by Sarah Noffke
Still, she expected to see a few faces as they ran through the forest, but it appeared abandoned. It must have been close to the three-day mark that Tanner had given them to clear out. Sophia had lost track of time with everything going on.
Smoke wafted through the air as they neared the center of the village. At first, Sophia feared that the Rogue Riders had set fire to the place for whatever demented reasons they had. However, when they came to the clearing where Wilder was held, Sophia realized it was worse than that.
Tall walls of fire surrounded the pit where Wilder was imprisoned and posed a huge obstacle to getting him out quickly. Things just got more complicated.
Chapter Fifty-Six
The poop herders showed up right on time, having gotten the e-vite that Evan sent them via the skies. He cackled when the three dragonriders came into view, flying up over the jungle on the island—spotting him right away.
Evan leaned low on Coral, feeling the adrenaline of the moment. Yes, they outnumbered him. Yes, the Rogue Riders were unpredictable. But also, he knew for a fact that these infant dragonriders had never met Evan MacIntosh before. They’d never met anyone like him, and that was going to be their downfall because no one fought like him, with such gusto.
“Hey, look, the diaper wearers are here!” Evan cheered and created another waterspout with ease. There was one for each of them. “Wouldn’t want anyone to be left out.”
The demon dragonriders raced forward at the sight of him but didn’t move with the ease that one witnessed when watching a Dragon Elite fly. Evan could understand since they wouldn’t have had anyone to learn from. These guys had all taken to flying on their dragons alone, not having the expertise of Mahkah, who learned from the elders before him—handing down the secrets of the dragonriders.
“This is going to be easier than I thought,” Evan chortled as he leaned to the side and wove around his constructions, hollering with glee as he did.
It was evident from the expressions on the Rogue Riders’ faces that they hadn’t expected a dragonrider to be able to create waterspouts. He couldn’t blame them. It was quite the feat and had required a ton of magic. But now that he’d raised the towering pillars, all he had to do was use them to take out his enemies, which wouldn’t be that hard based on how they moved.
“Dude, you do know how to ride that dragon, don’t you?” Evan asked as he streaked past the closest rider on a gray dragon.
The guy grimaced with his teeth clenched. “Let’s get him!”
“Going to have to catch me first,” Evan teased as he dipped low and threw his head back like he was going to do a stunt. In actuality, he was showing off, and it appeared to only anger the three Rogue Riders more.
They raced after him, leaning unsteadily on their dragons.
“Man, you all make riding a dragon look difficult,” Evan insulted. “If you had any experience at all, then you’d know it’s supposed to be fun. Not look like a chore!”
The largest of the three riders on a green dragon lifted his hand as he narrowed his eyes. Although Evan wasn’t that worried about the guy on the gray or the other, there was something about the green rider that gave him pause.
Then the bright flash of lightning streaked through the air and nearly blinded Evan from the proximity. He only had a moment to react, knowing exactly what was coming next.
Evan dove toward the ocean’s surface and tried to get as far from the sky as possible as the deafening clap of thunder echoed overhead. It echoed in his head, vibrating his very skull.
He shook off the assault and got his bearings. So the green dragon had the element of lightning. That was sort of impressive, but the guy was still learning how to hone his skill because he could have used the electricity to strike Evan and Coral down. Instead, he’d used it to overwhelm their senses.
However, he wasn’t going to underestimate the Rogue Rider because the desperate look in the man’s eyes told Evan that this guy wouldn’t stop until he had brought him down.
Therefore, Evan flicked his finger at the first waterspout, which was closest to the gray dragon. “Time to make things fun! It’s bath time, baby!”
Chapter Fifty-Seven
Sophia rushed up to the wall of fire, flanked by the dragons. As she suspected, they couldn’t get closer than a few feet away before the flames urged them back.
“Wilder!” she yelled while trying to see through the wall of orange that burned her eyes from the smoke and hot temperatures.
Through the thick flames, she spied movement in the pit below. “I’m here!” he yelled, which made her heart skip.
“How are we going to get to him?” She looked between Lunis and Simi.
“I can fly over the wall of fire,” Simi stated with confidence.
“If it were that easy, then the dragonriders wouldn’t have used that method,” Lunis reasoned.
“He’s right.” Sophia’s pulse beat in her head. “They would know that Wilder’s dragon was around here, somewhere.”
“The netting and pit are magically protected,” Wilder called from the pit. “Even if you get over the flames, you still have to take down the wards. I can’t use magic from inside here, so I don’t know how to do it.”
Sophia sighed upon realizing that this made perfect sense. “Okay, we take down the fire first. Then we figure out the security measures.”
“If Evan was here, we might be able to use water to extinguish the flames,” Lunis reasoned.
“I think this is the first time that we’ve wanted Evan here,” Sophia joked and checked over her shoulder to where she could see the three waterspouts in the distance. They appeared almost alive as they wove in the air and snapped back and forth like a whip cracking.
“Wind,” Simi offered. “We could employ our wind magic to try and blow out the flames.”
