Determine the Future (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 10)

by Sarah Noffke

  That was the reason that Ainsley and Trin had been able to get through the Barrier although they weren’t dragonriders. New, potential members were allowed through if they were interested in joining their ranks. At the point that a demon dragonrider, for instance, decided that they didn’t want to be a part of the Dragon Elite, they weren’t allowed through the Barrier and couldn’t find the Gullington at all.

  From what Sophia knew of the House of Fourteen, the barrier there worked very similarly. However, it had recently been relaxed even more to allow a more diverse population into the place. When Sophia was growing up, only magicians had been allowed into the House of Fourteen.

  She suspected that a similar strict barrier protected the Great Library. She knew that only students and professors could access fairy godmother college. Sophia could only enter if she had the magical macaroons or Mae Ling opened a portal for her. None of those examples fully explained how the barrier the Rogue Riders were using worked. It had something to do with the soul stones, but she needed more information to get onto the island, which was crucial to forcing the demon dragonriders off the elves’ homeland.

  On the far side of the Expanse, Sophia spied Mahkah and Lunis looking after the dragonettes. Well, Lunis was probably plotting their demise or at least retribution. Mahkah had been watching them a lot lately and had told Sophia that he was certain many of the angel dragons would soon leave the Gullington to magnetize to riders. That meant that potentially in the near future, there would be new riders. Ones they’d have to train, teach, and lead in battles and arbitrations.

  It made Sophia nervous to think that soon the dynamics of the Dragon Elite would change. That was inevitable when new dragonriders joined them. She’d had that year with the guys all to herself. What would it be like when she wasn’t the newest dragonrider? When possibly she wasn’t the only female one?

  Sophia had mixed feelings on the matter. Evolving was necessary. There was no avoiding change. Doing that would only lead to problems. That didn’t mean the process didn’t meet with resistance on some level.

  However, Sophia looked forward to having more members of the Dragon Elite. Currently, the Rogue Riders outnumbered them. Their numbers had grown so fast because the demon dragons left the Gullington as soon as they could fly, not feeling at home there. Maybe Mahkah needed to boot some of the angel dragons out. Lunis would no doubt help with that task and launch them out on a trebuchet.

  Sophia let Lunis and Mahkah watch the dragonettes and instead made her way over to Quiet, who was striding across the grounds in the distance. She never knew what he did although he always seemed to be doing something. Often he was muttering to himself, probably some spell that kept the Gullington protected and full of so much inexplicable magic.

  “Hey, Quiet.” Sophia waved as she neared.

  The gnome looked up as though he hadn’t seen her coming.

  She smiled, hoping she hadn’t startled him. “I hoped to talk to you about something. It’s Lunis. He doesn’t like being in the Nest with the dragonettes, and he also doesn’t do well in the Cave with the elder dragons. I know it’s a lot to ask, but I hoped that maybe you’d consider making a spot for him? Something that the others couldn’t get into. His own bedroom, if you will, like what we were talking about at breakfast.”

  Quiet’s expression was unreadable. He didn’t respond for a long moment but then pointed at the Castle and muttered something inaudible.

  Sophia leaned forward, trying to make out what he said, but it didn’t sound like English. Not even her enhanced hearing helped when it came to understanding Quiet most of the time. From experience, it seemed she could only decipher what he said when he really wanted her to, and this didn’t appear to be one of those times.

  “Sorry, what was that?” She blinked the misty rain out of her eyes.

  Quiet held up a hand and showed all of his stubby fingers. “Find those five things in the Castle and Lunis will get his place.”

  Sophia was about to ask him to repeat this list that she didn’t catch, but the groundskeeper spun and strode in the opposite direction. His movements seemed to say, “This conversation is over.”

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Looking for something in the mysterious Castle when Sophia didn’t know what it was sounded impossible. On the bright side, she knew she was looking for five objects, but where to start and how to tell if it was the right thing, whatever it was, was more than perplexing.

