.

“Do you know the name?” Sophia asked, looking sideways at Wilder, who sat on the other side of the couch, seemingly distracted through the impromptu meeting.

Hiker shook his head. “I have never heard it.”

Sophia glanced at Mama Jamba, who was peering out the window and humming under her breath the Stevie Wonder song, “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”

Sophia thought asking Mother Nature about the new villain was probably a long shot. She opened her mouth and was immediately interrupted by the old woman.

“Of course, I know about her, but I can’t tell you anything, dear,” Mama Jamba said, answering her question before she asked it. “Not anything of use anyway. She was born a normal magician, and as you witnessed, she isn’t one anymore. She is a cyborg like the others who invaded the Gullington.”

“But they were abducted,” Evan stated, shaking his head. His hair was starting to grow out again after his electrocution in the caves to the north, and he was already working to put the coarse black hair into dreads.

Sophia nodded. “It sounds like, to me, that some organization—”

“This Saverus,” Mahkah supplied.

“Yeah,” she affirmed. “This Saverus organization abducted a bunch of magicians and turned them into cyborgs.”

“Probably using that repugnant magitech Thad Reinhart perfected,” Hiker said bitterly.

“It looks like we aren’t done with Thad yet then,” Evan said with a cold laugh.

Hiker paused his pacing, a resentful look on his face. “Not by a long shot. I should have realized my brother’s legacy would stretch well after him. Who knows, this Saverus organization might have been one of his.”

“That could have been how he figured out how to bring his dragon, Ember back,” Sophia offered. “He might have experimented on humans first.”

Hiker didn’t seem convinced. “It’s hard to know. We need more information.”

“Well, according to the prisoners, this Trin Currante ended the organization,” Sophia explained. “Then she rescued these men and recruited them for this mission to storm into the Gullington.”

“There are still so many questions,” Mahkah noted, his eyes low and his injured hand in his lap, wrapped in bandages.

If the Castle were its usual self, it would have healed his finger, making it grow back. It would have mended Evan too, so he didn’t suck in a sharp breath when he had to twist or move. As it was, they were healing faster than most, but not as fast as the Dragon Elite were accustomed to.

“Yeah, like how did Trin Currante kill all three of the prisoners remotely?” Sophia mused.

“She knew we had them,” Hiker pointed out. “She must have hacked into something in their brain set up by the Saverus organization.”

Everyone in the room, including Mama Jamba, turned and gawked at Hiker, shocked he would make such an observation and use so many technical terms.

He brought up his shoulders as he tensed from all the attention. “What?”

“Sir, that was quite the observation,” Sophia declared.

The leader of the Dragon Elite shrugged. “I have been studying up on things since the Thad business.” He pointed at the laptop Sophia had set up for him. “I have been reading things on this thing.”

“What you say makes a lot of sense,” Sophia began. “It sounds like this Saverus installed something into the cyborgs' brains to send them messages. Trin Currante figured out how to access it after getting rid of the organization. It goes to reason she figured out a lot more, like if there was a ‘kill switch’ of sorts. I’m guessing she has the main control panel for these cyborgs and can use it to her advantage.”

“Okay, now I’m back to being lost,” Hiker said. “I didn’t understand a lot of what you said.”

Sophia nodded sympathetically. He was trying, although Wilder still thought he was holding back a great deal of his strength. Sophia didn’t blame him.

“When this Trin Currante realized they were our prisoners,” Evan started, “she flipped the kill switch and ended them so they wouldn’t give up any information on her.”

“Thankfully, I think we figured out most of it before she cut them off,” Sophia said, still feeling heavy after witnessing the three men’s deaths.

Yes, they had been trespassers who served as a threat to the Dragon Elite, but they were humans. No matter if someone was good or not, witnessing their death should still take a toll on anyone who valued human life. Otherwise, what is the point of having a soul at all?

“Okay, so the first question,” Hiker said, his words came slowly as he worked things out in his mind. “We need to find out who this Saverus organization is and what they did.”

“They seem like a corrupt organization,” Sophia proclaimed.

“Yes, but I think what they created is somehow worse now. Understanding motivation is key, so we need to learn as much about the Saverus as possible.” He turned his attention to Wilder. “I want you to go and dig up as much as you can about this place.”

Wilder gave him a reluctant expression. “Although I would like to, sir—”

Hiker threw his hands to his head. “Don’t tell me you have a mission for Subner. Not now.”

Wilder bit his lip as his gaze fell to the floor. “Okay, I won’t tell you anything.”

“He has to go,” Mama Jamba sang, still swaying by the windows and dancing to the music in her head.

Hiker spun to face the woman. “What are you going on about?”

Unhurried, she turned and pointed at Wilder. “He has a mission, and the timing is awful for us. But he must do it.”

Hiker glanced between Wilder and Mama Jamba and shook his head. “Our home has been invaded. Nearly destroyed. It’s only holding up now because you took pity on us, Mama.”

“It wasn’t pity,” she amended. “I simply did what had to be done to save my riders. At the end of the day, though, you will have to save yourself. I just bought you some time. I get you need every available person for this and you are not working with much. But son, now you are working with less.”

“Less?” Hiker questioned. “I have one rider who can hardly move, let alone ride.” He pointed at Evan, who grimaced, holding his side.

“I’m good, sir,” he said. “I can ride as long there is no wind, and Coral moves slowly. And there are no complications. And I’m heavily drugged.”

“You see!” Hiker bellowed, turned back to Mama Jamba. “And there is Mahkah. He lost fingers.”

Mama Jamba offered the rider a sympathetic expression. “I’m sorry about that. But no one ever said you needed all your digits to get a job done.”

“I can help, sir,” Mahkah offered. “I’m happy to go on a reconnaissance mission for you.”

Hiker waved him off, still glaring at Mama Jamba. “I have got to figure out what is wrong with the Castle and fix it, so I can fix my riders. I have to find out everything on this Trin Currante, Saverus, and what their connection is. And then we’ve got to get back our egg. Not to mention, we’ve got to guard this place when the Barrier comes down.”

Mama Jamba shook her head and clicked her tongue. “You have got your work cut out for you, son. I’m not sure why you are here going on about things when you have so much to do.”

“Because,” he complained, throwing his arm back in Wilder’s direction. “You are telling me it’s okay one of my riders has a mission he has to go off on, and I’m certain I can’t know a thing about it.”

Mama glanced at Wilder before shaking her head. “No, it’s better if you don’t. If no one does. But yes, you have got to lose your rider for a bit. Adapt, Hiker. Move on.”

Sophia drew her gaze to Wilder, studying how he fidgeted nervously and wasn’t even listening to Hiker and Mama Jamba’s discussion. He had been preoccupied all through the meeting. Now she knew why.

He was setting off on another mission for Subner, the Protector of Weapons. She understood having to keep secrets, as she had to do when recovering the Complete History of Dragonriders or digging up information about Hiker, Ainsley, and the Dragon Elite. However, that didn’t make it any easier to be kept in the dark.

She wanted to know Wilder’s secrets, to be a part of them and help.

“Are you even listening, Sophia?” Hiker called to her.

She jerked her head up, blinking to attention. “What is that?”

He sighed dramatically. “Of course. Now I have another rider who doesn’t pay attention. I asked if you would investigate the McAfee.”

She nodded automatically. “Yes, of course.”

“I don’t know what is on that ship,” he went on. “And even if you are on the McAfee, it doesn’t mean you will be safe. The Pond is unpredictable.”

“What else can you tell me about the McAfee?” Sophia asked.

Hiker shook his head. “Nothing. It is apparently a ship that can sail on the Pond, which I have yet to see. This is all brand-new information to me, but it might have been included in the Complete History of Dragonriders. I’m not sure.”

He gave her a pointed expression, knowing she had possession of the book. Sophia hadn’t even had a chance to crack the book open, and she didn’t think that would change anytime soon.

“It’s a very strange ship,” Evan said, looking out the windows at the Pond. “I wonder who it belongs to.”

“It was Quiet’s ship,” Sophia told him. “I know that much.”

Hiker lifted his chin and gave her a skeptical expression. “How do you know that?”

“Oh,” she said, sucking in a breath and realizing she hadn’t filled them in on everything. “Well, I saw a painting above Quiet’s bed when I was—”

“How were you in his room?” Hiker asked. “I have never seen it.”

“Nor ever even been in the servant's wing,” Evan added.

“That area of the Castle is open now. I went to give Quiet the antidote,” Sophia explained.

“So, will he be joining us soon?” Hiker demanded.

So much had happened with the battle and Trin Currante and the egg being stolen. Sophia hadn’t had time to explain everything she had been up to. She briefly explained about Queen Anastasia Crystal and the antidote and needing to learn Quiet’s real name. When she was done, everyone was quiet for a long moment.

Finally, Hiker turned and looked straight at Mama Jamba. “You know what Quiet’s name is, don’t you?”

“And you know I’m not sharing it,” she answered.

He sighed. “Of course, you are not.”

“If that man wants to share his name, he will,” Mama Jamba declared. “It’s not my job to do so, and doing so will change everything for him.”

“How?” Hiker demanded at once.

She wagged a finger at him. “Oh, no. I’m not giving spoilers, you know that.”

The Viking rolled his eyes at her. “Fine. So, the McAfee is Quiet’s ship. How did it get to the Pond, and how can it sail on those waters when I have never seen a ship out there? I didn’t think anything could survive. That has always been part of our protection for the northern border.”

Sophia glanced out the bank of windows at the bobbing ship. It was a beautiful sight. “Which brings up so many other questions, like how did Trin Currante know that ship could get through the northern border? Or how to find it?”

“All questions Quiet could answer for us if he was coherent,” Hiker grumbled.

“Oh, and if we could understand a word he said ever,” Evan joked.

“Which also begs the question of how Trin Currante found out how to bring down the Barrier or what she did to the Castle and did she do something to Quiet to make him sick,” Sophia mused, the different questions streaming through her head rapidly. That morning, she had discussed with Hiker the theory she had about Quiet being poisoned. They had started to put some things into place to ensure it didn’t happen to any of the rest of them. The strategy didn’t make Hiker comfortable, but he had gone along with it, showing some flexibility.

Hiker chewed on his lip. “There is a lot we don’t know for sure. I want answers, and I want them soon. Mahkah, you go and research this Saverus organization. Find out as much as you can about what the company did and what happened to them and how Trin Currante could be controlling the cyborgs they created.” Hiker turned his attention to Evan. “I want you to…go and help Ainsley. She is disoriented and trying to care for Quiet and keep this place running, which is still falling apart.”

“Sir, really?” Evan mumbled. “Help the housekeeper? You remember I’m a dragonrider, right?”

“Barely. But Ainsley isn’t right,” Hiker said. “And you can’t really leave, can you?”

Evan sighed dramatically. “Fine, but when this flesh wound is healed, I’m going to go on a real mission.”

“Your spleen was filleted like a fish,” Mama Jamba corrected. “Get rest, dear Evan, or you will rupture and bleed to death.”

It was not what the dragonrider wanted to hear, but he nodded reluctantly.

Hiker drew his gaze to Sophia. “You know what to do. Gather clues so we can go after that dragon egg. The longer it remains outside our borders, the further from our grasp it will get.”

Chapter Three

Mama Jamba was waiting for Sophia when she left Hiker’s office. She had that look about her when she was up to something, which was almost always.

“Walk with me, dear,” the old woman said, making for the stairs.

Since one didn’t argue with Mother Nature, unless they were Hiker Wallace, Sophia did as she was told. She had been about to take off for the Pond to investigate the McAfee.

Mama Jamba halted at the top of the stairs, which were still missing sections, the cool air from the bottom floor wafting up through the various holes. The others had tried to use renovation magic to fix the stairs or other hazardous areas. They had tried magic wherever they could to fix the Castle, but none of it worked. Before the Castle wouldn’t allow them to change things using spells, and even now it needed their help, that rule still seemed to be in place.

Mama Jamba paused and glared down at the broken set of stairs. “Oh, this is simply getting annoying.” She waved her withered hand at the old staircase, and it was repaired immediately, looking brand new.

“That is better,” Mama Jamba said with a sigh, gliding her hand along the railing as she hurried down. Sophia tested the first stair before following her to the entryway.

The ancient woman swept her hands back and forth as she made her way for the kitchen, repairing furniture and putting the chandelier back on the ceiling. “I mean, I don’t like to do everything for my children, but I can only live in squalor for so long.”

“Is this when you are going to tell me what is wrong with the Gullington so I can fix it?” Sophia asked, chancing the question although she sensed it was useless.

Right on cue, Mama Jamba gave her a sideways smile and a wink. “Nice try, darling. No, I’m afraid I can’t give you any more help than I have.”

“Will you at least tell me how to get Quiet to tell me his real name?” Sophia asked. “If he dies while I have the antidote, well, it just seems so ridiculous and unnecessary.”

Mama Jamba stopped in front of the kitchen. “Honey, his blood won’t be on your hands if he decides to die rather than come out with his truth.” She looked out one of the windows running along the side of the dining hall, which looked remarkably better than it had a few moments prior. A fondness crossed over her face as she stared out at the green rolling hills. “Quiet has been a very devoted servant to this place, and I would be sad to lose him. However, a mother’s job is to bring children into the world, teach them the best we can, and let them make their own decisions. Nobody should ever be forced into anything. Otherwise, the results will never be what you expected.”

Sophia sighed, used to getting this type of advice from Mother Nature. She wasn’t sure how it would help her. She had a cure that would fix Quiet, and maybe he could figure out what was wrong with the Gullington and help fix it. He would be able to shine some light on this McAfee business. She was scared to board the ship, not knowing what she would find or if the Pond would capsize the boat. Maybe the pirates had used a special spell to get the boat to cooperate on the waters of the Pond. None of her postulating mattered because Quiet was laid up in his bed, being stubborn, not giving away any secrets, and refusing to take the antidote.

“Mama Jamba, I know you won’t overstep boundaries in most cases,” Sophia began, deciding to try one more time. “Like you have fixed things here in the Castle for us, don’t you think, just this once, you can tell me how to get Quiet to share his name? At least give me a hint?”

Mother Nature’s bright periwinkle eyes were piercing when she looked at Sophia. “Oh, I have always liked your persistence. It’s one of your best and most irritating qualities. But that is the thing about our children. You know what the poet, Kahlil Gibran said on the subject of children?”

Sophia shook her head, never even having heard the poet’s name before.

“He is one of Quiet’s favorites,” Mama Jamba offered. “One of mine too. I remember when that man was born, a new shade of rose started growing that day. Quite remarkable the things humans do to this Earth in all the right ways, wrong ones too, unfortunately.”

Mama Jamba closed her eyes, pulling in a breath. “Anyway, Kahlil wrote a poem on children. It reminds me of you. Of Quiet.” She opened her eyes and began reciting the poem from memory:

“You may give them your love but not your thoughts,

For they have their own thoughts.

You may house their bodies but not their souls,

For their souls’ dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.

You may strive to be like them but seek not to make them like you.

For life goes not backward nor tarries for yesterday.”

“Thanks for that,” Sophia said, enjoying the poem without knowing what to do with it.

Mama Jamba gave her a knowing look. “Oh, you are disappointed, aren’t you, dear?”

Sophia slumped immediately, defeat tunneling in her mind and heart. She couldn’t hide the expression on her face, but even if she could, Mama Jamba would have seen through her façade. “I love poetry. I really do. But I’m not sure how that helps me right now as I try to help Quiet, and the Gullington, and recover the lost egg, not to mention defeat enemies who we know so little about. I guess I just wished you would tell me something specific, but I know you work through love and in mysterious ways.”

“Well, like Kahlil Gibran so well said, I can give you my love but not my thoughts. And I can house your body, but not your soul.” The old woman directed a finger at the cold, dark fireplace, and flames jumped to life, filling the room with warmth and light. “Now, that is better. There was a chill in the air before. Anyway, I wanted to check on Ainsley and Evan to ensure they are getting along. Do you want to pop into the kitchen with me?”

Sophia wanted to say no and wallow around in her frustration that her greatest assets were the strongest entities in the world, and they refused to directly give her information. Instead, she reluctantly nodded.

Mama Jamba smiled politely. “Well, then follow me. If anything, this will be of great entertainment.”

Sophia followed the woman to the swinging door.

Mama Jamba pressed her backside into the door and paused before stepping into the kitchen, a thoughtful expression on her face. “The reason I can’t reveal more obviously is that I can’t tell you how to think. You have got to figure this out on your own. But also, it wouldn’t matter if I did. If you want Quiet to reveal his name, you must find that which houses his soul, and I’m not that, as the poem so accurately explained.”

Sophia nodded slowly, putting together all of Mama Jamba’s strange words. She recognized Mama had eloquently told her what she was looking for, without doing so. She had done as she always intended and gave her children the information while letting them decide for themselves.

Chapter Four

“That is not where that goes,” Ainsley scolded when Mama Jamba and Sophia entered the kitchen.

The housekeeper was seated on a stool in the corner and slumped against the wall, her color pale and her hair dull. Sophia hadn’t seen her that day and was shocked at how much she had changed. Whatever spark the Castle had been putting in the shapeshifter to keep her alive had dimmed. Ainsley was alive, though, and that was what mattered most.

Evan lifted a large platter and placed it on a middle shelf. “Here?”

Ainsley shook her head. “You are messing with me now, aren’t you, Cracker Jack?”

Hiding a grin, Evan put the platter on the floor. “Oh, I get it. You want it here.”

The housekeeper narrowed her eyes at Evan before directing her gaze to the two women standing in the entrance to her kitchen. “He really is insufferable. I think it would be better if you just invite the sheep in off the Expanse to help me.”

Mama Jamba shook her head, striding into the kitchen and making straight for a basket of fruit on the center aisle. “Don’t be silly, dear Ainsley. We both know sheep have horrible organizational skills. I wouldn’t so much as trust one to fold my socks.”

Sophia was about to laugh when she realized the strange old woman wasn’t joking.

“Okay, I’m done putting away the clean dishes,” Evan said. “What would you have me do next?”

Ainsley appeared so listless it hurt Sophia’s heart. The elf leaned her head against the wall and looked ready to pass out at any moment. “Chop up the onion. If you use magic to do it, remember it will burn your eyes a bit more than if you used manual means.”

The kitchen was in better shape than Sophia had seen it when she and Wilder first discovered Ainsley screaming about all the rotten food right after everything had happened with the Castle and the Gullington. Quiet had gotten sick, and Ainsley had started to degrade.

Mama Jamba said Ainsley would be okay for a week or so if she didn’t exert herself, and she must stay in the Castle no matter what. This meant Evan would be doing all the cooking since Hiker didn’t trust any outside food sources.

Since they had discovered Quiet might have been poisoned, all the food would be bought from extra secure sources through the House of Fourteen and prepared in house. That had been the new strategy Sophia got him to try this morning. She hoped it was the beginning of a whole new era for the leader of the Dragon Elite but didn’t want to bet on it.

“Onion…onion…” Evan said, looking at the basket of vegetables delivered that morning through the portal connecting the Castle to the House of Fourteen. Sophia had only to send a quick message to her brother to get a crate of supplies. She explained she’d fill him and the others in on more soon, but to keep any information about the Gullington secret. The last thing they needed was Bianca Mantovani and Lorenzo Rosario getting wind of this and making a case that the Dragon Elite was a liability.

“It’s the white orb looking thing, dear,” Mama Jamba offered, pulling a box of vanilla wafers from the pantry and opening them up. “You should make banana pudding for dessert.”

Evan picked up the onion and pulled his sword from his sheath, a dazzling glint in his eyes. “Sure, but first, I have to chop this. Do you want it sliced, diced, or what?”

“First of all,” Ainsley said, holding out a hand to Mama Jamba for a vanilla wafer, “if you use a sword in my kitchen to do anything besides slaughter demons or murderous villains I will make your life hell when I recover. Secondly, banana pudding never goes over well when I make it.”

“No sword, huh?” Evan asked, sheathing his weapon and looking around. “How do you expect me to chop this?”

Mama Jamba pointed to the cutting board. “Try a knife, dear.” She handed Ainsley a handful of cookies. “Maybe Evan will have beginner’s luck with his banana pudding.”

Ainsley was not happy with this answer as she nibbled on the cookie.

“Can I get you anything, Ains?” Sophia asked. She had never felt so helpless. Ainsley was degrading, Evan was injured, Mahkah missing a body part, and Quiet was in and out of a coma.

The housekeeper pulled an apron from the wall and threw it at Evan. “Put this on and wash your hands, would you?” She directed her attention to Sophia. “No, thank you, S. Beaufont. I mean, if you could make this awful flu or whatever it is go away, that would be welcome. I don’t understand why I had to catch this bug at the most inopportune time.”

Sophia nodded sympathetically and caught the knowing expression in Mama Jamba’s eyes. They both knew Ainsley had fallen ill because the Castle had been keeping her alive all this time, but the housekeeper didn’t know. Or if she did, she immediately forgot.

Evan tied the apron around his waist, trying to be a good sport about his new job reassignment. “Okay, chop onions. Then what?”

“Then marinate and braise the lamb chops, knead the bread and start it rising, dice the potatoes, soak the greens, make the banana pudding, and clean up after yourself when you are done,” Ainsley listed, sliding off the stool and tottering for the door.

“Wait, what?” Evan called to her. “What did you say after ‘marinate the roast?’”

Ainsley gave him an amused expression at the door. “You will figure it out, or you won’t. Either way, I will be there to critique your cooking as you have so thoughtfully done for me for one-hundred-long-years. I’m going to go and take a nap if I can figure out where my room is. I sleep in the basement, right?”

Sophia shook her head. “No, that is where we keep the prisoners…if they haven’t been killed remotely by their mysterious leader,” she said morbidly as she took Ainsley’s hand. “I will take you to your room and fetch you before dinner.”

“Thanks, S. Beaufont,” the elf said, managing a smile before glancing back at Evan. “Oh, and remember the laundry hanging on the line needs to come in, the bedrooms need to be cleaned, and the sheep need to be let out.”

“Let out of what?” Evan asked, scratching the side of his head with the tongs of a fork.

Ainsley shrugged. “I’m not sure. That is Quiet’s job. But I’m certain he lets the sheep out every day.”

“Why? And where to?” Evan questioned.

“Well, maybe so they don’t get wet or cold or something,” Ainsley said dismissively, obviously trying to get out of there and to bed.

“Dear Ainsley, you do know the sheep are made of wool and can withstand cold and rain, right?” Mama Jamba asked, wrapping up the bag of wafers and putting them on a high shelf like she was trying to keep them out of her reach, so she didn’t eat too many at once.

Ainsley seemed to consider this before shrugging again, disinterested. “Whatever. Figure out what Quiet does and do that too, Evan. And know no matter how hard you work and how pure your intentions are to do a great job, it will never meet Hiker Wallace’s expectations, and he will grunt and refuse you any gratitude.”

Evan sighed, a smile still on his undeterred face. “Thanks for the motivation. That really helps.”

Chapter Five

After tucking Ainsley into bed, Sophia slid through the narrow passageway that led to Quiet’s room. She was hoping she could convince him to give her his real name. When she arrived in his modest room, she found him fast asleep and didn’t have the heart to wake him.

How many centuries had he tirelessly cared for the Gullington doing whatever he did? No one seemed to know what that was when they had discussed divvying up tasks at the meeting. Without the groundskeeper and housekeeper, everyone was going to have to pitch in a little bit. Quiet always had dirt on his hands and clothes, and his nose was usually blistering red from being outside, but what he did was a mystery.

“We will be sure to let the sheep out for you,” Sophia said in a whisper, that heavy feeling lingering again in her chest.

She glanced around the room, looking for any clues to tell her what his name could be. Maybe like Rhett Wren, he had it embroidered into one of his garments. Sophia almost laughed, thinking of the ridiculousness of such a thing.

Besides, there wasn’t anything in the room. Just a bed, a side table, a sleeping gnome, and an old painting of a ship.

The McAfee.

Sophia had to go there next to find answers. Hopefully, she’d learned something about Trin Currante and her band of cyborg pirates. More than anything, Sophia hoped she found something to help her convince Quiet to give her his name. What had Mama Jamba said?

“If you want Quiet to reveal his name, you must find that which houses his soul…”

“Yeah, that doesn’t seem hard,” Sophia muttered to herself as she left the gnome to sleep in peace.

* * *

Lunis met Sophia on the Expanse, which was still covered in brown grass. It wasn’t dying like before, but it wasn’t coming back.

“The dragons really don’t know what is happening to the Gullington?” Sophia asked her dragon when he glided down from the Cave to land smoothly beside her.

Lunis folded his wings into his body and stared serenely across the grounds of the Expanse. Many assume that because we are the most powerful magical creature in the world—predating most others, that we know all the answers to problems.

“Based on what you just said, I would say that is a pretty astute assumption.”

Well, we aren’t all-knowing creatures, he corrected, giving her a snotty expression. Sometimes he took on a regal look most of the other dragons in the Cave shared. Sophia knew his real demeanor was closer to a playful teddy bear.

“Okay, well, do you limited-knowing creatures have any ideas?” Sophia asked.

Yes, the Gullington has been cursed.

Sophia threw up her hands, exasperated. “Well, the investigation is over, everyone. We can get back to our lives. The dragons have figured out what we all failed to see. The Gullington has been cursed. Thanks, Lunis.”

The critical expression on his face deepened. Your sarcasm is echoing across the grounds.

Sophia smirked. “I figured the sheep might enjoy the joke.”

He shook his head. They have zero sense of humor.

“Wow,” Sophia said in mock sympathy. “No organization skills and no humor. Sounds like my algebra tutor growing up.”

Why a child with more magical power than a clan of old magicians had to take math is beyond my comprehension, the dragon offered.

“In case this magician thing fell through, I could get an accounting job,” Sophia joked.

You would make a horrible accountant.

“Because my math skills are so awful?” she asked, checking the saddle strapped around him and tightening the buckles.

Because you wear color and have funny jokes, he quipped.

“Save your accounting jokes for Rory, the giant,” Sophia said. “He will appreciate them.”

Even though he is no longer an accountant? Lunis questioned.

“Especially so,” she answered.

I was going to make writing jokes about him at our next meeting.

“Oh?” she asked, affectionately running her hands over his blue scales.

What do you get when you cross a writer with a deadline? Lunis asked.

“What?”

A really clean house.

“Ba-dum-THS,” Sophia said, not laughing.

I have a lot more where that came from, Lunis told her proudly.

“Although I would love to hear them, I have to go and investigate that mysterious ship over there.” Sophia pointed at the McAfee.

I suppose you want a lift, then? he pretended to ask.

She patted her dragon, enjoying the warmth that spread over her from their every interaction. They had a spark, which had brought them together and chemistry that would keep them united for all their lives.

It was that elusive thing people look for all their lives, most never finding it because they settled for the practical, the safe and easy, the opposite of what Sophia and Lunis’ life was.

“I would never think of you as a simple lift like some Uber driver,” Sophia said, stepping onto the wing her dragon extended and climbing into the saddle.

If I were an Uber driver, I would have an exemplary rating and would be charming, asking my fare thoughtful questions to learn more about them.

With the slightest of intentions, Sophia directed Lunis into the air. He took off after a few steps, gracefully gliding off the cliff edge next to the Nest, where the dragon eggs were safe once more. The wind tangled Sophia’s hair back as her heart rose in her throat. Lunis took a sharp dive and barreled to the water’s surface. He pulled up inches away, gliding along the Pond, almost blending into the blue waters.

“What would you ask?” Sophia questioned, her voice barely audible over the rushing wind.

Well, it depends on where I was taxiing people.

“Fair enough,” Sophia said, studying the McAfee anchored in the distance. “Let’s say you were taking people around Edinburgh.”

Oh, good, I’m staying local in Scotland, he began, a hint of mischief in his voice. I guess I have many questions for the Scots I would like answered.

“Oh?” she pretended to ask. She knew Lunis could sense her stress about boarding the mysterious ship and was doing everything he could to make her feel better.

Yes, I mean, I obviously want to know what they wear under their kilts.

“You live in a Cave in Scotland with a bunch of dragons who belong to male riders,” Sophia replied. “How do you not know that answer, or can’t you find out?”

Lunis scoffed. How uncivilized do you think we are?

“I once saw you eat a calf without hardly chewing,” she fired back.

That is different, he stated. We mind our boundaries. You wouldn’t want me telling them your personal business. Like about that one thing—

“There is no thing,” she interrupted.

There is a thing, he said, knowingness in his voice as he pulled up near the McAfee. The reason for the chaotic winds on the Expanse. But we don’t have to discuss it. Just know that I know there is a thing.

“Anyway,” she drew out the word. “Other questions for unsuspecting Scottish people who have chosen to take Dragon Lyft?”

Right, he chirped, circling over the top of the ship and giving Sophia a chance to survey the area around it and the deck. Well, I want to know why they sound so angry when they talk?

“That could just be Hiker,” she said with a laugh as she scanned the ship for any clues. It was abandoned, she knew that much.

Yeah, Wilder doesn’t have that same disgruntled quality to his voice, Lunis offered. I would also like to know why they are physically incapable of saying the word ‘Carl’ or the number ‘six.’

“Is that a thing?” Sophia asked, wondering why the McAfee appeared in such pristine condition. It was a very old ship, according to the painting on Quiet’s wall, if it was his ship, and he had been at the Gullington for several centuries. The ship below them appeared brand new if one ignored the old craftmanship style of the decoration around the outside and balustrades.

Ask them to say those words, he suggested. You will see. I would also like to know what the deal is with haggis and whether it is a form of currency.

“I think they use pounds,” she replied.

Finally, I want to know if they can introduce me to David Tennant.

“Because…”

Because all Scottish people know each other, right? Lunis laughed at his own joke. But seriously, like who wouldn’t want to meet the tenth Doctor. He is my favorite.

“You are very strange,” she remarked, steering Lunis closer to the ship’s deck.

Sophia would have to plan her dismount just right since Lunis couldn’t land on the surface of the ship. Once her feet hit the deck, she wanted to be ready to fight or defend herself from whatever magical force was on board or what the Pond might decide to do.

Chapter Six

Sophia tensed as soon as her boots touched the deck of the ship. She paused, crouched down low, and took note of the sounds, smells, and sights around her.

The boat rocked on the choppy waters of the Pond. With the winds up lately, the usually calm waters were full of white caps and made the ship bob from side to side.

Nothing charged out of the water and tried to lob her head off, so she rose slowly, her eyes constantly scanning.

I need to find something that houses Quiet’s soul, she said to Lunis in her mind.

His shadow cast over the ship and waters as he flew close by, ready to swoop down and get her if a sea monster sprang out of the water.

I’m not sure if Mama Jamba was being literal when she said that, he offered.

I hope not, Sophia told him. I mean, we aren’t supposed to part from our souls, I thought.

That is true, usually, but think of it this way, Lunis began. Parts of your soul can be in things. In the work you do, the ones you love, the places you value most. Maybe you can find a clue on board of what that is for Quiet.

Sophia thought she should go down to the lower decks first. It seemed the most logical place to find clues.

And you think, Sophia began, taking a few steps and pausing to see if her movement triggered any attacks. If I find something related to his soul, it might encourage him to share his name?

I think Mama Jamba told you to find what houses his soul for an important reason, Lunis answered. Motivation is key, and right now, Quiet would rather die than give up a seemingly simple thing. You need to remind him of what he’s got to live for. Find it and show it to him, and make him want to live regardless of whatever circumstances will come about after you learn his name.

Sophia scratched her head at the stairs that descended below deck.

It’s strange that a name could be of such importance, she said to her dragon.

And yet, if you would have called me the wrong one when we first met formally, you couldn’t have been my rider, he explained. A name holds incredible power, as do words in general. I’m guessing whatever Quiet’s real one is, it tells his secret and also might be the source of his power. Maybe you knowing it will be his very undoing.

Then why would Queen Anastasia Crystal make it a requirement for the antidote to work? Sophia asked, taking the first step on the dark staircase.

Good point, Lunis agreed. She did seem fond of the gnome.

Well, he saved her people, Sophia said. A very Quiet-like thing to do.

Right, so there is another reason she requires that information for the antidote to work, Lunis remarked.

Sophia sighed. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone just told us the intentions behind the riddle-like stuff they do?

Lunis laughed. Where would the fun in that be?

Obviously, that is what this is all about, Sophia answered. Make everything as confusing and mysterious as possible for the newbie dragonrider, so she gets a headache trying to solve riddle filled missions.

I’m sure that is the conversation they all secretly have about you, Lunis chuckled.

Sophia was about to respond when she passed a room that stole her attention. She halted in the doorway and braced herself as the boat rocked back and forth. When it calmed, she pulled in a breath, mesmerized.

The room in front of her wasn’t like one she had seen before. It was a complete duplicate of Hiker Wallace’s office.

Chapter Seven

Everything before Sophia was the same as in Hiker’s office in the Castle when it wasn’t in disrepair. The windows lining the side of the ship were the same arched type that faced the Pond, and the large desk sitting on the far-left side of the room was exactly like Hiker’s. It even had the same logbook on one corner. Even more surprising than the leather couch and books on one wall, all duplicates of the ones in the Castle, was the globe next to the windows.

Tentatively, Sophia took a step into the room and grasped this would have been the Captain’s quarters, Quiet’s private space.

Sophia hesitated before running her fingers over the globe. She rotated the orb on the axis, bringing it around until Scotland was in view.

Because everything appeared the same as the Castle, she half expected to find five red dots blinking on the surface indicating the dragonriders located currently at the Gullington. There was only one dot, and it was labeled The McAfee.

Sophia studied the globe for a minute longer, thinking she might find other clues on it, but other than the location of the ship, there didn’t seem to be anything else magical about it.

Turning her attention to the books, Sophia stepped along the shelves, not searching for anything but allowing her gaze to run over the spines. The volumes on the shelf were old. Really old. Although everything was in pristine condition, it all looked like it was from a millennium ago.

Sophia hoped to find a book of poetry on the shelves, but the clue she was looking for wasn’t going to be that obvious.

Going over to the desk, Sophia opened the logbook, eager to find something helpful. Maybe Quiet’s name, she thought.

There was one thing different about the gnome’s office versus Hiker’s. Beside his desk was a display case, and its location seemed to denote its importance. On a stand next to the captain’s desk, the box-shaped case was glass on all sides, except the bottom where a red velvet pillow sat. Sitting on the top of the velvet was nothing.

Sophia stared at the empty display case for a whole minute, wondering what could have been held inside the approximately two by two box. There didn’t appear to be any foul play. It hadn’t been broken open, but whatever had been inside was gone.

Maybe it’s invisible, Lunis offered.

Sophia shook her head. I don’t think so, but that is always something to keep in mind.

For as pristine as everything was on the ship, all the writing in the logbook was blurred as if it had suffered water damage, but the pages weren’t warped as if they had gotten wet and dried.

Magic had no doubt been used to blur the writing, which might have given her clues.

She pulled open the desk drawer and rummaged through it, finding several things that could have given her the captain of the McAfee’s name. An engraved lighter. A set of receipts. A picture of the crew with Quiet standing in the front, all the names written on the back.

On everything, the name that would have belonged to Quiet was blurred.

Sophia sighed. Why did the sweet little gnome have to be so revoltingly annoying about this?

She studied the picture, looking over the faces of the men who stood behind Quiet. They were all magicians or elves. It was a strange picture, with the small gnome standing in command in front of them.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to see the groundskeeper hadn’t aged a day. It was common for magical races to age slowly. Dragonriders lived the longest and aged very slowly. The Castle was obviously responsible, but the Dragon Elite weren’t immune from growing old. Adam Rivalry’s portrait in the Gullington was a testament to that, displaying him with a face full of wrinkles and long white hair and beard. At age eight hundred, he looked considerably well.

The fact Quiet hadn’t aged at all in one-thousand years was a bit harder to believe. She remembered Ainsley from when she went back to the reset point. She still looked the same too.

There was something about the Castle that kept those two the same.

But how? And why?

Sophia stuck the photo back into the drawer, having found nothing else of interest in the desk.

She was about to give up her search in the Captain’s office when she noticed the corner of a piece of parchment peeking out from under a rug.

Sophia bent to retrieve a letter. The flowery handwriting of the note was hard to read at first, like that of old English. After a moment, Sophia’s eyes adjusted to the strangeness of the handwriting, and she was able to make out what it said. It was addressed to Quiet. To Sophia’s disappointment, it was addressed to him using his nickname.

Sophia guessed he had that nickname from before he joined the Dragon Elite. It appeared even centuries ago the gnome had been soft-spoken.

She pulled in a breath, feeling the first bit of hope since coming aboard the McAfee this letter might hold a clue.

The letter read:

Dearest Quiet,

I hope your travels are treating you well. As your mum, I would be proud of you no matter what. Such is the prerogative of a mother. Nothing makes me happier than to know you have followed in your father’s footsteps, deciding to sail the Seven Seas on this beautiful Earth.

This would make your father so very proud. I know losing your beloved father has been as difficult on you as it was on me. Each day brings its challenges, but I’m certain you feel this more acutely, looking out at the waters he once sailed himself.

