by Sarah Noffke
“Now that you’re back,” Hiker continued, “I want you and the other men—”
“Riders,” Mama Jamba corrected, now chomping on popcorn.
Sophia had no idea where that had come from either, much like the chocolate and drink.
“The other riders are men,” Hiker spat. “I think I can get away with saying it that way.”
“I just think it would be better if you adopted more inclusive speech when referring to your riders,” Mama Jamba chimed.
“Anyway, as I was saying, now that you’re back—”
“She’s got training to attend to,” Mama Jamba interrupted.
Hiker sighed. “It will have to wait.”
“It really can’t,” Mama Jamba argued.
“Well, we need all the riders intervening on these issues,” Hiker declared. “Chaos is breaking out everywhere. If we aren’t adjudicating, then Thad is going to—”
“Oh, he’s going to regardless,” Mama Jamba cut in. “He’s too far ahead.”
Hiker threw up his hands in frustration. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She waved him off, still watching the television. “This is your own fault for putting your head in the sand all those years. But it’s not all lost. You just have to ensure you show up at the right time with the ammo. More importantly, you have to ensure you show up to the final battle as the right person. That’s more crucial than the time and the place and everything that’s happened before.”
Hiker shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mama.”
“I get that,” Mama Jamba agreed, shoveling popcorn into her mouth. “Anyway, send the other riders on these adjudicator missions, but Sophia has to finish training. They can keep things at bay until we’re ready for the war.”
Hiker stood, his actions abrupt. He was vibrating with tension. “I don’t want a war.”
Mama Jamba glanced up at him. “I get that, son. But it’s too late for that. You’ve let this go on too long. War is inevitable. Now it’s just a matter of when and what you and your riders will bring when it happens.”
“Mama,” he began.
“Hiker, the war of the brothers was forecast by Papa Creola long ago,” she said, her voice hoarse from crying. “I’ve known that. Now it’s time you do too. And there’s something else.”
“What?” Hiker gave her a long cold stare.
“A good part is coming up,” Mama Jamba answered, returning her focus to the screen and shushing Hiker.
He shook his head, frustrated by the woman. “Anyway, go finish your training, Sophia. When the time comes for war, you’ll need to be ready. When I have to take Thad down, I’ll need you prepared.”
“Thing about that, Hiker,” Mama Jamba cut in again, throwing a piece of popcorn into the air and catching it expertly in her mouth.
He turned his head to the side and gave her an impatient glare. “What?”
“Well, if we’re being candid with one another—”
“We aren’t,” he cut in.
“Of course, we are,” she disagreed. “Anyway, the thing is you’re not in a position to face your brother right now, and I think we all know that.”
“What are you talking about, Mama?” he asked, shaking his head at her.
“Oh, come on, dear. You know you lost your confidence,” Mama Jamba said, pointing her finger at the screen and making her movie pause. “It’s a good part. Can’t miss this for you all.”
“No, you wouldn’t want to miss some Hollywood movie for the war efforts brewing on your planet,” Hiker said, his voice dripping with condescension.
“No, I wouldn’t,” Mama Jamba agreed with a nod, not catching his sarcasm. “Anyway, it shouldn’t be news to you that Thad has gotten fresh skills while you’ve been chronicling the monotonous events at the Gullington.” She indicated the logbook on the corner of Hiker’s desk.
He grimaced at the book and shook his head. “I have skills.”
“He is aware of the modern world where you have refused even to acknowledge much has changed in the last few centuries,” Mama Jamba continued.
“I have televisions in here, don’t I?” he claimed.
“At my behest,” she stated. “The final battle will inevitably be you and your brother, Hiker. Your riders have to get you there, but once they do, you’ll be on your own, as you’ve often sent them on their own with only their training and their dragon for assistance.”
“What’s your point, Mama?” he asked, sounding weary.
“My point is, if you’re going to face your twin, you have to bone up on your training,” she declared.
He scoffed. “I’m as strong as I was four centuries ago when I magnetized to Bell.”
She shook her head. “You’re missing the point. I know you’ve been out on the Expanse practicing combat and lifting weights for centuries. You’re strong. There’s no doubt about it. And you know how to ride your dragon better than anyone. However, what you’ve lost over the years was the most crucial part of training for any in the Dragon Elite.”
She was quiet for a moment.
Sophia glanced between Hiker and Mama Jamba, wondering which person would speak next. They seemed to be facing off, a staring contest between the two.
After a long pause, Hiker said, “What do you mean?”
“I mean, you need a refresher in training,” she stated.
“I don’t either!” he revolted.
“You also need an attitude adjustment,” she fired back.
“A week in the Australian Outback might fix that,” Sophia offered.
Hiker rolled his eyes.
Mama Jamba smiled and winked at her. “Good call, darling, but I think I have a better idea.”
“What are you cooking up, Mama?” Hiker asked in a low voice.
“You’ve lost the connection with yourself,” she stated.
“I have not!” he protested.