  Sophia wanted Lunis to have his place, but she didn’t know if blindly hunting around was a good use of her time. However, she reasoned that she had at least a few more hours of healing time in the Castle to spare so she set off for the large stone building.

  Lunis sprang off the ground of the Expanse with ease, his leg not bothering him at all. He soared through the air, headed in her direction, and making quick progress. Mahkah had said that the blue dragon’s good attitude had played a factor in him healing quickly. Sophia tried to remind herself of that as she focused on her healing. The long claw marks down her back from Coal would heal all the way, but injuries from dragons could still be tricky.

  “Do you need a lift?” Lunis landed with ease beside her.

  Sophia chuckled. “Yeah, that would probably be smart since I have to be on my feet a lot once I get to the Castle.”

  As she climbed onto her dragon’s back, she explained what she’d learned from Quiet.

  “I’d help you search if I could,” Lunis replied as he flew to the Castle, making the commute in seconds rather than the many minutes it would have taken Sophia.

  “I know you would.” Sophia slid down when they were back onto the ground. “But I’m sure that I’ll figure it out. There have to be some sort of clues in the Castle to lead the way.”

  “Five things, right?” Lunis asked.

  “Yeah, that’s the only part Quiet said that I made out.”

  “I wonder what the significance of five is,” Lunis mused and shook out his wings before folding them into his body.

  “Why does there have to be any significance to it?” Sophia asked.

  He lowered his chin and gave her a pursed expression. “It’s Quiet. He doesn’t do anything that doesn’t have a purpose or some relation to symbolism.”

  “Oh, well, that’s true.” Sophia thought for a moment. “Five…hmmmm…I don’t know.”

  “Didn’t you say at one point that there were five stories to the Castle?”

  Sophia glanced at the massive structure beside them. It always looked different depending on the weather or season. The light reflecting off the Expanse sometimes made the Castle appear to come alive. Visible from the outside were four stories, but Sophia knew from a few wild searches around the Castle that there was a hidden top floor.

  “Yeah, apparently, but I’ve only found the fifth one once,” Sophia replied.

  “Well, what if you have to find one of the objects from each floor?”

  Sophia deflated a little. “That’s a possibility. But then there’s a lot of ground to cover.”

  Lunis indicated the windows that looked into the sitting room off the entryway where a figure appeared to be dusting the high ceilings while on stilts. “Maybe you should enlist the person who spends the most time at the Castle.”

  Sophia brightened when she caught sight of Trin using her leg extension cyborg technology to get to all the hard to reach and high places. “Great idea. I wanted to talk to her about something else too.”

  “Well, there you go.” Lunis looked Sophia over. “You’re feeling better, aren’t you.”

  It was more of a statement than a question. She nodded and headed up the stairs to the Castle, taking them one at a time but moving faster than she had the day before. “I’m almost back to normal, and soon I’ll be leaving the Gullington.”

  “Cool,” Lunis stated. “Wish I could go with you. The dragonettes are teething and going through growth spurts, meaning they keep chewing on everything and tripping over their tails. It would be funny
to watch if they didn’t keep rolling right in front of me and nearly tripping me.”

  Sophia laughed. “Well, we’ll get you your place, then you can have somewhere to retreat to, away from them.”

  “Thanks for doing this for me,” Lunis said modestly. “It might save my sanity.”

  “For you,” Sophia winked at him over her shoulder as she headed into the Castle, “I’d do almost anything.”

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  Sometimes Trin reminded Sophia of the cartoon figure, Inspector Gadget. She didn’t know if the cyborg would be entertained by that notion or offended. Trin often was very sensitive about the fact that she’d forever be more machine than human, which was understandable since it was done to her against her will.

  When Trin had her legs extended, making her twenty or thirty feet tall, she especially made Sophia think of the robotic inspector who had flexible arms and tons of gadgets ready to spring out of his hat.