I have decided you should have your father’s most prized possession. I think it will steer you in the right direction when you are lost. Not like the compass you hold so dearly shows you the navigational routes of the McAfee.

Sometimes the best way to find a path when we are lost is to listen to our hearts. I have enclosed your father’s captain’s hat. When you forget your way, forget who you are or why you have taken this path, look at your father’s hat. It will remind you of who you are.

The sea was your father’s heart and soul. I suspect it will be yours too.

May your father’s captain’s hat house your soul on the days you need shelter, and on the days you don’t, I hope it reminds you of your purpose. We all need a reminder of why we serve, and this one will be yours, son.

With All My Love,

Your Mum

The hat, Sophia thought, jerking her head up to the empty display case.

Houses his soul, Lunis said, having seen everything Sophia had inside the ship. Just like Mama Jamba said.

Yeah, she wondered. That can’t be an accident. Quiet’s mum had said the hat would house his soul when he needed shelter. That is what I need to give Quiet to remind him of who he is and why he can’t give up. If I can give him back his father’s captain's hat, I’m certain he will give me his real name.

Her eyes rested on the empty velvet next to Quiet’s desk as Lunis echoed her thoughts.

Now we just have to find out where that hat is and get it back.

Chapter Eight

Sophia had more of a pep in her step as she strode into the Castle that evening. A strange aroma that smelled of an odd combination of spices and burned meat hit her nose when she entered the dining hall. Mahkah, who was already seated at the table, seemed to share the skeptical feeling she was having about that night’s dinner.

She offered him a tamed smile. “If nothing else, I think I have a stash of protein bars in my room. I will share them with you.”

He nodded appreciatively. “Thank you.”

“Oh, good,” Hiker said, stomping into the dining area. “This place looks a little more normal.”

Mama Jamba had fixed quite a bit of the dining area, making it a bit more pleasant than before. Sophia hoped that Mama had taken pity on her and fixed her bed, which wasn’t usable in its current form with the canopy having broken down onto the mattress.

“What have you all learned during your investigations?” Hiker asked, taking his normal seat, but testing the chair before putting his full weight into it. When he was certain it wasn’t going to break, he relaxed and let out a breath.

“The Saverus organization was shut down by one of its own subjects,” Mahkah started. “I will need more time to research things, but we are definitely on the right track.”

Hiker nodded appreciatively to Mahkah as Ainsley walked past the dining hall for the front door.

“And Sophia, what have you—”

The leader of the Dragon Elite paused when the housekeeper turned and ambled the other way again, appearing lost.

“Ainsley,” Hiker called.

The elf poked her head around the corner, a perplexed expression on her face. “Who?” she asked.

“Ainsley,” he repeated, enunciating her name.

She glanced over her shoulder. “There is no one else out here but me, sir.”

“I’m talking to you,” he said sternly.

Her mouth popped open. “Oh, I’m Ainsley. That makes sense. I thought I was an Angela or an Ansel, but Ainsley sounds right.”

Sophia looked at Hiker. The poor housekeeper was really losing it if she was having trouble remembering her name.

“Sorry to interrupt you all,” Ainsley began, curtseying in the doorway. “I’m looking for, well, I’m not sure actually. My stomach has been making weird noises, and I’m certain that means something.”

Hiker sighed. “Yes, you are hungry.”

“Oh, then I should eat!” Ainsley said, her face brightening.

“Yes, you should,” Hiker responded.

“Very well then,” Ainsley sang, working her arms back and forth like she was running but staying stuck in place. “That is what I will do.”

“Good idea,” he remarked as Mama Jamba came into the dining hall, stepping around Ainsley.

“Why are you just standing there?” Hiker asked Ainsley, who was eyeing the back of Mama Jamba’s head like she was an alien.

“I don’t know where else to stand,” Ainsley answered.

Irritation flared on the Viking’s face. “You shouldn’t stand at all. We sit when we eat.”

“Okay,” she chirped.

“So, take a seat,” Hiker ordered.

“Okay,” Ainsley repeated. The housekeeper sat on the floor.

Hiker covered his brow with his hand and shook his head. “No, Ainsley, at the table.”

“Oh, right,” she said, hurrying to push herself up from the floor. She took a seat at the far end of the table, opposite of the others, roughly twenty seats down.

Hiker rolled his eyes, dropping his chin. “With the rest of us.”

“Oh,” Ainsley said, sliding out of her seat. She paused before pulling out the chair next to Mama Jamba.

“What is it?” Sophia asked her, reading the sudden tension on her face.

Ainsley cupped her hand to the side of her mouth and whispered loudly. “That is Mother Nature, isn’t it?”

Sophia nodded. “Yes, and she is very nice, and you two are friends.”

The housekeeper’s eyes widened as she mouthed the word “friends.”

“Go on there, dear,” Mama Jamba encouraged, sliding her napkin into her lap just as Evan entered from the kitchen carrying a platter of roasted lamb chops. Sophia knew what it was supposed to be, but when he proudly laid it on the surface of the table, it was unclear what the hunks of meat were.

“What is that?” Hiker asked, tucking his own napkin into the collar of his shirt.

“Lamb chops!” Evan exclaimed excitedly.

“What was wrong with those lambs?” Hiker demanded.

The smile on Evan’s face dropped. “I tried my best, sir. A little appreciation would go a long way.” He turned and stormed back in the direction of the kitchen.

“Oh, that is right!” Ainsley yelled, throwing a single finger in the air. “I remember where I am. It’s coming back now.”

Mama Jamba patted the housekeeper on the shoulder. “I knew it would, dear. It always takes a bit after napping, but you will feel back to normal by dessert.”

“There will be dessert?” Hiker didn’t sound excited.

“Not if you don’t finish all your vegetables,” Evan said, buzzing through the swinging door in true Ainsley style. He was carrying a couple of steaming bowls and laid them down in front of Sophia and Mahkah.

The two exchanged tamed expressions of reluctance. Sophia knew what was supposed to be in the bowls, and yet, there was no reason the potatoes should be a bubbling purple paste or the roasted carrots should be moving around like little bugs in an aquarium.

“About your offer,” Mahkah whispered at Sophia’s shoulder.

She nodded, grateful she had stashed the protein bars for just such an occasion.

With a polite smile, Mama Jamba used a fork to poke one of the lamb chops. It jumped away from her fork, appearing hurt. “Dear Evan, did you by chance use magic to make this meal?”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodding proudly. “Why, yes. Eat up. And if you want seconds, there is a lot more where this came from.”

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Hiker choked.

“The thing about cooking with magic is the same with any skill,” Ainsley lectured, sounding more coherent than before. “You can’t do something with magic if you don’t know how to do it otherwise. At least you can’t do it well.”

“Oh,” Evan said, his smile fading. “Well, I don’t know how to cook real well, but I’m certain this is pretty good anyway.”

Hiker pushed away from the table, shaking his head. “I refuse to eat this. Would you fetch the bread?”

Everyone sat and waited.

After a moment, Hiker gave Evan a pointed expression.

The dragonrider pressed his hand to his chest, surprise on his face. “Oh, you mean, me, sir?”

“Of course, I mean you,” Hiker roared, his temper flaring.

Evan hurried back to the kitchen, throwing his hands up in the air. “A thank you wouldn’t kill you,” he grumbled under his breath.

Mama Jamba peered across the table at Sophia. “And so?”

The question hung in the air, catching Hiker’s attention.

Sophia smiled. “I found the house...”

Mama Jamba beamed. “Very good. You think you know where to find it?”

Sophia nodded. “I think I know who can tell me where to find it.”

Mother Nature’s eyes darted to Sophia’s hands resting on the table. “Yes, and the timing is perfect. Your nails look like they could use some polish.”

“What are you two going on about?” Hiker asked, lack of food making him grumpier than usual.

“Well,” Mama Jamba began. “As you know, Sophia is on a mission to fix Quiet. I think she is on the right track. Just a few side trips, and I’m certain she will have the gnome back to his old self.”

“Good,” Hiker grumbled. “I’m tired of having half my staff missing or incompetent.”

Sophia looked around the table and realized Wilder was gone too, obviously on his secret side quest assigned by Subner. It felt weird to be there without him. She had gotten used to him being beside her at most meals.

Evan pushed through the kitchen door carrying a basket of rolls he tried to pass off as bread. When he laid them on the table, Ainsley pushed back in her chair and doubled over with laughter.

Hiker didn’t at all appear amused. “What is that?”

“The bread you requested, sir,” Evan said dryly, narrowing his eyes at the housekeeper, who was still laughing uncontrollably.

“Why is it burned?” Hiker asked, eyeing the nearly black rolls.

“It’s fine,” Evan said, picking up one of the rolls along with a knife. “You just scrape off the outside.”

Hiker shook his head. “Would you get that out of here. Bring us…I don’t know, anything edible.”

“’Would You,’” Ainsley said, still laughing. “Someone has inherited my old name! Would You!”

Evan shook his head and grabbed the basket of burned bread. “I slave away for you lot, and this is the thanks I get. You know I don’t have to put up with this treatment—”

“Yes, you do,” Hiker interrupted.

Evan waved the basket of burned bread around. “I will have you know I’m a dragonrider. There is a good reason I don’t know how to do any of this stuff.”

“We must all learn to adapt,” Hiker commented dryly, looking around the table for something to eat. The only thing remotely close was the centerpiece of flowers, and Sophia wasn’t sure they weren’t poisonous, which was probably still better than the food Evan had served.

Ainsley continued to laugh as Mama Jamba pushed up from the table. “Well, you know, a little fasting is really good every now and then.” She stood and gave Hiker a pointed expression. “But I would like pancakes, so if you would do as I requested, Hiker, that would be for the best.”

He sneered, obviously not happy about whatever she was referring to. “I just don’t think—”

“What?” Mama Jamba interrupted. “Are you worried about someone breaking into the Gullington then?”

He tightened his fist on the table. “Mama we did discuss this and—”

“And I told you, as the one who is keeping the security up at the Gullington for the time being, that it will be fine,” Mama Jamba cut in.

Hiker growled. “But what if they—”

“Steal all your secrets?” she asked, interrupting again. “What if they help you and keep me from starving?”

He sighed. “You are a timeless being who can’t be killed.”

“That doesn’t mean I like going without my chocolate chip pancakes,” she fired back. “Now, I’m going to retire for an early night, but I look forward to a full breakfast tomorrow.” She turned for the exit. “You know what to do, Hiker, my dear.”

He yanked his napkin out of his collar and threw it on the table.

Sophia expected him to also get up from the table and storm off, so she was surprised when he looked at her and said, “I’m going to ask you to do something I never thought I would.”

She tilted her head to the side, nervous and intrigued. “Yes, sir?”

He cleared his throat. “I need you to ask your friends at the House of Fourteen for help.”

Chapter Nine

Sophia couldn’t believe what Hiker had asked her to do as she made her way to the area outside the Barrier. It was not something in a million years she expected to hear from the leader of the Dragon Elite.

Hiker Wallace was asking for help.

From outsiders.

Things had really changed.

It just went to show circumstances affected everything. Hunger affected people’s resolve, and when things got difficult, the strong were only as powerful as those they could call on for help. Thanks to Sophia, the Dragon Elite had a few new allies.

She had texted her sister Liv, sending the full request to her. Sophia half expected Liv to call her right away and ask if Hiker had lost his mind or been killed and impersonated by aliens.

Instead, Liv, who had seen many changes through tragedy and hardship, herself included, simply sent a message that read:

“I’m sorry the Dragon Elite has had it so rough. I will need a few hours to put everything into place. Meet me at the House at midnight.”

Sophia sent a confirmation as she crossed the Barrier.

The timing was perfect. Sophia had enough time to go and see Mae Ling and return by midnight to the Gullington.

She halted, recognizing an immediate problem. The last time she had visited her fairy godmother, it had been at Happily Ever After, the college for fairy godmothers. Since she hadn’t been accepted to the college, she couldn’t portal directly to the school, and she had broken the wax seal Mae Ling had sent for her to use last time.

Sophia stared out at the rolling green hills and considered her options. She started to think about returning to the Gullington when something wafted down from the sky.

As quickly as she could, she yanked Inexorabilis from her sheath and brandished the sword, ready to slice whatever it was. Her eyes narrowed on the small red shape. It was a round balloon drifting down to the ground. Attached to it by a string was a small blue bag.

Sophia had been cautioned about grabbing objects sent to her unexpectedly, but something told her this time it was okay. She jumped into the air, gaining more height than any normal magician would have on a good day. Her fingers grabbed the plastic bag and pulled it down with the red balloon.

Excited and nervous, she untied the red balloon from the package and let it drift off into the sky. She pulled a note from the package and opened it first.

Dear Sophia Beaufont,

It’s okay you released the balloon. It will pop and biodegrade within minutes.

Since you need a way to Happily Ever After, I have sent these macarons for you to use as portals. Simply take a bite, and it will transport you. I realize you are hungry, but only eat the one cookie since you will need the others for trips you take to see me. Don’t worry, I will have food for you when you arrive.

See you soon.

Love,

Mae Ling.

Sophia pulled open the bag, relief filling her as she smelled the sweet scent of the cookies. A much-needed treat and a way to get to her fairy godmother. Of course, Mae Ling knew she needed to see her and had sent a way. Having a fairy godmother who anticipated her needs was the best.

Maybe things were looking up.

She pulled a single blue macaron from the bag and took a bite, entering the strange portal to Happily Ever After College, a place she was more than happy to return to and explore after her last visit.

Chapter Ten

The Happily Ever After College was just as Sophia remembered, bright and colorful with the smell of baked goods and candy strong in the air. It was nighttime at fairy godmother school, wherever it was located.

The main building stood in the distance. The rainbow-striped runner started a few feet from where Sophia had portaled in and ran all the way up to the door. The windows of the building were all lit up, making her wonder if it was late evening, before bedtime.

The wind made the branches of the willow trees rattle and sent bits of pollen drifting on the breeze, looking like bits of cotton. Sophia reached out and ran her fingers through the long wispy branches, appreciating the fact she knew the woman these trees were named for, and she resided at this very school. Sophia liked the irony of her life lately and felt it was going to get even more so as she went on these adventures.

Sophia made for the pink front doors of Happily Ever After, enjoying how peaceful it felt on the grounds. Even the wind wasn’t bothersome to her as it tangled her hair.

She found Mae Ling waiting patiently for her when she entered the building. To Sophia’s surprise, the school didn’t appear to be winding down for the day. Women in their rainbow pleated skirts and pink blouses hustled down the long hallway, chatting excitedly. Many of them gave Sophia curious glances when she met her fairy godmother at the front of the school.

“Wow, you all have night classes?” Sophia asked, noticing most of the students were carrying their books and supplies with them as they moved through the hallway.

Mae Ling kept her eyes on Sophia as she shook her head. “We have classes at all hours of the day.”

“Oh, really?” Sophia asked with surprise. The smell of chocolate made her stomach rumble. The cookie had barely tided her over.

“Well, fairy godmothers don’t sleep, my dear,” Mae Ling explained.

“They don’t?” Sophia questioned, not having expected that. Even Mama Jamba slept. Actually, the woman was very strict about getting her beauty rest.

“Heavens no,” Mae Ling replied. “You wouldn’t want a fairy godmother who slept on the job, would you?”

Sophia considered this. “No, I guess not.”

Mae Ling held out her arm and directed Sophia to the back of the hallway. She followed, again studying all the interesting classrooms as she walked. Each was like a different artist paradise. There were different classrooms than before—one for making jewelry, the gemstones scattered on the workstations dazzling.

There was one for candle making, the scents spilling from the room competing with the smell of sweets in the air. The last one they passed before turning into an office was a nursery, with green plants monopolizing the space. Sophia caught sight of several exotic plants she had never seen before.

“Please make yourself comfortable,” Mae Ling said, holding out a hand to Sophia and presenting a chair on one side of a desk.

The chair was something Sophia would need to duplicate at some point. It was a large pink armchair with a high back that arched overhead, creating a small roof over the person seated in it. The tufted buttons that decorated the thing were brass, and the arms were round spirals. It was more of an art piece than a place to sit.

Sophia took a quick moment to explore the room and then slipped into the chair, enjoying its soft comfort immediately.

Mae Ling strode to the other side of the desk, which was neat and clean of papers. Only a MacBook sat in the center. The desk was like the rainbow-striped runner that ran down the hallway in front of the college, a menagerie of colors—each of the drawers a different bright hue of pink, pastel green, pale blue, sunshine yellow, and robust orange.

On top of the desk were whimsical images of stick figures and various shapes of hearts and suns. Also written in places were quotes like, “Life is Short” or “It’s All About You” or “Be Who You Will” or “Ain’t Life Great.”

Behind the desk sat a chair identical to the one Sophia was sitting in.

Like the outside of the college and hallway, the office had an interesting dichotomy to it. Whereas the desk was a splash of assorted colors and the chairs bright pink, the walls were plain brick and the floors a neutral shade.

Mae Ling waved her hand at the desk, and a tray of tea and a tower of pastries and confections appeared in front of Sophia.

“Now, please eat up,” Mae Ling said, taking a seat. “You have to be back in just a few minutes.”

Sophia glanced at her clock. “No, I’m good until midnight.”

Mae Ling smiled discreetly. “Someone will show up early from the House of Fourteen. They aren’t the best with time.”

“Oh, who?” Sophia asked, going through the list of people she had requested Liv to bring. They all were responsible adults she thought had fantastic time management, but Mae Ling was never wrong.

Sophia grabbed a chocolate éclair on the top rack of the assortment of foods. The glaze was so perfectly arranged, the pastry looked more like a work of art than a sweet treat.

Mae Ling clasped her hands on her desk and gave Sophia a calm expression. “Okay, so go ahead and ask your question of me.”

This was the way it worked, Sophia had learned. Even if Mae Ling already knew what Sophia was going to ask her and even if she already knew the answer, it was Sophia’s job to first ask the question. That was part of the magic.

“I need to find the captain’s hat that belonged to Quiet’s father,” she said in between bites. “Can you tell me where to find it?”

Mae Ling shook her head. “No, but I can tell you who knows where it is.”

Sophia nodded, having expected it wouldn’t be so easy. She finished the chocolate éclair, pretty much inhaling the pastry.

Mae Ling held up her finger, twirling it, and the teapot rose to pour Sophia a cup.

“You will want to text your sister and ask her to bring King Rudolf Sweetwater with her tonight,” Mae Ling instructed, resting her hands on the surface of the desk once more.

Sophia stopped chewing the brownie she had just taken a bite of, her face frozen. “Why?”

Mae Ling smiled slightly. “Because he knows where the hat is, of course.”

With an annoyed sigh, Sophia finished chewing. She took a sip of the tea and found it the perfect temperature. “Of course, King Rudolf is involved in this.”

“Naturally,” Mae Ling said simply.

Doing as she was told, Sophia pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to her sister to give her enough time to coordinate things.

Almost immediately, Liv messaged back. “Are you sure? Ru? Are you mad at Hiker and looking for a good way to punish him?”

Sophia giggled at her phone. “I just need his help with something. Will you tell him to come through the portal with you?”

Liv shot back a confirmation: “I will tell him now. We are having nachos. I warn you, he won’t be alone.”

Sophia’s brow scrunched up. “I wonder what that means?”

Mae Ling appeared amused when Sophia glanced up at her. “It means you will need this.” She twirled her hand once more, and a small velvet pouch appeared on the center of the desk.

Sophia gave her a skeptical expression. “What’s in that?”

“You will find out when you know exactly when to use it,” Mae Ling told her mysteriously.

Cautiously, Sophia grabbed the sack only to find it strangely heavy for its size.

“Okay, well, I guess that is all then,” Sophia said, grabbing a truffle and popping it into her mouth.

“Not quite, my dear.” Mae Ling tilted her head to the side.

Sophia again stopped chewing mid-bite. “I can’t think of anything else I need your help with. Well, unless you want to tell me how to fix the Gullington or how to catch a cyborg pirate. I will take that information.”

Mae Ling smiled good-naturedly. “I’m afraid a fairy godmother can only help with so much. What I want to talk to you about is more of a personal nature.”

Sophia pulled her mouth to the side, not having expected this. “Personal. Like my personal life or yours?”

This seemed to amuse the woman. “Yours, of course, my dear. I’m afraid I don’t have much of a personal life. When is there time for such things?”

Sophia nodded, relating. “Well, same here. I’m a dragonrider, after all.”

“You are also a young woman with your own thoughts and feelings,” Mae Ling corrected. “Now, for a change, I have a question for you.”

Sophia didn’t respond as she waited for her fairy godmother to continue.

“Do you remember the story of Cinderella?” Mae Ling asked her.

It was such an unexpected question Sophia was momentarily speechless. “Yeah, of course.”

After reflecting, it made sense her fairy godmother would reference this story, although it was still strange when she was used to discussing worldly affairs with the wise woman.

“Now, you are aware you are the reason the winds are restless lately?” It was more of a statement from Mae Ling than anything else.

Sophia tensed. This wasn’t a topic she wanted to discuss right then, maybe ever. She hadn’t figured out what tumultuous emotions she had rolling around inside of her she was ignoring, although Lunis liked to insinuate she was in denial.

“Yes, Mama Jamba mentioned it,” Sophia admitted.

Mae Ling nodded. “Of course, she did.”

“Are you going to tell me about these internal feelings?” Sophia asked, relieved and hopeful she would get advice from her fairy godmother on the subject.

To her disappointment, Mae Ling shook her head. “I’m afraid that is not my job, dear. Did Cinderella’s fairy godmother tell her how she should feel about Prince Charming or console her on the situation?”

Sophia thought for a moment before saying, “Yeah, I guess not.”

“A fairy godmother’s job is to prepare their children for what is to come, not to tell them how to deal with it,” Mae Ling explained.

“Is this when you stick me in a big dress with glass slippers,” Sophia joked.

Mae Ling didn’t laugh. “Not today, my dear. But I do plan on helping you prepare in other ways.”

Suddenly, Sophia wasn’t as hungry. She ran her eyes over the pastries, wishing she could stuff them all in her mouth.

“What most don’t get about the story of Cinderella,” Mae Ling continued, “is that her curfew was self-imposed. She could have stayed at the ball past midnight.”

“But then the prince would have seen her for who she was,” Sophia argued at once, for some reason feeling a strong conviction for the story.

Mae Ling flashed her a knowing smile. “That is exactly right. He would have, and what would have happened?”

Sophia considered. “Well, he would have loved her just the same. It was never the dress or the shoes that made him want her. It was who she was deep inside. It was because she was a good person and he saw that. She lit up the room even without the clothes.”

Mocking offense, Mae Ling clasped her hands to her chest. “Now, that makes the fairy godmother of this story sound unnecessary.”

Sophia, knowing Mae Ling was messing with her, just smiled.

“Of course, the fairy godmother’s job was to give Cinderella confidence,” Mae Ling went on. “But at the end of the night, she ran because she didn’t want to be found. She was afraid of being loved and not just that, she was afraid of being loved for who she was.”

Sophia opened her mouth, and the words spilled out. “Because she didn’t think anyone could love her because she was different and poor and—”

“Yes, yes,” Mae Ling cut in. “Her circumstances made her think she wouldn’t be right for the prince. She thought they were incompatible. And yet, even as she ran, she left behind a shoe, because if we are honest, Cinderella in her heart, wanted to be found.”

Sophia was more confused than when they started the conversation.

“You see, my dear, sometimes we feel certain ways and think we’d rather avoid certain things,” Mae Ling continued. “But we leave behind glass slippers because the heart wants what the heart wants regardless of whether the mind says it will work or is right for us.”

Letting out a weighty breath, Sophia looked at her fairy godmother. “I don’t understand.”

Mae Ling bobbed her head, a knowing look on her face. “And that is why we are having this conversation. You know you are conflicted about something because your mind says it doesn’t make sense. That it won’t work, but the heart, well, will it leave behind a glass slipper?”

“This is how I make the wind calm down?” Sophia asked.

The woman smiled, standing up from her desk. “The winds are never still, especially for a person like you. But yes, when you deal with this, the breeze will be gentle once more, for a time anyway.”

She glanced at the clock on the wall and nodded. “Now, you will want to hurry back to the Castle. Rudolf will be waiting for you.”

“Oh,” Sophia said. “He is the one who doesn’t do well with time. That makes more sense.”

Mae Ling ushered her to the door. “All things make sense in hindsight. The key is to try and make them make sense before then.”

Chapter Eleven

The wind that hit Sophia in the face when she stepped through the Barrier into the Gullington was sort of an insult after her conversation with Mae Ling. She didn’t have time to think through all that and to feel her way through things right then.

What Mae Ling had said did make sense. The mind put obstacles in place the heart was happy to leap over. The heart often got people into trouble when they ignored their rational side. At some point, Sophia was going to have to figure out things and decide whether she would run from the ball and if she did, would she leave behind the glass slipper?

For the time being, she had a series of meetings to attend and a lot of changes coming to the Gullington. She glanced at her watch and wondered why King Rudolf was going to be early.

As she hurried up to the Castle, she mused at how strange it was going to be to have people who were not Dragon Elite or those who served them in the Gullington. This was a first, except for when a bunch of cyborg pirates broke into the place and stole one of their dragon eggs.

Mama Jamba, who had put the Barrier back up and was maintaining the security field for the Gullington, had made it so the visitors from the House of Fourteen’s portal could come through. Otherwise, the portal would have worked the same way it always had. Those in the Castle could pass to the other places like the House of Fourteen or the Great Library, but the outsiders from those places couldn’t come into the Gullington.

For the first time ever, members from the House would enter the Castle. Things were really changing. Hiker Wallace was using technology and asking for help from outsiders.

Sophia froze after rounding the corner at the top of the stairs. It appeared the first outsider was already in the Castle. Never would Sophia have expected it to be King Rudolf Sweetwater and his triplets.

“She is like yay high,” Rudolf was saying to Ainsley, holding his hand down by his waist. “And she loves horsey rides on my knee and thinks I’m the smartest person she has ever met. I’m like her uncle, you see.”

The housekeeper scratched her head. “You will have to excuse me. I have recently fallen ill, but the description of the person you just gave me doesn’t ring any bells.”

Rudolf, who had one baby strapped in a carrier to his chest and another on his back in between his large wings and the third in a stroller in front of him, waved his hands in front of him. “Okay, let’s try another approach. How about you describe the people who live in this Disney castle, and I will tell you if one of them is Sophia.”

“Sophia…” Ainsley said, musing on the name. “Yeah, we don’t have anyone by that name here. There is Evan, the bane of my existence, and who has apparently grown a tolerance to the poison I lace his food with.”

Rudolf shook his head. “That doesn’t sound like her because she would probably die from too much poison.”

Sophia rolled her eyes but stayed hidden at the far end of the hallway, too entertained by this strange exchange to interrupt it. She had never considered a reality where these two laffy taffies met and had a conversation.

“Okay, and there is Wilder,” Ainsley went on. “He has got great hair, piercing blue eyes, and a sharp wit, but he is also totally full of himself and has smelly feet.”

“Hm,” Rudolf said, combing his hands over his chin. “That description almost fits, but I wouldn’t say Soph is overly confident. I mean, there was this one time I wanted to accompany her to this social affair, and she was like, ‘No, Rudolf, I’m too embarrassed to be seen with you.’” He laughed. “I mean, poor girl. She has such low confidence she thought she had embarrassed me in front of a bunch of highbrow magicians.”

Ainsley nodded. “Okay, well, we have Mahkah, who is Native American and a few hundred years old. He has got long black hair and hardly ever talks.”

“What color are his eyes?” Rudolf asked quite seriously.

“Brown.”

He shook his head. “No, that is not her.”

“Oh, well, the only other dragonrider here at the Gullington is S. Beaufont,” Ainsley stated. “She is petite with blonde hair, blue eyes, and quite the sassy disposition. When she sleeps at night, she mumbles the name—”

“I’m here!” Sophia called suddenly, interrupting and hurrying down the hallway.

“Oh, there you are,” Rudolf said, his face brightening at the sight of her.

He glanced back at Ainsley and bowed slightly. “Thanks for your help, but I have found her. That S. Beaufont sounded close to my Sophia, though. I will have to meet her at some point.”

Ainsley smiled at Sophia. “I’m off to bed. Will you make sure your friend finds a place to put his pets?” She pointed to the babies strapped to the fae and the carriage.

Sophia opened her mouth to correct the shapeshifter but decided against it. Instead, she simply nodded. “Get some rest, Ains.”

The housekeeper turned like Sophia was talking to someone else. Then she shrugged. “Sure. But I don’t know why you call me that.”

Sophia sighed. It was obviously too much to ask for the people she spoke with to be normal or have their wits about them.

“Hey, Rudolf,” Sophia greeted him in a low voice, noticing the three babies were all asleep.

“Hey there, Soph!” he exclaimed and wrapped her in a tight hug, pressing one of the babies into her.

She shook her head as she pulled away. “You are early.”

“Well, when Liv said you were desperately seeking my counsel, I decided to come right away.” He indicated the babies. “I thought it would be good to come while the Captains were asleep. I never know how long it will last.”

“Right,” Sophia agreed, appreciating how peaceful the children were.

She didn’t have long to admire them because they were interrupted by thundering footsteps. Sophia turned to find Hiker Wallace marching in their direction.

“Who is this?” he shouted down the hallway, not just waking the baby in the carriage but also all the dead in the graveyard on the Gullington.

He stopped in front of them and looked Rudolf up and down. “I don’t remember asking you to invite a fae into the Castle. The exception was given to—”

“I know,” Sophia interrupted. “I asked King Sweetwater to come along with my sister because I need his help on something related to helping Quiet.”

“Then where is your sister?” Hiker asked, looking around like Liv might be hiding behind the statue of the suit of armor.

“Oh, she has indigestion from the nachos and had to stop off to get antacids,” Rudolf explained. “She will be here shortly because let’s be honest. Wherever Liv is, she will be short, just like little Sophia. In the meantime, could I get a vodka soda?”

Hiker stared at the king of the fae with wide eyes.

“Right,” Sophia said and stepped between the two men. She thought Hiker might punch Rudolf in the face even if he was wearing two infants. “Actually, Rudolf, this is Hiker Wallace, the leader of the Dragon Elite.”

Rudolf gave her an uncertain look like she was playing a joke on him. He pointed at the tall Viking. “This man? Are you sure?”

Sophia nodded and wondered if Hiker would punch her first just to get to Rudolf.

“He is not the butler for this little place?” Rudolf asked.

“We don’t have a butler,” Hiker said, a low growl in his voice.

“Oh, well, that is too bad,” Rudolf consoled. “How very quaint this place is. How did you get it to look so old? It almost looks as real as the Excalibur hotel and casino in Las Vegas.”

“It is old,” Hiker snarled through clenched teeth.

“Yeah, so is my Excalibur hotel. The fae had it built about thirty years ago if you can believe it. I think it’s time it gets a makeover. I would love the name of your contractor.”

Hiker’s face turned bright red. “This Castle is over one-thousand years old.”

“Oh, well, then it’s definitely in need of a makeover.” Rudolf whistled. “I can give you the name of my guy. He is a bit pricey, and I think he has a gambling addiction, but who doesn’t?”

Hiker put his attention firmly on Sophia. “Don’t make me regret allowing your people into the Castle.”

Right on cue, all three babies started wailing, their cries echoing through the corridor.

Hiker clapped his hands to his ear. “What is that?”

Rudolf looked around, searching for the noise. “I’m not sure, Walker. What are you referring to?”

“I think he is talking about the Captains crying,” Sophia explained. “Are they hungry?”

Rudolf thought for a moment. “Oh, probably not. I just fed them.” He leaned in and whispered loudly in Sophia’s ear. “I think it’s his beard. They don’t like facial hair.”

Hiker pivoted, giving Sophia a murderous glare. “Let’s hope your other friends don’t make me want to kill them. If they do, you are burying the bodies.”

“Copy that, sir,” Sophia said, watching the leader of the Dragon Elite stomp back in the direction of his office.

The babies were whining so loudly it made Sophia squint. “Do you need help?”

“With what?” Rudolf asked, looking around.

“With the Captains.”

“Oh, well, Captain Morgan doesn’t like to be touched, so don’t pick her up.” He pointed to the baby in the carriage. “Captain Kirk can’t stand puns, so don’t say any around her. She really can’t stand Liv even if she is her godmother.” He pointed to the baby on his back. “And here is Captain Silver. She doesn’t like to be looked at directly, hence the reason she is on my back.”

“Well, besides their dislikes, is there something they do enjoy that will calm them?” Sophia queried over the incessant noise.

Rudolf thought for a moment. “They like the Kardashians. Where’s the television?”

Sophia shook her head. “This shouldn’t take long. I have a question.”

“You what?” Rudolf yelled, having trouble hearing her over the three babies’ cries.

“I wanted to know if—”

“What is a whadatif?” Rudolf hollered to be heard over the noise.

Sophia shook her head. “No, I’m trying to ask you if—”

“You are going to have to speak up!”

Mama Jamba stormed out of her room, giving them a dirty look as she approached. The babies all silenced immediately.

“Oh, Mama Jamba, your presence makes the babies quiet,” Sophia said with relief.

She shook her head. “No, it makes them scared for their lives. I was trying to take a nap, you know.”

“I didn’t know,” Rudolf introduced himself, smiling wide, his blue eyes twinkling. He held out a hand to her. “I’m King Rudolf Sweetwater, ruler of the fae.”

“I’m Mother Nature, creator of this planet,” Mama Jamba replied, not taking his hand.

Rudolf elbowed Sophia in the side. “Some people just have to one-up others.”

“Mama Jamba,” Sophia begged, ignoring Rudolf. “I need you to stay right here while I chat with the king. Can you do that?”

Mama Jamba shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t. I need to wash my hair. It’s Thursday.”

As the old woman began to walk off, the babies started to whine again.

“But Mama Jamba,” Sophia called to her retreating back. “Can you just give us a minute. Maybe hold one of the babies.”

Sharply, Mama Jamba turned. “I don’t hold babies, dear.”

“But you are Mother Nature,” Sophia argued.

“Exactly!” Mama Jamba agreed, turning and striding off.

Sophia sighed and grimaced as the babies all cried in different octaves.

“She seems like a lot of fun,” Rudolf commented, not bothered by the constant noise. “A bit of a showoff, but I respect that. Now you had a question for me.”

“Yeah,” Sophia began. “I was hoping you could—”

“Can you speak up?” Rudolf yelled, bouncing up and down and patting Captain Kirk’s back.

Feeling rather irritated and ready to kick the fae out of the Castle, Sophia opened her mouth to try again, but then she remembered. Mae Ling had given her a pouch earlier. She dug into her cloak and pulled out the mysterious sack.

She pulled open the drawstrings and yanked out three small pacifiers and a note.

It read:

For little ones whose father is too dimwitted to shush his face so they can sleep peacefully. Give them these, and they will be fast asleep no matter the interruption.

“Brilliant,” Sophia said, sticking the note back in the bag before Rudolf could read it.

She popped the pacifiers into each of the children’s mouths, and they silenced immediately.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, Sophia allowed herself to enjoy the peace and quiet for a moment before looking at Rudolf.

“Okay,” she said, drawing out the word, worried the babies might start back up any moment. “I have a question for you.”

“Forty-two,” Rudolf said at once.

“No,” Sophia barked, her tolerance for his antics dangerously low. “I am looking for something, and I’m not sure why, but I heard you would know where it is.”

Rudolf nodded like he knew what she was talking about. “Yeah. The fountain of youth. Your sister destroyed it because she is a real killjoy.”

The portal in the closet connected to the House of Fourteen opened, and Warrior Liv Beaufont stepped into the Castle.

She crossed her arms, glaring at Rudolf. “What did you call me? And who is taking care of your babies when I kill you?”

Chapter Twelve

“Well, you naturally,” Rudolf exclaimed at the sight of Liv. “You are their godmother. When I die, you will have them.”

Liv shook her head at Rudolf. “You have figured out the perfect way to keep me from murdering you. Well played, Ru.”

Sophia hugged her sister, having her there so surreal. In the Castle! The one place she had wanted to share with her family. She never thought this moment would come, and here it was.

Liv’s eyes widened as she lifted her chin, staring around in awe as she took in the corridor. “This place is amazing. Clark is going to love it. He’ll be through shortly.”

“Oh!” Sophia said. “Then I only have a bit to ask my question of Rudolf.”

“Yeah, this should be good,” Liv said, tapping her foot and looking between Sophia and Rudolf. “You need to learn how to get gum out of your hair or a marble out of your nose? Rudolf has learned the answer to both of those questions, and he doesn’t even have toddlers yet, so you can guess who he was practicing on.”

Rudolf’s eyes slid to the side, embarrassed. “The peanut butter made my hair shiny.”