“That’s a good idea.” Sophia chewed on her lip. “But I don’t think it will be quite enough. If it’s not a strong, decisive movement, then it could simply fan the flames and make them worse.”
“Yeah, and with your rider locked away, you’re limited.” Lunis sounded strangely serious.
“What if you two worked together to extinguish the flames as though blowing out birthday candles?” Sophia mused while working out the idea. “You could use your elemental magic, Simi, but Lunis could help by using his wings.”
“Yes, that could work.” Simi stood on her hind legs and extended her wings. “If we position ourselves in the right place and do it together, then it will knock the flames down, and we can work on the next step.”
Lunis nodded and quickly moved into place beside Simi, his leg not at all appearing to bother him. He rocked back on his hind legs like her and extended his long wings, then gave Sophia a determined expression.
“We can do this,” Lunis stated. “Ready when you are, Simi.”
Chapter Fifty-Eight
The first waterspout dropped like a column of rock disintegrating. The rush of water fell from the sky and collapsed on the gray dragon and rider. They saw it coming but didn’t move fast enough, and it made them fly awkwardly to the side as they plummeted into the choppy waters below.
Evan hollered and streaked away from the yellow dragon and rider who had taken off after them. It was too easy to avoid their pursuits, so he slowed to keep them interested. The rider’s inexperience showed, and he fell for several attempts when Evan feinted one way, then changed directions.
It was an easy game of cat and mouse. The young dragonrider didn’t realize that he was being led straight up into the next waterspout’s trajectory. On the distant far side, the guy on the green dragon hovered in the air and gave Evan a calculating expression. That was the one who worried Evan. He was studying the way the Elite moved. Evan believed he knew what would happen to the yellow rider next, but he was allowing it—all so he could watch and figure out his strategy to approach the more experienced dragonrider.
“One thing at a time.” Evan swung around the waterspout, flew up the shaft, and
watched as the naïve Rogue Rider followed.
Evan had slowed to let the guy get close to Coral’s tail. When the yellow dragon was nearly on him, he pulled away and shot straight outward and away. The newbie pursued but was quickly left behind. As before, Evan allowed the waterspout to collapse. It fell to the side and careened into the rider, then crushed him to the waters below where he and his dragon immediately sank.
He wouldn’t be dead. Neither would the gray dragon and rider. The chi of the dragon was too strong to be taken out that easily. However, they wouldn’t fly around for some time after the assaults either. Their best hope would be to float to the shore where they’d recover eventually after nursing their many wounds.
Evan swung around and faced off with the green dragon and rider. The remaining waterspout divided the distance between them.
“Just you and me, redhead,” Evan said in a low voice as he leaned down and tried to figure out how to throw a literal curveball at the last Rogue Rider in his way.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
Sophia had seen many incredible things that dragons did, but watching the blue and white dragon work together was probably one of the most eloquent.
The way they moved, both standing tall on their hind legs with their massive wings held out, was simply breathtaking.
Their eyes shone, and there was grit to the expression when they pulled their wings back carefully as if nocking an arrow to a bow. With a silence that communicated so much, Simi gave the command, and in unison, both dragons rocked their wings forward in a swift and sharp movement. It was only one, but the force that followed howled through the air and sent a violent and impressive gust of wind across the wall of flames.
The fire extinguished exactly like a child blowing out candles on a cake and disappeared almost instantly.
If Sophia were the child blowing out the candles, she would have only had one wish right then as she rushed forward and looked down into the pit where Wilder stood. He stared up at her with relief and trepidation.
Chapter Sixty
Evan had one waterspout left and limited magic reserves. As he faced off with the last demon dragonrider, he knew that he had one shot to take this guy out with the waterspout, and he sensed that the redhead knew it as well.
The green dragon and rider hovered in the air some hundred yards away on the other side of the spiraling structure. When it came to dragons and flying, that was a breath away. Things could change quickly, especially when it involved fire and wings, and no one knew that better than Evan.
He hoped that the newbie dragonrider didn’t know that because it would work to his advantage. He needed to take this guy out and return to Sophia and Wilder. Evan might have been about the jokes, but if anything happened to Wilder, he wouldn’t forgive himself. That was his best mate.
The green dragon flapped its wings, somewhat a blur on the other side of the misty waterspout. They were waiting for Evan to make the first move. He didn’t like that.
This fight needed to happen on his terms. He considered his options as he and Coral hovered far off the ocean’s surface. The demon dragonrider had been watching him. He knew his tactics with the waterspout. However, he didn’t know all his moves. Evan reasoned that he could use this to his advantage by playing on what the guy thought he’d do.
Since the demon dragonrider was stalling, forcing Evan to make the first move, he thought he knew what he was planning. Evan was banking on it. If he were wrong, then he would pay severely for it.
Below in the water, Evan caught sight of the other demon dragonriders floating on the surface and trying to swim through the choppy seas toward the closest island. They weren’t going to make it, and although Evan would prefer not to kill a fellow dragonrider, these guys had left him no choice. If the Rogue Riders weren’t with the Dragon Elite, then they were against them, and nothing could stand in the way of the peace they strove for.
