by Sarah Noffke
Tanner’s hands yanked off his reins and darted into a satchel on Coal’s side.
Sophia threw her hands into the air in the act of surrender but also prepared to unleash an attack or a defensive measure if necessary. “Hey, we didn’t come here to fight you. No weapons.”
With his hand still partially in the bag, Tanner paused, narrowed his eyes, and frowned. “Then what do you want? I haven’t got all day.”
“Yeah, Soph.” Wilder winked at her. “It’s almost the baby’s naptime.”
She shook her head at him. He couldn’t resist antagonizing the other dragonrider, but she couldn’t blame him. “No, we’re not here to join the Rogue Riders. We’re here to give you an opportunity. One that if you turn it down, you’ll seriously regret it. One connected to your very survival.”
Chapter One Hundred Seven
Tanner pulled his hand from the satchel with something small in it, but Sophia didn’t react since it didn’t appear to be a weapon. “Go on then, little girl.”
Wilder laughed again. “Remember when this little girl put you on the ground and made you eat dirt? You know that’s how you can get worms? Have you been tested?”
“Shut your mouth!” Tanner yelled. “I don’t have worms!”
Wilder shrugged. “You don’t know unless you’ve been tested, but that’s fine. It will help you keep your weight down, which we all know you struggle with, being so short and all.”
Tanner’s other hand went for whatever was in his other palm, but Sophia quickly encouraged Lunis forward and brought him nearly nose-to-nose with the black dragon. “Stop! Both of you! I have something to say, and it’s important.”
“Say it then!” Tanner yelled, his face red and spittle flying from his mouth—Wilder had gotten under his skin.
“We’re going to give you an opportunity to join the Dragon Elite—”
Tanner’s sudden laughter cut her off.
She sighed. “We’re serious. You can make a choice. You don’t have to be with the Rogue Riders.”
“I’m a demon dragonrider,” Tanner stated through clenched teeth.
“That doesn’t matter,” Sophia lied. There had never been a single demon dragonrider aligned with the Dragon Elite. However, she was hopeful that she could sell this long enough to get hold of a soul stone. “You can still pledge allegiance to the Dragon Elite. We don’t steal or bully to get what we want. We’re revered and celebrated around the world. People welcome us into their countries and lavish us with gifts, praise, and riches. Wouldn’t you rather have that kind of notoriety rather than be feared?”
Tanner considered this for a moment as his gaze slid to the right. Finally, he brought his eyes up and looked straight at Sophia. His dragon’s breath was hot on Lunis, but the blue dragon was on alert for sudden movements. He had a plan for dealing with Coal. The proximity worked for the bigger dragon.
“That’s all about to change,” Tanner said hotly. “The Dragon Elite were in power, but that’s not going to last. So no, I don’t want to join a bunch of old boring dragonriders when I can be a leader of the new, better group.”
“Well, we tried, Soph.” Wilder sighed. “Tanner, this is going to hurt you a lot more than it’s going to hurt me.”
The Rogue Rider’s eyes widened, and again he reached for what was in his other hand.
“Stop!” Sophia yelled and waved her hands in the air. “We don’t have to fight!”
“But it’s way more fun,” Wilder groaned.
She kept her eyes on Tanner. “Look, fine, stay with the Rogue Riders, but why not do something for us so that way if anything happens with them, we’re loyal to you? Having us in your debt could come in very handy if the tables turn.”
Tanner lowered his chin and considered her. “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Give us your soul stone,” she said in a rush.
Sophia didn’t have to question if he understood her because he burst into laughter and almost doubled over on his dragon. “You can’t be serious. Why would I do that? How would I get back into our territory? You’re insane, little girl.”
Sophia worked to keep her calm. “I’m not. You can tell your leader that you lost it and he’ll give you another one.”
Tanner shook his head. “That’s not how it works. We lose it, and we’re out! That was made clear from the beginning.” He tilted his face to the side, something suddenly occurring to him. “Why do you want my soul stone anyway?”