Sophia cleared her throat. “Okay, I will make this fast. I need to know where a hat is, and I heard you know, Ru. It belonged to a male gnome who was captain of a ship. I don’t know what his name was, and I don’t know what his son’s name was either…”

Sophia suddenly felt very shortsighted. She had questions but didn’t know the most important details to give to obtain the answers. How was she going to get Rudolf to help her if she didn’t even know what Quiet or his father’s name was? There had to be tons of gnomes who were captains of sailing ships.

“Um…” Sophia stuttered and caught the concerned look in Liv’s eyes. “It’s a hat that…ugh. Why don’t I know his name?”

“Paul, George, Frank,” Rudolf said, listing off different names.

“No, it’s a gnome’s name,” Sophia stated.

“Gillian, Ramy, George,” Rudolf offered.

“No, that is the thing,” Sophia began. “I don’t know what his name is. I don’t even know what his son’s name is, which is what I’m trying to figure out.”

Rudolf rubbed his fingers over his stubbled chin, a speculative look in his eyes. “You don’t know a name but need to learn it. I think we can narrow this down. How about Graham, Dale, or George?”

Liv shook her head at the fae before offering Sophia a sympathetic expression. “What else can you tell us about this captain?”

“Well, I’m specifically looking for this captain’s hat,” Sophia explained. “His son sailed a ship called the McAfee and apparently, according to the Queen Mother of the fae—”

“OH, DEAR!” Rudolf yelled, his voice echoing loudly in the Castle.

Thankfully, he didn’t wake the babies. The magical pacifiers Mae Ling had given Sophia were doing their job.

“What?” Sophia asked, her heart beating fast. “Do you know who I’m talking about?”

He nodded adamantly. “And I know the name of the gnome that sailed the McAfee.”

“You do?” Sophia nearly jumped up and down. Things were finally coming together. She wouldn’t even have to get the hat. Apparently, all she had to do was know about it and ask King Rudolf. Of course, the fae was the key to her learning Quiet’s real name. “What is his name?”

Rudolf smiled wide. “It is Captain Quiet.”

Sophia deflated at once.

Liv saw her disappointment and shook her head. “No, I don’t think that is his real name.”

“Really?” Rudolf questioned. “Are you sure? That is what the fae have always called him. He is legendary in our history.”

“Because he rescued fae, saving your race,” Sophia supplied.

Rudolf nodded. “Yeah, there was that. When his ship sailed my ancestors to safe lands, they were still considered very poor, which is pretty much worse than death. Fae don’t do well when they don’t have any money.”

“Such simple people,” Liv said, shaking her head.

“Anyway, word had spread about the gnome who sacrificed himself to save those on the McAfee,” Rudolf continued. “Captain Quiet became a legend. Although the crew of his ship refused to change a thing about the McAfee, they did give Quiet’s most prized possession to the leader of the fae at the time, Queen Visa.”

Liv shook her head. “More like a witch than a queen, but whatever.”

Queen Visa had been the ruler of the fae before Rudolf. He’d had to kill her to take the crown, but that wasn’t why he did it. It had been more of an act of self-preservation since the evil queen was trying to kill him and Liv.

Rudolf gave Liv a commiserating expression. “Yeah, but she wasn’t always horrible. Back then, Queen Visa was trying to help the fae prosper. She took the captain’s hat, Quiet’s most prized possession, as a gift from the crew and sold it. The money from that transaction became a pivotal moment in the fae’s history. It was the money that started our empire, making us the wealthiest race of all. Since then, we’ve all looked down on the rest of you impoverished souls with pity while lavishing in our enormous riches.”

Liv shook her head, glaring at Rudolf. “Soph, are you overwhelmed by his humility?”

“It’s about to bowl me over,” Sophia answered before returning her attention to Rudolf. “Are you saying you know where the captain’s hat is?”

“Of course, I do,” Rudolf exclaimed.

“Can you tell me?” Sophia asked.

“Of course, I can’t,” he answered.

Sophia lowered her chin, giving him a murderous expression. “Are you serious?”

“Soph, that is the most prized possession of the fae,” Rudolf answered. “It’s a secret of our race. If others knew, they might want to steal it.”

“That is exactly what I want to do,” Sophia told him.

He shook his head. “I can’t allow you to steal Captain McAfee’s hat.”

Sophia sighed. “Quiet’s father’s name was McAfee. That is why he named his boat that.”

Liv let out an irritated breath. “Ru, you are going to tell my sister where to get that hat, or I’m going to kill you and raise your children to believe the Earth is round.”

A loud gasp fell out of his mouth. “You wouldn’t?”

“I would,” Liv fired back.

“But everyone knows it’s flat,” Rudolf argued.

“Impressionable young babies will believe whatever their godmother tells them,” Liv warned.

Rudolf seemed to consider this for a moment before resigning. “Fine, I will help you, Sophia, but you can’t keep the hat.”

She nodded, hopeful once more. “That is fine. I just need to borrow it for a bit. Are you sure you know where it is located?”

Rudolf scoffed at her. “Captain Quiet and his father are legendary to me. I mean, why do you think I named my children after those gnomes?”

Sophia almost burst out with laughter. She hadn’t seen that one coming, but it made perfect sense. “You named your girls Captain because Quiet sacrificed himself for your race? That is brilliant.”

“Did you hear that, Liv?” Rudolf asked. “Your sister says I’m brilliant.”

“I think she was saying the situation was brilliant,” Liv argued. “Now, where is this captain’s hat?”

“It’s in the Fae’s National Museum of History,” Rudolf told them.

“I have never heard of it,” Sophia said.

“You wouldn’t have because you are not a fae,” Rudolf explained.

“Obviously,” Sophia remarked. “Where is it located? How do I get in there?”

“I can’t tell you where it is,” Rudolf answered. “And you can’t get in there because you are not a fae.”

Liv let out a long breath as she lowered her chin. “Ru, round Earth education…”

He rolled his eyes at her. “Okay, fine. I can’t tell you where it’s located though. I will betray my race a little bit but telling you where our National History Museum is would be going too far.”

“Okay, but can you at least take me there?” Sophia asked.

“Fine,” Rudolf agreed.

“And you will help her get in there too,” Liv demanded.

“I don’t know how to do that.” Rudolf shook his head.

A single murderous glare from Liv was all it took.

“B-B-But I’m sure I can figure something out,” Rudolf stammered.

“And you will help her steal the captain’s hat,” Liv ordered.

Looking quite defeated, Rudolf nodded. “Yeah, I will do all that, but only on one condition…” He batted his eyes at Liv.

“What?” she growled.

“I will need you to watch the Captains while I take your sister on this excursion,” Rudolf answered.

Sophia could see the hesitation on Liv’s face.

“I don’t know,” she began. “I have got a lot of cases, and there is that whole not wanting to be around babies thing. How about their mother takes care of them?”

Rudolf shook his head. “No, Serena needs twelve hours of sleep a day and says the Captains don’t respect that. The only person I trust them with is you, Liv.”

“Please,” Sophia said, drawing out the word, her hands clasped together as she begged her sister.

Liv seemed to be wavering before she finally acquiesced. “Fine, only for you, though, Soph.”

“Yes!” Sophia exclaimed, grateful to finally be making progress. All she had to do was go on a secret mission with the king of the fae and steal their most prized possession from a museum where she wasn’t allowed. What could possibly go wrong?

Chapter Thirteen

Sophia and Rudolf didn’t have a chance to continue their discussion about their covert mission to steal Captain McAfee’s hat because they were interrupted by the portal door to the House of Fourteen opening.

“Clarky!” Sophia yelled when her older brother stepped through into the Castle.

She threw her arms around her brother, grateful to see him. It felt like it had been a long time, although it really hadn’t. Sophia had just been through so much since the last time she had been around her sibling.

“Hey, Soph,” he said, hugging her before pulling back, looking the Castle over with amazement. “This place is…”

“Falling apart,” Sophia supplied when her brother trailed away. “I mean, you can’t really tell right now because Mama Jamba has been repairing things, but when she stops protecting it and the Barrier comes back down, well, it will start to degrade again.”

“That is why we are here,” Liv offered, laying a consoling hand on her sister’s shoulder.

Clark’s eyes fluttered with annoyance. “Some of us have the illustrious job of protecting and strategizing with the Dragon Elite. And some of us have been recruited to cook.”

Sophia couldn’t help but giggle. “But that is the most important job of all. Our housekeeper is sort of crazier than usual, which is saying a lot. She can’t cook, and the Castle can’t help like it usually does. None of the rest of us can so much as boil water. Without you, Clark, we would surely starve, and then we’d really be in trouble.”

“Okay, fine. I will be your chef in the interim.”

“Thank you,” Sophia gushed as the portal door opened again.

Rory Laurens ducked to enter through the doorway without hitting his head. He was carrying a crate of food and wore a curious expression. Behind him, Bermuda Laurens followed into the Castle, her eyes wide as she took in the sights around them. She didn’t say a word to Sophia or the others when she entered. Instead, she began furiously writing in a book she held in her hands.

“Oh, this is too much,” Bermuda said, scribbling away, her chin high as she took in the details on the high ceiling. She ran her hands over the wall, studying it with a keen eye. “The material isn’t anything I have seen before. It appears to be a combination of—”

Sophia never learned what the combination of materials were that comprised the walls of the Castle because the thundering of Hiker Wallace’s boots echoing down the corridor interrupted everything. All eyes turned to take in the hulking Viking, who wasn’t dwarfed by the two giants standing nearby.

Sophia was about to make introductions, but before she could, Hiker plucked the book from Bermuda’s hand, yanking it up to read what she had just written.

A sound of surprise spilled from the giantess’s mouth, but Hiker took no notice as he shut the book with a snap. “There will be no notes taken about the Castle, the Gullington, or the Dragon Elite.”

Bermuda bowed slightly, showing respect to Hiker Wallace that Sophia had never seen the stern woman show to anyone. The giantess didn’t bow to others. Usually, she only cast disapproving glares. “I understand your need to keep your secrets. But you must know the world wants to know—”

“I don’t care what the world wants to know,” Hiker interrupted. “If you so much as breathe a single detail to the outside world about my Castle, that will be your last one on this Earth.”

There was no one Sophia could think of who could silence the giantess like Hiker Wallace had just done. Bermuda looked like she had just eaten a particularly chewy peanut butter sandwich, her jaw locked as her eyes bulged.

Hiker grabbed both ends of the book and quite easily ripped it in two. If Wilder had been there right then, he would be happy to see their leader using more of his strength. That had to be a part of the power he inherited from his twin brother, Thad Reinhart. It appeared Hiker simply needed to be motivated to embrace it.

“Sir,” Sophia began. “You have already met my sister, Liv Beaufont.”

Hiker didn’t appear happy to see the warrior for the House of Fourteen again. He barely glanced in Liv’s direction. They had gotten off to a bad start when the leader of the Dragon Elite trespassed into Liv’s apartment a while back, demanding information on a new rider. According to Liv, Hiker kept going on about this man he suspected had magnetized to a dragon egg. Sophia’s sister didn’t feel the need to give up any information since she didn’t know of any “man” who had done such a thing.

“And this is my brother, Clark,” Sophia said, presenting the councilor for the House of Fourteen.

“You can cook?” Hiker asked, his voice strict.

“Absolutely. And an honor to make your acquaintance.” Clark offered a hand, but when Hiker didn’t take it, he stepped back awkwardly.

“Rory and Bermuda Laurens have offered to help with securing the Barrier and shielding the Gullington when Mama Jamba’s security comes down,” Sophia explained.

“Can you do it?” Hiker demanded, glaring up at the giants.

“Well, we were able to shield the Dragon Elite from seeing Lunis and Sophia before they were ready to join you,” Bermuda told him.

Hiker’s eyes widened with alarm as he rotated to face Sophia. “What is this?”

Sophia’s gaze darted to the side. “Oh, about that…”

Bermuda shook her head. “You never told Hiker about that?”

“I was going to,” Sophia remarked.

“When?” Hiker insisted.

“Things have just been so busy,” Sophia said. “I mean, since the beginning, there hasn’t really been a chance to share those unimportant details.”

“They seem pretty important to me,” Hiker argued.

Thankfully, the angels seemed to be looking out for Sophia because the closet door opened, and the last invited member from the House of Fourteen entered, her windswept gray hair brushed back off her forehead.

Sophia didn’t know Hester DeVries very well, but Liv did and had promised the healer for the House of Fourteen could be trusted.

With the confidence to impress, the Councilor walked straight up to Hiker, her chin held high. “You must be the leader of the Dragon Elite.”

“And you are?” Hiker asked her.

“I’m the person who is going to heal your riders,” Hester answered. “Lead me in the right direction, and I will get straight to work.”

Hiker seemed to appreciate the healer’s straightforward style. He nodded and pointed down the corridor, explaining where Evan and Mahkah could be found.

Sophia took a moment to appreciate that so many of her friends were at the Castle. She couldn’t wait to show Liv her bedroom. Although her sister had a lot of work to do, helping the Dragon Elite to strategize for when the Barrier came down in a day or two, Sophia hoped they had a chance to catch up properly. She had so many things she wanted to tell her, and one thing she needed Liv’s advice about.

Sophia was excited to introduce her brother to Ainsley and the others. She was looking forward to having her brother’s cooking, which would no doubt bring back a flood of nostalgia.

The giants would be an interesting addition to the Gullington. It was uncertain how effective they would be at securing the Barrier and keeping the Gullington hidden. It was a large piece of land, and there were only two of them. However, if they at least bought them some time, that would be good. The cyborg pirates would probably be back, and they needed a way to secure the borders until they knew how to defend the dragon eggs and protect them from would-be thieves.

“Okay, Sophia,” Hiker began, “I need you to—”

“Actually, sir,” Sophia dared to interrupt. “King Rudolf is going to take me to get something I think will save Quiet.”

While she knew Hiker would want to argue with her, this was one subject he knew he couldn’t. Something had to be done to help the groundskeeper.

Reluctantly, he agreed. “Yes, that will be good anyway, because the Castle is no place for babies.”

“Actually,” Sophia said, grimacing slightly.

She never got a chance to deliver the bad news because all heads turned when Wilder sprinted down the corridor, sliding stealthily between bodies as if he didn’t notice the crowd of strangers congregated in the Castle. He ignored everyone, including Hiker, and grabbed Sophia’s hand, panic in his eyes.

“Soph, I need your help!” Wilder exclaimed. “And right away! No questions asked!”

Chapter Fourteen

“What is going on here?” Hiker’s voice boomed with disapproval.

Rudolf shook his head and clicked his tongue. “I believe the young lad said, ‘no questions asked,’ Walker.”

Hiker narrowed his eyes at the fae before turning to Wilder. “What is going on?”

Wilder finally seemed to notice he was surrounded by strangers, and everyone was regarding him with curious stares. “Oh, hey…um…Sir, I need Sophia’s help with something right away. It’s really important.”

“That mission you abandoned us to do for Subner, is it?” Hiker asked.

Wilder slid his eyes nervously to the group before nodding. “Yes, sir.”

“Why do you need Sophia?”

“I-I-I can’t say,” Wilder replied.

The Viking looked ready to punch a wall. After a long moment, he seemed to get control internally and let out a long breath. “Fine, Sophia, you can go. But I want you to be fast with whatever this secret mission is.”

“In the meantime,” Rudolf sang, “the Captains and I will be waiting for you for our secret mission.”

Hiker had forgotten about the fae standing there with infants strapped to him and resting in the carriage.

He growled, his eyes vibrating with irritation. “Sophia, you better hurry.”

Liv and Clark offered her encouraging smiles as Wilder tugged her away, back the way he had come.

“I will see you soon,” she called as she was dragged away on a mission with the last person she wanted to be alone with right then.

Chapter Fifteen

“Where are you taking me?” Sophia asked as Wilder held tight to her hand and pulled her across the Expanse toward the mountains in the distance.

He looked over his shoulder at her. “No questions, remember.”

Sophia yanked her hand from his grip. “Well, then, no help.”

Wilder halted and spun around to face her directly. “Please, Soph. This is important.”

“I get that,” Sophia replied. “But so is my ability to know what is going on. If you need my help, you are going to have to explain.”

Wilder seemed to waver with indecision. “Fine, can I tell you as we go? We don’t really have much time, so I can’t go into too many details at once.”

“Fair enough,” Sophia answered. “Start by telling me where we are going.”

He pointed in the distance. “Falconer’s cave. There is something there I need your help with.”

“Do you need to meditate?” she asked, remembering when Hiker dragged her out on a ten-mile hike so she could connect with the universe and hear the voices of the angels.

“Heavens no,” Wilder answered. “There is something in the cave I need you to see.”

Sophia thought back to the last time she had been in Falconer’s cave. She hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary—a lot of rock, some bugs, and dripping water. And a whole lot of darkness.

“Well, fine,” she affirmed. “But we aren’t hiking ten miles to the cave. That will take forever.” She turned toward the Cave where the dragons would be resting. “Call Simi, and I will get Lunis, and we can get there quickly.”

The look of regret that crossed Wilder’s face was palpable. “The thing is, Simi is not available.”

“What do you mean, she’s not available?” Sophia demanded.

Wilder slid his hands into his pockets, nervousness exuding from his every movement. “She is sort of being detained…”

Sophia gasped. “By whatever is in Falconer’s Cave?”

The look on Wilder’s face was all the confirmation she needed.

“Fine.” Sophia reached out and called Lunis. Seconds later, the blue dragon poked his head from the Cave and sprang into the air, flapping his long wings and making quick progress in their direction.

“Wait, you are going to take Lunis and make me hike alone?” Wilder sounded offended.

Sophia rolled her eyes at him as her dragon landed before them. “No, we are both going to ride Lunis.”

She looked her dragon in the eye, a silent question in her gaze. She didn’t need him to answer for her to know he had agreed to taxi both her and Wilder, something he hadn’t done before. Only Sophia had ever ridden him, which was common for dragons. There was usually little reason for a dragon to be ridden by anyone but their riders. This seemed to be a desperate situation, though, and Lunis had understood immediately that Simi was in trouble and needed their help.

“But I can’t,” Wilder argued, as she mounted Lunis, swinging her leg around and sliding into the saddle made for one.

Sophia gave him an annoyed expression. “Seriously, Wild now is not the time for pretenses. I get it’s a bit unorthodox, but if I must wait for you to hike ten miles, we are going to lose valuable time. Decide right now if you want to ride with me on Lunis or risk your dragon by being stubborn.”

Apparently, that was the kick in the pants Wilder needed because he nodded. Sophia extended a hand to him he really didn’t need. Still, he grabbed her fingers and allowed her assistance as he swung his leg around and slid into the spot behind her. A shock of electricity radiated from their touch, and she yanked her hand away at once. He grabbed onto the saddle to secure his precarious position.

Sophia grabbed the reins and directed Lunis into the air, feeling strange sharing her dragon with someone else, but if she was going to ride through the clouds, it made sense it would be with Wilder.

Chapter Sixteen

Lunis had a zillion questions for Sophia, but none of them were very relevant.

I don’t see why you won’t answer me, he said with a laugh as he landed smoothly outside Falconer Cave.

Because I’m a mean and stingy person, she answered. She waited for Wilder to dismount first before sliding down the side of her dragon and landing on the grass.

Wilder had held out a hand to help her down, but she wasn’t going to take his assistance in a million years. This was her dragon, and she didn’t need help getting down.

Wilder had asked for her help, and she was beyond curious to find out what he needed her to do. She reasoned he had chosen her because he didn’t really have any other choice. Evan was still injured and Mahkah was on the reconnaissance mission investigating the Saverus organization. Of course, Hester would fix both dragonriders, and Wilder could call on them in the future when he needed help.

You are not mean, nor are you stingy, Lunis said. But I would say you are a certain river in Egypt.

Sinai, she retorted. Is that the river you are referring to?

No, I was thinking more along the lines of—

Tanitic? Mendesian? Pelusia? Sophia asked her dragon, cutting him off.

Have fun exploring the dark cave with Wilder, Lunis sang as she made her way up to the opening at the top of the hill.

I’m almost certain whatever the weapons expert has in store for me is going to be anything but fun, Sophia stated.

Oh, well, I think with the right person, just about anything could be fun, Lunis mused with a snicker.

Sophia looked over her shoulder and shook her head at her dragon as they neared Falconer Cave.

“Everything okay?” Wilder asked, noticing her irritated gaze at Lunis.

“Yeah, I was just considering how my dragon would look with a muzzle,” Sophia answered.

It wouldn’t stop me from talking in your head, Lunis teased.

What? I can’t hear you, Lun. What did you say?

I said that—

Can’t hear you, she interrupted, unable to hide the grin on her face as she taunted her dragon.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Just playing with Lunis,” she answered. “He likes to dish it out, but let’s see if he can take it.”

Wilder shook his head at her, a small smile lighting up his eyes. “I wouldn’t trade Simi for all the riches in the world, but sometimes I wonder what it would be like to have what you do with Lunis.”

“A back talking dragon who is obsessed with pop culture and Pringles chips?”

Wilder laughed. “No, I was thinking more along the lines of a dragon that is more your friend. Mahkah and I are the older riders. Evan too, for that matter, but maybe a little less so. We are from the old mindset that dragons are serious and can’t indulge in modern things. Hiker, I’m certain, up until recently, absolutely believed technology would corrupt their power. There has never been a rider and dragon like you and Lunis. You two are something new, something amazing.”

Sophia coughed nervously. “Anyway, so what are we doing here?”

Wilder’s light expression dropped as he stared at the mouth of the cave. “Follow me. I have something to show you.”

Sophia’s hand went for her sword, but Wilder stopped her.

“You won’t need that…yet,” he told her.

Chapter Seventeen

The chill of Falconer Cave and the ominous feeling drifting in the crisp air made Sophia shiver upon entering.

Her eyes scanned, looking for any clues to tell her what this was all about.

“Is this when you tell me what is going on here?” she asked Wilder as they went further into the dark cave, her voice echoing.

He created a light orb to show their path. “It’s easier if I show you.”

When she had been there with Hiker to meditate, they hadn’t ventured too deeply into the cave, but Wilder went past the initial area, and around a bend. The light from the opening disappeared, and Sophia was grateful for the orb Wilder was carrying to help guide their path.

“Is Simi in here somewhere?” Sophia inquired. The cave was large enough to house a dragon, although the area where they were now was a bit narrow. She doubted the white dragon could have made it through.

Wilder shook his head, his jaw flexing.

“But this is the way to get to her?” Sophia wondered what had happened to the dragon connected to the element of wind.

She suddenly felt like she had been hit in the chest. Wind. How had she forgotten wind was the element connected to Wilder’s dragon? She shrugged it off. It was just a stupid coincidence. Sophia knew better.

Her father, according to his wise words in the book she had read before giving it to Liv and Clark, had said:

“There is no such thing as a coincidence. Nothing happens at random. All things that are uncanny enough to appear as flukes are simply events begging for your attention. Devote your awareness to them.”

Wilder shook his head again. “I don’t know where she is.”

Sophia was confused. That was impossible. She always knew where Lunis was. The only exception had been when Gordon Burgress, the lone rider, had used magitech to sever the connection between them.

Sophia wondered if Wilder and Simi had been hit with something similar. Her heart hurt for them instantly. She had never known a pain like the one of losing her connection to her dragon. It had been like losing a part of her soul. She wouldn’t wish that on anyone in this world.

Sophia was about to ask more questions when Wilder stopped abruptly, holding the light orb out in front of him.

He pointed at a large boulder in the middle of the cave-room where they stood. The ceiling was high, and the sound of water dripping echoed, making it seem like they were in a gentle rainstorm.

At first, Sophia thought he was pointing to a normal boulder. As her eyes adjusted and she was able to take in the details, she noticed protruding from the stone was the hilt of a sword, only a few inches of its blade peeking out.

Sophia sucked in a sudden breath. “No, it can’t be.”

The sober look in Wilder’s eyes confirmed what she thought was impossible. “I assure you, it absolutely is.”

Chapter Eighteen

“That is impossible,” Sophia stammered, shaking her head as she studied the large rock with the sword stuck into the top of it.

Wilder huffed, breaking his serious expression to laugh at her. “Are you serious now? You have a dragon and live at a Castle with a bunch of hundred-year-old magicians. Not to mention, I’m certain I just saw two giants, a fae, and three halflings in said Castle. I will definitely be needing a lot more information on that later.”

“It’s not that interesting of a story,” Sophia lied. “And how did you know the triplets were halflings?”

Wilder tilted his head at her. “Wasn’t it obvious?”

She shook her head at him. “You were literally there for about half a second, and most of your attention was on trying to get my help. So no, I don’t get how that would have been obvious to you.”

He pretended to sigh. “Gosh, you just don’t pay attention.”

“Ha-ha,” she said. “Now, do you want to explain to me why I’m standing in front of Excalibur?”

“Because I brought you here,” he answered quite seriously.

“Oh, for love of the angels, I’m going to put you in a headlock,” she threatened.

His eyes dazzled as he flashed a challenging smile. “I would like to see you try.”

“Oh, you will see, and I promise I will mess up your hair when I do,” she quipped. “Later we will spar, but for now, tell me why you brought me here.”

His smile dropped. “Subner asked me to retrieve this sword.”

Sophia’s brow tensed. “But you are not King Arthur. There is no way you can pull that sword.”

Wilder shook his head. “I don’t think the lore we’ve known is the right one. It’s close, and I screwed up, trying to take the sword.”

“What do you mean?”

He pointed to a plaque on the ground in front of the boulder. Sophia hadn’t noticed it until he shone the light of the orb on it. “Check this out.”

She squatted and read the sign:

“Those unworthy who try to take my sword will have something they value taken from them.”

Sophia shot back to a standing position. “You lost Simi.”

He nodded, a morose expression in his blue eyes. “Yeah, as soon as I tried to take it, I heard her in my head. Soph, it was awful. Something stole her away, and I don’t know where she is.”

“The other dragons, though,” Sophia questioned. “Were they there when she disappeared? Lunis didn’t mention anything.”

“No,” Wilder answered. “She flew me to Falconer Cave and was waiting outside as Lunis is doing for you now.”

She nodded. That made sense.

“So, Excalibur or King Arthur or whoever didn’t think you were worthy,” Sophia said, mostly to herself. “But you work for the Protector of Weapons. Subner sent you here to get the sword. How can you not be worthy? I mean, I get you are not a king, but also, who can pull this sword if it isn’t you?”

A crooked smile formed on his mouth. “I think it’s you.”

Chapter Nineteen

“Oh dear, you have lost your mind,” Sophia said, shaking her head at Wilder.

He laughed, his voice echoing. “That is true but totally unrelated to what we are talking about right now.”

“Why would I be able to pull Excalibur from the infamous stone?” Sophia questioned. “I’m definitely no king. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a girl, and we can’t be kings. Up until a little while ago, we couldn’t even be dragonriders.”

“For your information, I have noticed you are a girl,” he commented, a sideways smile still on his face.

“Have you considered going back and seeing Subner?” Sophia asked. “He sent you to get this. He would have known something like this was going to happen. Maybe he knows how to fix it.”

Wilder growled slightly as she exhaled. “He probably did know this was going to happen. The guy works in weird ways and isn’t always forthcoming.”

“What?” Sophia pretended to be shocked. “Father Time’s assistant isn’t forthcoming? I’m so surprised.”

A dimple surfaced when Wilder gave her an amused grin. “Yeah, I know, right? But also, he told me not to return to him without the sword. He said he would offer no other help besides what he already had, and I should troubleshoot things on my own.”

“Well,” Sophia said, drawing out the word. “I still don’t know why you think I will have any better luck. And I don’t want to lose my dragon, so I think I will just be off. Good luck.”

She didn’t move from her spot, but she did cross her arms in front of her chest and give him a challenging expression.

“I don’t want anything to happen to Lunis either, and I don’t think it will,” he explained. “I might be reading into things, but based on what we know about the old lore and what the sign says, I think only royalty can pull the sword.”

“Cool, well, go and find a king. There have got to be a few of those around here somewhere,” Sophia told him. “I will even help you look. Want me to post on Next Door? I have the app for this part of Scotland.”

Wilder shook his head. “Why do that when I have royalty right in front of me?”

Sophia lowered her chin. “No, you can’t be serious. I’m a Royal for the House of Fourteen. That is not a king or queen or whatever. It’s some status created by the founders.”

“But the blood that runs in your veins makes you magical royalty,” Wilder argued. “The sword and stone won’t know the difference. It just wants someone worthy to pull it. I came from nothing. My family were peasant farmers. But you, Soph, you have got the right blood. I believe you can pull the sword.”

“And then what?” she challenged.

“And then I can find Simi,” Wilder explained.

“How do you know?” Sophia demanded.

Wilder toggled his head back and forth, thinking. “Well, I don’t. But I think the first step has to be to get the sword. We know it has incredible power. If something was stolen using the sword, then having it should get it back, or one could reason. Anyway, Soph, you are my only hope.”

She leveled her gaze at him. “You are not giving me the ‘you are my only hope’ line, are you?”

He batted his long eyelashes at her. “I might be.”

“What if something happens to Lunis because you are wrong?” she challenged.

“Then, I will do everything within my power to get him back.” He held out his hand, a promise in the movement. “We will work together, and we won’t stop until we get our dragons back, but we will be together, and I will be indebted to you. No matter what, I will be indebted to you. Please, Soph. You are my best chance. I’m staking my dragon on this. I believe, heart and soul, you can pull Excalibur from the stone. Will you please try?”

Wilder knew what he was asking of her. More than that, Sophia knew what was at stake. She knew he depended on her of all people. She had lost her dragon and knew the pain he was going through. If there was any way she could help him, she had to do it. She’d do it for any of the Dragon Elite and especially for Wilder.

That wasn’t the strangest realization for her, though. Sophia wanted to be what fixed everything for him, and be the one who pulled Excalibur from the stone, not because it would make her a legend, although it would.

More importantly, because she wanted to be a part of this story.

She wanted to be a part of Wilder’s happy ending.

After a long moment of deliberation, Sophia nodded and extended her hand just as a cool wind wafted through her hair, although it should have been absent in the cave.

“Fine,” she said in a low voice. “I will do it. But if I regret this, you will pay.”

He smiled wide at her. “If you do, I will spend my life trying to pay you back, I promise.”

Chapter Twenty

Sophia’s hands were shaking when she extended them toward the hilt of the most famous sword in the world.

Life was about risk. This was a major one. She was gambling on Wilder’s hunch.

She nearly closed her eyes as she drew her fingers closer to the sword, each second feeling like a long minute.

Wait, Lunis said in her head, making her tense.

Sophia sucked in a breath as she stiffened.

I shouldn’t do it, should I? she asked her dragon.

Do what? he asked with a snicker in his voice.

Sophia rolled her eyes.

Wilder gave her a curious expression.

“My dragon is a playful jerk,” she explained. “Do you want him? I will just give you my dragon, and we can forget this whole Excalibur business.”

He smiled at this. “Although a thoughtful offer and Lunis is a fine dragon who would do me well, I really must insist on getting my Simi. She is the only dragon for me.”

Sophia nodded. “Okay, I’m going to do it.”

Hey, Soph, Lunis said mischievously.

Her eyelashes fluttered with annoyance.

It’s sort of a bad time, Lun.

That is the thing, he said, his voice trailing away.

What is the thing? she asked.

Well, about the timing, he answered.

What about it?

Did you file our taxes? he questioned.

A laugh spilled out of her mouth, again making Wilder give her a curious expression.

“We don’t file taxes,” she said out loud. “Because I don’t have a social security number, and you are a dragon.”

Wilder shook his head, hearing only half of the conversation. “You two have the strangest dialogues.”

She nodded. “You have no idea.”

Okay, good, Lunis said. So we are not in jeopardy of getting penalties?

For what? she questioned. For being world adjudicators who pretty much work for free solving the world’s problems?

Yeah, I don’t really know how it all works, he explained. I’m a dragon. We don’t deal much in tax law.

Much? Sophia chuckled.

At all, really. A few of my ancestors have eaten accountants. They are very chewy, apparently.

Maybe it’s because they are so stingy, Sophia reasoned.

I figured they would be crunchy. The dragon snickered.

Oh, please don’t, Sophia begged.

From all the numbers they crunch, Lunis rejoined, full-on laughing now.

Ba-dum-THS, Sophia said, trying not to laugh. She felt immeasurably better than moments prior, though, and knew that had been Lunis’ agenda all along, trying to be a pain in her rear end. That was their dynamic, and she absolutely loved it.

Thanks, Lunis.

Anytime, he said affectionately.

Feeling a lot steadier than before, Sophia pulled in a breath.

Her hands wrapped around the cold metal of the hilt. Excalibur warmed under her fingers at once.

Sophia almost expected something to happen right then. For the sword to explode, and send her flying through the cave maybe, or to feel Lunis jerked from her.

To Sophia’s surprise, nothing happened.

Her eyes darted to Wilder, tension heavy in his gaze.

“Go on then,” he encouraged. “Try to pull the sword. I know you can do it.”

Those seemingly simple six words were exactly what Sophia needed to hear: I know you can do it.

She held her breath and made a silent prayer to the angels above before pulling up on the sword, attempting to yank it from the place it had resided for several centuries.

Nothing happened.

Sophia’s heart suddenly pounded in her chest.

The blade moved a tiny amount. The sound of scratching met her ears as she continued to pull, feeling a strange easing as Excalibur released from the stone.

Wilder’s eyes widened, and a smile lit up his face. He leaned forward as a bright light shone around where King Arthur’s sword met the stone. It shot up, cascading on the cave ceiling, and illuminating the area where they stood.

A humming sound drowned out the scratching of the sword as Sophia continued to try to pull Excalibur from the stone.

She couldn’t believe it!

Wilder was right! It was working. The sword saw her as worthy.

The process wasn’t fast like she would have expected. It wasn’t like yanking Inexorabilis from the body of an enemy she had slain. It was like…well, pulling an ancient sword that had been trapped in stone for centuries.

Sophia gritted her teeth as sweat beaded on her forehead. Her arms shook from the force of trying to maintain constant pressure, the most intense game of tug-of-war she had ever played. She felt if she let up a single ounce, it would yank her through a portal to a land from which she may never return. Sophia bit down on her lip and pulled harder, making the blade hiccup out of the stone several inches. It paused when it was almost out and tugged back at her—its last attempt to not be unsheathed from the rock.

“You can do this,” Wilder encouraged, his eyes trained intently upon the stone and the blade, the bright light intensifying. Music filled the cave, echoing everywhere. It was the most beautiful sound, but overwhelming, growing so loud it started to hurt Sophia’s ears.

She grunted and used all her reserves to pull the sword. It seemed to be throwing in a last-ditch effort, yanking back at her.

The hilt vibrated in her hands and nearly hauled her off her feet.

Wilder noticed and raced behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and securing her back down to the ground. He pulled on Sophia to give her an extra bit of momentum. That did it.

Sophia might have been there for days trying to pull Excalibur from the stone. Yes, she was worthy by its standards to pull the sword, but doing it was incredibly difficult.

Together she and Wilder had the combination it took to succeed. He held her tightly and yanked at the same time as her, and the sword swept clean of the stone, its tip flying up.

The light that radiated from the blade was blinding, and the force it unearthed when meeting the cave was uncontrollable. It threw both dragonriders back several yards.

Sophia landed on Wilder, but he didn’t release her as the humming diminished, and the light dimmed.

Sophia didn’t let go of Excalibur as a portal opened in front of them, swallowing both up whole—transporting them to a brand-new location.

Chapter Twenty-One

The world went black before exploding into an array of bright colors, mostly blues and greens. What stole Sophia’s attention most was the biting cold.

As they fell through the portal, an icy wind blanketed them in the face, making it impossible for Sophia to open her eyes fully. This wasn’t like the portals she was used to. Those were still disorienting, but this was like riding a rollercoaster backward.

Sophia bit her tongue and tasted blood as they continued to fall. She half expected them to hit the ground, which would kill them both. She was sure of it. It would be worse on Wilder since he was underneath her, his arms still wrapped around her waist and pressing her in tightly.

Above them, Excalibur shone brightly. The sword was like a projectile, sending them down at unbelievable speeds. Even on Lunis, Sophia had never traveled so fast.

She willed her eyes to open all the way, taking in the area around them. Sophia immediately wished she hadn’t. Surrounding them were walls of ice. It appeared they were falling through a tunnel made of snow, like when she had to descend the staircase in Antarctica to get to Queen Anastasia Crystal’s ice fortress.

The wind whipped past them, and the temperature plummeted further. They started slowing down.

The intensity of the cold grabbed Sophia at the same moment they paused in midair. She was about to twist around when they slowly slipped down a few inches and were gently laid on the surface of an ice platform.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Suddenly the weight of Excalibur was intense. Holding it up with her hands extended seemed to be the most strenuous task she had ever done. Her arms trembled, and for a moment, she thought she would drop the sword on her and Wilder, impaling them.

Instead, she forced the weight of the sword to drag her arms to the side, and with it, Excalibur dropped to land on the ice, her hands still wrapped around the hilt. She released it and rolled off Wilder.

