Magitech Rises (The Exceptional S. Beaufont Book 3)

by Sarah Noffke

  Alicia had explained this to her to caution Sophia not to use the frequency disk too often. If she did, then when she really needed it, it might not work. For example, use it to bring down a helicopter, and it might be ineffective on the fighter jets they fought later.

  The Dragon Elite raced toward the base. When Sophia slipped through the magitech barrier, she felt a force like static electricity run over her and Lunis. She halted in the air beside Hiker after they were all through the barrier.

  The force field seemed to have affected them all. Hiker’s long blond hair was sticking straight up like he’d had a balloon rubbed all over it.

  Sophia laughed, relieved by having made it to their destination.

  “What are you laughing at?” Hiker asked, sitting nobly upon his ancient dragon.

  She pointed at his hair, which was reaching for the clouds. “You look funny.”

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six

  With an annoyed glare, Hiker ran his hands through his hair, making it calm down once more. “You should see yours if you think mine looks funny.”

  Sophia could feel her hair wiggling all around her like it was possessed.

  The other riders pulled up next to them, Wilder’s head of brown hair also crazy from the static electricity.

  “Anyone else keep shocking their dragon?” Evan asked, sidling up next to Mahkah.

  I think the question you have to ask yourself, Lunis began, is why does your dragon keep shocking you?

  Simi nodded, smiling at Lunis. Yeah, I absorbed all of the electrical force I could so as not to jolt my rider.

  Me too, Tala admitted.

  Evan bent and gazed at Coral. “Are you shocking me on purpose?”

  Maybe? his dragon answered.

  Hiker, who was not paying attention to this exchange, had his attention hinged on the military base below them. It had appeared to be mostly quiet at this time in the evening.

  Sophia had actually thought it would be easy to drop in and scout around the place. Things were quickly changing below as fighter pilots ran to their jets and soldiers were deployed to the tanks and jeeps. They had triggered an alarm when they came through the barrier, and they were about to have a fight on their hands.

  “We came to fight, though,” Sophia said mostly to herself.

  “That we did,” Hiker replied, watching with keen interest as things quickly took shape on the ground.

  Men in uniform scattered quickly, more spilling from the large adjacent buildings. There were a few dozen of them. She didn’t have to remind herself there were only five of them. But they had dragons, and they had each other. It had to be enough.

  Sophia was looking at Hiker, waiting for his orders as his jaw flexed and an expression of pure vengeance she’d never seen flickered in his eyes. Following his gaze, she saw what had caused the bitter expression.

  A man in a black suit with a bald head and a face covered in scars had come out of the largest warehouse. Her enhanced vision studied the details of the man on the ground, who was different from the others racing towards aircraft or vehicles. She recognized his confidence. It was much like that of the man next to her. However, there was something so inherently evil about the man it radiated from even that distance.

  He narrowed his gaze on the five dragonriders.

  Thad Reinhart knew they were there. It was time for battle.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven

  Sophia cut her eyes to Hiker as he stayed locked on his twin brother on the ground. She watched him for signs of defeat. Everything centered on Hiker Wallace remaining confident in this battle. If he didn’t, everything was lost. All the wars Thad Reinhart had instigated would commence. All the things they didn’t want to come to pass would sprint forward. Hiker had to be what stopped his brother in order to stop everything that would destroy the planet.

  The pair stared at each other for a long minute before Thad Reinhart pivoted sharply and strode back to the building he’d come from and disappeared. On the ground, the jets and vehicles were deploying. The fight was coming.

  Drawing in a breath, Hiker dispersed orders at once. “We first have to take down the most vital offensive forces.” He pointed to the ground where a large plane was sitting on the tarmac, a ground crew quickly fueling it. “That right there has something aboard it Thad doesn’t want to be compromised.”

  “How do you know, sir?” Evan asked.

  Hiker glanced back at him. “I know. Thad isn’t used to me being close. He wasn’t guarded just now, and I spied enough.”

  Indicating the jets taking off, Hiker said, “Mahkah and Wilder, you immobilize the small aircraft.” He pointed at the tanks and jeeps moving into position. “Evan, you will draw the ground transport over to the water on the far edge. From there, you’ll know what to do.”

  “Drown those frockers,” Evan sang.

  Sophia laughed, remembering Coral was aligned with water. That also reminded her of the others’ elements. Simi was connected to the wind and Tala to the Earth. She wasn’t sure how that would come into play or if it would, but she hoped they used every advantage they had in this fight.

  Finally, when she thought Hiker had forgotten about her, he turned his attention to Sophia. “That plane. Thad referred to it in his mind as a 747. I want you and Lunis to take it down. Don’t let whatever is aboard leave this facility.”

  She nodded, feeling the weight of great responsibility on her and Lunis’ shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

  He leaned forward. “And my job will be to draw my brother out as only I can.”

  “How will you do that, sir?” Evan asked.