“It’s for our rock collection,” Wilder answered before Sophia could say anything.
“Well, you’re not getting it,” Tanner fired. “And you’re not getting into our headquarters. You might have been able to push us off that other island, but we’re already making plans for new territories.” He indicated the small island to the east where the Rogue Riders had tried to push the natives off their land and held Wilder prisoner.
“Soph…” Wilder’s tone shifted.
He didn’t have to say another word. Sophia knew what he meant. They’d tried it her way. Now it was onto Plan B, and he got to do what he’d been longing to—give Tanner the beating he deserved.
Chapter One Hundred Eight
At this range, this wasn’t the time to let Tanner make the first move. Using the element of surprise and before the less-experienced dragon could react, Lunis’ front leg came up and around. His claws slammed into Coal’s face and sent the black dragon to the side.
Tanner nearly fell out of his saddle when Coal spiraled through the air after being knocked back by the larger blue dragon.
Simi took advantage of the situation to breathe fire at the black dragon and scorched his exposed side.
A terrified scream rocketed from Tanner’s mouth as he held on for dear life while Simi and Lunis assaulted his dragon from multiple sides.
Lunis was about to go in for another hit, but Coal righted himself, partially recovered, and whipped around with his spiked tail jerking in the air.
Sophia had to steer Lunis down and to the side to avoid him getting hit in the face. Tanner took advantage of this and sank low, heading in the opposite direction toward an uncharted island.
Sophia and Wilder had been smart to station themselves between the barrier-lined headquarters and Tanner—knowing that if he tried to escape, he’d choose that route to get away from them.
The black dragon was badly injured. That was obvious from the way his wings moved through the air in a jerky motion. He wasn’t moving fast, and the whole thing shook Tanner. He whipped around to look over his shoulder with fear heavy in his gaze as he watched the two other dragonriders’ progress after him.
If he were a Dragon Elite member, then he’d know how to open a portal while flying and get away from them since he wasn’t going to win against them. However, Sophia didn’t think that was an option for him since he appeared to be making a beeline for the deserted island, probably because Coal couldn’t fly much longer.
Wilder, beside Sophia, gave her a quick look as they flew smoothly after the injured dragon. His expression seemed to say, “This is going to be a piece of vegan cake.”
Sophia drew in a breath and decided she’d let him take the lead on this one since he deserved the chance at retribution. Wilder sensed this and pulled ahead, gaining on Tanner.
The Rogue Rider opened his hand and pulled on the object he’d taken from the satchel. Then he threw it through the air, straight at Wilder.
Sophia realized what the object was in a flash, and panic raced through her. “Watch out!” she yelled, suddenly terrified.
Chapter One Hundred Nine
The thing about battles is that the advantage can shift in an instant. A wounded opponent didn’t ensure a clear victory. That was the reason Sophia tried never to be overly confident.
Wilder and Sophia had for a moment believed that erasing Tanner would be easy, but he’d pulled a new card—one that she hadn’t expected, and it changed everything.
The grenade spiraled through the air, headed s
traight for Wilder. He saw it in time though, and quickly veered Simi out of its trajectory, turning her sharply up.
Sophia and Lunis did the same thing, although they were farther from the grenade’s path. Still, she didn’t know the range of the explosion about to follow and didn’t want Lunis to be anywhere near it.
The blue dragon soared high, following Simi as the grenade fell toward the waters below. It exploded when just off the surface and sent a blast of heat and a flash of light through the air. Water shot up like a geyser, briefly obscuring the area between them and Tanner. He was almost to the island and making a quick descent. Sophia suspected if he got there, he’d portal to safety. They couldn’t let that happen. They needed that soul stone. It was their only chance to save the elves’ homeland.
Chapter One Hundred Ten
Tanner was desperate. The way he was willy-nilly throwing the grenades over his back proved that. But they did the trick to keep Sophia and Wilder back.