As soon as she was off him, he jumped to his feet, surveying where they had landed. It was a cave made of ice. They were surrounded by thick white walls that glowed with strange blues and greens.

Although Sophia thought they had fallen through a tunnel, when she brought her eyes up, there was a domed ceiling. More disconcerting was that there was no exit.

Sophia spun around and looked at Wilder, who shared her expression of panic. They were trapped. But she had been able to pull the sword.

“I don’t understand,” she said, her breathing fogging up from the cold. “Where are we?”

He shook his head, turning in a circle as he continued to search the space. There wasn’t too much to it. It looked like they were locked inside of an igloo, although Sophia could make out movement on the other side of the ice wall in front of them.

The cold bit at her insides, and Sophia pulled her cloak tighter. When she had left the Antarctic, after defeating the abominable snowman, she had said if she didn’t see ice and snow for the rest of her life, that would be okay. It appeared the angels had ignored her request.

Wilder went over to Excalibur, his hand hesitating an inch from the hilt. He looked over his shoulder to Sophia, a question in his eyes. She nodded, encouraging him to pick it up. What could happen now? She had already pulled the sword from the stone. It appeared there was another part of the challenge.

To her relief and surprise, absolutely nothing happened when he picked up the sword. She watched him as he swung the sword.

“Well?” she asked, curious what he felt from the sword that had seen its fair share of battles.

“It’s incredibly impressive,” he said, testing the balance.

“Can it get us out of here?”

Wilder nodded. “I’m sure it can.” He lowered the blade though, distracted. He took a step in her direction, a serious expression on his face. “You did it. I knew you could, and you did, risking your dragon for mine.”

Sophia felt something draw her forward, and she took a step in his direction. They stared at each other, both mesmerized.

Wilder lifted his free hand, his mouth twitching to the side. Sophia was sure he was about to touch her face. Just over his shoulder, she saw movement. It was an unmistakable figure, just behind the ice.

“Simi!” Sophia yelled, pointing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Wilder whipped around, his eyes widening.

Behind the wall of ice, a shadow moved. At first, it appeared indistinct. Sophia was worried she had mistaken something else for the dragon’s figure. But a moment later, it turned, and the clear outline of the dragon could be seen.

It was unmistakably Wilder’s dragon.

He dashed forward, throwing his palm flat on the ice wall. “Simi! Can you hear me? I’m here!”

He beat on the ice with his fist.

The outline of the dragon didn’t change as Sophia would have expected if she just caught notice of them.

“Can you hear her?” Sophia asked, referring to the telepathic communication Wilder would share with his dragon, the same as Lunis and she.

He shook his head, stepping backward. “No, but that has to be her.”

She nodded. “We will get her out.”

Sophia glanced around, looking for anything that would clue her in on what they were supposed to do next. This had to be a riddle of some kind. If she could just figure out what the next part of the challenge was, they would be that much closer to rescuing the white dragon and freeing themselves.

Wilder seemed to be doing the same thing, looking for clues, his blue eyes searching the space. There wasn’t much, just ice and bright whites, blues, and greens.

Then both of their eyes landed on the sword in Wilder’s hand. There was a silent understanding between them when they looked at each other.

“Do you think?” he asked her, his question lingering in the air.

Sophia shrugged. “It makes sense. I think it’s worth a try.”

“But Excalibur is a trick. You can’t just try something with it because it will punish you if you are wrong.”

Sophia knew he still felt guilty losing his dragon when he tried to pull the sword. “Do you want me to try wielding it?”

He considered for a moment before nodding. Expertly, he turned the large sword around, offering her the hilt and presenting it over his forearm like a true gentleman.

She gave him a smile and took the sword with two hands. When she lifted Excalibur into the air, she was again amazed by how heavy it was. Sophia was used to carrying Inexorabilis, which was light and sleek.

In contrast, Excalibur had to weigh four times as much and was massive. This wasn’t a sword she would have much luck with in battle. Still, she didn’t have to fight with the blade. Hopefully, she only had to use it once.

Loosening her freezing chest with a breath, Sophia stood in front of the ice wall where Simi was trapped. She held King Arthur’s blade in both hands and prepared for the strike she was about to attempt.

With a look of uncertainty, she glanced at Wilder.

He gave her a confident expression. “Do it.”

Sophia swallowed and swung Excalibur, finding it moved much quicker than she would have expected based on its size and weight. The blade connected with the ice wall. Although legend said it could slice through steel like it was wood, the blade just bounced off the ice, not shattering it and freeing Simi, as she and Wilder had assumed.

Her brow furrowed, and she looked at Wilder with confusion. He shared her perplexed expression as he opened his mouth.

She never heard what he was about to say because the ice under their feet and the walls around them began to vibrate violently, creating a cacophony of noise.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Sophia rushed forward and pushed the sword into Wilder’s hands since he didn’t have a weapon. He took it at once, his movements full of urgency. She whipped Inexorabilis from its sheath, preparing for whatever came next.

While Sophia considered they were about to be crushed in the strange igloo, her instinct told her that wasn’t what hitting the ice wall with Excalibur had done. As if ready to confirm her assumption, a hole formed directly above them. It was black and about five feet in diameter.

Wilder held out an arm, encouraging her back away from the hole in the middle of the ceiling. It was a good thing too because a moment later, a large, green ogre who smelled as bad as it looked dropped through the hole.

The monster landed with a thud, the large knuckles of its oversized hands knocking into the ice floor. It was mostly naked to Sophia’s horror. Thankfully, the one-eyed monster had a loincloth wrapped around its privates, fashioned of what appeared to be small skulls. Maybe leftovers of its past enemies.

Around its forearms was spiked armor. Strange black tattoos covered the beast’s shoulders and bare chest. It had several silver rings in its large ears, and two large horns protruded from either of the ogre’s shoulders.

When it saw Sophia and Wilder standing on the far side of the domed igloo, it opened its mouth and screamed—a noise that vibrated the ground under Sophia’s boots. The monster had two large bottom fangs that framed a row of smaller but just as lethal teeth. Its one eye blinked at them, a less than welcoming expression in its gaze.

“I don’t think it’s happy to see us,” Sophia said, holding her sword at the ready.

Wilder did the same with Excalibur. “Maybe it just got woken up from its nap.”

“Or maybe it just looked in the mirror,” Sophia joked.

“Should I take this one, or do you want to?” Wilder asked, giving her an entertained expression.

“Well, ‘ladies first’ is the rule, I believe.”

He waved his arm forward. “Be my guest, dear lady.”

Sophia stepped up, but before she could launch an attack at Skull Pants, the black hole opened in the ceiling again.

She jumped back, certain she knew what was going to happen next.

A second later another just as disgusting green ogre dropped through the opening, landing next to its ugly cousin. It was pretty much the same as Skull Pants, but this one was lucky enough to have two eyes.

“Oh, look,” Wilder commented, sounding amused. “One for you and one for me.”

“No one will feel left out,” Sophia agreed.

Under their feet, the ground shook again. The hole in the ceiling hadn’t closed yet, and once again, another angry ogre dropped through the hole, landing behind its brethren. This one had three eyes and somehow appeared more peeved than the other two.

“Okay, so one for you,” Wilder began. “One for me. And one to grow on.”

“Well, first one to finish their ugly ogre gets the third one,” Sophia challenged. “I will take Cyclops. You get Two-Eyes McGoo Head.”

“Two-Eyes McGoo Head,” Wilder said with a laugh. “That was my grandfather’s name, I believe.”

Cyclops stomped one foot, nearly throwing Sophia to the ground from the vibration that resulted. She shook her head at Wilder. “Save the jokes until after you have slaughtered your ogre. Then we chat.”

He nodded, new excitement in his eyes. “Okay, I will race you. The last one to defeat their ogre has to shovel the dragon poo from the Expanse for a month.”

“Wait, since when did we have to clean up the dragon droppings?” Sophia asked, aware the ogres were growing restless and about to attack.

“Exactly,” Wilder fired back. “Someone has skirted this responsibility for long enough, being the newbie. It’s about time you step up, Soph.”

She flashed him a defiant expression. “Yeah, not yet, I don’t. I don’t plan on losing.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Sophia faced off against Cyclops and gave him a threatening look. “You ready to go down, Mr. Ugly Face?”

The monster screamed, his breath smelling as bad as him.

The three ogres were so huge, they took up over half of the igloo. Sophia knew defeating three at a time in a confined space would be challenging. She made the executive decision to freeze the ogre with three eyes, Mr. Wrinkles as she was affectionately referring to him.

“Oh, are you afraid you can’t handle two at a time?” Wilder taunted, aiming Excalibur at Two-Eyes McGoo Head as he charged. He threw up his forearm and the blade hit the spiked armor, bouncing off. The beast yelled in Wilder’s face, brushing his hair back from the wind soaring out of its mouth.

“Why don’t you focus on your ogre,” Sophia ordered, giving Cyclops a challenging expression.

He stomped, his knuckles dragging on the ground.

“You must have horrible back issues,” Sophia remarked to the monster. This seemed to make it even angrier.

It put its head down like a bull and raced straight at her. She could have used the Wilder approach and raised her sword at the beast, using its momentum against it, but she didn’t do things the same way as Wilder or the other men of the Dragon Elite. Sophia fought smart, not hard.

Cyclops’ head rammed straight into the ice wall, and it stumbled backward, nearly stepping on Sophia. She backed up rapidly, accidentally stepping on Mr. Wrinkle’s foot. Thankfully the ugly creature was still frozen.

For a moment, Cyclops staggered around like a drunk. It almost looked like it was a cartoon and had been hit with an anvil. Sophia imagined little tweeting birds circling over his head. It fell, landing on its front side.

In a flash, Wilder spun around, slashing Excalibur so quickly it made the same musical sound they had heard when she’d pulled it from the stone. It sliced cleanly through the massive midsection of the beast. Instead of blood and guts spilling out everywhere, the same light that had illuminated the blade and the stone shot out from the cut, spreading out throughout the space, and momentarily blinding them.

Sophia shielded her eyes with her arm, the light so bright it felt like it might burn her skin. Just when she worried the intensity would be too much, the light evaporated and took with it the hulking figure of Two-Eyes McGoo Head.

Perplexed, Sophia lowered her hand. The beast had simply disappeared, but something seemed off. Wilder didn’t share her skepticism. Proud of himself, he twirled the large sword in his hand, pressing out his lips.

“That was easy,” he said, nodding confidently. He indicated her ogre, still lying face down on his one good eye. “You want me to take care of Cyclops for you?”

Sophia gave him a cautious expression, looking around as she thought. “No, something isn’t right here.”

He laughed. “What are you talking about? We have King Arthur’s sword. When you have the best weapons, things are just easier.”

Sophia shook her head. “No, because whoever pulled that sword would have it when battling these ugly brutes. There is something else to this.”

“Like it’s a riddle?” Wilder asked, not convinced by her skeptical reasoning.

“I don’t know,” she mused, watching as the muscles on Cyclops’ back twitched. He was coming to.

“Well, you lost this round,” Wilder informed her. “Do you want to unfreeze Three Eyes and go double or nothing?”

“His name is Mr. Wrinkles,” Sophia corrected. “And no, I’m not taking that as a loss.”

“But I defeated my guy first,” he argued as Cyclops put his hands under his shoulder and pushed up to his knees.

Sophia clapped her boot on the back of his spine and stomped down, combining the effort with a combat spell. The ogre was immediately sent back down to the ice on his face, a muffled grunt spilling from his mouth.

“I’m not sure you did defeat him,” Sophia countered. “He disappeared, but that doesn’t mean he is gone.”

Wilder shook his head at her. “We really should work on your vocabulary. Gone and disappeared are the same thing.”

Sophia’s mind scanned what she knew so far and ignored Wilder, who was trying to be cool, flashing her a grin and acting like the victor. “We are stuck in an igloo with ogres.”

“Yep,” Wilder agreed, running his gaze over the area where Simi’s shadow could still be seen behind the ice wall.

“And Excalibur should cut through the ice, but it doesn’t,” Sophia thought out loud.

“Yeah, that is weird.” Wilder pulled back the blade, and before Sophia could stop him, he swung it at the wall again.

“NO!” she yelled, but it was too late.

Like a bell being hit, the dome over them rattled, vibrating Sophia’s brain from the echoing sound. Again, the blade of Excalibur simply bounced off the ice wall, having no effect on it.

Wilder gave her a confused expression. “Why did you tell me no?”

A moment later, the black hole in the top of the igloo dome opened, and another ogre as angry as the other three, dropped through.

Sophia shook her head, lowering her chin. “That is why.”

Chapter Twenty-Six

Sophia lifted her sword and brought it straight down into Cyclops’ back. Like with Two-Eyes McGoo, light shot out from the place where the blade pierced his skin, nearly blinding them again as the large body disappeared.

The new and energized ogre charged Wilder. This time he didn’t strike the beast with Excalibur. Instead, he deflected the monster’s attacks, although they sent Wilder straight into the wall at his back. The shadow of Simi moved behind him, the dragon perhaps sensing her rider had just been assaulted.

The ogre grabbed Wilder by the throat and held him up in the air.

“Do I kill him or not?” Wilder asked through sips of breath, his face turning a violent shade of red.

Sophia thought. “I’m not sure, actually.”

Wilder’s feet kicked, having been hauled up higher off the ground. “I’m going to need you to make a decision sooner rather than later.”

She pretended to be put off. “Don’t rush me. I’m thinking.”

He brought his elbows down, striking the ogre in the place between its neck and shoulder, and making it drop him. Wilder landed with a thud and rolled out of reach as it grabbed for him.

“You killed your ogre, but you don’t want me to kill this one? Is that it?” he panted, crouched down low and ducking as Fourths, as Sophia decided to call him, swung its fist. It wasn’t that great at fighting, more blindly throwing its wide arms around and hoping to hit something by sheer luck.

“My ogre was keeping me from thinking,” Sophia said. “Since we know how to get another one, I think we are okay.”

The next attack by Fourths connected with Wilder’s chest and threw him across the igloo into the ice wall. He hit with a thud and slid down, Excalibur still in his grasp. Thankfully he only looked badly jarred but not injured.

“Can I kill this one to give me time to think?”

She shook her head. “No, I want to experiment on him.”

Wilder dove when Fourths reached for him. He rolled and jumped back to his feet before wheeling around. “Can’t we use Mr. Wrinkles? He’s still frozen.”

“Yeah, but what if we need two at a time,” Sophia reasoned. “I mean, the Ice Dome of Doom did give us three, to begin with. There might be something to the number.”

“Ice…Dome…of…Doom,” he said in between breaths as he jumped away from the attempts on his life from Fourths. “That is what we are calling this place, huh?”

“Well, it has a better ring to it than Ogre Paradise,” Sophia remarked, still considering what they had learned about this place. She pulled back her sword and struck the wall, wondering if it would produce another ogre.

With her eyes pinned up high, she waited for the opening to form. It didn’t.

“It must be Excalibur that creates the portal for the ogres,” Sophia observed.

“Great.” Wilder did not sound excited about the information. “I will remember that for when I turn in my report. Now can I kill this guy?”

Wilder ducked to the side just as Fourths rammed his shoulder into the ice wall where his face had been moments prior. The horns on his shoulder stuck in the ice, making cracks spray out around it.

Wilder and Sophia looked at each other, their eyes wide.

The ogre apparently didn’t understand they were having a moment and pressed both of his large hands into the wall, pushing off hard and unsticking himself.

“You see what I saw?” Sophia asked.

“I, in fact, did.” Wilder brandished a victorious smile. “We can’t break the ice.”

Sophia stepped up close to Wilder, putting her back to his as she unfroze Mr. Wrinkles. “But they can break it.”

“And that is how we are going to release Simi,” Wilder said, relief in his voice.

Mr. Wrinkles awoke with a start, shaking his ugly head and looking around for his prey. His eyes landed on Sophia, and just like a cranky baby, he yelled, a long-pointed tongue hanging out of his mouth.

“You take Fourths, and I will take Mr. Wrinkles,” Sophia suggested.

“Fourths?” Wilder asked, looking over his shoulder at her. “Do you name all the enemy monsters you fight?”

“Always,” she answered, sliding forward under Mr. Wrinkle’s arm span as he tried to put her in a bear hug. “Get your guy to hit the wall. I will do the same. But try not to kill this one.”

“Why?” Wilder watched as his ogre lumbered in his direction.

Sophia shot a dizzying spell at Mr. Wrinkles, making the ogre instantly disoriented. It began to spin in a circle on the spot like it had just stepped off a merry-go-round.

Fourths whipped around before Wilder could plan his next attack, knocking his legs out from under him and sending him to his back. Excalibur fell out of his hands, rolling to the side.

Sophia spun around and kicked Fourths in the stomach using a combat spell. The ogre shot back, knocking into the wall behind him. One of the horns on the back side of his shoulder stuck into the ice.

Mr. Wrinkles had finally made himself too dizzy to stand, and like a building collapsing, he fell to the side, the wall catching him. Immediately his horn stuck deep into the wall.

Sophia took the opportunity as the two ogres tried to free themselves from the ice to extend a hand to Wilder. “Because I think when we summon more ogres, they get stronger with each new one,” she said, answering his question about why they shouldn’t kill the ogres unnecessarily.

Wilder popped up to his feet, nodding at her gratefully for her help. “That makes sense because Fourths has a lot more power to his punch than Two-Eyes McGoo Head. How did you figure that out?”

Sophia watched as Fourths worked to try and free himself from the wall. The ice splintered out from the horn, making a cracking sound that sounded like progress. “Because things usually make sense in these scenarios. If we can get unlimited ogres, there must be a reason. They are relatively easy to kill, but it gets harder if you don’t use them correctly.”

Fourths finally pushed himself off the wall, the hole he left behind sizable. He shook his head, seeming to try to orient himself.

“And we are supposed to use them to break the ice,” Wilder stated, retrieving Excalibur.

“Exactly,” Sophia said, watching as Mr. Wrinkles struggled to free himself. He was really pinned into the wall. “I think it would be good if you could get Fourths to break down the rest of that area of the wall. I will get Mr. Wrinkles to take care of this section.”

Wilder feinted to one side and then the other with the sword, teasing his ogre. “You think we have to destroy the whole dome?”

“I think,” Sophia answered, jumping back as Mr. Wrinkles freed himself and nearly fell on her from the momentum of pulling off the wall. “A few well-placed hits and the whole thing will come down.”

Wilder lifted Excalibur into the air and spun out of Fourths’ grasp like he was a ballerina turning across the stage. This disoriented the dumb creature, making it shake its head as if the spinning caused it to be dizzy. With its focus momentarily distracted, Wilder shot a wind spell at the monster, and it flew back into the same spot as before, both of its shoulders hitting the wall—the horns piercing the ice.

“Seriously, Soph, how do you figure this stuff out?” Wilder questioned as he turned to face her like they were having a casual conversation and not sparring with angry ogres.

“I pay attention,” she said and, ironically, caught an ogre fist straight on the chin. It brought her up off her feet and threw her across the air. Thankfully, Fourths’ meaty chest broke her landing. She slammed straight into the still-stuck ogre and fell at its feet. Before it could play soccer with her, she rolled out of its reach, her face aching from the last assault.

“You pay attention, do you?” Wilder teased, after checking she was okay.

Sophia wasn’t just in pain now. She was freaking angry. Taking off at a sprint, she ran up the side of the arched wall next to Mr. Wrinkles and jumped into the air, throwing a roundhouse kick into his face as she gracefully twisted around and landed on her feet, her sword still in her hand.

The ogre tottered like a tree being chopped down.

Right on cue, Sophia yelled, “Timber.”

The ogre tipped over to the side and landed on the ice wall, its horns on its shoulder sticking deep into the ice.

Sophia narrowed her eyes at Wilder. “And yes, I pay attention.”

“Do you?” he asked beside her, a grin on his face.

Both of their ogres were working to free themselves from the ice walls where they were stuck by their own horns. The cracking was like music that grew louder with each passing second.

Sophia wasn’t paying attention to the ogres or the game of escaping the ice dome. She was locked on Wilder and the strange look he was giving her. There was something his gaze seemed to be saying, and something in her heart that seemed to be trying to say something too.

She felt the urge to run, although there was nowhere to go, trapped inside the igloo.

She remembered the story Mae Ling had told her about Cinderella, and it made more sense than ever.

Cinderella ran when she didn’t have to because the logical part of her brain thought it couldn’t work. She thought the prince would never accept her for who she was, but because her heart wanted to be found, she left behind the glass slipper.

Sophia tensed, about to say something, but then both ogres yanked out of the ice. The dome shattered from the action, ice raining down on them.

Wilder dove forward, sending Sophia to the ground and covering her head with his own body. She shielded herself, tugging him in closer and hoped he was covering himself properly too.

The crashing was over almost as soon as it began, and both dragonriders popped to their feet, knowing the fight wasn’t quite over. Wilder whipped around to face Fourths. Sophia put her back to his, facing off with Mr. Wrinkles.

In perfect unison, like they had choreographed and performed it a million times, they brought up their swords and swung them, slicing cleanly through the ogres, sending bright light everywhere as the beasts disappeared.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

For a second time, Sophia ducked, hiding her eyes from the light. She felt Wilder’s arms around her, cocooning her from the blinding force as the ogres disappeared into the ether.

When the tension in his arms released, she stood up, pushing him away. He stood next to her, the two trying to right themselves after the series of disorienting events.

They stood on an ice platform, and a strange green land surrounded them.

It went on forever in all directions like they had been dropped into a weird utopia.

Sophia was nervous about taking a step away from where they were, but Wilder sprang away immediately.

“Simi!” he yelled.

Sophia spun to find the white dragon holding up her front leg regally, like a dog about to shake hands. Wilder didn’t stop until he was almost underneath her. He looked up at his dragon in awe, his smile and eyes wide.

Sophia gave them a moment to reunite and tried not to watch as the white dragon dipped her head, running it next to Wilder’s, enjoying having him close.

Wilder combed his hand over the large dragon’s face, closing his eyes and whispering to her as she soaked him in.

Sophia let this go on for as long as she could, but knowing they were in a strange world they would have to leave soon. Otherwise, who knew what other strange magical creatures would join them next.

“Hey there,” she said discreetly, walking up to the cuddling dragon and rider.

Simi batted her long eyelashes at Sophia and gave her a look of respect. “Thanks to you, S. Beaufont. You didn’t have to risk everything you hold dear to save me, and yet you did.”

Sophia shrugged, not knowing what to say. “Well, I only did what anyone else in the Dragon Elite would do for one of their own. If it was Lunis...”

Wilder laughed. “Evan would have told me ‘hell no’ and Mahkah would have researched the whole thing for too long for my liking.”

“Oh, well, I’m more of a woman of action,” Sophia said. “Why wait when we can create solutions together?”

Wilder put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in close, hugging her tightly. “If everyone saw things the way you did, Soph, the world would be a different place.”

“Well, we all need a job, so maybe it’s good that it’s not,” she remarked, moving out of Wilder’s grasp. “I guess we should get that sword back, huh?”

She pointed to Excalibur, still in his hands.

Wilder glanced down at the sword and tightened his hand on the hilt as he lifted it with pride. “Yes, I think Subner will be happy to see this. Let’s return it.”

He turned and looked at his dragon with unmistakable affection. “See you soon?”

“Always,” she replied.

Sophia understood then something profound and deeply important. Dragons loved their riders unconditionally. The love a rider had for their dragon was comparable to nothing else. Maybe because of the magic that surrounded a dragonrider, it was easy for someone to fall for them without even meaning to.

The whole thing was very confusing.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Roya Lane seemed almost balmy compared to the chill of wherever they had just been. Sophia and Wilder still hadn’t figured it out by the time they opened a portal and left. They figured it was a strange alternate plane King Arthur had created for the person who pulled the sword.

“He was a dragonrider, you know,” Wilder informed Sophia as they strode through Roya Lane.

“I didn’t actually,” she replied. “But it makes sense.”

Sophia made a mental note that she needed to spend some time reading The Complete History of Dragonriders. Then she would have known this information, along with a lot of other stuff, although she didn’t know what. That was the thing. Sophia didn’t know what she didn’t know.

“I know we need to get to the Fantastical Armory,” Wilder said, walking beside her. “I’m sort of famished after that fight.”

Sophia pulled a packet of broken crackers from her cloak. “You want halfsies?”

He shook his head at her. “No, those are all yours, but thanks for offering me a bunch of crumbs.”

She laughed. “Hey, if you were really starving, you would beg for these.”

“There are a lot of things I would beg for.” He pointed at the crumbly bag of crackers. “That is absolutely not one of them.”

“It always depends on circumstance, Mr. Thomson.”

“Oh,” he said, drawing out the word. “Using surnames. I didn’t realize we were so formal, Ms. Beaufont.”

Sophia waited for a group of gnomes to pass on the street. They never watched where they were going and seemed to think others should watch out for them. That was a contrast to many of the other magical races on the lane who were giving Sophia and Wilder curious glances as they walked by. That might have been because they recognized them as dragonriders. It could also have been because Wilder was carrying a gigantic sword strapped across his back.

“You can fill up on those stale bits of cracker, but I vote we stop in at a bakery I found the last time I was here,” Wilder suggested.

“Are you okay with carrying that sword around a bit longer?”

“Well, I’m definitely not worried about anyone messing with me while I have it on my back,” he answered. “And yeah, I will be fine. I do need some sugar to refill my reserves after wielding this thing.”

“Okay, show me this bakery,” Sophia agreed, holding out a hand and inviting him to direct their path. “Maybe I should leave you here to return the sword to Subner on your own. I’m not sure if he’ll be happy with you if he finds out I was a part of the mission. He did tell you to keep the whole thing a secret.”

Wilder shook his head. “Oh, no, you are going with me and getting all the credit. I will get in trouble if I have to, although I’m not certain how I could have avoided telling someone about it once Simi was taken from me.”

Sophia nodded. “Yeah, I’m curious to hear what Subner has to say.”

“I’m certain he’ll avoid all questions,” Wilder joked. “He is good like that.” He halted suddenly, making a group of elves veer around them to avoid hitting him. Their faces would have paid for it if they rammed into Excalibur on his back. “But oh, I’m sorry. I totally stole you away for this mission, and I’m sure you have your own thing going on. If you need to bail and not get your gold star from the Protector of Weapons, I understand.”

Sophia giggled. “Me? Have something going on? No, I was just welcoming all of my friends and family from my former life into the Castle, where no outsiders have ever been.”

“Oh!” Wilder chirped. “So, you are totally free then.”

“Yeah, I can only imagine the many ways King Rudolf Sweetwater is giving Hiker a migraine right now,” she said with a laugh. “If he isn’t, by some rare stroke of luck, my sister is most definitely getting on the Viking’s nerves.”

Wilder chuckled. “You know Hiker isn’t a Viking, right?”

“Of course, but that is what I’m calling him. He loves it. Just like he loves my jokes.”

He winked at her. “You do have good jokes. What is going on at the Castle?”

“My friends came to help,” she told him, knowing she wasn’t really addressing the question.

“Two giants, three magicians, a fae, and three halflings,” Wilder stated. “You have a very strange assortment of friends.”

“You have no idea. When I was little, I used to enchant my stuffed animals to move and talk, so at least these friends are real.”

“You are making progress.” He continued to lead the way, directing her to a narrow alleyway she had never ventured down before. Sophia hadn’t spent much time on Roya Lane. Before joining the Dragon Elite, Sophia hadn’t spent much time out of the House of Fourteen, either. Her brother, Clark, had been very protective of her growing up. It was understandable since she had unregistered magic at a very early age, and Clark had lost most of his family, so for a while, Sophia was all he had.

“Are you really okay with joining me for a pain au chocolat?” Wilder asked. “This bakery has the very best I have ever tried.”

Sophia nodded. “Yeah, another hour away won’t hurt. It’s probably better if I force that lot to figure out how to get along on their own. I can’t hold their hands through everything.”

Wilder’s eyes slipped down, looking at Sophia’s hand. “And after you mediate things with Hiker and your friends, what is on your agenda?”

“I have to go break into the Fae’s National History Museum to steal Quiet’s father’s hat,” she said in a rush of words.

A fake yawn fell out of Wilder’s mouth. “Wow, that sounds pretty boring.”

“Just a regular Tuesday,” Sophia teased.

“Here it is.” Wilder pointed to a blue awning that read: The Crying Cat Bakery. In front of the glass door were spiral topiaries.

Just walking past the window displaying many of the pastries made Sophia’s mouth salivate. She was about to push through the door when Wilder caught her hand, making her turn around in surprise. Sophia expected there was some sudden danger he was alerting her to. The sneaky grin on his face put those fears at ease immediately.

“About this place…”

“What?” Sophia asked, tilting her head to the side.

“The couple who run this bakery is a little on the eccentric side,” he warned.

Sophia lowered her chin. “You really should meet my friends. They make eccentric types appear normal.”

“No, I don’t think you understand,” Wilder argued. “These two are their own brand of weird.”

Shrugging, Sophia said, “My sister’s sidekick is a talking cat who is as old as Father Time. He day trades and writes novels when he is not helping her save the magical world. I think I can handle a new brand of weird.”

Wilder looked impressed. “I must meet this cat.”

“You probably already have and just didn’t know it,” Sophia explained. “I’m pretty certain the lynx has been stalking around the Castle for a while now.”

“Maybe since the Barrier came down,” Wilder amended.

Sophia shook her head. “Oh, no. I’m sure he has been around way before that.”

“No, that would have been impossible,” Wilder disagreed.

Sophia winked at him before pushing open the door to the Crying Cat Bakery. “You don’t know this cat. Nothing is impossible for Plato.”

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The bell on the door chimed as the two entered the Crying Cat Bakery. The smell of fresh-baked bread and coffee hit Sophia’s nose, making her stomach rumble. She was pretty hungry after battling those ogres.

The bakery was buzzing with fairies, many of them seemed to be working. Some were dusting the decorations, and others were cleaning tables while a few were glazing donuts. The case of baked goods was like an art piece one would find in a museum.

The cinnamon rolls, which were the size of one’s face, were so perfectly round they didn’t seem real. Small cakes that were expertly decorated lined the bottom row. The flowers made of pastel frosting were enchanted to open and close like they were blooming on a spring day. Above those were cupcakes of almost every flavor Sophia could think of. There was red velvet to lemon coconut and everything in between. There was a sign on the counter that read, “If we don’t have it, then it doesn’t exist.”

Sophia chuckled at the sign.

A woman’s head popped out from behind a ten-layer chocolate cake on the top of the main display case. “What are you laughing at?”

The woman had short hair and a studious expression in her eyes.

“Oh, hey!” Sophia greeted her. “I just was laughing at the sign.”

The woman, who was wearing flour on her cheeks like it was blush, scowled at Sophia. “Why? What is funny about it? We literally have every baked good you could want.”

“Well, it’s just impossible to have everything,” Sophia argued.

“It’s limited thinking like which has kept you in that dead-end job of yours,” the woman spat.

“I’m a dragonrider for the Elite,” Sophia countered, thoroughly amused by the ornery woman.

“And you will stay there for the next thousand years unless you broaden your thinking!” the baker exclaimed.

Sophia looked at Wilder, who was hiding the grin on his face, although not very well.

“Dear, are you harassing the patrons again?” another woman asked, coming in from the back and carrying a large box labeled “Weapons.”

The woman pointed at Sophia. “She started it.”

“Of course, she did,” the other woman said, her French accent strong. She was shorter than the other lady and had cropped red hair. “But we don’t point, remember. And we don’t say the things we are thinking out loud. Now, where do you want your assassin weapons?”

The first woman threw her hands up in the air. “Well, I will take the knife right now since I’m going to stab you with it.” She leaned forward and whispered. “Cat, assassins don’t usually broadcast that information to other people.”

The woman, who was apparently named Cat, nodded like this all made perfect sense. “Also, Lee, good assassins don’t leave their weapons lying around. You know today is when I clean the back room.”

“You clean the backroom every day, dear,” Lee said, an inflection on the last word. “Morning, noon, night. Oh, I think a speck of dust fell from the rafters just now. Do you need to rush back there and clean it up?”

Cat shook her head of short red hair. “No, I don’t.” She glanced up at a tiny fairy dusting the ceiling. “Go on then. Go get that speck of dust.”

The fairy buzzed off, blurring through the air.

Wilder cleared his throat to get the arguing couple’s attention. They both turned their heads and gave him murderous stares.

“What do you want?” Lee asked him.

“Well, shockingly, I was hoping to buy something to eat. Can I please get a chocolate chip cookie,” Wilder said.

Lee shook her head. “We don’t have any.”

He cocked his head to the side and pointed at the sign. “I thought you had everything.”

“We did,” Lee explained. “But I ate all the cookies this morning.”

“I can whip up some more for you,” Cat said good-naturedly. “Do you have any food allergies?”

“Because if you do, you can show yourself out,” Lee fired. “We don’t cater to pansies who can’t tolerate gluten or snotty jerks who shove their vegan agendas down our throats. And those with nut allergies can suck it up, Buttercup. I ain’t got time for that nonsense.”

Wilder smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not picky. Actually, I’m sure I can find something else since you are out of cookies.” He pointed to a display case at the end of the row. “What are these about?”

The case of assorted pastries appeared like all the other ones, except there were little red signs in front of each item. They said things like Bittersweet Chocolate Tarts, Shush It Strudel, Cap ‘Em Cannoli, and No Lies Lady Fingers.

“Oh, Scotsman, I don’t think you are ready for that,” Lee told him. “Why don’t you stick with the nonmagical baked goods.”

“Those are magical?” Wilder asked, ignoring the assassin baker.

“They are,” Cat sang, laying her arms on the top of the case and peering down into it proudly. “Give the tart to someone bitter, and they’ll become sweet. Give it to someone sweet, and they will become bitter.”

“And if you give it to a cantankerous old witch, you get this,” Lee said, holding a presenting hand at her wife.

“Oh,” Sophia said, intrigued. “The Shush It Strudel will make someone be quiet, then?”

“Yes,” Cat affirmed and looked at the woman beside her. “Would you like a slice, my love?”

Lee shook her head. “No, but remember that loose shingle on the roof needs to be fixed. I will hold the ladder for you, dear, if you will get up there and take care of it.”

Cat plastered a smile on her face. “I will definitely do that if you will fix the blow dryer. It’s hanging next to the sink, which is still leaking. There is water all over the floor in front of it.”

Lee flashed her own disingenuous smile. “I’m happy to look into that, right after you sample those Cap ‘Em Cannolis. I think they might be too sweet, but why don’t you be the judge of that, sweetie?”

“Oh, do the Cap ‘Em Cannolis actually…you know?” Sophia asked, afraid she would have to shut down the bakery if it sold murderous pastries.

“Unfortunately, no,” Lee said with a sigh. “They only put the eater into a very long nap. But I will get the formula right at some point, and they’ll do what they are intended to.”

“I’m afraid that is illegal,” Wilder commented, raising an eyebrow at the woman.

“’I’m afraid that is illegal,’” Lee said in a high-pitched voice, doing an awful impression of him. She looked at Cat and shook her head. “He is a unicorn rider.”

“Dragon, actually,” Wilder corrected with an amused glint in his blue eyes.

“Same thing, Scotsman.” Lee waved him off. “Okay, well, I have a job to get to, so hurry up and order.”

“A catering job?” Cat asked.

Lee cut her eyes at her. “Yes, a catering job. Is my ski mask clean, dear?”

“If you put it in the laundry basket last night, it is,” Cat replied.

Lee rolled her eyes. “Fine, I will wear one of the other ones. This side business isn’t going to take off unless I’m prepared before each assignment.”

“Oh, is that the problem?” Cat argued. “I thought it was because you can’t shoot someone even if they pull the trigger for you.”

“Well, I need more target practice, honey,” Lee explained. “If you agree to help, I’m sure I can get better. Let’s go out to the shooting range later. I will tell you exactly where to stand.”

Cat shook her head. “I would, my darling, but I have to clean behind the refrigerator. It’s been ages since I have done that. What would I say if someone saw what was back there?”

“What the hell are you doing looking behind my refrigerator, Jerkface?” Lee asked.

“Sorry to interrupt,” Sophia cut in. She had said she could spare an hour for this excursion, but this could turn into more like half the day at this rate.

“Then don’t interrupt,” Lee chimed. “Can’t you see adults are talking, Dragonrider?”

“I was just hoping to get an apple turnover,” Sophia said, pointing at the case where the triangle pastries were calling to her.

Cat shook her head. “Oh, no. You don’t want those. Pick something else.”

“But that is what I want,” Sophia argued.

Cat patted the side of Lee’s arm. “Get her one of those profiteroles.”

“Oh, but I—”

Cat gave Sophia a stern expression, cutting off her stuttering. “You will love these. I make mine so sweet it hurts your teeth. You will really enjoy it.”

“Sounds great,” Sophia replied, not meaning it.

Wilder pointed at a kolache. “And I will have—”

“You will share her profiterole,” Cat said in an authoritative voice.

“You don’t want us to buy more pastries?” Wilder protested disbelievingly. “You are ordering us to share when we were willing to give you more money?”