  Like Evan, Sophia found Trin’s many capacities to be fascinating. By looking at someone, she could read their temperature, detect lies, or magnify their appearance. The cyborg also had multiple weapons at her disposal and super strength and speed. Although Sophia knew how being and looking normal was so crucial to the magician.

  Lying in his usual place in the sitting room was NO10JO, who was often found close by Trin when Evan was out of the Castle.

  Sophia sensed that Trin didn’t like the dog that much, mostly because he was so similar to her, having been made into half a machine. Also like her, NO10JO couldn’t be changed back into a pure dog. The other cyborgs that Olento Research had turned against their will had been “fixed,” but Trin and NO10JO were the exceptions. Ironically, they’d both found their home at the Gullington, away from judging eyes.

  “Hey Trin,” Sophia began, her chin in the air as she looked straight up at the cyborg who was dusting the rafters, although she wasn’t sure why. Ainsley had once mentioned that cleaning the Castle was more about psychological maintenance than anything, offering positive feedback and thoughtful observations. But even back in the day, Sophia had seen the shapeshifting elf manually cleaning. It must have been about balance or something. Whatever it was, it remained a mystery to Sophia.

  Thankfully, Trin always wore her black leather pants and top, so Sophia wasn’t looking up her dress. When Ainsley had been the housekeeper for the Castle, she always wore the same brown burlap dress. Once she remembered who she was, Ainsley went back to wearing elegant gowns, and now Sophia couldn’t imagine her in anything else. But if she’d been Trin using her extender legs, Sophia would have been looking up her dress. She giggled at the thought.

  “I have a question for you,” Sophia continued when Trin glanced down at her.

  The hydraulics in the cyborg’s legs hissed as she lowered herself. A moment later, she was back to her usual height.

  “Hey, there.” Trin smiled at her, half her mouth metal and the other half flesh. “What can I do for you?”

  “I hoped you’d keep an eye out for something in the Castle,” Sophia began, then explained to the housekeeper what she was looking for.

  Trin seemed perplexed at first after Sophia finished. “Fifth floor, you say? I didn’t know there was one.”

  Sophia nodded. “Yeah. How are you getting on with the Castle? It seems like things have improved. Meals are really good.”

  The portion of Trin’s face covered in skin blushed slightly. “Thank you. I can’t say I ever expected to be a housekeeper, let alone one for a sentient Castle, but the work is very rewarding and on most days, calming.”

  “That’s great.” Sophia was impressed. “I don’t think Ainsley took to it quite that easily. I saw her cursing at the Castle on many occasions.”

  Trin nodded. “Oh, I get that. There are still days where I don’t understand why it does the stuff it does or how. I think once I do begin to get something, that it’s going to change.”

  Sophia laughed. “That seems about right. There are many mysteries and secrets to unravel about this place, and it will change as new and different personalities enter. It takes on the desires and thoughts of each person and reacts. There was no electricity or technology in here before I entered.”

  “That’s hard to believe.” Trin looked around at the many different lights and electronic functions in the open area. “Anyway, your timing on asking about this is incredible. Just now, when I was dusting up there, I found this strange piece that wasn’t there the last time. I would have noticed it.”

  “Why is that?” Sophia’s heart suddenly raced with excitement.

  Trin withdrew something small from her pocket. “Because when I set my eyes on it, the object glowed for a moment. It was sitting there on the rafter as if it was waiting to be found.” She indicated the ceiling some twenty feet up before opening her palm to show a small metal object.

  Sophia’s eyes narrowed on the small thing while trying to decide what it was. The object resembled a tool of sorts, like the little wrenches IKEA always put in furniture that needed assembly.

  When she took the object from Trin, Sophia noticed that it glowed for a moment in her hand and warmed slightly as if greeting her. “What is it?”

  Trin shook her head. “I don’t know, but my first thought was that it was a key.”