  Hiker didn’t give him a look of annoyance as Sophia would have expected. Instead, he drew a breath and sat up straighter. “It won’t be hard. I don’t know what Thad has, but he’s excited to show it off to me. I think it is only a matter of time before my brother comes out of hiding, and I will be ready.”

  Sophia desperately hoped Hiker was right, and he was finally ready to face his twin.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

  Because Wilder and Mahkah had a few dozen decades together, they shared a unique communication style.

  He knew Mahkah would handle the aircraft being deployed, while Wilder was in charge of those already in the air.

  The jets took off before turning around and coming in his and Simi’s direction. He patted his dragon, encouraging her as they entered into their first real twenty-first-century battle.

  Jets weren’t something Wilder was familiar with. However, he was going to venture that they didn’t know how to react to a dragon and rider. Most importantly, the jets had no idea what aces the dragonriders had up their sleeves.

  Six jets roared in their direction, quickly approaching.

  Wilder drew a breath, feeling his dragon suck in the wind like she was swallowing it and funneling it into a reserve. It was rare he and Simi had an opportunity to use their elemental skill. Actually, it had been forever.

  This was their first real battle.

  Long-awaited and with high stakes.

  Most of the jets and aircraft were still on the ground, Mahkah observed, directing Tala over them.

  He’d only have one chance to strike. After that, Tala would be depleted. He would have to channel all his power into one move instead of splitting it up. The key was to keep the other aircraft from taking off.

  Unfortunately, the 747 with the important cargo was too far away for Mahkah to affect. Sophia would have to handle that, although he was uncertain how the young dragonrider would do it. Still, that wasn’t his assignment.

  Taking a risk he hoped paid off, Mahkah landed Tala in front of the aircraft gearing up for takeoff, earning curious expressions from their pilots.

  Standing in front of a bunch of magitech jets wasn’t a move anyone expected. They also didn’t know what was coming next or that there was no escaping it.

  Letting out a carefree scream, Evan held his hands above his head as Coral sailed past the ground
transports. She flicked her tail back and forth, intentionally knocking into the jeeps and semi-trucks, hoping to enrage the drivers.

  The vehicles teetered to one side and then the other before landing back on their wheels.

  Evan could have had Coral knock them over completely, but where would the fun be in that? This was a game of cat and mouse for him.

  The first step was to get them to follow. Evan turned his dragon around and headed for the water in the distance that surrounded the base. It was probably to help with perimeter control, but in this instance, it was hopefully going to take down the vehicles confined to the ground.

  Evan turned to look over his shoulder, a smile unfurling on his face.

  He knew how to antagonize, and in this case, it had worked.

  The vehicles were following.

  Take down a 747, Sophia said to Lunis.

  No, problem, he replied. I don’t think I can in this current form, but if we go after them now, we get it before it takes off.

  And what then? she questioned. You’re going to chew its tires off so it can’t get off the ground?

  You realize I’m not a Labrador, right? he fired back.

  As awesome as you are in your current form, there’s not a hell of a lot of damage we can do, even with how badass you are, she replied.

  So I have to shift, he stated.

  And by that time, the 747 will be in the air.

  Not a problem, Lunis asserted with confidence. Just get ready for a seat change. The saddle you’re in is about to come unglued.

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine

  Watching his riders spring into action was by far the most thrilling thing Hiker Wallace had seen in a hundred years. No, two hundred. No, in all his life.

  He had led many a battle. He had been at the center of some of the most important fights that changed history. That had saved countries. And yet, watching four lone riders move into position to take down magitech that outnumbered them was exhilarating. It was also terrifying.

  He knew Mahkah had experience, and that would aid the rider as he took down the ground transports. Wilder was the bravest of his riders, and he had no doubt he could handle the aircraft. Evan? Well, he was the loose cannon, and Hiker could only hope his first real battle wouldn’t be his last.

  Then there was Sophia Beaufont. She was a surprise at every turn, doing things he never expected.

  Hiker wasn’t sure why he’d assigned her to the 747. It was what was left to be assigned, and she was the wild card—the one who used strategy over power.

  If anything brought down that plane, it would be Sophia Beaufont and Lunis.

  He believed that, but only half-heartedly, which was why when the blue dragon transformed with the moon at his back, Hiker thought he was hallucinating.

  “Oh, angels above,” he gasped, grabbing his beard as his eyes widened in astonishment.

  “For the love of all that’s holy,” Wilder yelled, his lungs emptying of air as he watched Lunis transform in the distance.

  He knew little about Sophia Beaufont and her dragon, and now he saw that they had kept the best secret at bay.

  “Rock on, you amazing woman,” Wilder said as the jets released their first round at him and Simi. “Now it’s my turn to be badass.”

  Mahkah had suspected what Lunis’ gift would be, but watching something like that before his very eyes went beyond magic. It spoke of the greatness that was Sophia and her dragon.