Lee shook her head and handed over a white paper bag with the profiterole. “We don’t want your money. Just be on your way and don’t tell anyone about the bodies in the back.”

“What bodies in the back?” Sophia asked, taking the bag.

Cat rounded on her wife, her brow scowling. “If you got blood on the floor again, I’m going to murder you in your sleep.”

“You can try again,” Lee said with a laugh. “But next time, you have got to really hold the pillow down for a full two to three minutes.”

Cat waved her off as she made for the back of the shop. “Oh, who has time for all that? Just clean up after yourself, would you? I’m tired of being the one who has to dispose of the bones.”

Lee stormed after her, fists by her side. “You need to stop throwing those away! We bury bones, not chuck them into the trash like some amateurs.”

Sophia and Wilder burst out laughing when the couple disappeared into the back.

“Those two are a riot.” Sophia opened the small sack and tore the pastry in two. She offered the other half to Wilder.

He held up his hand, pretending he didn’t want any. “Oh, no. I don’t eat sugar. It’s a gateway drug.”

Chapter Thirty

Sophia was still giggling when they made their way to the Fantastical Armory. She reasoned it could be from the profiterole, which was so sweet it made her eyes burst open with surprise at the first bite.

Wilder had shared half with her, and it had been perfect for them. There was no way they could have each finished a whole one. Those kooky old women might have been more intuitive than Sophia realized. Although if Lee really was an assassin, she would have to pay the bakers another visit. She thought she might be able to let it slide since they did make an amazing profiterole and were quite entertaining.

Sophia wiped the powdered sugar from her hands and bobbed her head graciously at Wilder as he held the door to the Fantastical Armory open for her.

Subner was waiting for them just inside the shop full of weapons. In contrast to the bakery that smelled of sweet treats and rich coffee, the Fantastical Armory had a masculine scent about it, like a locker room mixed with the musty weapon room at the Castle.

Father Time’s assistant was leaning against one of the glass cases, his shoes crossed in front of him. His long stringy hair obscured one eye, and he had his usual serious expression. He wore a tattered t-shirt that said: “War is over, if you want it. – John Lennon.”

“Is it weird the Protector of Weapons is wearing an anti-war shirt?” Sophia asked Wilder in a mock whisper, pretending Subner couldn’t hear her.

“Yeah, it seems like no war would put him out of business,” Wilder said with a wink.

The hippie-looking-elf rolled his eyes. “Don’t even get me started. Yesterday I was wearing a shirt that said, ‘What if I fall? Oh, but darling, what if I fly?’” He shook his head, looking severely irritated. “Being a hippie in this incarnation is probably going to kill my usually cheery spirit.”

Sophia’s gaze skirted to Wilder, and they shared a confused expression.

Subner leaned forward and gave them a conspiratorial expression. “Maybe I can hire you two to do me a little favor. Most dangerous job ever and it will probably kill the both of you—”

“You are really selling this,” Sophia interrupted with a laugh.

He waved her off. “It’s not that bad. I just need you to murder Father Time. He can’t really die, not really, but the whole thing would make him regenerate and make me do so as well. Hopefully, I would come back as something less irritating, like a magician or a gnome.”

“Or you might be a pretty little fae,” Wilder teased.

Subner shivered as if the idea repulsed him. He shook his head. “Actually, forget it. I can’t risk becoming a fae again. The last time that happened, I fell in love, and it pretty much made me throw up.”

Sophia clasped her hands together beside her chin and batted her eyelashes at the elf. “You are such a romantic.”

“I’m not,” he told her. “But that reminds me, Wilder, I have a new mission for you involving cupid and getting his bow and arrow. You can’t do it until you help Sophia and the Dragon Elite resolve the security problem at the Gullington.”

“You know about that?” Sophia asked.

The Protector of Weapons gave her a cold expression. “Yes, as the assistant to Father Time, the most powerful entity in the world, excluding Mother Nature, I happen to be privy to what is going on at the Gullington.”

Sophia shook her head and gave Wilder a teasing expression. “I don’t think we will be able to pull off Subner’s surprise party after all.”

“No, you won’t,” Subner stated matter-of-factly. “Not to mention you don’t know when my birthday is since I was technically never born.”

“Hatched,” Wilder told Sophia, elbowing her in the side. “He was hatched like a dragon.”

“They still have birthdays,” she argued.

“Which reminds me, tell Liv when she is done helping you, Father Time has a new mission for her,” Subner informed Sophia.

“Oh, we definitely want her help, but if she is needed, I will send her here,” Sophia offered.

Subner shook his head. “That is not necessary. This mission isn’t time-sensitive since it occurs in the past. The events she needs to stop have already happened, but once she is done, it will change quite a bit.”

Sophia nodded to Wilder. “That is so typical.”

He agreed. “Change important historical events?”

Subner shook his head. “No, just the number of flavors Baskin Robbins has.”

“And that is important?” Sophia asked.

“Yes, it changes everything.”

“The balance of the world rests on very strange things, doesn’t it?” Sophia remarked.

“Indeed, it does,” Subner affirmed.

“Okay.” The light expression dropped from Wilder’s face. “You want me to go on this cupid mission after the mess at the Gullington is over. Will do.”

“Actually, I want you and Sophia to go on it together,” Subner corrected.

“You do?” Wilder wondered, surprise in his voice.

“Well, naturally,” he answered like this should have been obvious to the dragonrider. “Only the one who helped you free Excalibur could help you steal cupid’s bow and arrows.”

“Isn’t it going to mess up things if we take Cupid’s weapon of love?”

“No, that out-of-control creature hasn’t been spreading love for eons,” Subner muttered. “We will get into all of that later.”

Sophia had so many questions. She thought Cupid was a myth. She used to think the same thing about dragons, so it just went to show the world was still full of surprises. Before she could ask any of her burning questions, Subner held up his hand.

“So, S. Beaufont, tell me, were you surprised you were able to pull my sword from King Arthur’s stone?” Subner asked.

Chapter Thirty-One

“Wait,” Wilder cut in. “Did you say it was your sword?”

Subner gave him an irritated expression. “Of course, it was my sword.”

“Do you mean because all weapons belong to you?” Sophia asked. She still didn’t really understand how the Protector of Weapons worked.

He shook his head. “No, I mean because Excalibur was originally mine, but then that jerk King Arthur stole it and stuck it in the stone in the Gullington. Although I can technically get in there, I respect the rules of the Dragon Elite.”

“You needed Wilder to get it for you,” Sophia guessed.

Again, Subner shook his head. “No, I needed you to get the sword, but you don’t work for me, so I assigned the task to Wilder.”

The hippie elf was obviously getting irritated with having to explain everything to the two of them.

Sophia scratched her head. “Okay, you knew Wilder wouldn’t be able to pull the sword.”

Subner sighed, nodding along. “Yes, and I knew he would come and get you to help him.”

“I lost Simi,” Wilder complained. “What kind of set up is that?”

“It’s a perfectly reasonable one for someone who is privy to the future,” Subner dismissed him, unconcerned about Wilder’s frustration.

“But there is no set future,” Sophia argued, remembering what she had learned about everything on timelines being in flux due to free will and choices. “What if I refused to help Wilder get Excalibur?”

“Then Simi would have stayed stuck in the Round,” Subner answered. “And although that is true about the future, I can also factor in what I know about the players involved.”

“We are just pawns in this game for Subner,” Wilder grumbled, pretending to be irritated.

Ignoring him, Subner went on, “I know Sophia cares more about her family and friends than anything else in this world. Therefore, I made the educated guess that when you, Wilder, lost what you value most, Sophia would help you.”

“How did you know I would go to Sophia for help?” Wilder challenged. “I could have gone and gotten the Queen of England to pull the sword.”

“Ah, yes, but she isn’t a dragonrider and therefore can’t get into the Gullington,” Subner pointed out.

“Those who are usually disallowed from entering the Gullington can at the moment,” Sophia argued.

Subner sighed heavily. “Fine, fine. Good point. I knew when Wilder was in trouble, he would run to you, Sophia.” He gave them both a stern expression that felt like a weird reprimand. “You both know why so I wouldn’t push me to answer more questions on this unless you want me to say it out loud.”

The tension that ran over Wilder’s face was palpable. Sophia swallowed down her own sudden nervousness.

“Okay, so you needed us to recover your sword that King Arthur stole,” Sophia said, trying to move the discussion along.

Wilder pulled Excalibur off his back and presented it to Subner. “Here you are.”

Subner didn’t take the sword. Instead, he shook his head. “Great. Thanks. Now put it back.”

“What?” Sophia and Wilder exclaimed at the same time.

“Put. It. Back.” Subner punctuated each word with a pause.

“You had us go through all that just so you could tell us to put Excalibur back?” Wilder protested, looking irritated at his boss.

“I did.”

“But why?” Sophia wondered.

“Because the act of actually pulling the sword and everything the two of you went through was necessary to create other events,” Subner explained.

Wilder’s annoyed gaze shifted to Sophia. “A pawn, I tell you.”

“Yeah, I’m getting pretty used to Mama Jamba and others orchestrating things in my life,” she said, thinking of how Mae Ling always seemed to be setting her up, like Subner seemed to be doing.

“Do you at least want to look the sword over or add it to your collection?” Wilder inquired, still holding Excalibur out to the elf.

“No,” Subner answered. “For as irritating as it was that King Arthur stole my sword, his hiding place was pretty perfect. He knew I wouldn’t be able to pull the blade because I’m not royalty. It is much safer at the Gullington in Falconer’s Cave than here on Roya Lane. And that sword in the wrong hands would be very dangerous, so it should go back into the stone.”

“But what if someone in the Gullington pulls it?” Sophia questioned. “It’s not as safe and secure a place as it once was.”

“The likelihood a thief who is royalty breaks into the Gullington is much less than someone breaking into my shop,” Subner told her. “Especially if word got out I had Excalibur, the most prized sword in history.”

“Yeah.” Wilder looked at Sophia. “I think you are the only one at the Gullington who can pull the sword since you are the only royalty inside the area.”

“For now, she is,” Subner said mysteriously.

Sophia blinked at the Protector of Weapons but decided not to question him on these possible future events where there was another royalty at the Gullington. “You knew Wilder would ask me to pull Excalibur, and you knew I would help him. And you also knew my Royal blood from the House of Fourteen would allow me to retrieve the sword. Correct?”

“They were all educated guesses.” Subner sounded bored.

“And now after all this fun guesswork, we get to go put the sword back where it was,” Wilder stated dryly.

“We didn’t even get a souvenir t-shirt,” Sophia complained.

Not amused by their banter, Subner pushed off the counter and walked around behind it. “Actually, S. Beaufont, I do have something for you to repay you for your efforts.”

“What about me?” Wilder asked.

Subner glanced up from the case. “What about you?”

“Well, what do I get for losing my dragon for a part of a day and risking my life to get a sword you didn’t even really want?” he questioned.

“A good story to tell your children,” Subner answered, sorting through different items in the case.

Wilder huffed but didn’t respond otherwise.

“Now, where did I put that…” Subner muttered to himself. His face brightened. “Oh, here it is.” He pulled a pocketknife from the case. The craftmanship of the knife was striking, even from a distance. Sophia could tell a lot of care had been taken to etch the design of the serpent-looking dragon on the side. Gold inlay was used around the sides to highlight details.

He handed it over to Sophia, giving her a look she couldn’t quite make out. It seemed to have a hidden meaning behind it.

She smiled, looking the knife over. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

“And tiny,” Wilder observed.

“I made this pocket knife a few decades ago,” Subner explained.

“I like it has a dragon in the design,” she said, turning the knife over and admiring the details. She had no idea why Subner would give this to her as a gift. It was good to have a knife stashed away in her boot or something though, Sophia reasoned.

“I knew you would,” he hinted.

Sophia raised an eyebrow at him. “You knew I would like the design of the dragon, which is why you thought to give it to me?”

He shook his head. “No, when I made it, I knew you would like the dragon design, which was why I chose it.”

“You made this knife for Sophia a few decades ago?” Wilder asked. “Like before she was even born?”

“Yeah, I also made you something before you were born,” Subner revealed.

“Over two-hundred years ago?” Wilder questioned. “Before you even knew me?”

Subner nodded, not thinking this was weird.

Sophia’s eyes trailed away in thought as she was reminded that Wilder was so much older than her. All the guys were, so she wasn’t sure why it mattered. Evan was over a hundred years older than Sophia, and based on his behavior, no one would have guessed. Most of the time, Sophia forgot there was an age difference between her and the others, but she had always felt much older than she was.

“Well, what did you make for me?” Wilder asked Subner, looking around the shop expectantly.

“You can’t have it yet,” Subner told him.

Wilder rolled his eyes. “I should have guessed.”

Sophia opened the pocketknife and saw the blade was engraved with two initials. “S.B.”

She glanced up. “You really did make this for me?”

Wilder laughed. “Did you think he was just trying to pass it off as something he made for you? Like he was regifting it?”

“I don’t know,” she answered. “It’s just a little weird for someone to make something for you before you are even born that is so personalized. My parents didn’t even know they were going to name me Sophia until after I was born.”

“Such is the strangeness of the nonlinear timeline,” Subner commented, watching her intently as she studied the knife.

She turned the knife over, studying the other side of the blade. There was a strange pattern on that side. It looked like an organic design of swirls, but there was something strange about it. Sophia narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what the pattern reminded her of. Her vision slightly blurred as she focused, and then she saw it.

Sucking in a breath, she looked up at the Protector of Weapons.

“Is that…” she asked, awe in her voice.

Subner nodded and flashed her a rare smile. “It is.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

Sophia closed the blade and put it away before Wilder could see what she was referring to. Subner hadn’t elaborated. Instead, he ushered them to the door, telling them they should run along to the Castle. Apparently, dinner was about to be served, and Sophia would need to “manage” relations among her friends and the Dragon Elite. That is what he said, but she sensed he was just trying to get rid of them.

“What was on the blade of the knife?” Wilder asked her after they stepped through the portal outside the Barrier to the Gullington.

“Things,” she said dismissively.

“Why do you always insist on going on and on about things?” he joked.

She ignored him as they passed through the Barrier. “The Castle is still standing, so that is a good sign.”

“Meaning whatever is plaguing the Castle isn’t getting worse just yet?” he questioned.

Sophia shook her head. “No, meaning Hiker hasn’t destroyed it trying to murder King Rudolf or Liv.”

“Do you think the giants will be able to help with the Gullington?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Hopefully, they can secure the Barrier when Mama Jamba stops protecting things. Whether they will know what is wrong with it is uncertain. Bermuda Laurens is an expert in a lot of things, but I think the Gullington is outside her field of knowledge.”

“Well, I hope they figure it out,” Wilder said, a longing in his blue eyes as he stared across the Expanse.

“Yeah,” Sophia agreed, studying him as he looked out, an undeniable sadness in his gaze. Like her, he often put on a smile and made light of things, but the Gullington had been his home for almost two centuries. As hard as it was for her to see it in trouble, it had to be excruciatingly painful for him.

He sighed. “If nothing else, maybe when you help Quiet feel better, he’ll know what is what with the Gullington. Really, if anyone does, it will be him.”

Sophia nodded, still watching the other dragonrider. When he turned to face her abruptly, he caught her staring.

“What is up, stalker?” he asked, a teasing quality to his voice.

She jerked her head away, trying to cover her embarrassment. “Nothing. I thought you had something in your teeth.”

“Oh, can you see through lips now?” he challenged.

“I think you know I can,” Sophia retorted.

“Were you looking at me?”

“No,” she lied. “I was looking at Excalibur on your back.”

“Right,” Wilder said, not sounding convinced. “Do you want to go with me to put it back in the stone in Falconer Cave?”

Sophia shook her head, backing for the Castle in the distance. “I shouldn’t. I need to get back and mediate.”

He nodded, although there was an unmistakable look of disappointment on his face. “Yeah, I get it. I will be up to the Castle for dinner in a bit. I want to stop by the Cave and see Simi. Make sure she is okay after the whole ordeal.”

Sophia would do the same thing in his situation, although she was slightly disappointed he wouldn’t be going up to the Castle with her. She was looking forward to introducing Liv, Clark and the others to him.

“What is it?” he asked, seeing the expression she didn’t hide fast enough.

“Nothing,” she lied again as a wind swept across the Expanse, blowing her hair back from her face and shooting her cloak out behind her.

“You said your brother was cooking dinner for us tonight?” He seemed to be lingering even though they both had other things to do.

Sophia offered a smile, grateful for the question that kept her there. “Yeah, he is a pretty good chef. Much better than Evan.”

“That is good,” Wilder commented, twisting his tongue in his mouth, working his jaw back and forth like he was weighing some internal indecision.

Sophia took a step backward. “Anyway, I will save you a seat at the table.”

He took a step in her direction. “There are over twenty seats in the dining hall.”

She laughed as she backed away toward the Castle. “Well, the giants will take up several seats each.”

“Good point,” he said, his eyes lingering on her.

“Anyway, I have to go.” Sophia hesitated. She didn’t, but she wanted to run, and put her back to the guy before her and get as far from the strange tension rising between them, that was growing with each of their interactions.

“I know, but wait,” Wilder called to her.

She paused and regarded him like he was a painting—unreal but inspired by something quite tangible.

“I don’t think I really thanked you earlier,” he started.

“You did.” She glanced over her shoulder at the Castle.

“No, not well enough, I didn’t.”

“It’s fine, Wild.” She walked back several paces.

He made up the distance. “No, it’s not. You saved Simi for me. Most may not know how important that is, but you do as another dragonrider.”

“We’ve been through this,” Sophia argued. “I just did what you would have done if I was in that position.”

He laughed like she had told a joke. “I would love to see the situation where Sophia Beaufont actually asked for my help.”

“Why would I do that?” she fired back, grateful he was breaking the tension with something that made her laugh.

The wind sent Wilder’s hair back. “You probably won’t ever. You are not the kind of girl who needs saving. It’s one of the things I like about you.”

“I got to run,” Sophia said, pointing behind her to the Castle.

“I know,” he repeated. “But first, I need to properly thank you. Simi is my world. She is my life. And you saved that. If it wasn’t for you—”

Sophia's mouth twitched as she shook her head. “It’s fine. Thank me with a trip to Bora Bora or something. Right now, I have got to—”

“Run,” he finished. “I know. I get it.”

She knew he did. They both knew she couldn’t stay there one more minute and not just because her presence was needed at the Castle.

Sophia offered Wilder one last timid smile before she turned and ran, the wind propelling her toward the steps of the Castle, sending her cloak and hair out in all directions.

This time, she didn’t look back.

But if she had, she would have seen what she had dropped.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Wilder Thomson was many things.

He was a man of his word, someone who valued friendship over wealth and prestige—and inexplicably taken by the woman who had just run from him.

He watched the wind carry Sophia Beaufont away. Wilder didn’t look from her until she disappeared into the Castle. He enjoyed how her cloak and hair whipping around her body made her appear like she was in the sky, riding her dragon.

There was more he wanted to say to Sophia, but she didn’t want to hear it. He understood. Things wouldn’t be easier for them if he said more to her. If he said all he wanted to.

He didn’t blame her for running, but he did wish he knew the way to her heart.

Wilder was about to head in the direction of the Cave and call his dragon down to him. Just as he was turning away from the Castle, a glint of something shiny in the grass caught his attention.

He marched across the Expanse, following the path Sophia had just taken.

In the grass was an object he recognized. For a magician who had always felt and seen the life of a weapon, he didn’t get any reading from the pocketknife he retrieved from the grass. It was the one Subner had given to Sophia in thanks for her help retrieving Excalibur.

Maybe he didn’t get a reading on the pocketknife because it hadn’t had a real life yet, stored at the Fantastical Armory with Subner all this time. Or maybe the Protector of Weapons had put a shield on it, disallowing Wilder from reading anything about the knife. He knew the elf had that ability since Subner was the one who had made it so Wilder could pick up information on weapons.

He studied the exemplary craftsmanship of the knife, the dragon design on the outside, and the gold inlay. Then he opened the knife and found Sophia’s initials on one side of the blade.

He turned the blade over and peered at the image on the other side. It was a crisscross of designs that seemed abstract. As he studied it longer, a single object came into view.

He shook his head, not understanding why that object would be on the blade of Sophia’s knife.

Chapter Thirty-Four

The Castle was buzzing with noise when Sophia entered. At first, she couldn’t determine if there was a fight going on in the dining hall or a party. Her head was buzzing after her conversation with Wilder. Not just her head, but that was all she was giving notice to right then, maybe ever.

“All I’m saying is that is not how they like their Beef Wellington,” Ainsley yelled from the dining hall.

Sophia snuck to the doorway and peered through to find the housekeeper with her hands in the air and her red hair a wild mess.

Clark was opposite her, a picture of perfect poise as he regarded her with quiet contempt. “And how do the dragonriders like their Beef Wellington?”

“In the trash,” Ainsley answered at once. “We don’t eat frou-frou food like that around here. Hiker Wallace wants food that sticks to his ribs. Not things rolled in pastry and sprinkled with bits of mushroom. I don’t even think he’ll eat a mushroom.”

Clark shook his head, obviously working to keep his temper in check, although the shapeshifter was challenging him on a new level. “That is not really how Beef Wellington is prepared. I assure you it’s very hearty.”

Ainsley shook her head erratically. “He doesn’t want hearty. He wants the same thing he always has every day I have cooked for him.”

Clark sighed. “But you can’t cook for him. You can’t cook for anyone right now, which is why I’m here. Why don’t you just relax and let me do what I came here to do?”

“Annoy me?” Ainsley yelled back, getting in Clark’s face. Thankfully it didn’t provoke him.

He shook his head. “No, I came here to help. I wish you would let me do it.”

“Fine!” she exclaimed. “Don’t cry when Hiker throws your food across the room and tells you that you are rubbish.”

Clark didn’t respond as Ainsley fled from the room, not even seeing Sophia by the door as she stormed up the stairs.

She peered around the doorway and waved discreetly at her brother, who was pushing his hands through his hair. “Hey,” she said, offering him a sympathetic smile.

“Hey,” he replied, his voice more husky than usual.

“Ainsley means well, she just…”

“She just is dealing with a lot,” he supplied, nodding with understanding. This was what made Clark a good Councilor for the House of Fourteen. He was more empathic than most, able to read the details of a situation and know what really needed to be done for the best interests of everybody.

“She is,” Sophia admitted. “I mean, she is not a ray of sunshine when in normal mode, but she has been taking care of the Castle and the guys for centuries.”

“It must be tough to be sick suddenly and have newbies filling up her Castle taking over things.”

Sophia was glad Clark understood. “Yeah, I can’t even imagine. Thanks again for coming to help.”

He offered her a smile. “Of course, Soph. You know I will always be here for you. I mean, not until recently could I be here at the Gullington for you. This is nice.” He looked around at the Castle, admiring it. “What a marvelous place you have become a part of. Mom and Dad would be incredibly proud.”

A fondness crossed his face, the same expression he always got when he thought of their parents or when he spoke about them. For Sophia, there was little emotion for her at the mention of their dead parents. She used to try and make herself feel something for the people she never really knew, but it was hopeless.

Her siblings adored their parents and spoke about them like they were legends. Everyone who knew Guinevere and Theodore Beaufont were. But for Sophia, it was like idolizing someone in a history book. She could appreciate the cold, hard facts about them, but nothing else because she didn’t have her own memories to connect her to those two incredible people.

“Are you settling in?” Sophia asked, changing the subject. “I mean, besides the housekeeper telling you to throw your dinner in the trash and berating you for trying to help.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. This is a very comfortable place, although much different from the House of Fourteen.”

“You should see the Castle when it’s well,” Sophia explained. “It anticipates your needs, and if it likes you, supplies what you want. If it doesn’t, like with Evan, it deprives you. Very quirky old castle. More personality in this place than most people I have met.”

Clark nodded appreciatively. “I can see that. Although the circumstances which brought me here are unfortunate, I’m still grateful I got a chance to see the place you are a part of.”

“You won’t be staying much longer, so fill up your scrapbook with mental images before you get kicked to the curb,” Ainsley said, buzzing back into the dining hall and right past them. She disappeared into the kitchen.

Clark gave Sophia a curious expression. “How does a housekeeper who hardly leaves this place have such a modern vernacular?”

She grinned. “She watches YouTube with me at night.”

“Of course, she does. You would obviously be educating the Dragon Elite about the modern world.”

“Just wait until I pass along my Amazon addiction,” Sophia teased.

The door to the kitchen swung back open, and Ainsley stuck her head through. “Are you going to cook, or are you going to chat all day? When the dragonriders come in, they’ll be hungry, and no one likes waiting around while snotty guys in suits take forever to polish the silverware.”

Sophia kept the laugh begging to escape her mouth at bay. “I think she is referring to you.”

Clark nodded. “Yeah, she is a real name caller.” He turned and gave the housekeeper a polite smile. “I will have dinner done on time. I promise.”

Ainsley pointed at Clark as he hurried in her direction, looking past him at Sophia. “This guy is a real piece of work. I feel sorry for whoever his family is. Holidays must be a real bore fest.”

Chapter Thirty-Five

“Are you cold?” Rudolf asked Sophia, walking past her, a baby still strapped to his front and to his back. Both were still quiet, sucking away at the pacifiers Mae Ling had given her.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “No, why?”

“Well, why are you wearing a blanket?” he asked.

Glancing down at her body, she shrugged. “Do you mean my travel cloak? Which I wear because I’m a dragonrider who goes on badass adventures, on my dragon?”

He held up his hands. “I guess. It looks to me like you are wearing a blanket.”

“Where is the other baby?” Sophia asked. “Captain Morgan?”

He looked around suddenly, anxious. “Oh, I thought you had her.”

“I have been off on a mission,” Sophia explained to him. “And you and I need to leave for the Fae Museum of National History right after dinner.”

“Because?” he asked, trailing away.

“Because we have to steal that captain’s hat,” she told him, feeling suddenly tired.

“Because?”

“Because I need it in order to remind Quiet of what he has to live for,” Sophia explained.

“Because?”

“Because if I have to keep explaining things to you, then you are going to get murdered,” she fired back.

“That is what I keep saying,” Liv said, coming into the dining hall pushing the baby carriage. “You left this in the weapons room. Not a place where I think small humans should be.”

“But she likes her stroller,” Rudolf argued, not getting what Liv was talking about.

She shook her head and looked Sophia over. “Oh, so the mission…”

“It was fine,” Sophia replied, waving Liv off.

“That is not what I meant,” Liv offered. “Something else happened.”

Sophia shook her head. “Nothing happened. Nothing. I recovered Excalibur, fought a bunch of ogres, rescued a dragon, met some assassin baker, and then found out it was all pretty unnecessary to begin with.”

Rudolf leaned over, checking on Captain Morgan. “That sounds almost exactly like the day I had.”

Liv cut her eyes at him. “You fell asleep on your side with those children strapped to you, and I had to change Captain Morgan’s diaper.”

“Well, I had a dream that was like Sophia’s day,” Rudolf protested, looking up at the tall ceiling. “It’s something about this place. It’s almost like this place is old and has lots of memories or something.”

“It’s probably one of the oldest buildings still standing,” Sophia commented.

Rudolf waved her off. “Right. Just like the Cosmopolitan on the Vegas strip.”

“Nope.” Liv turned her attention to Sophia. “You and me, we are talking after dinner about this stuff that didn’t happen.”

“No, Rudolf and I have to go break into a museum.”

“I’m always up for breaking into places that have national treasures, but I’m putting down the big sister foot,” Liv demanded. “You are exhausted and going to get some rest. You can leave for this mission with Rudolf, which will rob your soul of much joy, first thing in the morning.”

“I’m really looking forward to it too,” Rudolf chimed, bouncing around as the babies strapped to him started to fuss.

Sophia sighed. “Yeah, fine. We will leave tomorrow.”

She had to admit she was exhausted, and having some time to chat with Liv would be good for her spirit. It could also cause her feelings to come out, and that worried her. Still, there was no arguing with Liv when she made up her mind.

Chapter Thirty-Six

“What is that smell?” Evan said, taking in a big inhale when he entered the dining hall.

“Your face,” Sophia fired at him.

Liv gave her an appreciative expression. “Good one.”

“Ha-ha,” he said, walking past Sophia and moving a bit better than she had seen him recently.

“Did Hester fix you up?” Sophia asked him.

“Yeah, it’s weird to have to do things the old fashioned way,” Evan admitted.

“You mean with an actual healer instead of having a sentient castle heal you while you sleep?” Sophia teased.

“Yeah, totally ‘old-school,’ as you would say.”

Sophia shook her head at Evan. “I guess you have met my sister Liv, and Rudolf and the others.”

“Yeah, and I screamed when I saw the giants because no one told me they were going to be here,” Evan said.

Liv’s eyes fluttered with annoyance. “Yeah, I had to intervene when this dimwit pulled a sword on Rory, trying to fight him.”

He held up his hands. “What? The last time I encountered a giant, they tried to knock my head off. They aren’t the most pleasant people. I thought the giant might have broken in through the Barrier and was pillaging the Castle.”

“Too bad they didn’t succeed in knocking your head off.” Sophia let out a tired sigh. “I did tell you, Evan, that the giants would be here.”

He shook his head. “We both know I don’t listen to you, Soph.”

“Isn’t he cute?” she asked Liv.

“Like a hairless cat,” her sister admitted. “I wonder if Hester can give him back that stab wound.”

“We can always ask,” Sophia suggested.

Right on cue, the healer entered the dining hall. “Hey, ladies. I’ve finished with Mahkah and think I should head back to the House of Fourteen now. I don’t want anyone to grow suspicious and they might with us all missing at the same time.”

“That is a good idea,” Liv declared.

“How is Mahkah?” Sophia asked.

“He is as good as new. I was able to regrow the finger. Although if he loses it again or any other parts, there is no hope. Sorry. I can only fix a lost appendage once on a person.”

“I’m sure he’ll be extra careful,” Sophia promised, although since she had known him, Mahkah had bad luck with getting injured. “Were you able to…”

The light expression on Hester’s face fell away as she filled in what Sophia hadn’t said. “I’m sorry, but for some strange reason, my healing powers don’t work on the groundskeeper or the housekeeper.”

“Oh.” Sophia couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

“I’m sorry, dear, but I think whatever this incredible Castle was doing to keep them healthy and alive is much more powerful than me,” Hester explained. “They’ll need the Castle back to recover.”

Sophia nodded. “I have an antidote for the groundskeeper. I just have to get him to take it, and that is a bit complicated. Hopefully, once he comes to, he’ll know how to fix the Castle.”

“And then it will fix Ainsley,” Evan exclaimed, mock fondness in his voice. “And this place will go back to being a circus once more.”

“Don’t be a jerk about this place,” Sophia warned. “Things might be stable right now, but that may not last.”

Liv patted Sophia on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. We are here, and we are going to help. We will keep the Gullington as safe as we can until things are back to normal for you.”

“Except for me,” Hester said, offering a smile. “I must be off.”

“Thanks for your help,” Sophia said, hugging the healer she had known her entire life. She had always trusted the DeVries. Now she did even more.

“Anything for a Beaufont.” Hester touched Sophia’s chin slightly as she regarded her with fondness. She looked around at the dining hall, her eyes dazzling with delight. “This place was quite a sight to see. I feel honored. I only wish I could have met Mother Nature while I was here. I hear she is larger than life.”

Mama Jamba hustled into the dining hall, her bunny slippers scratching against the stone floor. “Now, where did I leave my hair curlers?” She looked up at Sophia as she passed. “Dear, have you seen my bag of foam curlers? They really are the only way I can get this hair tamed, especially with all that wind you keep kicking up all over the Gullington.”

Sophia smiled wide. “You know, Hester. Today is your lucky day.”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

“Lucky day?” Mama Jamba asked, looking around at the group. “Every day on my green Earth is lucky.”

“This is…” Hester’s gray eyes widened with shock as she looked between Sophia and the little woman wearing a purple plush hoodie over a T-shirt that read: “Mother Nature is My Pharmacist.”

The healer had the same expression of disbelief most did when they met the infamous Mama Jamba. She covered it almost immediately and bowed low to the woman. “It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Mother Nature.”

“Call me Mama Jamba,” the old southern belle said. “And Bunny, we’ve known each other all your life. This isn’t our first meeting.”

Hester blushed. “Bunny. No one has called me that since…”

“Your papa,” Mama Jamba supplied. “Where do you think he got your nickname from?”

“From you?” Hester asked.

Mama Jamba nodded. “Indeed. It’s a story for another time because a Warrior for the House of Fourteen needs your healing ability.”

“Oh, who?” Liv asked, worry suddenly covering her face.

“Not your man,” Mama Jamba said, relieving her fears. “It’s Maria Rosario. Minor injuries, but still, it’s best if you hurry off now. We will meet again.”

“Thank you,” Hester told her and offered the group a polite smile as she hurried for the exit, showing herself out.

“Mama Jamba, will you tell me what is going on at my kingdom right now?” Rudolf asked. “How is Serena doing? Is there anything calling for my attention?”

She leveled her gaze at the fae. “As always, the Las Vegas strip you call your kingdom is polluting my Earth with traffic, noise, and debauchery.”

He sighed with a relieved expression. “That sounds about right.”

Mama Jamba did not appear impressed by his reaction, and her lips pursed. “Serena is taking her afternoon nap, which will later be followed by her evening lounging and capped off with vegging on the sofa and watching children’s television, but the jokes are all going over her head so she will be back asleep before it gets too late.”

Rudolf nodded. “I hope she doesn’t overdo it again.”

“It sounds like she will survive,” Liv said dryly.

Evan very non-discreetly slid behind Sophia when Rory entered the dining hall. The giant made the oversized entryway appear normal-sized.

“What are you doing?” Sophia asked Evan over her shoulder.

“I’m hiding,” he answered, peering over her head at the giant.

From the corner of her mouth, she told him, “I think he can see you.”

Evan nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t think he’ll hit a girl.”

Liv laughed. “Rory won’t so much as give the wasp nest on his back porch a dirty look. He personifies the term ‘gentle giant.’”

Evan gave her an uncertain expression. “Giants hold grudges, though, and I don’t think this big guy is going to forget I pulled a sword on him.”

Sophia leaned over and talked loudly into Evan’s ear. “That giant can hear you.”

“Are you sure?” Evan still crouched behind Sophia, although she made a tiny shield.

“Yeah, I believe so,” Sophia answered with a laugh.

“He is going to put you in a book and kill you,” Liv teased Evan. “That is what writers do with people they don’t like, isn’t that right, Rory?”

“I have killed approximately a dozen characters who were modeled after Liv here.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Hey, Rory. Why did the writer cross the road?”

He surveyed the dining hall. “I guess Mum is still with Hiker.”

“I’m so glad you asked,” Liv said, dismissing the fact the giant was ignoring her question. “Well, the writer was supposed to be finishing her book, so she crossed the road to grab a coffee, do her taxes, and maybe buy a new panini press.”

He shook his head. “That joke doesn’t make sense. You can’t buy a panini press at an accounting firm.”

Evan tapped Sophia rapidly in the arm. “Are you serious about these people overseeing magic in the magical world? I think it’s more likely they escaped the nutter house.”

“You are one to talk,” she fired back.

Liv shook her head at the giant. “I feel like you missed the point of the joke. But I get I threw you off by making an accounting reference.” She turned her gaze to Evan. “Actuary, Rory used to be an accountant.”

“You stop that,” Rory said, cringing from the bad pun.

“I can’t,” Liv argued. “I’m on a payroll.”

The giant covered his face, shaking his head.

“Okay, I’m going to go see if Clark needs someone to taste the sauce,” Liv declared, striding for the kitchen. “Calc you later!”

That one made Sophia laugh. Lunis and Liv were a lot more alike than either one wanted to admit.

“Hey, Rory,” Sophia called. “Did you hear about the writer who jumped out of the window on the fifteenth story?”

His gaze slid up to the ceiling. “Oh, no. Not you too.”

“He could have gone to the sixteenth, but that is another story,” Sophia said with a laugh.

Ba-dum-tsk, Lunis called proudly in her head.

Mama Jamba clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh, good. We are telling bad jokes over dinner. That is a great way to ensure the conversation keeps moving since Hiker is in a real bad mood.”

“Wait, these jokes aren’t bad,” Sophia argued. “And Hiker in a bad mood? Shocking. Why this time?”

“Yes, those jokes are atrocious,” Evan affirmed. “And our fearless leader is probably mad because I discovered Post-It notes and plastered them all over his office, labeling the various things they were placed on.”

“You need a job,” Sophia said, unimpressed.

“Hey!” Evan argued. “I was out of commission, and no one wanted me to cook.”

“Well, now that you are back, you can help with strategy and do stuff that is useful,” she told him.

They didn’t have to wait to find out why Hiker was angry this time. He thundered into the dining hall, Bermuda Laurens close on his heels.

“But,” the giantess said, her tone insistent. “I was simply hoping you could explain how the Gullington isn’t on any maps when the Barrier is up and can’t be seen by anyone but the Dragon Elite and those who serve them.”