“He’s going to get away!” Sophia yelled, desperation in her voice.
“Not a chance,” Wilder fired back. “Can you get to the port side?”
Sophia nodded. She didn’t know what Wilder had in mind, but she trusted him, and he had a better plan than what she had—which was nothing.
“Do it safely and get him to launch a grenade at you,” Wilder ordered.
“No problem,” Sophia stated with confidence and came up with a quick idea. It would be impossible to pull up beside Tanner at the rate he was throwing grenades and not running out of them. She needed to get into position and fast. “I’ll be right back!”
“Be careful,” Wilder warned as Sophia opened a portal and sped through.
What she was doing was a risk since locating a portal wasn’t always exact. She risked her and Lunis landing right on top of Tanner, but it was their best option. Since Coal wasn’t flying fast and was descending to the island below, Sophia was marginally confident that she’d be able to portal right next to the Rogue Rider and dragon. She had made a quick calculation and projected where Tanner would be a few seconds later.
The demon dragonrider might have been momentarily relieved when Sophia and Lunis disappeared through the portal. She’d also noticed that Wilder had stopped pursuing. Whatever he planned wouldn’t require hand-to-hand combat.
Sophia held her breath as she and Lunis jumped through the portal and landed exactly where she’d anticipated, right next to Tanner.
He started, terror in his eyes at their sudden appearance and proximity. Lunis was so close that all he’d have to do was tilt to the side and he’d slam into the black dragon. But Tanner wasn’t out of grenades so that attack would be unwise. Instead, the blue dragon veered in the opposite direction as Tanner threw a grenade at them.
Sophia suddenly felt short-sighted. They were too close. The grenade was speeding in their direction. Getting away would be close this time.
Lunis shot straight up as a blast of wind sped through the air. It came from the west. Sophia jerked her head around to find Wilder using his wind magic—he’d sent a gale in her direction. It was the element Simi controlled so the force was much stronger than anything Sophia could have done.
The wind simultaneously sent Lunis straight up much quicker and the grenade back the way it had come.
Sophia looked down as Tanner realized what had happened. The wind knocked into him and suspended the black dragon, who struggled to stay up from the assault. Tanner’s eyes widened with sudden horror as the grenade sped through the air like a bullet. It happened too fast for him or his dragon to react.
Tanner’s grenade collided with his dragon’s side and exploded on impact. Fiery shrapnel shot off in all directions. The details of what happened to the Rogue Rider were unclear with all the fire and smoke in the air, but as the rider and dragon plummeted to the beach below, it was clear that was their final flight.
Tanner and Coal were without a doubt dead.
Chapter One Hundred Eleven
The Castle must have known that Sophia was upset because when she walked into the entryway with Wilder beside her, her favorite song played from an unseen speaker. In truth, there wasn’t a speaker at all because the music came from magic. And the song, Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra worked like magic on her and made her smile instantly as some of the heaviness from Tanner’s death eroded from her heart.
Sophia knew that Wilder and she had simply done what they had to. They had given Tanner a choice. They had warned him of the consequences if he didn’t comply. He’d made his choice and decided to battle the Dragon Elite.
It still hurt Sophia’s heart, knowing that the Rogue Rider was so much less experienced than them and Coal not as strong. However, Tanner had decided to work for thieves, and he’d assaulted Wilder when he was held prisoner and restrained by the other Rogue Riders. He wasn’t a good person, and Sophia told herself that he got what he deserved. Still, that was a hard pill for her to swallow.
Killing another dragon and rider wasn’t something she took lightly. Coal was from the new batch of dragon eggs, and his death meant one less dragon in the world—forever. There were no more eggs after this, and when a dragon perished, no more would replace it. But sometimes even a rare species had to be taken out.