After drawing in a steadying breath, Evan leaned low on Coral and sent her a silent intention about his plans. Her confirmation was also wordless, more a feeling than anything—such was the magic between dragon and rider.
Chapter Sixty-One
“What sort of wards did they put on the netting?” Sophia used every spell she could think of to get through the pit’s security where Wilder was imprisoned. Nothing was working, and every passing moment made panic build in her chest.
“I don’t know,” Wilder answered, his tone even although she knew that merely standing there was excruciatingly difficult for him. He wanted to help. Needed to. “The demon dragonriders have a different brand of magic from what I can tell. They use spells I’m not familiar with.”
“Their magic feels dirty and complicated,” Simi observed.
“Like having a relationship with a prostitute,” Lunis joked.
Sophia yanked Inexorabilis from its sheath and shook her head at her dragon. “No jokes right now.”
He grumbled but nodded. “Fine. You want me to try and blast the netting? Maybe that would disintegrate it.”
“I’d prefer not to get fried!” Wilder called from the pit.
Bruises covered his face, which made Sophia’s heart ache. She shook this off and tried to focus. “I think the netting has to be fire-resistant because otherwise, the wall of fire would have affected it.”
“Also, remember that these pits are used to imprison the demon dragons,” Simi added.
Sophia nodded, once again sickened by the idea of treating their dragons in such ways. She pulled her sword back and whipped it down at the netting. Inexorabilis hit the fibrous ropes and rebounded as though it had collided with stone. More magic than a fire-retardant spell protected the net.
Jolted from the effort of hitting the steel-like ropes, Sophia shook her head and deflated slightly.
“Well, we tried.” Lunis groaned. “Guess this is where you live now, Wilder.”
Sophia shot her dragon an annoyed expression. “Not right now,” she repeated.
“No, the humor is keeping me sane,” Wilder argued.
“Have you tried portaling out of there?” Lunis bent his head to inspect the pit.
Wilder rolled his eyes. “Oh, dear me. I’ve been trapped here for a day. Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Because you’re such an airhead,” Lunis teased.
Wilder laughed. “Yeah, portal magic has been disabled here. They were smart enough to think of that and a few other things, but I can’t figure out the other security wards. Something is off about their approach, which is stumping me.”
“No, we can’t allow that,” Sophia demanded with determination in her voice. “We have to get you out of there.”
“We will. Don’t worry,” Wilder offered. “We’ll figure this out. We have to think like an evil magician dragonrider. What sort of wards would they put on a pit to cage their dragons?”
“It’s not as complicated as that,” a meek voice said at their backs, which made Sophia tense. She wheeled around and brandished her sword, only to find a small girl standing near the tree line. The child was one of the natives. Her long, stringy black hair partially covered her face, and her clothes were plain and dirty.
Chapter Sixty-Two
Without blinking and without warning, Evan sent the waterspout to the side and straight at the demon dragonrider. However, unlike before, he didn’t make it collapse. Instead, he kept it erect and spinning at the green dragon as if a cyclone moved across the ocean.
As Evan had expected, the dragonrider flew in the opposite direction and fired a lightning strike at him. However, because the older rider had anticipated this, he shot the waterspout back the other way. It caught the bolt and blocked it from connecting with Evan and Coral.
The lightning wrapped around the water at once, absorbed by the mist, which was the perfect conduit for it. The display was incredibly beautiful—a spiraling mass of electrified water.
Each spark spread out from the waterspout’s base and crackled over the ocean’s surface for miles. Evan
knew that the intensity of the electricity in the water would be lethal, the temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun, and containing over one hundred million volts of electricity. No one, not even a dragon or their rider, could survive that.
That was why Evan refused to look down as the electricity rippled across the water and fried the demon dragonriders. He didn’t like what he’d done, but it was the only way, and he knew it. There were always causalities in battles, although as a Dragon Elite, he avoided them when he could.
Chapter Sixty-Three
“What did you say?” Sophia glanced around, searching for the girl’s parents, and wondered where she came from.
“Those men that have taken over my island and imprisoned your friend, they didn’t use magic to seal off the netting,” the girl explained. “Well, they did to reinforce it, but I saw from the trees when they opened and closed the top of the pit, and it’s not a spell.”
Sophia rushed forward as her heart beat wildly. She knelt in front of the girl and hoped that she appeared non-menacing and trustworthy. “Will you tell us how to open it? We’re trying to help save your island and your people.”
Pain marked the girl’s smile, which made Sophia’s throat tighten. “I know you’re the good dragonriders. We watched your friend get captured and knew you were trying to help.”
“Good, good,” Lunis said at Sophia’s back, sounding anxious. “Way to open the pit? What is it? Then we can dance around peacefully.”
The girl pointed at a high tower built into the trees behind her. “There’s a button up there. Dragons can’t get up there because of the wards, but I’ve watched the bad men climb up there, and I think I know where the button is.”