  Dragons were controlled by elements, which was amazing in itself. That meant that like Hiker, they were stronger in the sun. Or like Thad, that fire fueled them. All of them had a unique advantage, but doing what Lunis had just done was the stuff of legends.

  It was the kind of thing that in Mahkah’s long life made this moment, in the midst of thousands of others, stand out.

  He could live the rest of his life seeing only the spectacular, and he would never see anything like what he just witnessed.

  “Woot! Woot!” Evan cheered as he watched Lunis transform from a medium-sized dragon the size of a small recreational vehicle into something as large as the plane he was going after.

  He’d first seen this stunt when they were rescuing the dragon eggs, and it had been thrilling to witness then. Watching the other riders react was much more entertaining.

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty

  The missiles raced toward Wilder, unrelenting as they targeted him and his dragon.

  He yawned, pretending the whole affair was boring him to death. When the missiles were fifty yards away, he simply waved his hand as if shooing away a fly.

  And just like that, the winds changed direction in front of him, sweeping the weapons back around and turning on those who had launched them.

  The expressions on the pilots’ faces as they realized their attacks were quickly rushing back in their direction was intoxicating.

  Wilder cheered as the wind did his bidding.

  The hum of the motors racing toward Mahkah was enough to make him want to take flight on Tala. He was not accustomed to this world and its technology. It would take time for him to wrap his mind around how things worked now.

  And yet, he stayed frozen in place as the menacing vehicles raced in his direction, ready to take flight, their weapons at the ready.

  Mahkah waited until they were close, knowing this would only work if he timed it absolutely right. Unfortunately for him and Tala, the planes’ projectiles had a much greater range than his.

  Shots were fired at him, and they were forced to take flight to avoid a collision. Darting away from attacks became his focus as Tala soared back and forth.

  We must get back on the ground, he urged his dragon.

  And we will, she promised, diving for the dusty Earth below. It was both a risky place to be and the only one where they stood a chance of defeating their enemy.

  “This is how we play,” Evan said, sending Coral into the air as the vehicles progressed in his direction, having taken the bait.

  A tank lowered its gun, pointing it at them. The jeep, stocked with its own weapons, roared as it approached.

  They were close, but not quite close enough.

  Evan had to do another lap, hoping to get the guys with the big guns to continue to pursue.

  However, his luck had run out, and soon the shots started, raining all around him and making Coral divert off course to avoid being struck. Several blasts bypassed her wings, nearly scorching them.

  They circled back around, diving close to the largest basin of water that surrounded the perimeter.

  The tank and jeeps were close now. Almost close enough.

  Evan had one chance. After that, his secret would be out. That was why Coral hovered just over the surface of the water, enticing their enemy as he cackled, a sound that always encouraged others to play with him.

  He hoped it worked this time.

  The saddle had broken off Lunis and fallen to the Earth below. Sophia now stood on her dragon’s back, her sword in one hand and her other hand out for balance.

  Lunis’ transformation to his larger size had taken time. They’d lost the advantage on the 747, and it had taken flight, but Lunis was now faster than usual and quickly gained on the plane. Soon it would be outside the barrier, but not by much.

  Somehow, someway they had to ground that plane before it got close to the city. Not only did they not know what was on board, but they also couldn’t risk damaging it in case it was highly explosive.

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One

  The attacks sent to knock out Wilder connected with the jets after they had been launched. The planes exploded, great balls of fire that lit the sky and rained back down on the tarmac, creating more explosions around the facility.

  Many landed on other vehicles, and huge sparks shot up as the domino effect continued.

  Wilder darted around new attacks sent by jets that had taken off after the others. They had obviously missed the first show.

  He and Simi had one more in them. That
was it, and then they’d be done with the wind.

  Wilder circled around, grateful for the ease with which Simi soared, her excitement to twirl around attacks and through plumes of smoke thrilling.

  For their first battle, this was one for the memory book. He glanced toward where Sophia and Lunis were quickly racing after a huge plane. Somehow, he felt none of this would have happened if not for the girl riding the giant dragon.

  Mahkah and Tala landed with a heavy thud, far less graceful than usual. What followed was of much more concern for the aircraft preparing to take off. The ground rumbled under their feet, but Tala didn’t move.

  Even when the Earth split under the dragon’s feet, she didn’t move. Instead, her eyes flashed red as a crack shot in the direction of the magitech planes, making them falter toward the ravine that was quickly opening and sending them sliding sideways.

  Some spilled straight into the canyon, falling toward the middle of the Earth. Others simply toppled to the side, losing their precious balance.

  “That’s the thing about us all,” Mahkah said in a hushed voice, mostly to himself. “We stand upright until something more powerful knocks us over.”

  When the ground vehicles were almost at the water’s edge, Evan flew over them before spinning around and racing back toward the water. He needed to be on the other side of it if he didn’t want to be taken down by his dragon’s attack. However, they were firing now, and that was changing the whole flow of his fight.