“I don’t know,” Hiker growled, stomping over to his usual seat at the head of the table.

“It’s magic, dear Bermuda,” Mama Jamba explained, settling into her usual seat.

Bermuda, who for once didn’t have an authoritative appearance about her, nodded to Mother Nature. “I understand that. It’s just it’s an unclassified type of magic.”

“And I want it to stay that way,” Hiker admonished.

Sophia thought the truth was that Hiker didn’t really know how the Gullington worked. If he did, she believed he would know how to figure out what was wrong with it. He couldn’t even get the Castle to cooperate when it punished him and redesigned his office. Ainsley probably understood the Castle better than most, and Quiet knew the Gullington, but neither was in any condition to explain anything.

Sophia agreed with Hiker on this one. She knew Bermuda meant well, wanting to record information for her reference guides and books, but it was best if no one knew the secrets of the Gullington. Already they had been punished and put on the defense simply because Hiker revealed the location of the Dragon Elite.

“You say the Castle, when it’s acting normal, is able to manifest anything you all desire?” Bermuda inquired, looking between Evan and Sophia as they took their seats.

“Actually, it lavishes Pink Princess with whatever she likes,” Evan grumbled. “Some of us don’t get that kind of special treatment.”

“Only jerks who say bad things about the Castle,” Sophia spouted.

“Well, some of us are stuck up little do-gooders who think manners are important,” Evan fired back.

“And some of us—”

“Why yes,” Hiker interrupted Sophia before she could make her jab, “these are dragonriders who are mature enough to preside over world affairs. I realize you might have mistaken them for children.”

“What did the fisherman say to the card magician?” Mama Jamba asked, laying her napkin in her lap and looking around the table.

Hiker rubbed his temples, shaking his head. “Oh, no. Not you now, Mama.”

“Pick a cod, any cod,” she answered with a laugh.

Both giants exchanged unpleasant expressions.

“What?” Mama Jamba protested, looking at the unlaughing faces. “We said we were going to exchange bad jokes at dinner tonight.”

Liv trotted from the kitchen carrying a large silver platter. “Dinner is served.”

“Oh, I know who will win the bad joke contest,” Bermuda said, looking at Liv as she laid the Beef Wellington on the table.

The warrior offered the giantess an amused grin. “You know you love my jokes.”

“I never even get them,” Bermuda retorted.

Liv held out her hand, presenting the Beef Wellington. The pastry was the perfect toasted shade of brown, and the savory smell wafting from it made Sophia’s stomach grumble with anticipation. “I have been slaving away all day, and now you all can enjoy my efforts.”

Clark pushed through the kitchen door, carrying various dishes. He shook his head at his sister as he laid them on the table. “Taking credit for my work again?”

She nodded and tucked into the seat next to Sophia, where Wilder usually sat. He wasn’t present though…not that she had noticed as her eyes darted to the entrance.

Ainsley materialized in the doorway right then, a tired expression on her face. “Why does it smell like something died in here?”

Mama Jamba pointed to the Beef Wellington. “It was a cow, and I think it’s been dead for a while.”

“Ainsley,” Hiker said in his commanding tone. “You need to eat. Get in here and take a seat.”

“But sir,” the housekeeper argued. “I’m certain the magician poisoned the food. I can’t eat it in good confidence.”

Hiker cut into the Beef Wellington, raising an impressed eyebrow when the knife slipped through easily. “You mean like when you served us all poisoned food that only Quiet ate, making him deathly ill?”

Ainsley scowled at the Beef Wellington like it had offended her simply by existing. “I don’t remember any of that happening.”

“Oh dear, Clark,” Mama Jamba moaned, taking a bite. “These mashed potatoes are the very best thing I have ever tasted. What is that secret ingredient?”

“Salt,” Clark said. “Lots and lots of salt.”

“It will make your fingers swell,” Ainsley warned, crossing her arms stubbornly in front of her chest.

“But it makes food taste better,” Clark argued.

“Enough talk about the food,” Hiker ordered, although he already polished off half his plate. “What is the update from everyone?”

“I’m feeling much better, sir,” Evan said. “Thanks for asking.”

The leader of the Dragon Elite rolled his eyes. “I don’t care, Evan. I was referring to the work our guests are doing to help us.”

Evan scoffed. “Oh, fine. Maybe I will just go work for the House of Fourteen.” He gave Liv a meaningful expression. “Do you value the warriors and councilors who work with you?”

She shrugged as she crammed a bit of fresh baked roll into her mouth. “Not really. I mostly berate them and make sarcastic remarks.”

Evan threw his arms in the air melodramatically. “Is there no humanity anymore?”

“Be quiet, Evan,” Hiker told him, looking directly at Liv. “I think the strategy session went well. Are you comfortable with what we laid out in case of an attack?”

Sophia glanced between Hiker and Liv. She couldn’t believe he was talking to her sister like she was a normal human and not grumbling at her as he did with the dragonriders. He said their planning strategy went “well.”

“Yeah, I’m good with that,” Liv answered, giving herself a second helping of mashed potatoes.

Clark was right about the salt. It was what was missing from most of Ainsley’s cooking. The housekeeper wasn’t touching any of the food, so she might not taste the difference to be able to compare. Even though Hiker had ordered her to eat, she seemed persistent in refusing. Hiker showing concern about Ainsley eating and keeping up her strength was a first. She was also sitting at the table with the others, which was nice but also different. It seemed right.

Sophia reminded herself that back in the day, before Ainsley’s “accident,” she had been a regal advisor for the Dragon Elite. Like what Liv had done with Hiker that day, Ainsley used to advise on strategy. That association had led the elf to be front and center in a deadly battle with Thad Reinhart. She had jumped in front of an attack meant for Hiker, and her entire world had changed forever—but she knew nothing of it.

“And you giants?” Hiker asked, looking between Rory and Bermuda, who looked awkward sitting in chairs meant for dragonriders, but they were sturdy and built for bigger people than most furniture since riders sometimes came in larger sizes. Not the current generation, Sophia observed, thinking of Wilder and Mahkah, but Hiker and Evan were larger in size than average magicians.

“Their names are Rory and Bermuda,” Rudolf supplied, bouncing beside the table, taking bites of his food as he stood, rather than sat. There was little way he could have sat with Captain Kirk and Captain Silver strapped to his front and back sides. “I have trouble remembering their names too. I get it.”

“Bermuda delivered your children,” Liv reminded him.

“Who?” Rudolf asked, looking around confused. His gaze landed on the giantess. “Oh, her. Yeah. And great job except Captain Silver’s face is still sort of mushy from being extracted.”

“Birthed,” Bermuda harrumphed.

“You say birthed, Serena says evicted,” Rudolf related. “Potato, tomato.”

“That is not how the phrase goes,” Liv corrected.

“Fine,” Rudolf said, rolling his eyes. “Tomato, potato.”

Liv shook her head. “Rory, were you able to secure the Gullington?”

He didn’t appear confident. “Not entirely. This area is much larger than what we are used to guarding.”

“Well,” Mama Jamba informed them, licking her spoon clean of mashed potatoes, “you will have to do the best you can because when I go to bed tonight, the security measures I have been using to secure the Gullington will come down.”

“Mama, really,” Hiker begged, a rare pleading quality to his voice. “Can’t you keep them up a bit longer?”

She shook her head. “No, son, I can’t. I need my beauty sleep, and holding up the Barrier keeps me from sinking in deep to REM.”

“You created this entire planet, yet you can’t help out your Dragon Elite for another night?”

She shrugged unaffected. “I created the Dragon Elite to help me, son. Not the other way around. I did take pity on you. I bought you time, and look at you! I never thought it possible, but you brought in help, and I’m sure the giants will be of great use as well as the House of Fourteen. Or you will get them all killed. Who knows?”

Hiker shook his head. “You probably.”

She toggled her head back and forth. “Maybe. Hard to tell. I’m not really focusing on the future right now since this Beef Wellington is demanding all my attention.”

Ainsley let out a frustrated sigh, picking up one of the fresh rolls and angrily tearing into it.

“And what are you still doing still, fae?” Hiker asked, looking at Rudolf.

The king didn’t seem to know he was being spoken to directly. He just continued to sway, chewing on his bite as he held his baby to his front and patted its backside.

“Ru,” Liv said, prodding her friend.

“What? What?” Rudolf asked.

Wilder and Mahkah both rushed in right then and halted at the sight of all the weird characters gathered around the table.

“Come in and grab a seat.” Hiker waved them in. “These are Sophia’s…friends. You can do introductions later.”

Sophia darted her eyes to Mahkah’s finger. There was no way anyone could have been able to tell it had been regrown using magic. She was happy he was back to normal.

“Sorry we are late, sir,” Wilder apologized as he took a seat next to Rory, giving him a curious expression.

“No one noticed,” Hiker said dismissively.

“Rudolf is here because we are going off on a mission tomorrow first thing,” Sophia answered the leader of the Dragon Elite’s question.

“Right,” he said, drawing out the word. “Then he’ll be gone, and no more babies in the Castle.”

“Not for a little while,” Mama Jamba sang, all her attention on the food she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying.

Clark, intuitively reading the tension on Sophia’s face, stood suddenly. “I hope you all saved room for cake. I made chocolate.”

Evan threw down his napkin, a wide smile on his face. “About. Damn. Time.”

Ainsley cast a rude glare at the dragonrider. “Just remember that when I recover, and I will, you will need to sleep with one eye open. It won’t matter, because all my attacks on you will be covert. You will be waiting for me to attack your front, but you will have no idea you are sleeping on sheets washed in poison ivy.”

Evan pushed away from the table. “On that note, I’m moving out of the Gullington.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Everyone knew Evan wasn’t moving out of the Gullington, even the new friends who had joined to help in the interim. It was obvious Evan wasn’t “move out” material. He was a permanent resident of the Gullington, as were all the Dragon Elite riders.

Once the Gullington was secure once more and the housekeeper and groundskeeper recovered, Sophia was going to go after those evil pirates who had stolen one of her dragon eggs. She would make them pay—that was a guarantee. She also had to satisfy the question of why they wanted the dragon egg.

It was common knowledge in the magical world dragon eggs were extremely valuable. When they once had to transport Lunis’ egg, poachers had come out of the woodwork to try to steal it. The thieves had a way of locating the eggs, and that had led them to the Gullington when the Barrier went down.

Sophia got the idea there was more to it than just monetary value for Trin Currante. This was a woman who had been altered, escaped the Saverus organization, and then brought it down. Sophia didn’t think Trin Currante was after riches. There was a very specific reason she had gone after a dragon egg, and once Sophia had a chance, she was going to figure it out.

For now, there were too many other things calling for her attention, namely the Gullington and keeping it safe and the mission ahead to help Quiet.

Liv ran her hands over the Castle’s walls in Sophia’s room, taking in the details as the sun set over the Pond through the darkening windows. “I like the rustic feel mixed with the modern flare.”

Liv pointed to the television and pink bean bag chair in the oversized bedroom. Those items did seem out of place next to the antique furniture and canopy bed. For now, everything was back to how it was before the Gullington went through whatever happened to it. The furniture had been repaired, and the walls were no longer crumbling, but when Mama Jamba went to sleep that night, her protections would come off the Castle and the Expanse.

It was impossible for any of them to know if what had happened before was a fluke or if it would happen again without the protective wards. It was clear Ainsley wasn’t any better, although she wasn’t getting any worse, and the whole thing was making her very irritable.

Only time would tell what would happen to the Gullington and its staff when Mama Jamba’s protections came off. The giants would help keep things in balance, but their power was nothing compared to Mama Jamba’s, obviously. Hiker mostly wanted their help with securing the Barrier. They weren’t powerful enough to keep the Gullington hidden when the time came, but if they could hold the Barrier, that would be something at least.

A lot was about to happen, and she was frustrated she wouldn’t be there to help. She and Rudolf would be leaving first thing in the morning to retrieve Quiet’s father’s captain’s hat. The timing was awful with Mama Jamba taking her protections off the Gullington, but it had to be done. Quiet was getting worse. No one wanted to say it, but everyone knew the truth, he didn’t have long. Sophia needed him to take the antidote, which meant he had to give her his real name.

She shook her head, wishing things didn’t have to be so difficult, and he would just tell her his name and be done with it. She also knew if he was being so stubborn about giving up his real name, it was for a good reason. One she longed to understand.

Mother Nature and Mae Ling had been adamant about getting Quiet to take the antidote. Sophia thought the groundskeeper was the only one who knew how to fix things for the Gullington. Or at least he was key to this whole complex situation.

What Sophia had confirmed out of all of this was no one really knew much about the Gullington. The more Bermuda Laurens asked questions, the more Sophia recognized Hiker didn’t know how to answer most of them. He pretended he was trying to keep things secret, but she thought he didn’t know the answers, even after almost five hundred years. The mysterious Castle that had cared for the dragonriders all these centuries had kept its secrets well.

Mama Jamba was probably the only one who knew the truth about the Gullington, and everyone knew she wasn’t talking. Quiet might also know, but even if he could talk, no one would know what he said.

“Do you like it here?” Liv asked, a playful tone in her voice.

Sophia folded a pair of pants, having done her own laundry for a change since Ainsley and the Castle were out of commission.

“Of course, I do,” she replied.

She looked around fondly, trying to tame her reaction. This was a diplomatic moment. Sophia wanted to be honest with her sister, who she was closer to than anyone besides Lunis. She wanted to gush about how much she loved the Castle and enjoyed returning to the Gullington after each mission.

She also didn’t want to hurt her sister’s feelings. Before coming to the Gullington, Sophia had lived with Liv, and it had been fantastic. Liv had provided a great home where Sophia felt safe and could thrive. It wasn’t that there had been anything wrong. It was just, the Castle was better for Sophia.

Sophia thought her sister would understand. Liv had to know the House of Fourteen, and Sophia’s old life wouldn’t fit her anymore. She would never resent Sophia for moving on.

“The Gullington is my home now,” Sophia began, holding back her expression and watching her sister carefully.

Liv nodded and swallowed. “Yeah, I figured. It suits you.”

“Who would have thought?” Sophia remarked. “Maybe it’s the age of the Castle or the history or the fresh air. I don’t know.”

Liv gave her a suspicious grin. “I have learned it’s less about where you live and more about who you live with. That is what makes a place feel like home.”

Sophia shook her head. This was what she wanted to avoid. “No, if that were the case then—”

Liv held up her hand. “I love you, Soph. And I know you love me. But you are a dragonrider and being around your own, that is what makes sense for you. They get you, and you have your dragon here. Lunis couldn’t live with you when you were with me. This place should be your home. You know the old expression?”

“Home is where your dragon is?” Sophia joked.

Liv laughed. “I was thinking more along the lines of, ‘Home is where the heart is.’ But yes, ‘Home is where your dragon is’ works for you too.”

“Well, it’s true,” Sophia lamented. “Having Lunis here changes everything.”

“What I don’t get is how these guys all survived for centuries without you,” Liv wondered.

Sophia gave her a confused expression. “Why would you say that? They did fine without me.”

Liv laughed abruptly. “You might think so, but my meeting today with Hiker, well, he let something slip.”

Sophia put her clothes away, trying to hide her curiosity. “Oh?”

“Yeah,” Liv said, hiding a grin.

“You might have read into things,” Sophia offered.

“I might have,” Liv agreed. “You be the judge. He said to me today, ‘I’m not sure how we got along all this time without Sophia.’”

Sophia dropped the clothes she had been folding. “No. You misheard him.”

Liv shook her head. “How often do I mishear people?”

“Well…” Sophia thought. “You don’t.”

“He realizes what Trudy DeVries, the seer, saw about you long ago,” Liv told her, revealing information she’d had yet to share with Sophia.

“Why haven’t you told me about this premonition?” Sophia asked, wanting to be angry, but knowing there was no point in it. If Liv had kept something from her, it wasn’t for any reason other than she hadn’t had a chance to share it with her.

Right on cue, Liv shrugged and reached across the bed to help fold some of her laundry, even though she did a bad job of it. Liv’s strong suit had never been household chores. “I just haven’t had a chance, Soph. Anyway, Trudy told me you would bring much-needed balance to the Dragon Elite. I think Hiker is starting to feel that. He might have resisted your presence here before because you challenge him on every level, but that is part of what he needs.”

“You mean he is not still cursing about the laptop I made him use?” Sophia asked.

Liv laughed. “Oh, he definitely is. By the way, we have to get that guy some typing classes. Watching him put information into the computer today took all the patience I had. It really couldn’t have taken any longer.”

Sophia laughed. “You should see him searching for something. He literally searches for google, clicks on it, and then googles.”

“Hey, guess what the internet’s favorite animal is?” Liv had a sneaky grin bouncing around her eyes.

Sophia lowered her chin. “What?”

“A lynx!”

Sophia didn’t laugh. “You would be telling that bad joke.”

“Yeah, I missed sharing it earlier at dinner,” Liv laughed. “Which reminds me.”

The look on her sister’s face let Sophia know they had gotten to the part of the conversation she had been trying to avoid. It was why Liv had come up there to Sophia’s room since it hadn’t been to help her with laundry.

Sophia reached across the bed and took the stack Liv had folded, realizing she’d have to redo them all later. “Thanks,” she said instead as she put the clothes to the side.

“Do you want to tell me what is going on?”

“Well, Rudolf knows where the captain’s hat is,” Sophia told her in a rush. “You and Clark will watch the Captains while we—”

“I think you know that is not what I’m talking about,” Liv coaxed. “Although watching triplets is something I would only do for you, my love. If they spit up on me, you are doing my laundry.”

“Deal. I do appreciate it,” Sophia said. “If I could go without Rudolf, you know I would.”

Liv tilted her head to the side, a thoughtful expression on her face. “You know, in battle, he is one of the few people I want by my side. He is strange and inappropriate, but there is no one who will show more bravery when facing danger than that fae. Rudolf has gotten me into a fair amount of trouble, but he has got me out of way more. And he has some strange luck.”

Sophia nodded, remembering when Rudolf accompanied her on the mission to find the Fierce so she could locate the Great Library. “Yeah, there is something curious about him. He is simultaneously super annoying and incredibly helpful. Like how did it come down to him to help me with this mission? The Captains…they were named after Quiet. What were the odds?”

Liv gave her a fond expression. “Life is kind of beautiful like that.”

“Which is what makes all the battles worth fighting,” Sophia agreed, feeling restless after she had put all the clothes away. She wanted something to do with her hands.

Liv patted the bed, encouraging Sophia to take a seat. “Come and talk to me. Because you know what, Soph, there is more to life than fighting for justice.”

Sophia crawled onto her large bed and felt the exhaustion begin to tunnel in her brain as soon as she rested on the mattress. “Coming from you, that is rather ironic to hear.”

Liv settled next to her sister, wrapping her arms around her own legs. “You know, I totally get it. I used to be this head-down, get-the-job-done, no-nonsense kind of gal.”

“Then what happened?” Sophia asked, already knowing how this story ended because she had watched it transpire.

A soft smile wrapped itself around Liv’s mouth and lit up her eyes. “I fell in love, and I realized there was more to life than fighting bad guys and wearing myself down.”

Liv was referring to Stefan Ludwig, another warrior for the House of Fourteen. Battle had brought the two together, but their adoration for each other kept them there. They were a romance for the ages.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Liv continued, “that is still how my life goes for the most part, but there is a new motivation. I don’t always want to work. Not like I used to. I have someone I want to spend time with, someone I crave seeing at the end of the day. Having that changes everything. We go from being these warrior robots who fight for justice, to these feeling beings who fight for love.”

“Do you know, I can tell when you are thinking about him because you get this smile on your face?” Sophia observed, having witnessed her sister hiding a private smile many a time, distracted by thoughts of the guy she harbored feelings for.

Liv and Stefan Ludwig had come a long way. It was for that reason, Sophia knew her sister understood better than most. The two warriors for the House of Fourteen hadn’t been able to be together for a long time, forbidden by House laws. In true Liv style, she had fought against those laws and changed them. In doing so, she had changed her future, and probably the future of many others in the process. In truth, Sophia knew the world was a better place because Liv Beaufont loved Stefan Ludwig.

That was what a great romance did. It changed the world for the better. Her parents had it. Liv had it, and Sophia didn’t want anything less for herself. There was no way she could settle when she had seen what was possible.

Sophia also knew the scariest thing in the world was going after that kind of love and risking everything for it. The fear of rejection, of failure, of heartbreak, was more intimidating than war for her.

“So, tell me what is going on with you?” Liv asked her sister when they had been silent for a long moment. There was a thoughtful expression on Liv’s face.

“It’s nothing,” Sophia lied, trying to keep her face neutral. With Liv, it was impossible. She sighed and decided to be honest with Liv, and with herself. “I rescued Wilder’s dragon, and now he is acting like I did something of great importance and looking at me in strange ways. Well, looking at me in strange ways more often than before.”

“Everyone knows the way to a man’s heart is to save his dragon,” Liv joked.

Sophia giggled. “It wasn’t that big a deal.”

“Oh, so this hasn’t been going on for a while?” Liv challenged.

“Since when?” Sophia asked.

“Since a while ago?” Liv asked. “Maybe since the beginning.”

Sophia shook her head. “No, why would you ask that?”

Liv seemed to hide the expression on her face. “Just because I know you, Soph. And I know how people react to you.”

Sophia ignored her, then remembered the pocketknife Subner had given her at the Fantastical Armory. She popped out of bed and retrieved her cloak lying across the back of the sofa.

“What is up?” Liv asked.

“Subner gave me something curious,” she explained.

“A headache with all his riddles?” Liv pretended to question.

Sophia’s laugh lacked humor as she checked the various pockets where she could have stuck the knife. It wasn’t there.

“What is it?”

She lowered the cloak and shook her head. “It seems without meaning to I dropped something.”

Liv didn’t seem to think much of it. “Well, that’s how it usually happens. We hardly ever drop anything because we mean to.”

Sophia nodded, her eyes thoughtful. “Yeah, but what if subconsciously, I actually meant to…”

Liv tilted her head to the side before shaking it. “You are talking riddles like Subner right now.”

Sophia stared off without really seeing. She felt like she was living a riddle, and maybe she knew the answer. She didn’t want to admit it. She swallowed down the nervous tension in her throat and tried to push away the uncertainty. This wasn’t the time for matters of the heart, but she knew she couldn’t avoid them forever.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

The sun hadn’t risen the next morning over the Gullington when Sophia began going through her weapons, preparing for the mission ahead.

She slid her sword into her sheath and whipped her cloak around her shoulders, tying it tightly, not knowing where they were headed and what kind of weather she should prepare for. Rudolf had refused to tell Sophia where the Fae’s National History Museum was located.

The three Captains were all sleeping quietly on the surface of Sophia’s made bed. Rudolf had dropped them off a few minutes prior with the promise he would return soon. She gave the babies a fond look as she grabbed the grappling hook lying beside Captain Morgan and fastened it onto her belt.

There was something about a sleeping baby that was very calming to look at. Sophia had never really been around young children, recently having been young herself and the smallest of the Beaufont family.

Sophia looked around her room, feeling like she was missing something but not knowing what.

The pocketknife, she thought.

She wished she had it for this mission but didn’t know why. Sophia reasoned she had probably lost it at the dinner table. It could be hiding under the sofa, having fallen out of her cloak when she threw it off last night. She decided she was going to stop overthinking the whole thing. The fact she had dropped it was not that big of a coincidence. Now, if a certain someone had found it, well, then that might be something she couldn’t dismiss so easily.

A soft knock sounded at the door.

Sophia jerked her head up, a little more jumpy than usual. “Yeah?”

Liv poked her head into the bedroom, looking refreshed after a night of sleep at the Castle. It had been nice for Sophia, knowing her siblings were sleeping under the same roof as her for a change.

“Hey, they are sleeping still. Good,” Liv said, coming into the room and giving the children a fond expression.

“Yeah, Ru, dropped them off and said he would be back soon,” Sophia explained.

“Because?” Liv asked, giving her a cautious expression.

“He said he was grabbing something for the mission,” Sophia answered. “Something about looking his best.”

Liv hardly waited for Sophia to finish her sentence before she bounded back out the door and sprinted down the corridor of the Castle. When she returned a few minutes later, her face was red and her breathing ragged. “Well, that was a close call. You can thank me later.”

Sophia gave her sister a cautious expression. “What just happened?”

“Oh, nothing,” she said dismissively. “Rudolf just thinks big missions call for him to wear his big-boy clothes. Believe me, you did not want to see him in those tights. I have taken care of it, and he has agreed to wear his usual flamboyant clothes. While they include bright colors, you won’t have your eyes burned out by seeing way too much of what he calls his ‘manhood.’”

Sophia shivered. “Thanks. You just saved me.”

Liv nodded. “That I did. That I did.”

Rudolf knocked at the door. “Are you decent?”

“Ru, we are in here with your babies,” Liv grumbled, annoyed.

He pushed open the door. “So that is a no?”

Liv held out her hands in a choking motion. “Okay, let’s run through what you need us to do to keep these lovelies alive.”

Sophia couldn’t help but smile at her sister. She knew for Liv, taking care of babies wasn’t an ideal job. In truth, Sophia thought Liv would be pretty good at caring for children. She had an intuitive nature, and others inherently liked her. There was something about Liv Beaufont that was likable. Maybe because she fought for justice or protected the little guy, but Sophia thought there was more to it than that.

Liv teased Rudolf. She outright made fun of Rory, and she got on Bermuda’s last nerve. But the truth about this warrior for the House of Fourteen was she allowed those she loved to be who they were, without changing them. There was something innately comforting about being around someone who loved you for who you were rather than what you could become. Many loved the potential in others, whereas Liv loved the essence of a person. She didn’t love the people in her life despite their flaws, but in many instances, because of them. They were all human, after all.

Liv might make light of her friends, but Sophia knew no one loved them more fiercely, and Sophia knew being loved by Liv Beaufont was like feeling sunshine on your cheeks on a winter day, or the stars breaking through a cloudy night sky. Liv’s love was a cure to suffering most never knew they were enduring.

“All right,” Rudolf began, pointing at the bed. “Firstly, you have to feed them.”

“Every day?” Liv questioned, a serious expression on her face.

He nodded, rather seriously as well. “I’m afraid so. At least a few times every day. Each of them.”

Liv pretended to be shocked. “No.”

“Yeah, it’s crazy but true,” Rudolf complained.

“Okay, well, I will do my very best.” Liv hid her laughter. “Feeding me is already a chore, so we will see how I do caring for other humans.”

Sophia patted Liv on the shoulder. “Clarky will help.”

Liv agreed with a nod. “He is an expert at keeping young ones alive and feeding them. Just look at you, Soph.”

It was true. Sophia was alive because of her older brother. He had been her primary caregiver after their parent’s death since Reese and Ian had to step up to replace their mother and father as Councilor and Warrior for the House of Fourteen.

Rudolf gave the children on Sophia’s bed a look of longing.

“Are you okay?” Sophia asked, sympathetic for the man before her.

He sighed. “Yeah, I just forgot to tell them a ghost story before we left. Do you think we have time?”

Sophia grunted aloud. And to think, I felt sorry for him for a moment, she thought.

“I’m afraid we don’t,” she told him. “But if you want to offer them a quick kiss, I think we could make time for that.”

He scoffed at her like she said something repulsive. “What are you thinking, you demonic woman? I want to return to my children. Do you know what a fae’s kiss does if given at a departure?”

Sophia’s eyes widened with alarm. “Obviously, I don’t...”

From behind Rudolf’s back, Liv shook her head and mouthed the words, “Absolutely nothing.”

“Okay, is there something else you can offer them that can be given quickly? A high five? Fist bump, maybe? A salute since they are captains?” Sophia suggested, knowing they needed to get off soon.

Mother Nature’s protection over the Gullington had ended. The giants were helping, but everyone knew it wasn’t enough to protect the land of the Expanse entirely. Liv was there to help, but her attention would be divided as she needed to watch the triplets with Clark. That meant Sophia and Rudolf needed to be fast at the Fae’s National History Museum. Then they could return, and hopefully, everything would go back to normal. That was the plan anyway.

“I’m just so worried about them,” Rudolf mourned. “I have never left them alone before.”

Liv gawked at him, an expression of disbelief on her face. “I’m sorry, but it’s hard for me to believe that playboy fae boy, King Rudolf Sweetwater, hasn’t parted from these babies since they were born.”

He looked at his friend and smiled. “If they were yours, you wouldn’t either. Just. You. Wait.”

She shook her head. “Okay, what if I give you a way to keep an eye on them in a sense.”

He clapped his hands, making Captain Silver squirm like she might wake up. “Yes, let’s do it. What do you have in mind?”

Liv held a single finger to her lips, making the universal shush expression with her lips. “First off, let’s shut our faces and our hands and be really quiet before godmother Liv is going to be in charge. I’m hoping these kids sleep until noon.”

Rudolf eyed his wrist, which had no watch on it. “You have about another ten minutes until they demand nonstop attention. All three of them, at the same time. It’s impossible to give them all what they want at the same time, and you will nearly kill yourself trying. You will lose your mind trying. You won’t get any sleep and will go without showering and starve nearly to death trying to meet their needs.”

Liv looked at her sister. “I want a puppy for Christmas. That is what you owe me for doing this.”

Sophia pursed her lips, thinking she got the easy end of the deal. “Is that all?”

“Specifically, it’s a puppy dog from Mars that pukes up gold and farts bitcoin currency,” Liv told her. “I will settle for no less.”

Sophia nodded. “Got it. I have made a note of the impossible creature I will have to get you to make up for this atrocious task I have assigned you.”

“Good girl,” Liv said, before returning her attention to Rudolf. “Now, I think I have a solution to your problem.”

Relief flooded his eyes. “You do?”

“Yeah, well, you are understandingly going to be worried about the Captains,” Liv continued and held out her hand. “What if I offered you a way to check on them?”

She flicked her finger at her hand, and a small white bear appeared. It had large brown eyes and a blue bow.

“Oh, it’s so cute!” Rudolf exclaimed, a bit too loudly. All three babies began to fidget as though they were seconds away from waking up.

Liv held up a finger to her mouth, silencing him. “Now this is Fluffy, and he will tell you what is happening with your babies.” She pointed to the bear’s smiling face. “Notice how he is smiling now?”

Rudolf nodded like a kindergarten learning the alphabet. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Liv said, drawing out the word. “Well, if something isn’t going right, it will be on Fluffy’s face.”

“And if they wet their pants?” Rudolf asked.

Liv shook her head. “Then, I will change their diapers. The bear will simply tell you about their moods, collectively. Not whether they are hungry or sleepy or whatever.”

He nodded. “Okay, I like this.” He grabbed the bear and held it in close for a moment before turning his attention to Sophia.

“Now,” he pronounced, shaking his head at her. “The only remaining problem is you.”

Chapter Forty

Sophia glanced down at her body. “What about me?”

She had remembered her sword, Inexorabilis, and the grappling hook Wilder had given her. She had on her armor and cloak. She couldn’t fathom what else she could be forgetting. Maybe a snack?

“The biggest problem, Soph,” Rudolf began good-naturedly, “is that you don’t look like a fae, and there is zero way you are getting into the Fae National History Museum looking like a dumb, plain old magician.”

Liv coughed rather loudly, making Captain Kirk move around.

“My apologies,” Rudolf said to her, bowing slightly before looking back at Sophia. “Right now, you look like a smart but plain magician.”

“Right,” Sophia replied, realizing her error. “I don’t know how to remedy that.”

“But Soph,” Liv encouraged. “You are the best at disguises. Just glamour your appearance. Fae can’t see through glamour like giants. You should be fine.”

Sophia’s heart swelled with pride. It had been a long time since she’d had to rely on that skill. Before the Dragon Elite, she used to help Liv with disguises, helping her get ready for her warrior missions for the House of Fourteen.

Sophia had used the skill when she was younger and had little use for magic besides to turn herself or her stuffed animals into things. As a child, she had hidden in oil paintings or become stone statues in the garden, but since coming to the Dragon Elite, her skills had been about combat and riding and other things. The disguising spell she had perfected was going to come in handy, she realized. It would be how she would sneak into the Fae National History Museum.

The disguising spell wasn’t an easy spell, but Sophia had learned it long ago and perfected it.

She pointed a finger at herself, pressed her eyes shut, and made a wish.

Sophia opened her eyes and looked at her sister and Rudolf with trepidation, waiting for their reactions.

They both gave her uncertain glares at first. Liv didn’t seem to recognize her. Rudolf seemed in love. They both engulfed her with hugs.

“You are perfect,” they both said in unison, hugging her tightly.

She allowed a smile to unfurl on her face before pulling away. Sophia chanced a glance in the mirror to spy the glamour she had created.

Sophia studied her reflection. She was a beautiful fae with perfect blonde hair arranged in ringlets down her back. Her cheekbones were high, and her face was framed by pointy ears. On her back were large blue wings and, on her face, a sneaky grin like she was hiding a devilishly fun secret. All the rest of her was perfect as well.

It wasn’t that Sophia didn’t think she was pretty in her normal body, but the fae were like gods and goddesses, like Queen Anastasia Crystal, pure works of art. They were instant love magnets, and it was almost impossible for anyone to resist them.

She would have no trouble waltzing into the Fae’s National History Museum looking as she did. Breaking through the security of the place and stealing their most prized possession was going to be more challenging.

“Are you ready to go?” Rudolf asked excitedly like a Labrador retriever about to dive into the water after a bone.

Sophia pulled her eyes away from the beautiful figure that stared back at her in the mirror. “Yeah, right.”

Sophia didn’t know how they were going to steal the captain’s hat. They would have to do a quick reconnaissance job before they crafted the strategy. The biggest problem was she had to pull off this mission with the most incompetent and most competent fae possible. How could those two people be the same person, she wondered, looking at King Rudolf Sweetwater.

“Okay, let’s go,” she commanded, encouraging him toward the door as she waved at Liv. Rudolf was looking back longingly at the three sleeping infants as Sophia ushered him to the door.

Her sister waved back, and just as they rounded out of her room, right on cue, all three babies started wailing like they were madder than hell.

Chapter Forty-One

King Rudolf Sweetwater held tight to the stuffed animal as they left the Castle and down the steps onto the Expanse.

Sophia tried to tell herself the green of the grass hadn’t dulled since the day before, but she wasn’t buying it. Already the Gullington was degrading, as it had done before Mama Jamba saved it.

She tried to open a portal, and to her relief, it didn’t work. That meant at least the Barrier was still in place. She hoped Rory and Bermuda Laurens were able to keep it intact.

At least until I return, she thought, looking back over her shoulder at the Castle. Her heart sank. It was starting to crumble. Not good.

“Sophia, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Rudolf asked, hugging Fluffy tightly as they walked to the Barrier, where he could portal them to wherever the Fae National History Museum was located.

She shook her head at him. “Rudolf, I’m a dragonrider for the Elite.”

“I get you’re stuck in this position,” he said with a sympathetic smile. “But when you get free of this obligation, what do you want to be?”

Sophia couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, although I’m young, I consider myself pretty grown up. I think I’ll stick around as a dragonrider for what I hope is the rest of my long life.”

They walked on in silence for a few minutes before Rudolf said, “Aren’t you going to ask me the same question?”

Sophia tilted her head at him, although she realized it was the head of the fae she was impersonating. “Yeah, I guess. But you are the king of the fae. I don’t think there is any upward mobility from there.”

He nodded. “Yeah, it’s sort of a dead-end job. But if I could choose a different position, well, I would like to be a window washer.”

Sophia should have known by this point that she could expect strange stuff to come out of Rudolf’s mouth. He constantly surprised her with the things he said. Maybe that was part of his charm. Even when one expected Rudolf to say something ridiculous, he pushed the boundary, saying something even weirder than one fathomed.

“Why a window washer?” Sophia asked, grateful for the conversation taking her mind off her worries about the Gullington.

“Well, because I like heights and having a nice view,” he answered thoughtfully.

Sophia smiled. “That actually makes sense as a reason to choose the profession.”

“Well and also,” Rudolf went on, “I like the idea of making other’s views of the world clearer, cleaner. Without window washers, when we looked out, what we see would be obstructed by dirt and grime. But window washers, they make everything clear.”

Once again, he’d done it. King Rudolf Sweetwater had surprised Sophia. “Wow, that makes perfect sense. How very thoughtful of you.”

He nodded. “I’m really thoughtful. Okay, so we need to figure out our story.”

“What do you mean?” she asked. “What story?”

“Well, we need to have a backstory to tell the guards and museum staff when we do our investigations. I think we really need to flesh out our characters. You know, figure out their motivation, their fears, their dreams,” Rudolf explained. It had been a while since he’d been to the Fae National History Museum, and he didn’t know where the captain’s hat was located or the security surrounding it, so they’d pretend to be patrons of the arts first to figure out their strategy.

“Um, Rudolf, you’re the king of the fae,” she told him. “I don’t think you’ll be able to pull off a disguise. You’re probably the most recognizable fae in the world, especially to your own kind.”