Wilder also sensed that Sophia was upset about what had happened and slid his arms around her and held her tightly. She knew it hadn’t been easy for him either, especially the last part. Tanner’s and Coal’s bodies were almost unrecognizable after the grenade’s blast. However, Sophia and Wilder had to go through their remains to find the soul stone, which had survived the explosion unblemished.
They stayed embraced like that alone in the Castle’s entryway for a long moment.
When the song ended, Wilder peeled away from Sophia slightly and dropped a gentle kiss on her head.
“Castle, my favorite song is Heroes by Alesso, but you already know that,” Wilder said with his trademark grin. “I’m simply reminding you.”
Sophia’s second favorite song, Dream On by Aerosmith started playing. She laughed and buried her head in his shoulder.
“Oh, what blatant favoritism,” Wilder teased, pretending to be offended.
Trin poked her head through from the dining hall. “Oh, you’re back. I made you something to eat if you’re hungry.”
“I’m starving.” Wilder pulled away from Sophia.
Trin pointed at Sophia. “I was talking to her, but I can chop up some lettuce for you. You’re not going to want what I have for Sophia.”
Wilder threw his arms in the air. “Seriously, do I even exist to you people?”
Trin tilted her head like she heard a noise. “Did you hear something, Sophia? Do we have a ghost in the Castle you haven’t told me about?”
Sophia giggled. “I think there are a few dozen ghosts in this place, to be honest. But yeah, that’s merely Wilder complaining.”
“I don’t get why Sophia gets special treatment, and I don’t.” He folded his arms over his chest.
Trin considered him. “Because she doesn’t leave the seat up and knows how to aim.”
He growled and looked at Sophia with a smile hiding behind the expression. “You being a girl gets you all the advantages.”
“I can’t stand up to pee,” she argued.
“You could if you tried, I’m sure,” he teased.
Trin waved Sophia into the dining hall. “Before it gets cold.”
Curious what Trin had made for her, Sophia followed her into the next room. Surprise must have been written on her face when she saw the large platter of nachos sitting at her usual spot at the dining table. The nachos looked made to perfection. There was an even layer of chips without a ton of overlap, meaning they weren’t stacked on top of each other. Sophia never understood a tall pile of chips because that meant the ones on the bottom wouldn’t get any toppings.
Speaking of toppings, all her favorites were there: pico de gallo, cilantro, grilled chicken, jalapenos, black beans, and roasted
corn. The cheese had melted to perfection, and everything smelled divine.
“Is it okay?” Trin asked with a nervous edge in her voice.
“How did you know this was my favorite?” Sophia asked.
“Besides that you talk about nachos in your sleep?” Wilder joked.
Sophia playfully slapped his arm. “I only did that once.”
Trin smiled. “I didn’t know, but again, all the ingredients were sitting next to my bed when I woke up, so I figured that the Castle was giving me a message and since you’re the only American here, I guessed they were for you.”
“Falafel.” Wilder looked up at the ceiling. “That’s my favorite.”
“I’d share my nachos with you if you hadn’t elected to be a vegan recently,” Sophia stated.
Wilder fluttered his eyelashes at her. “No, you wouldn’t.”
Sophia tucked into the table and nodded. “Yeah, no, I wouldn’t.”
“I’ll make you something, Wilder,” Trin offered. “What do you want?”
“Falafel,” he repeated.
Trin pursed her lips. “I don’t think I have the ingredients for that.”
“This is a magic Castle that can manifest anything,” he argued.
“Yeah, but the question is, does it want to?” Trin imparted and strode for the kitchen.
“Thank you,” Sophia called after her while digging into the nachos. They were as good as they looked.
“The Castle is seriously nice to you,” Wilder observed, and took the spot next to Sophia.
She smiled. “I think it’s trying to make me feel better.”
“What about me?” He sounded slightly grumpy.
She rubbed his arm and smiled at him. “The Castle is making me feel better so that I can make you feel better.”
He grinned at this. “Well, I like that. And of course, I’d rather you feel better more than anything else.”