  Sophia tilted her head while thinking. “No, it’s not a key. It’s a part of a key.”

  “Huh?” Trin asked.

  “Like a puzzle piece that creates a key,” Sophia guessed. “I bet there are four more pieces like this scattered throughout the Castle and I have to find and assemble them.”

  A motorized sound echoed from Trin’s neck when she looked up and around the high ceilings. “That could take some time. But it makes sense that it would be a key. That way Lunis could have a private place that no other dragon could get into.”

  Sophia nodded, thinking how clever Quiet was. He was going to make them work for it. “Trin, do you think you could help me out? You know, look around as you’re doing your normal activities, now that you know roughly what we’re looking for?”

  “Of course,” Trin answered. “Although I bet each of the pieces looks different.”

  “Agreed. And putting them all together is probably going to be the real challenge, but if you help me find them, then I’ll do that part. Lunis would be so grateful. He never asks for anything.”

  “I’m happy to help, Sophia. I’ve wanted to do something to thank you for getting me this job. As I said, it wasn’t something I ever pictured myself doing, but serving the Dragon Elite has become important to me. After everything I’ve been through, it’s nice to know that I’m working for people who make the world a better place. Not only that, but protect it and are good at their core.”

  Sophia smiled wide, so amazed that they’d come this far. Trin was the same person who had poisoned Quiet, invaded the Gullington, battled the Dragon Elite, and stolen dragon eggs. She had her reasons, and she was smart as hell to have been able to do all that. It proved to Sophia that not every enemy had to remain that. Sometimes wars didn’t end with death. Sometimes they ended where both sides were happier for having battled.

  “I’m so happy to hear that the position is working out. You don’t owe me anything, but if you’ll keep an eye out and let me know if you find puzzle pieces, that would be awesome. If there’s anything I can do to repay you for your efforts, then I’m happy to.”

  Trin’s cyborg eye brightened slightly for a moment. “There is something. I’m not sure if you can help, but if anyone can, it would be you. And I feel strange asking and I wouldn’t, normally. But…well, what do I have to lose at this point…”

  Sophia tilted her head, interest written on her face. “Yes?”

  “Well, it’s that I’m so bad at these kinds of things and you seem to be a natural,” Trin began. “I tend to overthink things or put up walls, and it’s evident that I’m insecure when it comes to who I am for the obvious reasons.”

  “Because you’re stu
nningly beautiful and brilliant and intimidate people who are insecure at their core?” Sophia pretended to ask.

  Trin blushed. “No, but I do have trouble talking to people. That part is true.”

  “This is about Evan, isn’t it?” Sophia tried to sound sensitive and hoped she was right and hadn’t spoken out of turn.

  To her relief, Trin nodded. “He is so good to NO10JO. And he looks at me differently than others.”

  “You mean he sees you and not what you are made of?” Sophia offered.

  “Yes,” Trin answered. “I didn’t know how I felt until he married that snobbish mortal. Then all of a sudden I was jealous and realized that I liked something about his arrogance which was also mixed with a subtle sensitivity. It’s a nice combination, at least to me.”

  “I think it takes a special person to appreciate Evan,” Sophia teased. “But I’d agree that he’s a good guy, just never ever tell him that I said that or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Trin laughed, but she was definitely still uncomfortable on this whole subject. “I know that Evan marrying that mortal was none of my business. And I tried not to let it bother me. But he was so flippant and she was so awful.”

  Sophia twisted her mouth to the side. “That whole thing was my fault, though. I sort of forced him to do it, but it was purely for business reasons. Evan doesn’t have any feelings for Tiffannee. I promise.”

  “I’m glad it happened because it brought my true emotions to the surface. I didn’t think I was capable of having feelings for someone again,” Trin explained. “I guess I thought they’d been extracted from me with many of my organs. But Evan makes me laugh, and when I do, I forget that I’m not completely human. For the first time, I feel normal when he’s around.”