He let out a disappointed breath. “Fine, but you need a story. You can be my hand towel assistant.”

“You’re not actually referring to someone who gives you a towel after you wash your hands, are you?” she questioned.

He nodded. “I absolutely am. That would be my second-choice job if I was afforded such luxuries.”

“Why would that person follow you around?” Sophia demanded. “Why wouldn’t you just have bathroom attendants?”

“I can’t trust every bathroom to have those, so I bring my own with me,” he explained.

“Of course, you do,” she said dryly.

“Of course, I don’t trust the competency levels of just any bathroom attendant, so I bring my very skilled and expertly trained one,” Rudolf pointed out. “You went to school for this and specialized in hand towels.”

“How very ambitious of me,” Sophia stated with no enthusiasm. “Is it bad that I’m a female? Shouldn’t you have a male hand towel attendant?”

Rudolf let out a loud gasp. “Seriously, Sophia, sometimes I really doubt your judgment. Like I would want another man looking over my shoulder when I’m in the Whiz Palace.”

“Did you just call it the ‘Whiz Palace?’”

“I borrowed the term. But this is for your benefit,” Rudolf promised. “Imagine you are the CEO of the Whiz Palace. That will really get you places.”

“I can only imagine,” she responded with no inflection.

“Okay, and your name can’t be Sophia,” Rudolf went on. “Your name is going to be Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather.”

“I just wish it was longer,” she joked.

He nodded. “We can give you a formal title. How about Hand Towel Industries Chief Executive Officer Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather?”

“Cool,” she agreed as they passed through the Barrier. “I’m ready for you to open the portal to this mystery location for the Fae National History Museum.”

“You got it,” Rudolf said, taking the lead. “Don’t think that you can figure out the location of the museum. It is top secret.”

She nodded. “Of course. I’m sure I won’t figure it out.”

Chapter Forty-Two

“Is that the Eiffel Tower over there?” Sophia asked after they stepped through the portal. They stood in front of a large stone building, but towering in the distance was undoubtedly one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

“Yeah, but that won’t really tell you where we are,” Rudolf answered, glancing over his shoulder at the building.

“We are in Paris,” Sophia declared.

His mouth popped open as his eyes widened. “How do you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” Sophia replied.

“Okay, well, don’t tell anyone or everyone will find out about our secret location.”

Sophia glanced at the large sign in front of the Fae National History Museum. “You’re worried about me spoiling the secret?”

Plastered across the giant sign were the words: Secret Location for Old Fae Things.

“What?” Rudolf asked, looking between Sophia and the sign, his brow wrinkled.

“Don’t you think the sign makes what this is a bit obvious?”

He frowned. “I don’t think so. I mean, it says it’s a secret. And it doesn’t say it’s a museum.” Rudolf sighed. “Really, Sophia, you understand so very little about how things work.”

“Yeah, I don’t get it, obviously.”

Sophia had always known the fae weren’t the brightest magical race, but now she seriously wondered how they’d survived this long without falling into extinction. It looked like the trip to the Fae National History Museum would yield more than just a captain’s hat. Hopefully, she’d learn how the airhead fae had survived when just about anything should have wiped them out.

When they were at the top of the stairs, Sophia was even more surprised to find a small sign on the front door that read, “Don’t forget to give us a review on Yelp.”

She pointed. “The Fae National History Museum is on Yelp, and you’re worried about keeping the location a secret?”

Rudolf sighed like he was about to explain rudimentary math to a grown adult. “Sophia, it’s listed on Yelp under Super Secret Fae Place with Old Things. Again, no one will know what that is.”

“I think you just have to be glad I don’t think anyone cares,” she told him.

“Well, you care, which is why you’re here,” he argued. Rudolf lowered his voice. “Now remember you promised, you’re just borrowing the captain’s hat, right? Then you’ll return it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, once I give it to Quiet, I’ll give it back.”

Rudolf shook his head. “To think, Captain Quiet, the gnome I named the girls after was dying in that castle where I was just hanging out. That is really cool.”

Sophia gave him a murderous expression. “Hey, watch it. Quiet isn’t dying. Even if he is, he won’t. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to save him. Or at least give him the motivation to want to save himself.”

Rudolf opened the door to the Fae National History Museum, directing the way with a welcoming hand. “Okay, let’s go and see some things, person who is a fae and not at all a magician.”

Sophia shook her head at the well-meaning fae. “Thanks. Very subtle.”

Chapter Forty-Three

Soft music filled the air of the museum, which was lit with pastel-colored lights. Even from the entryway, Sophia could tell the place would be beautiful. The walls were covered in gold, and the floors appeared to be made of diamond. The high ceilings were full of intricate designs.

At the front desk was a receptionist flanked by uniformed guards. She lowered her head as Rudolf and Sophia approached.

All three individuals were gorgeous. Sophia hadn’t been around a lot of fae since Liv said going to Las Vegas would kill most of her brain cells. Mainly just King Rudolf Sweetwater.

It was hard for Sophia to not stare at them. All their features were in perfect symmetry and proportion. Their brightly colored wings framed their perfect bodies. They could have all been models with their perfect hair and skin.

“King Rudolf Sweetwater,” the woman said, raising her head from bowing. “What an honor it is to have you here.”

“Thank you, Rosephanye,” Rudolf said after glancing at the woman’s name tag.

Sophia muffled a laugh. The name tag didn’t have a name. It simply said, “Receptionist.”

He held out his hand and presented Sophia. “This is my hand towel attendant, Chief Officer Executive Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather.”

The receptionist nodded at her. “It is nice to meet you, Chief Officer Executive Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather.”

She pulled out a name tag and began to write Sophia’s full name and title on it.

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

The receptionist glanced up, her expression making Sophia halt.

“You don’t have to use only one name tag,” Sophia amended. The fae were very strange.

The receptionist handed two name tags over. “Now, here’s a map of the Fae National History Museum. At the bottom, you’ll see a box that tells you what the symbols represent. For instance, the restrooms are marked with a symbol of a man and woman.”

Sophia nodded, taking the paper map. “Yeah, a key.”

Rudolf jerked his head in her direction, giving her a scolding expression. “How would you know Chief Officer Executive Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather, since you only went to towel attendant college?”

“Oh…” Sophia sucked in a sudden breath, taking in the shocked expressions of the receptionist and guards. “I guessed.”

“A key,” the receptionist said like it was a brand new word to her. “That’s a great term for it. Key. I’m going to start using that.”

Sophia nodded. “Good idea.”

“Now, is there any exhibit you’re interested in?” the woman asked. “I can point you in that direction.”

“Well, we are definitely not here to steal anything,” Rudolf stated loudly.

Sophia covered her eyes with her hand and wondered if she should kill Rudolf now or wait until later when he ruined everything. She decided Liv would be peeved if she had to take on the responsibility of raising his children and decided against killing him.

“I believe,” Sophia said, giving him a stern expression, “you said, you wanted to browse around today. Right, King Rudolf Sweetwater?”

He gave her a confused expression. “I thought you wanted to take the—”

Swiftly, and covered by the receptionist's desk, Sophia kicked the fae in the shin. He grabbed his leg and began jumping around.

“Ouch, that hurt,” Rudolf exclaimed.

The guards jumped forward, checking the area over. “What is it?”

Rudolf gave Sophia an irritated expression, which she returned.

“Oh, right,” he said, drawing out the words. “We are simply here to browse around. That is all.”

The guards nodded and resumed their former positions. “Please let us know if you need anything, King Rudolf Sweetwater,” one of them said.

Rudolf leaned forward, reading the man’s name tag, which read: Guard.

“Well, Gavin, I’m really interested in upping my security measures at my palace,” Rudolf began. “What can you tell me about the systems you use here to protect our treasures?”

“Systems?” Not-Gavin asked.

“How do I put this in a way you’ll understand?” Rudolf thought for a moment.

Sophia couldn’t believe she was around fae who were dumber than Rudolf Sweetwater.

“How about ways you protect your treasures?” Sophia supplied.

“Protect…” One guard looked at the other like he could define the word.

The second guard shrugged.

Rudolf read the other guard’s name tag. “Oh, cool, you two have the same name. That makes things easy. Gavin and Gavin, what ways do you keep thieves from taking things in here?”

“Oh,” both Not-Gavins said in unison, comprehension dawning.

“Well, we don’t have alarms, lasers, or actual systems, to stop bad gnomes from stealing things,” one of the guards supplied.

“Gnomes?” Sophia questioned.

“Well, everyone knows they are the ones who can’t be trusted,” Not-Gavin Number One said.

Not-Gavin Number Two nodded. “Yeah, really, we don’t worry about any of the other magical races.”

“Or fae, am I right?” Rudolf asked, elbowing Sophia, a wide victorious grin on his face. He leaned over. “This is going to be easy.”

“Not if you keep talking out loud,” she said through clenched teeth, a pleasant smile on her face.

The fae thankfully hadn’t seemed to notice. They kept staring ahead blankly as if they were counting Pop-Tarts in their head.

“So, these systems?” Rudolf prompted.

“Yes, well, we just seek to confuse our would-be thieves,” Not-Gavin Number One explained. “When the gnome enters—”

“Through an unlocked door?” Sophia queried.

He nodded. “Yes, we don’t lock our doors. So, when the gnome enters, there’s illusion magic that takes over. It makes it so all of the artifacts are duplicated to the letter of three.”

“Three is actually a number…” Sophia trailed away as she caught the confused expression on all four of the fae’s faces. “Please continue.”

“Well, the illusion spell creates exact duplicates of the artifacts,” Not-Gavin Number Two said. “That way, when the thief takes the object, they don’t know if they have the right one or something that will disappear in a few hours when they leave here.”

“Why wouldn’t you just use that power to create a security system?” Sophia knew as soon as the question left her mouth, she should learn to be quiet. All the fae looked at her like she was from planet Mars.

“Oh, Chief Officer Executive Courtney Marie Annaliese Merriweather, you understand nothing,” Rudolf taunted with a rude laugh. “That’s why you are in charge of my hand towels.”

He clapped her on the back hard, and she forced out a chuckle.

“That’s right. I couldn’t be trusted with complex systems such as this,” she agreed, pretending to be good-natured.

“Well,” Not-Gavin Number One began, holding up a finger. “If the thieves were smart, they’d know two things.”

“For one,” Not-Gavin Number Two began and leaned forward to whisper, “the real object will have some sort of special marking that separates it from the illusions.”

Sophia nodded, having witnessed Ainsley’s shapeshifting abilities and was well acquainted with how illusions worked. They could never, ever be an exact replica. It was some strange rule of magic. There had to always be a way to identify the original. For Ainsley, it was the scar on her right temple. No matter who she shapeshifted into, the scar was always there. Sophia wondered what her defining characteristic could have been before the accident.

“What’s the second thing?” Rudolf asked.

“Oh, well, we do have sirens that alert us if the real object is taken,” Not-Gavin Number Two offered. “It’s a weight system. I like that word. System.”

Not-Gavin Number One nodded. “Yeah, it’s a good word. The system makes it so if there’s any change in weight the sirens go off.”

“I thought you said there were no alarms?” Sophia asked, even as she realized trying to hash out semantics was ridiculous at this point.

“Well, we don’t have anything if the place is broken into that alerts us,” Not-Gavin Number One pronounced. “But if someone picks up an actual object, we get a message, and the siren is loud enough, it alerts the neighbors.”

“Which are?” Sophia had to ask.

“Oh, a bunch of rowdy gnomes who run the bistros nearby.” This was from Not-Gavin Number Two.

Sophia nodded. “Of course, they are.”

“Okay, well, thanks for the help, Gavin and Gavin,” Rudolf said, waving Sophia into the Fae National History Museum. “We’ll just browse around at this point. Not heading straight for the main exhibit of the most prized fae possession.”

Sophia shook her head at the king of the fae. She understood now why he had that position. With an IQ of under fifty, he was probably the smartest fae there ever was.

Chapter Forty-Four

“Okay, so what do you want to see first?” Rudolf asked, unfolding the map and glancing over it. “Do we want to head to the shrunken head exhibit of my ancestors who were punished by the elves for peeing in their springs or to the dinosaur exhibit that’s actually just chicken bones according to the bold print here?”

“Or we can go find the captain’s hat that belonged to Quiet’s father and find out what it’s identifying mark is,” Sophia offered.

Rudolf yawned. “That sounds super boring.” He looked back at the map. “Oh, there’s this new exhibit about a king who had triplets with a mortal. I want to hear more about that. The story sounds familiar.”

“Because it’s you since you had three babies with Serena?” Sophia dared to ask because she apparently loved headaches.

Rudolf shook his head at her. “No, Soph. That can’t be me. I had three babies, not triplets.”

Sophia sucked in a calming breath. “Right. My bad. I’m so dumb.”

“Maybe I’ll pay to send you to hand towel college after all, so you’ll have something to fall back on when this dragonrider thing falls through,” he consoled.

“Thanks,” Sophia muttered, pulling the map out of Rudolf’s hands and locating the main exhibit. The captain’s hat was located conveniently in the middle of the Fae National History Museum, through a labyrinth of stairs and displays. It would take them a good ten minutes to get there, and she was certain Rudolf would get distracted a thousand times before then.

Sophia guessed this was a thing about pretty people. They could be counted on to look nice and act nice, but when the time came to step up and be an actual member of a team, Rudolf often fell short.

“You’re thinking about the guy you’re dating right now,” Rudolf said as they passed an exhibit about how the fae once froze and starved to death, but the magicians came in and gave them meat, rescuing them. It was from last year when the magicians literally dropped off a bunch of Subway sandwiches for fae who thought an ice-skating rink was their home and didn’t know they could exit of their own free will. The magicians gave them sandwiches while they defrosted the rink so the fae would figure it out.

“I am thinking of people who irritate me,” Sophia admitted.

“Why do you think he irritates you?” Rudolf asked, thoughtfully.

“Because he breathes,” she answered quite seriously.

“And that’s a problem because you’re a necromancer who prefers the dead?”

Sophia was about to award Rudolf a hundred points for using such a big word correctly when they came to the place she was looking for. In the center of a large room was a single display platform. Sitting on a small platform was a single blue captain’s hat. It appeared very much how she pictured the hat would look on display in Quiet’s office.

Sophia thought there was something very sad about seeing the hat there. She wasn’t sure why until she read the plaque sitting next to it.

The sign read:

The hat that belonged to the famed captain who sent his ship away, leaving him stranded, to save the race of the fae. This was his most prized possession and was later used to start the fortune of the fae. Thanks to Captain Quiet McAfee, the fae lived on, prospered, and built an empire.

Then Sophia got it. Quiet had given up everything. His ship. His father’s hat. His life. And what did he get? Nothing.

He got the life of groundskeeper of the Gullington, and what was happening to him now? He was dying from some strange disease.

“I’m getting that hat for Quiet,” Sophia said adamantly to herself.

“And returning it promptly like a library book,” Rudolf finished on the heels of her statement.

“Yep,” she replied, not really hearing him. She took a step forward, studying the simple hat. “Now, what is the identifying mark? We have to find that to determine how it’s different from the duplicates that will later surround it.”

“Maybe it’s the rim,” Rudolf offered because he had cantaloupe in his brain.

The captain’s hat was blue and done in the old style with a high top and a round rim. Around the outside was gold trim, and on the top was a crest.

Sophia shook her head. “I don’t think it will be a major characteristic of the hat. I think it’s going to be something small.”

She was thinking of Ainsley’s scar on her temple. The identifying mark would be similar. It would be something that someone knew to look for to set the hat apart, but only slightly.

Sophia craned her head around at different angles, studying every inch of the hat. From where it was perched on the pedestal, she could see all of it except the inside.

I really hope the identifying mark isn’t inside the hat, Sophia thought. Otherwise, I’m screwed.

Then she saw something on the underside of the bill that made her heart jump. On the bottom of the back of the rim were embroidered three letters. They were simple, but they made sense to Sophia, and she knew they had to be the defining mark. Or her instinct was not to be trusted ever again.

Sophia took a mental snapshot of the initials so she could remember them later: GQM

Chapter Forty-Five

Once Rudolf and Sophia exited the museum, they had to find something to occupy their time until closing.

Sophia wanted to enchant all the dimwits inside the museum to think it was time to go home, but Rudolf wouldn’t allow it. He said the theft had to be done naturally.

“But you want to return to the Gullington as fast as I do,” she argued, watching him study Fluffy the bear for signs his triplets were in danger.

Sophia knew magic well enough to know the stuffed bear wasn’t magical at all. Liv had given Rudolf a regular teddy bear and told him its emotions would emulate those of his children. The constant smile on its face wasn’t going to change, and that was for the best.

Rudolf was already a distracted puppy on this mission, looking at strange exhibits and talking to strangers every five seconds. Sophia couldn’t fathom what he’d be like if he had a stuffed bear that really showed the emotions of three infants. He thought it did, and it put his fears enough to rest that he could be sort of present with Sophia. Sophia knew Liv and Clark were taking good care of the Captains and ensuring they had everything they needed. It was a win-win for everyone as far as she was concerned.

“Do you want to go to the Louvre and steal back all the stuff that belongs to the fae?” Rudolf asked as they wandered the streets of Paris.

Sophia shook her head. “No, that sounds like a bigger mission than I’m ready for tonight and will definitely take me off task.”

He shrugged. “Fine, then we will go into this bistro and eat cheese and drink wine.”

Rudolf pushed open the door to a warm café, holding it for Sophia. She was invited in by the smells of freshly baked bread and pungent cheeses. Even though Sophia was worried about what was happening at the Gullington, she allowed herself to nestle into a corner booth and talked into enjoying a glass of wine. Lunis would let her know if anything happened.

Yes, she was on a mission, and things were tense, but there was nothing for her to do until the Fae National History Museum closed. Then she’d get the hat, which didn’t seem like such a big problem, return to the Gullington, save the groundskeeper and return everything to normal. Easy peasy, she thought.

“You haven’t touched your camembert,” Rudolf said, getting her attention. “Can I have it?”

Sophia hadn’t realized she had been staring off. “Yeah, go ahead.”

Rudolf grabbed her cheese, taking it in one bite. “Do you want to talk about what’s bothering you?”

Why was it everyone seemed to know she was dealing with something of a personal nature and wanted to comment on it? Mama Jamba, Mae Ling, Liv, and now Rudolf. As far as expert sources went, these were pretty good ones, but she was tired of advice. She just wanted to keep her head down, do her job, and forget she had a heart. Let the wind whirl uncontrollably around the Gullington. What did she care?

She shook her head at Rudolf. “Not with you.”

Sophia covered her face after seeing Rudolf’s reaction. He might not have a brain, but he had a heart. “I’m sorry. It’s just that, I think…well, I think I have to rethink some things.”

“Why would you need to do that?” Rudolf asked between bites.

“Because the heart is often wrong,” Sophia said, feeling around in her cloak, and looking for that damn pocketknife. She must have misplaced it. The knife had to be on her. She didn’t drop it. Even if she had… It was an accident, and accidents didn’t mean feelings or anything else. They just meant she was a dumb klutz who needed to keep better control over her possessions.

“So how are we going to break into the Fae National History Museum?” Rudolf asked, finishing his glass of wine.

She shook her head at him and scooted her own glass in his direction, encouraging him to drink it. “We don’t have to. Remember, there are no wards keeping us out. We just waltz in and figure out which hat is ours.”

The fact the fae used illusions as a security device was smart and dumb. Safeguarding things with extra measures would have been brilliant. But not doing so meant the fae were…well not smart.

“Can I give you some advice?” Rudolf asked out of nowhere, pulling Sophia’s focus from her thoughts.

She jerked her head up. She’d just hurt his feelings and didn’t want to see that look on his face again. “Yeah, what’s that?”

He finished her glass of wine and wiped his mouth. “Here’s something it took me many hundreds of years to understand. The heart wants what the head doesn’t. And vice versa.”

She was right; no advice was for the best. Sophia deflated, not feeling as good as she thought she would after being given advice by a regal source. He was the king of the fae, and most people around the world would consider him knowledgeable. Sophia knew the truth, and maybe that’s why his advice fell flat.

“Thanks,” she said, wishing she had heard something that would make things right. Or easy. Or have it all go away.

“Oh, Soph.” Rudolf sounded crestfallen. “Don’t look so sad. I promised you long ago I’d never let you down—”

“You never promised me that,” she interrupted him.

Rudolf nodded. “And I promised that any man who broke your heart—”

Sophia held up her hand, stopping him. “No, you didn’t. And I don’t want your help, or anyone else’s with my personal matters. I don’t know where everyone got the idea I needed help. What I really need is a friend.” She looked around, suddenly lost. “Are there any friends who can help me out here?” she asked.

Rudolf lifted the tiny arm of Fluffy the bear, and in a small voice, he said, “I can help.”

A smile cracked on Sophia’s face. “Thanks. That’s the kind of help I need.”

Chapter Forty-Six

“Okay, friend,” Rudolf said, looking at Sophia in the waning sunlight as Paris grew dark around them. “Ready to storm the Castle?”

She couldn’t help but smile at him. He was silly and dumb, and so very sweet. She nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

They waited until the receptionist exited the Fae National History Museum, not locking up as she trotted down the stairs. When she was out of sight, Sophia and the king of the fae ran out of the shadows and straight for the doors.

It was still a shock to Sophia when they yanked back the doors to a national museum, and there was no alarm. She felt like someone needed to rescue the fae from themselves, but they’d lasted this long on their own, so she figured they knew more than the rest of them. At least they had survived with their good looks.

“Okay, you know where to go,” Sophia said, looking back at Rudolf.

He nodded. “To the bathroom.”

She shot him a murderous expression.

“What? I drank all that wine,” he complained, doing a pee dance.

She shook her head and pointed to the bathrooms, figuring the slight detour couldn’t hurt since there were literally no guards or real security measures in the place.

Rudolf ran for the bathrooms, and Sophia allowed her attention to be pulled forward.

At night, the beautiful building was a menagerie of colors. The lights strobed on the walls and floors, creating different patterns.

Sophia stopped in the middle of the main room. She was in an exhibit of how the first fae enchanted the first person who ever fell in love with them. The scene was of a party with elegantly dressed guests standing around. The music playing overhead was intoxicating, and the lights made it feel like a ballroom. On the walls were a spiral of party guests all staring at Sophia as if waiting for her to take her place at the dance.

She found herself bowing to the imaginary guests. “Why, yes, thank you. I’m happy to be here.”

She curtseyed, realizing she’d never been an adult at a real party. What would that be like? she wondered, and wished she was wearing a real ball gown.

She turned to find a man’s hand extended to her. Sophia brought her eyes up to find Rudolf looking at her with a handsome smile.

“Can I have this dance, princess?” he asked.

She found herself blushing. “I wasn’t really…”

He shook his head. “Why do you think it’s so wrong that you, a woman, would want a prince to ask you to dance?”

She didn’t know what to say, so as usual, she said nothing.

He took her hand and continued to smile. “Now I’m not a prince and not available, but the question still remains. I have more advice you didn’t want earlier, but that still remains true.”

Rudolf, for being a dimwit with a head full of watermelon, was an incredible dancer. He led Sophia in dance, making her feel light as a feather on her feet. She forgot where she was or that the world was a crazy place, or the Gullington was in danger. It all fell away as the music rose up, and the beat swallowed her whole.

“Sophia,” Rudolf continued a few minutes later as if no time had passed since he last spoke. “As I was saying. Only allow a real prince to take your hand. No matter what, you always get the choice. Even if you feel fate is directing your path, please remember that princesses always get to choose their prince. No matter what. You should never feel rushed into anything. Know that, my princess.”

Rudolf spun her out, holding Sophia’s hand and making her feel like she was the belle of a ball even though she was wearing a cloak and a sword and a disguise, in a museum where her kind wasn’t allowed.

Sometimes, that’s how fairytales were told in her world.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Sophia found it hard to believe she’d rather dance all night with the king of the fae in a museum than do what a mission had dictated. It wasn’t like her and went against her practical nature. But, she’d never danced with a king at a ball, so maybe she was more of a romantic than she thought.

Sophia knew she couldn’t allow anything to totally override her practical side. She did as she was charged and let Rudolf’s hand go, making for the main exhibit. He had once again proven to be more than she expected. He was her friend and trustworthy, and his advice was right and true. A princess always gets to have a choice. Fate wasn’t dictating her path. Even if she dropped something, it didn’t mean a prince would return it.

Sophia halted in the main room where they’d found Quiet’s father’s captain’s hat. It appeared almost the same as before, except there were now three hats sitting on three pedestals in the middle of the room. They appeared identical.

“Okay, now let’s ensure everything is all right,” Rudolf said.

Sophia thought he would go to check on the hats, but instead, he pulled Fluffy from his jacket and looked the stuffed bear over. She shook her head at the fae and went over to the pedestals.

She craned her head down, looking underneath the hats for the embroidered initials. The first hat had nothing on it. The second one was the same. It wasn’t until her eyes connected with the third that she spied the letters. Her heart rejoiced. She was about to grab for it when the hats did something unexpected.

They began to spin like cups in a magical act.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Rudolf clapped a hand on her shoulder and tightened his grip as Sophia’s eyes widened.

“Pay attention to that which you prize most,” he instructed.

How had the fae been so wise, Sophia wondered as the hats rotated slowly at first then began gaining speed. She kept her eyes trained on the one she knew had the identifying mark, not wanting to lose track of it. The hats picked up speed, moving faster, switching places, rotating, and blurring in the air. Still, Sophia never took her eyes off the one she thought was the right hat.

They slowly stopped moving and came to rest on top of the pedestals where they’d been before. This time the bottoms were obstructed by the lip of the stands.

Rudolf tapped her on the back once more. It was time to choose, and they both knew it.

Sophia knew when she picked the right hat, it would change everything in many ways. Alarms could sound, fae could charge her, but more than anything, she didn’t want to disappoint her own. Not now.

Sophia took another step forward, and Rudolf caught her hand. She turned back to find him shaking his head, holding up the stuffed bear.

“It’s all comes down to Fluffy,” the king of the fae said.

Sophia scowled at him. “That’s what it comes down to? The freaking stuffed bear?”

He giggled. “Remember the sensors? You need to replace the correct hat with the bear to displace the weight sensor, or it will trigger the alarm.”

Sophia couldn’t believe it. King Rudolf Sweetwater was a genius. She nodded.

“Yeah, that’s right,” she said and took the little white bear, which should weigh as much as the captain’s hat. She held it in her shaking hand.

Chapter Forty-Nine

The exchange had to be perfect.

Sophia had to pick up the hat at the exact same time she replaced it with the stuffed bear. If she didn’t, the alarms would sound, and who knew what would happen?

Sophia didn’t want to find out. She suspected a bunch of fae could be just as menacing as a bunch of gnomes or giants or magicians if they wanted to be, even with their dim wits and pretty faces.

She held Fluffy in one hand, hovering it next to the pedestal. Her other hand shook next to the fabric of the hat. She flexed her fingers, ready to grab it but felt uncertain. What if the tradeoff wasn’t perfect, and she didn’t do it with precise timing?

Sophia quit worrying and made an impromptu decision. She shoved the stuffed bear over, trading places with the hat, as she scooted it out of the way.

Nothing happened.

The bear sat on the pedestal where the hat had been. Beside it sat the two illusions, looking as real as Quiet’s father’s hat in her hand.

Sophia turned it upside down and saw the initials. It was the real one, and the alarms hadn’t sounded.

They had done it! Sophia was ready to rejoice when something familiar sounded in her head.

Hey Sophia, Lunis said, undeniable tension in his voice.

Yes, she answered, suddenly breathless.

The Gullington is under siege once more, her dragon informed her, his voice full of dread.

Chapter Fifty

The Barrier was down.

It was the only explanation for why Sophia could portal straight into the Gullington from Paris.

Her heart sank at the sight around her. In the distance, there was fighting by the Nest. She spied dragons whirling, shooting fire at cyborg pirates running across the Expanse. There was way more than before—hundreds of them.

In front of the Nest, Hiker stood, flanked by his riders. They were defending the dragon eggs, but they appeared to be losing the battle, the pirates getting closer. On the ground below the cave, Sophia spied Liv slashing at the trespassers, Rory and Bermuda at her back

The area around the Cave was on fire, burning with a strange green and blue smoke.

But the worst was the Castle.

It was on fire and burning fast.

Chapter Fifty-One

How did they get in? Sophia asked Lunis in her head.

They set off a bomb on the back side of the Cave next to the Barrier, he explained, relief in his voice at knowing she was there.

Sophia spied the flood of pirates storming over the hills, a constant flow of steampunk cyborgs, screaming as they ran, their weapons overhead, and menace in every movement as they made their way to the Nest.

Of course, the pirates would have been able to see the Gullington. The giants were unable to shield it. All their efforts had focused on keeping up the Barrier, and that appeared to have failed.

The bomb, Sophia said, clenching the hat in her hands.

It was strange magitech, Lunis explained. It cut a hole in the Barrier, and the giants can’t get it back up.

Sophia couldn’t understand how Rory and Bermuda could do anything but fight. The giants were being overrun by pirates storming in their direction. They were doing their best, throwing their large fists in the air and knocking back the smaller magicians. Beside them, Liv was blocking attacks using magic.

They were outnumbered. This fight wouldn’t last long.

She could tell that high on the hill, next to the Nest, the dragonriders were struggling to keep up with the pirates raging in their direction.

And the Castle. The fire on the roof rose higher, licking its way up to the stars.

“The Captains!” Rudolf screamed and sprinted for the Castle.

Clark would be taking care of them. He would get them through a portal to the safety of the House of Fourteen Sophia knew. Still, Rudolf needed to be with his triplets, and Sophia let him run off.

She pulled Inexorabilis, fury building in her as she had never felt before. She was about to take off, intent on killing as many of the thieves as possible when the voice of her dragon made her pause before her feet had started moving.

You can’t help us, Lunis told her.

What? she questioned, confused.

Sophia, we will lose this battle, Lunis said. We can only hold them off for a little longer. Rory and Bermuda can’t get the Barrier back up. The only way to win this is to fix the Gullington. Go find Mother Nature. Beg for her help once more.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Hiker had been in many a battle. Many.

But nothing like this. The attack had come so swiftly. They had been ready to defend and for the Barrier to come down. They had been ready to fight, but not anything like what they were facing.

He swung his sword, knocking down two cyborgs at once, sending them back down the hill. Beside him, Mahkah was using stunning spells to keep a slew of invaders from getting any closer.

Evan had his hands held out and was using a shielding spell to defend the top of the cave where the Nest was located. The pirates were coming from every direction now.

In the area in front of the Nest, Wilder threw axes that returned like boomerangs after they hacked into an enemy. They were all doing their very best, and it wasn’t enough.

The magitech being launched at them was taking its toll. Hiker didn’t know how much longer they had. Even with the dragons flying overhead, blasting fire at the thieves, they weren’t making a dent in the numbers.

There was also the blimp that had dropped a bomb on the Castle, making it explode with fire. The blimp was now taking all the dragon’s attention. There was a shield on the blimp that deflected all their attempts.

Another of those strategically placed bombs and the Gullington would be wiped out.

How had it all come down to this for Hiker Wallace? How could he lose his home after all these centuries like this?

He let out a scream as he pulled his sword again, slicing through men with wires covering their chests and strange eye patches.

Wilder spun around after catching one of his axes. “Hiker! Use it!”

“I am!” Hiker yelled, knowing what the young dragonrider was referring to. Wilder didn’t think Hiker was embracing the power he inherited from his twin brother, Thad Reinhart. He thought he was holding back, and maybe he was, but he didn’t know how to harness the power.

Something very deep in his spirit prevented him from fully trying.

Hiker had never felt a power like what lived in his blood and bones now. It was a power that, if he wasn’t careful, would overwhelm him. It was the kind of power that could burn him up. It was Thad’s power, and it corrupted, and Hiker would never allow that to happen.

As the Gullington was overwhelmed, he started to think he wouldn’t have a choice anymore.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Liv swung Bellator, never having faced so many enemies at once. They weren’t normal magicians, sending normal combat spells at her and the giants.

These cyborgs threw lasers from their eyes and small missiles from guns on their arms. They came at them with attacks resistant to magic. They came with their mouths wide open and screams echoing from their lungs. There was angst in these men. And they were all men, which was weird since Hiker had said the leader was a woman by the name of Trin Currante.

So far, there had been no sign of her, but it would have been easy to miss her in the sea of attackers.

Liv was using every combat spell she could think of to keep a perimeter around the giants at her back. Rory wasn’t a fighter. Bermuda, though, she was fierce in battle, throwing her arms wide and taking out multiple attackers at once.

Still, the shield wouldn’t last long, to keep the cyborg's attacks at bay, and neither would Liv. That was a truth she didn’t want to admit to herself. She’d come to the Gullington to help the Dragon Elite, and now it looked like she might go down with them.

Chapter Fifty-Four

Sophia’s feet blurred as she sprinted for the Castle. It was burning fast. The flames rose up into the night sky, sending strange green and blue smoke all around, the wind making the fire burn hotter.

The entire top story was engulfed.

Sophia pulled her cloak off her shoulders and wrapped it around her head when she entered the Castle.

She nearly ran into Ainsley pacing in the entryway.

“Ainsley!” she yelled. “You have to get out of here! Go to the southern border. There are no pirates there!”

The housekeeper shook her head. “Oh, no, S. Beaufont. I can’t leave the Castle.”

“Of course, you can,” Sophia argued, the smoke burning her eyes.

“No, I must stay.” Ainsley shook her head again. “I don’t know why but if the Castle goes down, I have to go with it. It’s a part of me, and I can’t abandon it.”

It was no good wasting time arguing with the shapeshifter, and in a way, Sophia knew she was right. She couldn’t leave the Castle. It would be like abandoning a friend when they needed help or running when a loved one was dying.

“Fine, where’s Mama Jamba?” Sophia asked, having to yell to be heard over the crackling of the flames.

“I don’t know, S.,” Ainsley said, her eyes brimming with tears. “I think she left.”

Sophia shook her head. “No, she wouldn’t have done that.”

Ainsley nodded. “I watched her go. She walked straight through that door and said, ‘If they survive, it’s because they saved themselves. Only those worthy of protecting my Earth can do that. Otherwise, they were never right for the job.’”

Sophia spun around, searching the area in front of the Castle. She hadn’t seen Mama Jamba out there, but there had been so many sights vying for her attention.

Ainsley’s gaze darted to the hat in Sophia’s hands. “What is that?”

It seemed silly now. She had a hat that was supposed to help save Quiet. What was the point if they were all going down? It was the only thing she had left, and the only hope remaining.

Maybe she couldn’t get Ainsley to leave the Castle, and maybe the Dragon Elite couldn’t win this battle. But she could save the groundskeeper, convince him to take the antidote, and get him to safety.

Sophia didn’t hesitate another moment as she sped for the stairs, taking them two at a time, in the direction of the servant’s wing.

Chapter Fifty-Five

They couldn’t hold them off much longer. Hiker could see that in the way his dragonriders were fighting. They were giving this battle everything they had, and it wasn’t enough.

A blast from a cyborg hit Mahkah in the chest and sent him rolling down the hill. Wilder ran after him, slashing through enemies to help his fallen friend.

Evan sprinted after the pirates trying to come down the back side of the Nest, sending spell after spell at them. Hiker whipped his sword as fast as he could, and it didn’t matter. There was always another enemy. They were like ants sent to attack, not caring they would be chopped down.

They were sacrificing themselves for this Trin Currante, but Hiker knew she had access to a kill switch in their heads. What choice did they have? Either they threw themselves at the Dragon Elite, or they died a different death. He wasn’t sure what he’d do in their situation.

He figured if he had nothing left to lose, he’d do the right thing.

Something flipped in Hiker. He pulled in the power he’d been resisting. He let it flow into him and build in his veins. It made his eyes burn hot, and his blood boil. It made him feel he might explode embracing this power.

Just as he was about to unleash what he’d been resisting, a blast threw him forward. He had flown for most of his life on his dragon, Bell, but never ever like this.

At first, he thought the explosion had been him, and he’d been right not to use the power. As he was thrown to the ground a hundred yards from the Nest, he saw the area where he’d been moments prior in front of the cave opening had been bombed.

Green and blue smoke rose up from in front of the Nest. The bomb had cleared the area, sending all the dragon riders down the hill along with the pirates.

Hiker glanced up at the blimp overhead, knowing it had sent the attack, and now the Nest was unguarded. All the riders were too far away as a single woman slid over the front of the cave and slipped inside.

“NOOOO!” Hiker yelled, staggering to his feet and realizing his legs weren’t operating after being at the epicenter of the explosion. If he hadn’t been pooling power from within, he was certain he would have died. This was worse as he tried to crawl across the ground toward the Nest, where Trin Currante had just disappeared.

Chapter Fifty-Six

The explosion rocked the Gullington and sent everyone to their knees. Liv immediately tried to stand but found herself completely disoriented. There was something in the blue and green smoke.