“Don’t argue with me,” she said, sounding tired all of a sudden. “Of course, you have. When have you needed to feel the intuition in your spirit? Not when you had no missions because the Dragon Elite were effectively useless for a few centuries. When have you needed to connect to the Earth? Not while you were hiding in the Gullington pretending you were useless.”
“Mama,” he began.
She held up her hand, pausing him. “Hiker, I love you more than anyone, but it’s time I wake you up from this dream you’re in. Thad is back.”
“I know that!” he boomed.
“And you think you’re enough to face him when the time comes,” she fired back.
“I’m the only one who can face him,” Hiker argued.
“I agree, dear,” she said in a much quieter voice. “Nevertheless, you aren’t even remotely in the right place for such things.”
“What are you proposing?” he asked.
She lowered her chin, a mischievous expression in her eyes. “You know what the next part of Sophia’s training includes.”
“No,” he said with a growl, his chin low to his chest and his eyes full of heat.
“Oh, yes, my dear,” Mama Jamba answered.
“You don’t mean…” Hiker trailed away, sounding almost as mad as Sophia had ever heard him.
“I absolutely do,” Mama Jamba answered.
“But…”
“Oh yes,” she answered in reply to the question he left hanging.
“I need to be here,” Hiker reasoned.
“You need to do everything possible to win this war,” she said.
“But the news reports.” Hiker lifted his hand to indicate the closest television screen.
“You need to be ready for what’s coming that only you can fight,” Mama Jamba stated.
“And the men?” Hiker asked. Receiving a scolding expression from Mama Jamba, he shook his head. “I mean, the other riders? Who will give them their orders?”
Mama Jamba waved him off. “This isn’t forever, Hiker. This is just a training exercise. Assign y
our riders and then go off on your own. You’ll be back before you know it and better than ever. That’s the hope anyway.”
Hiker let out a long furious breath before starting for the door. “Come on, Sophia.”
She gave Mama Jamba a questioning expression.
“Go on, my dear,” Mother Nature encouraged, urging Sophia to follow the leader of the Dragon Elite.
“But…”
“But nothing,” Hiker ordered. “Follow me. We have training to get to.”
“I don’t understand,” Sophia said, taking tentative steps.
He turned at the threshold to the door and gave Mama Jamba a frustrated expression. “Nor do I. But the person I take orders from is never wrong. And she seems to think the next part of your training needs to commence, and I need to join you for it.”
Chapter One Hundred Four
Sophia had to run to keep up with Hiker as he strode down the stairs to the first floor.
“Sir, what do you mean?” Sophia asked Hiker’s retreating back.
He turned, letting out an impatient sigh. “I mean, I’ve been sent back to school by the one person I’m not allowed to refuse.”
“You mean Mama?” she asked, pointing over her shoulder. Putting it all together, she sighed with a sudden realization. “Oh, so you have to take the training with me. Oh, wow, that’s got to be…”
Sophia’s voice trailed off based on the murderous expression on Hiker’s face.
“Right,” he growled angrily. “We need to journey off to the far side of the Expanse, past where you’ve been before to reach the far side of the Barrier on the edge of the Pond. Once we’re there, we’re outside of the conscious protection of the Castle and we can hear our internal voices, so—”
“Excuse me, sir,” Sophia interrupted. “I’m sorry to stop you, but I have zero idea what you’re talking about.”
He nodded and let out another audible sigh. “I need you to go stock up supplies for a training exercise that will start first thing at sunrise tomorrow morning.”
“With you, sir?” she questioned.
He nodded.
“And I get to bring things?” she asked. “Unlike in the Outback?”
“You get to bring food and water,” he answered. “No electronics.”
“We’ll be gone for how long?” she asked.
“For as long as it takes,” he replied.
“Well, since you’ve done this before, I was hoping you could fill me in.”
“Why?” he asked, totally put off by the questions. “Do you have an engagement to attend?”
“Well, there are some babies being born I promised—” The impatient expression on Hiker’s face cut her off. “You know what? I have all the time in the world. Well, until your twin brother ends it and then I’m busy shoveling coal in hell for the rest of eternity.”
He glanced at the ceiling. “If nothing else, angels, please use this training to stifle her attempts at humor.”
“So, I should meet you where and when for this lovely excursion?” Sophia asked.
He pointed to where they stood at the entrance to the Castle. “Be here first thing tomorrow morning. We leave then, and we won’t be back until we’re done.”
Sophia nodded, recognizing asking for more information would only incite the man more. She was about to set off on a training excursion for an unknown amount of time with someone she followed and respected but couldn’t stand. Worst of all, she was certain that too much time with her might drive Hiker Wallace to the brink of insanity. She wasn’t sure he’d be safe to be around at that point.
Sophia wondered if this was the point of the training exercise.
Only one way to find out.
Chapter One Hundred Five
Sophia met Hiker at the front of the Castle at sunrise, as she was told. She’d brought a bag of food and a canteen of water. Holding it up, she shook it at his face. “I’m ready.”
He grabbed the bag, pulled it out of her grasp, and threw it across the entrance hall. “And now you’re not.”