She looked up and saw the dragons sending all their attacks at the blimp that had dropped the bomb. Still, their fire had no effect on the flying magitech device.

The blimp disappeared, portaling away.

A scream ripped through the air. Liv whipped her head in that direction, but it was hard to make out anything through the smoke and fire.

The Nest. The front of it had been bombed. Hiker Wallace had been blasted from his position at the front, defending the opening where the dragon eggs were.

Liv shook her head, trying to will her eyes to adjust.

Everyone, including the pirates, had all been laid out flat from the last explosion. She looked over her shoulder to see more cyborgs storming in their direction. She reached for Bellator that had flown from her hands. Her fingers shook. She was weak. The smoke was making her disoriented.

The pirates would be on them soon. They would defeat them.

It would all be over.

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Sophia slid through the narrow opening that led to Quiet’s room, covering her mouth from the smoke slipping down from the upper story. She’d have to carry him back down. She could do that. First, she had to get to him.

When she entered his room, she was surprised to find him sitting up. There were no windows in his modest room, but he was looking at the wall like he could see out to the Expanse where the deadly battle was ensuing.

“Quiet!” she yelled. “I need to get you out of here.”

The stubborn gnome shook his head, keeping his eyes on the far wall.

“Come on!” she screamed. “You can’t die here, and that’s what’s going to happen.” She raced forward, pulling the antidote from her pocket.

“I know you don’t want to do this, and I don’t know why,” she said rapidly. “But you have to tell me your real name.”

He mouthed the word, “No.” She didn’t understand it.

“Fine, you want to die, then do it, but maybe you can remember what you have to live for.” Sophia closed her eyes as she tried to remember the words from the letter Quiet’s mother had sent him. They came to her fast. Her eyes sprang open. She closed the distance between her and gnome. “‘May your father’s captain hat house your soul on the days you need shelter. And on the days you don’t, I hope it reminds you of your purpose. We all need a reminder of why we serve, and this one will be yours.”

Sophia thrust the hat into the gnome’s hands, and only then did he look at her, shock written across his face at the sight of the heirloom.

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Hiker had to get to the Nest.

He had to stop Trin Currante.

He promised to defend the dragon eggs.

Pressing up to his feet, he saw he was the only one in the vicinity standing. All his men were lying flat, trying to get up. Liv and the giants were alive but looked as bad as the riders.

With the blimp gone, the dragons flew to the edge of the Barrier, where more pirates continued to spill through the opening. It didn’t matter. There were more on the way, and they couldn’t stop them all. Soon the pirates would overrun them.

Hiker had to get to the Nest. He stumbled, and nearly fell back to his knees again.

Trin Currante appeared at the opening of the cave, her wire-like hair flowing in the wind and a bag strewn over her shoulder as she smiled down at Hiker.

It was the motivation he needed to push forward. He’d kill her. He’d make her pay.

He didn’t get a chance, because the woman who had stolen their dragon’s eggs opened a portal and disappeared.

Chapter Fifty-Nine

“Quiet,” Sophia said, her voice urgent. “I need you to remember your purpose. I need you to want to live for that purpose. Whatever you lose by telling me your name will be worth it because we need you. The Dragon Elite can’t lose you. Please.”

She pulled the cork from the antidote and held it out to the sick gnome.

He brought his gaze up from the captain’s hat. Sophia had never realized how blue his eyes were. They were the color of the Pond, and reflected in them was the green hills of the Expanse. Written all over the wrinkles lining his face were things that reminded her of the Castle.

He opened his mouth, pulling in a raspy breath.

Sophia was about to argue with him more, to point to the hat, and tell him he couldn’t give up.

Before she could, he took the antidote from her shaking hands, and in a voice she could hear plainly, Quiet spoke.

“My name…is…Gullington.”

Chapter Sixty

“NOOOOO!” Hiker yelled so loudly and furiously it shook the ground under his feet.

This had been his home for the last five hundred years. These were his riders. This was personal.

He turned at the pirates screaming as they sprinted in his direction, their weapons held over their heads and murder written on their faces.

Trin Currante had taken the dragon eggs, and yet the cyborgs weren’t standing down. They were going to finish the Dragon Elite, or at least they were going to try.

The power that had been building in Hiker’s veins pooled into his hand. He didn’t resist it or worry it would corrupt him, and burn him from the inside out. It didn’t matter even if it did.

He raised his hand and directed it at the storm of pirates yards away from attacking Liv Beaufont, the giants, and his riders.

With a scream, Hiker sent a wave of fury through his fingertips.

It was red as it sailed through the air, like the laser attacks the cyborgs had been sending using their magitech. There was no technology in the attack Hiker sent.

This was all magic. And it was all him.

The curse of red flew, knocking into every single trespasser who raced toward them and sent them flat to the ground, dead instantly.

In a matter of seconds, Hiker Wallace killed a hundred enemies with one assault.

Now that he had embraced his power, he was the most powerful magician in the world.

Chapter Sixty-One

Sophia sucked in a breath and let the truth wash over her.

Quiet was the Gullington.

He had always been here because he was the Expanse. He was the Cave. He was the Pond. Quiet McAfee was the Castle.

He was the one who made the flames rise in the chandeliers and the one who sent her strange messages. Who locked doors or made them disappear. He was Ainsley’s best friend and the one who healed the riders when they were injured. The one who had almost died because he didn’t want the Dragon Elite to know who he truly was.

Sophia had reminded him.

The gnome threw back his head and drank the potion in one big gulp.

The color in his face rose to the surface, making his cheeks and nose red. His eyes cleared. Strength took over as pure vengeance filled the gnome’s every feature.

Sophia stepped back as he whipped the covers off his short legs and slid off the bed, his movements sharp and powerful.

He swept his arm to the side, and the wall in front of them he’d been looking at disappeared. Suddenly Sophia was standing on the edge of the Castle looking out at the grounds of the Expanse.

Green and blue smoke drifted in the air, and the Expanse was covered in bodies.

Her heart leapt to her throat, but she recognized her own friends moving beside the Nest. They were alive. Liv was standing and helping Bermuda and Rory up.

Wilder, Evan, and Mahkah went to stand next to Hiker, who was looking out at the bodies in the distance.

Above them, the flames on the top of the Castle cast a blinding light down on the grounds.

Quiet snapped his short fingers, and the flames disappeared from the roof. The smoke laced with poison evaporated from the air, and all the bodies of the trespassers were removed from the Expanse.

A piercing sound echoed over the Gullington as all the eyes of the Dragon Elite looked up at the Castle to see the gnome gazing at them powerfully.

Sophia was going to keep Quiet’s secret and not tell anyone he was the Gullington, but she knew everyone had seen what she had. They would know the truth about the gnome.

Quiet clapped his hands together, making a booming sound that shook the entire Expanse. Everyone’s chins jerked into the air as a dome shot over the top of the Gullington. It reflected a bright blue light before shimmering and disappearing.

The Barrier was back in place. The Dragon Elite’s home was safe once more.

Quiet turned to Sophia, a grateful expression on his face. “Thank you. You didn’t have to save me, especially since you didn’t know my truth. Yet, you did because you always look out for others. A true dragonrider, you are, S. Beaufont, and it is a pleasure to serve you, which I hope to continue to have the honor of doing for a very long time.”

The gnome bowed to Sophia, her friends and family on the Expanse witnessing the whole thing before the wall of the Castle reformed once more.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Liv hugged Sophia for so long she had to finally encourage her sister to let her go. When she peeled away, the sober expression in her sister’s eyes nearly made tears spill.

Clark stood beside them, unmistakable adoration on his face as he stared at Sophia.

He pointed to the portal door. “Once we go through here…”

“You won’t be able to return to the Gullington again,” Sophia finished, answering the question. “After you are through, only the Dragon Elite and those who serve us can enter our grounds.”

Liv nodded and ran her eyes over the walls of the Castle, amazement in her gaze. “I can’t believe this is a person. Simply incredible.”

It was incredible, and yet, it made so much sense when Sophia thought of all the things she knew about the Gullington. The night before, Sophia had curled up with The Complete History of Dragonriders and randomly opened the book. That’s when she’d read about how the gnome known as Captain Gullington “Quiet” McAfee had sacrificed himself to save his ship filled with refugee fae.

Just before the gnome was about to die, Mother Nature came to him and made him an offer.

“Be the protector and home for my Dragon Elite and you, Gullington, will live on forever,” Mama Jamba had said centuries prior.

That’s how it had all come about. Sophia closed the book, her breath stolen away. When she went back to try and find that part of the text, she couldn’t. That was the mystery of the book and the mystery of the Castle. Of the Gullington.

“Thank you for everything you both did to help,” Sophia said, finding her voice scratchy. Clark had taken the triplets to the House of Fourteen, where they were now safe with their father once more. He had returned when the giants went through, informing him everyone was safe once more at the Gullington.

Liv shook her head. “We will always be here to help you, my love.”

“Always,” Clark repeated. “That’s what family’s for.”

The tears broke through and began running down Sophia’s cheeks. “Familia Est Sempiternum.”

“Familia Est Sempiternum,” her siblings repeated in unison before engulfing her in their arms and holding her tightly.

Chapter Sixty-Three

“What are you looking for, dear?” Mama Jamba asked Sophia, making her jump.

She knocked her head into the bottom of the dining room table where she was crouched, looking under the chairs for her pocketknife. “Nothing,” she lied.

The old woman shook her head and gave Sophia a knowing look. “It’s not there.”

Sophia gulped. Of course, Mother Nature knew what she was searching for.

“You can have it back if you really want it,” Mama Jamba continued, “but only if you want what it represents. That’s the deal and the reason it was made. It’s the only way you can have it back.”

There was the question for Sophia, what this had all been building up to. “I think I do.”

Mama Jamba smiled proudly. “Then, so be it.”

The crazy, powerful entity had returned the night the Castle burned. She didn’t say a word about walking out on her Dragon Elite or anything about making Quiet the Gullington. She did look up at Hiker Wallace and say three words. “Good work, son.”

Liv had told Sophia about watching Hiker embrace his full power. Sophia knew Liv had seen more than most when in battle, but the warrior for the House of Fourteen said there was nothing comparable to the power the leader of the Dragon Elite showed. He had killed one-hundred men at once with a single spell, and that wasn’t even all his power. Hiker Wallace had been a formidable force before.

Now, he was as close to a god as any magician could become.

Evan, Mahkah, and Wilder entered the dining hall, all three men peering around speculatively.

“He’s not in here,” Mama Jamba sang to them, taking her normal seat.

“That’s why he didn’t want anyone to know the truth,” Sophia said, shaking her head at the men. “He didn’t want you to treat him differently, knowing he was the Castle, the Expanse, the Cave, the Pond, and now the Nest.”

Mama Jamba nodded, unfolding her napkin. “He, as he was centuries ago as a captain, didn’t want to be treated with favoritism based on his power. Quiet despises that sort of thing.”

“How can I be mean to him now though, knowing he is the one who throws my belongings on the hills outside?” Evan complained, sitting down across from Sophia.

“How could you have been mean to him in the first place?” she argued.

He shook his head. “That was always our thing.”

“That was your thing,” Sophia spat.

Evan rolled his eyes. “Whatever suck up. You’ve always been his favorite.”

“I’m his favorite, and that’s how it should be.” Ainsley came through from the kitchen, looking like her old self. She set a large tray of blueberry pancakes in front of Mama Jamba.

“Thank you, dear,” Mother Nature said, taking a few off the top.

“Ains, did you know…” Sophia asked, not finishing her question.

The shapeshifter shook her head. “I didn’t. Now it makes sense because I’ve always understood Quiet even though the lot of you couldn’t.”

Sophia’s eyes drifted to the side as she thought. Quiet was what had kept Ainsley alive all these years. Maybe he would know how to save her.

Sophia made a mental note to investigate this more. She wanted to find out how to help the housekeeper. Ainsley may not have been willing to leave the Castle when it was burning to the ground, but what she didn’t know was whether she stayed in the burning Castle or left, she would have died. There were no options for her. This Gullington was her entire life.

Sophia wanted to give her the option to leave and give her memories back. Ainsley should have the choice to leave the Gullington if she wanted.

Love was giving others the option to leave, knowing they may but hoping they didn’t. Or at least hoping one day they would return. Real love couldn’t be caged.

Every one of the dragon riders stood when Hiker Wallace came into the dining hall. He paused, a look of uncertainty in his eyes as he stared at the Dragon Elite, all giving him silent respect.

“At ease,” Hiker said after a moment and continued forward.

Mama Jamba, who hadn’t stood, snickered as she poured maple syrup over her pancakes.

“What’s so funny?” Hiker asked, taking his chair at the head of the table.

“You’re not used to it, and you nicked yourself shaving, didn’t you, son?” Mama Jamba asked, putting a bite of fluffy pancakes in her mouth.

Hiker frowned, running his hands over his face. “Yes, apparently, the power I wield comes out when I’m in battle or shaving or even trying to fall asleep at night.”

“You’ll get used to it,” Mama Jamba told him. “Or you won’t, and you’ll shave off that beard on accident. I’ve always liked your chin and wouldn’t mind seeing it.”

Hiker shook his head. “Real men have beards.”

Evan looked between Mahkah and Wilder, his mouth open. “Are we going to be offended by that statement?”

Wilder laughed and combed his fingers over his smooth chin. “You can, but I don’t think I’ll be talking back to our leader anytime soon.”

“Not until you’ve had too much whiskey,” Mahkah said, making a rare joke.

Everyone at the table laughed.

When they were quiet once more, only the sounds of forks and knives scraping plates, Hiker cleared his throat.

Everyone paused and looked up.

“The eggs,” Hiker said simply. “We’re getting them back.”

He looked at Sophia with conviction. A dozen eggs had been stolen by Trin Currante in her magical sack.

“I’m sorry she took them,” Hiker apologized, regret filling his tone.

Sophia nodded, knowing he’d done everything to try and stop it from happening. There had been an explosion, but the magitech bombs didn’t stand a chance of bringing down the Barrier now. Not with Quiet back in commission.

Sophia wondered how Trin had known how to bring the Barrier down. How had she known how to make the groundskeeper ill with the herbs? There were more questions that had to be answered.

“I hope you do get those dragon eggs back,” Mama Jamba said, her eyes on her plate as she devoured the pancakes. “However, today, you all need to rest. Celebrate. Count your blessings. Tomorrow the battles outside the Gullington will demand your attention.”

Evan raised his arms, stretching. “I’m going to make Quiet something special. Maybe a picture of the two of us together.”

Mahkah shook his head but laughed.

Mama Jamba turned her attention to Sophia. “You should take a walk, my dear. The thistles are blooming by the Pond.”

“You mean Quiet is making the thistles bloom,” Hiker commented.

“I guess I do,” Mama Jamba agreed.

“Why don’t you think I want to see the thistles?” Evan asked, pretending to be offended.

Mama Jamba shook her head at the young dragonrider. “You stay off the Expanse. Hiker, you and I have a meeting in the dungeon after breakfast.”

“Why the dungeon?” Hiker questioned.

Mama Jamba winked at Sophia. “Because there are no windows there.”

Although Sophia had no idea what that was all about, she was certain Mother Nature was orchestrating something in her life, and she was okay with that.

Chapter Sixty-Four

The winds blew Sophia’s hair back from her face as she hiked toward the Pond. The thistles dotted the Expanse with pink, contrasting nicely against the green hills.

Yes, Trin Currante had stolen more dragon eggs and figured out how to get into the Gullington. But out of everything, the Dragon Elite had gotten stronger. Sophia didn’t regret any of it. Without hardship, it was impossible to get stronger.

The leader of the Dragon Elite had embraced his powers. The truth about the Gullington had been revealed. And the dragonriders knew that no matter what, they had each other’s back. They were more a team than ever before.

Sophia glanced at the Cave, thinking fondly of Lunis resting in there with the other dragons. She knew they were all recovering after the epic battle. Dragons were like cats. They pounced hard and fast but needed a lot of recovery time after the fact.

The wind didn’t let up when Sophia came to the edge of the cliff overlooking the Pond. She had only been standing there for a moment when she sensed him at her back.

Wilder moved faster than her. Quieter. His combat experience gave him that advantage, but also his age and experience.

She closed her eyes for a moment, considering her options, and chose one. She turned to face him, knowing what was coming next.

The dragonrider stood only a few feet away, a curious expression in his blue eyes, and his brown hair taking note of the wind that passed through it.

He had his hand extended. In it was her pocketknife.

“Why does it have a glass slipper on it?” Wilder asked, flicking open the blade with ease to show Cinderella’s shoe etched into the silver.

Sophia reached out, her fingertips brushing his hand when she took her knife. “Because it’s symbolic.”

“I don’t think I understand,” Wilder said, scratching his head.

“It’s got the glass slipper because Subner knew I would drop it, and you would find it and give it back to me,” she explained, realizing that probably still didn’t make much sense to him.

He smiled softly, his dimples surfacing. “That seems like a complex riddle.”

She nodded. “That’s how my life goes.”

“Why did you drop it?” he queried.

“I didn’t mean to, or at least I didn’t think at the time I meant to,” she answered. “I think the universe has a strange way of communicating with me sometimes. The real question I had to answer was whether I wanted it back.”

“So, what does this mean?”

“It means although my head tells me to run, my heart wants me not to.”

“What are you running from?”

“You mean who.”

He tilted his head to the side and took a step forward. “Who are you running from?”

“You know,” she said. She didn’t think she could say it out loud. It was ridiculous to Sophia that she had fought seven-headed dragons and ogres and magitech, but standing in front of this guy made her feel weak.

“Why would you run from me?” he insisted.

Wilder knew. Of course, he did. There was no denying the obvious between them.

“We just don’t make any sense together,” she protested, finding her voice scratchy suddenly.

“Because…”

He wasn’t letting her get away easy on this. He wanted her to say all the words, and not hide any of it.

“Because we are too different,” she started, not wanting to state specifics.

“Because I have lived on the Earth for so much longer?”

Why did he have to say it out loud, she wondered with frustration. “We are just too different,” she repeated.

“Age is a relative thing, especially when you are a dragonrider,” Wilder argued. “The chi of the dragon changes us. It changed you.”

“Hiker, he would…” she said and trailed away.

The laugh that spilled out of Wilder’s mouth echoed over the Pond. “Oh, he will no doubt go ballistic. There will be yelling and destruction in his midst. But you know what?”

“Do I have to say what?” she muttered, a smile in her eyes.

“Well, you just did, so I will continue,” he said with another laugh. “At the end of the day, it’s our choice. No one gets to live our lives for us. If you want to make it work, regardless of our situation or age or whatever, then we will.”

“And if I don’t?” Sophia asked.

He shot her a challenging expression. “Then why did you drop the pocketknife? Why did you want it back?”

She didn’t have an answer, so she stepped forward and looked up at him. “I guess we have a lot to figure out.”

“Indeed,” he said, the smile in his eyes making them dazzle. “But first things first…”

He lifted his calloused hand and brushed it across her cheek, a spark radiating from that first touch. It only intensified as Wilder laid his lips on hers, kissing her with gentle pressure and hungry thirst.

The winds around the two dragonriders whirled, wrapping around them before suddenly dying out completely. All at once, everything was calm, and the waters of the Pond were as placid as glass.

This wasn’t a happily ever after for the two dragonriders, only a secret moment, stolen away. Tomorrow would come and bring more adventures. And tomorrow they would keep their secrets until the time was right to reveal them.

The Story Continues with Fairness Released

Sarah’s Author Notes

Thank you so much for reading. Your support of the Liv Beaufont series and this one has been life changing. Thank you! Seriously! Thank you.

So wind was a pretty important part of this story. Here in LA, we have the Santa Ana winds and they’ve been blowing like crazy, keeping me up at night and distracting me while I work. When we have those windy days, I always say, “The winds of change are a blowin’.”

I feel like wind represents change for me. In Sophia’s case, I wanted it to symbolize her own internal struggles manifesting themselves outwardly. More on that later. Incidentally, as I write these notes, the winds are up again, howling through my old windows. I guess more change is on the way.

I don’t know much about my own family history for various reasons. My father’s side of the family I knew was mostly Cajun French. Anyway, imagine my surprise when I get back from Scotland and my parents inform me that we’re Scottish. They sent me the family crest and reminded me that my father’s middle name is McAfee, my grandmother’s maiden name. And hence, that became the famous name of Quiet’s ship. Incidentally, I got the name Quiet, for the very powerful gnome, because it’s my dad’s nickname for my stepmom. I always found it very endearing. She calls him “Bubs.”

A big thank you to my awesome friends for all the ideas and inspiration they’ve contributed to this book. Martin, for instance, had the idea of Hiker getting roped into the Nigerian Prince scheme. There’s something very entertaining about a 500-year-old Viking using technology for the first time.

Speaking of awesome friends, my friend Crystal and her wife inspired the Crying Cat Bakery scene. I think they are my favorite characters now. Crystal is often telling me of the funny things that happen between her and her wife. I finally was like, “You two are going into a book.” And so we had the magical bakery run by an OCD baker and wanna-be assassin. When Crystal asked if her ski mask was clean, I totally was grateful that my friends are so awesomely weird and provide so much fodder.

There’s a lot of bakery themes in this book between the Crying Cat Bakery and Fairy Godmother College. Happily Ever After was inspired by Zumbo’s Just Desserts, a show Lydia and I watch together. Oh, and is there any interests in a spin off series about Fairy Godmother College? If so, let us know!

The bakery theme is also inspired by a strange thing I did in my mid-twenties. I had just graduated with my masters in management, moved across the country to a small hippie community in Oregon and taken a very stuffy job. I hated it! I was working for a very well known “Oprah Book Club” author. He was my idol. And he made me count paper… Anyway, I did what anyone with no savings and a ton of angst would do. I quit.

Then I went to the bakery down the street where I got my morning coffee and begged the sweet couple who ran it to give me a job. I had zero experience in the service industry or with baking in general. But I thought that running a bakery would be romantic in the poet-sort-of-sense. The couple took pity on me and gave me the early shift.

I had to be at the bakery at 5 in the morning to make, bake and stock the cases full of pastries for when the shop opened at 7. The oven was bigger than a normal sized kitchen and I couldn’t reach the top racks without jumping. You can guess how smart of an idea that was.

Alone for hours each morning, I baked hundreds of pastries, sliced bread, made the coffee and also the pizza for the lunch crowd. I made $8 an hour and got more life experiences than in years at corporate America.

And I learned it was romantic working at a bakery. The smells of sour dough in the morning and flour on my cheeks and sore muscles at the end of the day… Well, it all stuck with me and although I didn’t realize it at the time, those experiences would inspire parts of books. Seems pretty priceless thinking back.

Anyway, it was also freaking hard work. I lasted three months and then took a job for a government contractor that did secret reconnaissance work for foreign countries. I can say no more about that…but who knows if that fodder is in my books somewhere…

Speaking of fodder… Hold on. I’ve have to go hide under my sheets for a moment before I can tell this next reveal. I don’t know why I do this to myself, but this is coming from the girl who wrote two books about her personal life. I blame MA.

After the release of those books, many LA guys wouldn’t date me, so afraid they’d be put in a book and made fun of. One was like, “I’m glad you didn’t put me in your freaking Asshole book.” I was like, “Yeah, because the short guy who I called ‘Adult Chris’ totally isn’t you…”

I’ve learned my lesson though. No more writing explicitly about my personal life. Oh no. Now I just do it covertly and then call myself out in my author notes.

So the Wilder romance storyline... Again, I’m casting the accusatory finger at Michael. Everyone has to have a good scapegoat and he’s usually mine. Anyway, when we plotted out this series, he wanted the romance introduced in the beginning of this arc. If not for that then I could have avoided what happened next, hence the blame.

There might have been some influences from real life that influenced that whole romance storyline with Wilder. Like for Christmas, I might have gotten a guy I’m seeing a fork. A single fork. It was based on a running joke. Since he’s Scottish, I made a joke about forks when we first met. I was like, “Do Scotsmen even know how to use a fork?” Why yes, I am usually insulting to strangers at first meeting. It’s how I keep the uptight jerks away. A screening process of sorts. A friend once asked me, “Don’t you think being rude will scare people away?” I was like, “The hope is that it keeps the weaklings away.” Anyway, the Scotsman admitted that he didn’t know how to use a fork, so I got him one for Christmas with the promise that I’d teach him how to use it. Then for Valentines I got him a spoon. I’m a real romantic.

And hence we come to the Cinderella storyline in this book. Of course our Sophia couldn’t drop a glass slipper. It had to be a pocket knife. Fork, spoon, knife. You get it now. 12 And remember that she gave Wilder a fork for Christmas when he unexpectedly gifted her with a grappling hook.

I probably shouldn’t be sharing all this, but what the hell!

So the Wilder storyline is obviously inspired by parts of my own life. The complications and feelings that Sophia goes through are pretty close to my own. Fodder comes from reality.

In this book there was a story, inside of a story, inside of a story. I used the Cinderella metaphor for Sophia’s situation which was loosely based on mine own. I knew like Cinderella that Sophia would run when the “ball” was over—after the King Arthur mission. Similar to Cinderella, she ran because her mind said it didn’t make any sense. And I knew that she’d drop the proverbial “glass slipper” because of what was in her heart, as her fairy godmother foretold.

The question I haven’t answered for myself is will I drop a glass slipper of sorts? Only time will tell. Or the next book will. PREORDER now to find out what Sarah does with her life! Lol Shameless, I am.

Okay, share time is over for you all.

Sincerely,

Tiny Ninja

(Written February 26, 2020)

Michael’s Author Notes

THANK YOU for reading our story! We have a few of these planned, but we don’t know if we should continue writing and publishing without your input. Options include leaving a review, reaching out on Facebook to let us know, and smoke signals.

Frankly, smoke signals might get misconstrued as low hanging clouds, so you might want to nix that idea.

Dammit, I don’t know who the Scotsman is in Sarah’s story. You know, the one she gave a fork to for Christmas.

First clue, it happened last year.

It’s driving me nuts at the moment. I know of a FEW Scotsman it could be, but I don’t know - and she hasn’t been fessing up. Any comments about who she is seeing?

Is he an author? Is he the guy she went on the sight-seeing trip with (see other author notes.)

Is Sarah making this stuff up? She is a tiny ninja. It would be like her to throw up smoke screens.

Or just like. That’s like her, too. Well, it’s like all fiction authors. It’s in our job description that we lie for a living.

I’m just hoping that her glass slipper isn’t a knife. I’m not sure how the guy should accept that sort of gift.

Note: The bakery oven really doesn’t have to be much taller than…what, 5’6”?

Ad Aeternitatem!

Michael Anderle

Written March 7, 2020

Acknowledgments

Sarah Noffke

I feel like I’m on the stage at the Oscars, accepting an award when I write my acknowledgments. I stand there, holding this award, my hands shaking and my words racing around in my mind. I’m not an actress for a reason. I’m a writer and talking to people in “real life” is hard. Not to mention a ton of people all at once.

I picture looking out at the audience and being blinded by spotlights and forgetting every word of the speech I memorized just in case I won. The speech would go like this and it’s meant for all of you, not the guild. For the fans. The supporters. The people who are the reason I would ever stand on any stage, ever.

Okay, here we go. I clear my throat and smile, looking up at the camera, holding the little golden man. And then I begin:

This was never supposed to happen. I was never meant to publish a book and then another one. And then another. I was supposed to write in private and live a life that Henry David Thoreau called a life of “quiet desperation.” I would always hope to share my books, but never bring myself to do it. And you would never read my words. But then, in a crazed moment of brashness, I did share my books and you all liked them. And because of that, I’ve never been the same. And here I am feeling grateful all just because…

That’s why I’m here. Because of you. Thank you to my first readers. The ones who picked up those books that I didn’t even outline and you still liked them. You messaged me and maybe you thought it was no big deal, but when your ego is new to the publishing world, it’s a big deal.

I can’t thank you readers enough. I’ve found that reading your reviews helps me to start a chapter when I’m stuck or lazy.

I really need to thank someone who has made this all possible and that’s my father. I was going to quit. I can’t tell you how many times I quit. But when I wasn’t making it, he was the one who told me to not throw in the towel. “Give yourself a timeline,” he suggested. If I didn’t get to my goal by then, I’d quit. And apparently there was magic in that advice, because I’m still doing this. Dad, you’re the pragmatic one, but when you believed in me enough to tell me to not quit, I knew I had to follow your advice.

And I thank all my friends who are constantly supporting me with thoughts of love and encouragement. Most don’t read my books. I’m sort of self-deprecating, although I’m working on it and will be the first to tell my friends, “My books probably aren’t for you.” However, every now and then a friend surprises me and says, “I was up all night reading your books.” It’s always a total shock. But my point is, that even if they didn’t read, I still have the best friends ever. Diane, you’re my rock. And I love you, even though you will probably not read this.

Thank you to everyone at LMBPN. Those people are like family to me, although I’m not sure if they’ll let me sleep on their couch. Well, who am I kidding? They totally will. Big thanks to Steve, Lynne, Mihaela, Kelly, Jen and the entire team. The JIT members are the best.

Huge thank you to the LMBPN Ladies group on Facebook. Micky, you’re the best. And that group keeps me sane.

And a giant thank you to the betas for this series. Juergen you are my first reader and friend. Thanks for all the help. And thanks to Martin and Crystal for being some of the best people I know. What would I do without you? A huge thanks to the ARC team. Seriously, if it weren’t for you all I might pass out before release day, wondering if anyone will like the book.

And with all my books, my final thank you goes to my lovely muse, Lydia. Oh sweet darling, I write these books for you, but ironically, I couldn’t write them without you. You are my inspiration. My sounding board. And the reason that I want to succeed. I love you.

Thank you all! I’m sorry if I forgot anyone. Blame Michael. For no other reason than just because.

Books By Sarah Noffke

Sarah Noffke writes YA and NA science fiction, fantasy, paranormal and urban fantasy. In addition to being an author, she is a mother, podcaster and professor. Noffke holds a Masters of Management and teaches college business/writing courses. Most of her students have no idea that she toils away her hours crafting fictional characters. www.sarahnoffke.com

Check out other work by Sarah author here.

Ghost Squadron:

Formation #1:

Kill the bad guys. Save the Galaxy. All in a hard day’s work.

After ten years of wandering the outer rim of the galaxy, Eddie Teach is a man without a purpose. He was one of the toughest pilots in the Federation, but now he’s just a regular guy, getting into bar fights and making a difference wherever he can. It’s not the same as flying a ship and saving colonies, but it’ll have to do.

That is, until General Lance Reynolds tracks Eddie down and offers him a job. There are bad people out there, plotting terrible things, killing innocent people, and destroying entire colonies. Someone has to stop them.

Eddie, along with the genetically-enhanced combat pilot Julianna Fregin and her trusty E.I. named Pip, must recruit a diverse team of specialists, both human and alien. They’ll need to master their new Q-Ship, one of the most powerful strike ships ever constructed.  And finally, they’ll have to stop a faceless enemy so powerful, it threatens to destroy the entire Federation.

All in a day’s work, right?

Experience this exciting military sci-fi saga and the latest addition to the expanded Kurtherian Gambit Universe. If you’re a fan of Mass Effect, Firefly, or Star Wars, you’ll love this riveting new space opera.

*NOTE: If cursing is a problem, then this might not be for you.

Check out the entire series here.

The Precious Galaxy Series:

Corruption #1

A new evil lurks in the darkness.

After an explosion, the crew of a battlecruiser mysteriously disappears.

Bailey and Lewis, complete strangers, find themselves suddenly onboard the damaged ship. Lewis hasn’t worked a case in years, not since the final one broke his spirit and his bank account. The last thing Bailey remembers is preparing to take down a fugitive on Onyx Station.

Mysteries are harder to solve when there’s no evidence left behind.

Bailey and Lewis don’t know how they got onboard Ricky Bobby or why. However, they quickly learn that whatever was responsible for the explosion and disappearance of the crew is still on the ship.

Monsters are real and what this one can do changes everything.

The new team bands together to discover what happened and how to fight the monster lurking in the bottom of the battlecruiser.

Will they find the missing crew? Or will the monster end them all?

The Soul Stone Mage Series:

House of Enchanted #1:

The Kingdom of Virgo has lived in peace for thousands of years…until now.

The humans from Terran have always been real assholes to the witches of Virgo. Now a silent war is brewing, and the timing couldn’t be worse. Princess Azure will soon be crowned queen of the Kingdom of Virgo.

In the Dark Forest a powerful potion-maker has been murdered.

Charmsgood was the only wizard who could stop a deadly virus plaguing Virgo. He also knew about the devastation the people from Terran had done to the forest.

Azure must protect her people. Mend the Dark Forest. Create alliances with savage beasts. No biggie, right?

But on coronation day everything changes. Princess Azure isn’t who she thought she was and that’s a big freaking problem.

Welcome to The Revelations of Oriceran. Check out the entire series here.

The Lucidites Series:

Awoken, #1:

Around the world humans are hallucinating after sleepless nights.

In a sterile, underground institute the forecasters keep reporting the same events.

And in the backwoods of Texas, a sixteen-year-old girl is about to be caught up in a fierce, ethereal battle.

Meet Roya Stark. She drowns every night in her dreams, spends her hours reading classic literature to avoid her family’s ridicule, and is prone to premonitions—which are becoming more frequent. And now her dreams are filled with strangers offering to reveal what she has always wanted to know: Who is she? That’s the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out. But will Roya live to regret learning the truth?

Stunned, #2

Revived, #3

The Reverians Series:

Defects, #1:

In the happy, clean community of Austin Valley, everything appears to be perfect. Seventeen-year-old Em Fuller, however, fears something is askew. Em is one of the new generation of Dream Travelers. For some reason, the gods have not seen fit to gift all of them with their expected special abilities. Em is a Defect—one of the unfortunate Dream Travelers not gifted with a psychic power. Desperate to do whatever it takes to earn her gift, she endures painful daily injections along with commands from her overbearing, loveless father. One of the few bright spots in her life is the return of a friend she had thought dead—but with his return comes the knowledge of a shocking, unforgivable truth. The society Em thought was protecting her has actually been betraying her, but she has no idea how to break away from its authority without hurting everyone she loves.

Rebels, #2

Warriors, #3

Vagabond Circus Series:

Suspended, #1:

When a stranger joins the cast of Vagabond Circus—a circus that is run by Dream Travelers and features real magic—mysterious events start happening. The once orderly grounds of the circus become riddled with hidden threats. And the ringmaster realizes not only are his circus and its magic at risk, but also his very life.

Vagabond Circus caters to the skeptics. Without skeptics, it would close its doors. This is because Vagabond Circus runs for two reasons and only two reasons: first and foremost to provide the lost and lonely Dream Travelers a place to be illustrious. And secondly, to show the nonbelievers that there’s still magic in the world. If they believe, then they care, and if they care, then they don’t destroy. They stop the small abuse that day-by-day breaks down humanity’s spirit. If Vagabond Circus makes one skeptic believe in magic, then they halt the cycle, just a little bit. They allow a little more love into this world. That’s Dr. Dave Raydon’s mission. And that’s why this ringmaster recruits. That’s why he directs. That’s why he puts on a show that makes people question their beliefs. He wants the world to believe in magic once again.

Paralyzed, #2

Released, #3

Ren Series:

Ren: The Man Behind the Monster, #1:

Born with the power to control minds, hypnotize others, and read thoughts, Ren Lewis, is certain of one thing: God made a mistake. No one should be born with so much power. A monster awoke in him the same year he received his gifts. At ten years old. A prepubescent boy with the ability to control others might merely abuse his powers, but Ren allowed it to corrupt him. And since he can have and do anything he wants, Ren should be happy. However, his journey teaches him that harboring so much power doesn’t bring happiness, it steals it. Once this realization sets in, Ren makes up his mind to do the one thing that can bring his tortured soul some peace. He must kill the monster.

*Note* This book is NA and has strong language, violence and sexual references.

Ren: God’s Little Monster, #2

Ren: The Monster Inside the Monster, #3

Ren: The Monster’s Adventure, #3.5

Ren: The Monster’s Death

Olento Research Series:

Alpha Wolf, #1:

Twelve men went missing.

Six months later they awake from drug-induced stupors to find themselves locked in a lab.

And on the night of a new moon, eleven of those men, possessed by new—and inhuman—powers, break out of their prison and race through the streets of Los Angeles until they disappear one by one into the night.

Olento Research wants its experiments back. Its CEO, Mika Lenna, will tear every city apart until he has his werewolves imprisoned once again. He didn’t undertake a huge risk just to lose his would-be assassins.

However, the Lucidite Institute’s main mission is to save the world from injustices. Now, it’s Adelaide’s job to find these mutated men and protect them and society, and fast. Already around the nation, wolflike men are being spotted. Attacks on innocent women are happening. And then, Adelaide realizes what her next step must be: She has to find the alpha wolf first. Only once she’s located him can she stop whoever is behind this experiment to create wild beasts out of human beings.

Lone Wolf, #2

Rabid Wolf, #3

Bad Wolf, #4

Books By Michael Anderle

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