Sophia didn’t tense. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder to where her food and water had exploded against the wall. “Did I mishear the whole ‘bring whatever you like’ stuff?”
He shook his head. “But this is life, Sophia. Sometimes you’re told you get reparation, and then the world goes back on it.”
“Are we still talking about our training and you and me?” she asked tentatively.
“Mostly…not really,” he said with a new bitterness in his eyes.
She pointed over her shoulder to where her supplies were. “So I can’t get that?”
He shook his head. “I’ve changed my mind. No supplies. We won’t be gone long. You just have to concentrate and make this the shortest possible long part of the training.”
Hiker turned and walked out of the Castle, his chin high. Sophia hurried after him, the cold air of the Expanse making her suck in a sudden breath.
“Did you just insinuate that this is the longest part of the training, sir?” Sophia asked, running to catch up with the Viking, whose strides were three times the length of hers.
He kept moving forward as he spoke. “It depends. Some riders take several months to finish this phase.”
“Oh, hell…” Sophia said, halting and looking back to the Castle, considering going back for her food and water.
“And others have passed in only a short period of time,” Hiker continued.
“Short period of time?” she questioned, not having moved even though Hiker continued to move in the direction of the Pond.
“It all depends on you, Sophia.”
“Like seven days in the Australian Outback?” she asked. “Or like three days in the Sahara? Or like a month in Texas? Can you give me an idea here?”
“Follow me,” he urged. “You don’t need supplies.”
She hesitated, really wanting to go back for her supplies. She didn’t like the idea of once again being unprepared. When Hiker disappeared around the other side of the Castle, she sped after him, not wanting him to get out of sight. Yes, it was intimidating to go on an excursion with Hiker Wallace, but it was also a great honor. He might not think of her as his favorite rider, but that didn’t mean Sophia didn’t relish the time with him. For as many conflicts as the two had, she respected him greatly. She wanted him to like her. She wanted to like him. Maybe this was that opportunity.
“Are you sure I won’t need supplies?” Sophia asked, sprinting to catch up with him. “Is it because I can use magic? I mean—”
“I’m certain of it,” he answered, continuing to make for the Pond.
“Oh, well, can you explain, sir?” she asked, finally catching up properly. “You think we won’t be out here long? Is it because you’ve already passed this training once?”
“That’s part of it,” he said, halting when they reached the water’s edge and looking around as if searching for something.
“What’s the other part?” she asked, wondering what he was looking for.
He gazed down at her with pure annoyance. “It’s you, Sophia.”
She felt like he’d just pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Me? What about me?”
“We won’t be out here long because of you,” he stated bitterly.
“Did I do something wrong, sir?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, that’s just the thing. It took Evan twelve weeks to pass this portion of the training. Wilder was out here for a blistering week. Mahkah, well, he’s him, so only a few days. And Adam, well…” He chuckled at a long-ago memory. “The bloke never told me honestly how long this part of the training took him, but he hinted it was only a few hours, and you are more like Adam than anyone I’ve yet to meet…but I also don’t get out much.”
Sophia fumbled for words. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to tell me, sir.”
Hiker licked his fingertips and held them out to the blistering wind that rolled across the Expanse.
He turned
, not at all appearing to be a fun travel partner. “I’m saying I expect you, Sophia Beaufont, to do what you usually do.”
Sophia blinked at him blankly. “Be a total pain in your ass and oppose everything you ask or demand?”
He shook his head. “No. Well, yes, I do expect that from you. I was just saying that similar to your excursion in the Outback, I expect you to pass through this one with exemplary marks, faster than most. You are Sophia-freaking-Beaufont. You do things the way you like, you challenge whenever you want, and you pass challenges by going to sleep instead of wearing yourself out for days. I suspect you’ll be done with this one before the Castle is even rousing the others for breakfast.”
“Oh. Well, thank you, sir,” Sophia said, watching as Hiker muttered a series of incantations. She’d never seen him do magic quite like this, and it was thoroughly impressive. It was like a dancer doing ballet, captivating and original at the same time. She’d been around magicians all her life, and yet she’d never seen anyone do magic like Hiker Wallace.
A small boat that could only fit two people, or maybe one large one, or maybe one very large one and one tiny one, materialized in the water before them, sailing in their direction.
“Oh, bloody good. I call for a ship and I get a dinghy,” Hiker complained, slapping his hands to his sides.
“We’re sailing, sir?” she asked, remembering there was a sea creature that lived in the Pond who had tried to eat Wilder once when he went to retrieve the first bow ever made.
“Yes, but don’t worry,” Hiker said, pulling the boat onto the shore when it was close enough.
“Because you aren’t going to rock the boat?” she asked.
“No, I will definitely do that,” he said when she was in properly. He stepped in as he shoved off, looking out toward the coast on the other side. “But if you go overboard, I’ll go too.”
“Why is that, sir?” she asked.
“For one,” he began, “if I return without you, Mama will have my ass.”
“And the second part?” she dared to ask.
