by Sarah Noffke
Liv narrowed her eyes, but she must have determined that Lorenzo was telling the truth. Still, she wasn’t going to reward him for good behavior.
She slammed her boot down hard on his other foot, which was immediately followed by the sound of cracking and a piercing scream.
She backed away, giving Sophia a curt nod. “You know, I shouldn’t have all the fun. Remember that parting gift I wanted to give this guy? That honor is all yours.”
Sophia didn’t think she could punch a man she’d known all her life. Then she remembered the comment he made about getting rid of her dragons and his part in Rudolf being abducted and so much more.
Without a moment of hesitation, she pulled back her fist and slammed it straight into Lorenzo’s eye before striding for the door where Liv was waiting for her, holding the fancy boots and robe.
“Nice,” Liv offered, opening the door to the makeshift interrogation room. “Well, enjoy your stay. We hope we’ve made you as uncomfortable as possible. You’ll be here for the rest of the night until this little paradise disappears at sunrise. Then you’ll be free to go, although you might want to call a cab. I think walking is going to be a bit uncomfortable.”
“You can’t leave me here!” Lorenzo yelled, his voice vibrating.
“The alternative is that we kill you,” Liv offered.
“No!” he screamed. “So help me God, I will find out who you are and when I do, I’ll have a Warrior murder you.”
Liv sighed. “Yes, because fighting your own battles is beneath you.”
“I’m a Councilor for the House of Fourteen!” Lorenzo bellowed. “I don’t have to stoop to such things. I will have you taken down. Watch your back, fae!”
Liv laughed. “I’m not afraid of your Warriors, coward. Send them after us. We will be waiting.”
With that, Liv strode out the door, Sophia on her heels, her pulse beating loudly in her head.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Sophia’s knuckles only hurt for a few seconds after she launched her fist at Lorenzo’s face. Her chest, however, swelled with satisfaction. Those who thought punishing enemies didn’t work hadn’t had the satisfaction of punching them in the face. Revenge could be sweet if it wasn’t taken too far.
The sisters ducked into a burger joint after Sophia took off their disguises. It was time to replenish their reserves, especially after the extraordinary amount of magic they’d both used.
Liv slumped after they slid into opposite sides of a booth. “I bet the food here is good.”
“Why is that?” Sophia asked, feeling the sticky floor under her boots.
Liv sniffed the air. “They don’t change the grease in the fryer. Also, I spied pixies running the kitchen in the back when we entered, and everyone knows they are excellent cooks.”
“I actually didn’t know that,” Sophia said.
“Well, you do now.” Liv drummed her hands impatiently on the counter.
A gnome waddled in their direction with an ordering pad and pen. At the sight of Liv, he rolled his eyes. “Are you here to try and shut us down again?”
Liv’s eyes scrunched up with confusion. “Shut you down? Oh, wait! I have been here before. I thought that was a dream. Are you still smuggling in illegal spices that spell customers to think your food is better than it is?”
“What do you think?” the gnome asked, crossing his short arms over his chest.
“Oh, good, we’re playing the guessing game instead of you answering my questions directly.”
The gnome sighed. “No, when you nearly destroyed the kitchen with your spell work and scared all our customers away, we straightened up. I hired pixies to run the back, and business has been better.”
Liv scratched her head. “Sounds like I really ruined your day.”
He nodded. “More like my year, but we’ve recovered.”
“You’ve learned your lesson.”
“You really don’t remember that?” Sophia asked.
Her sister shrugged. “Sounds like a regular old Tuesday afternoon. After a while, it starts to run together. I shut down restaurants like this a dozen at a time.”
“Such a delightful magician,” the gnome said dryly. “We’re all so grateful for what you do, Warrior Beaufont.”
Liv smiled sweetly, batting her eyes at the gnome. “Then I suspect today’s meal is on the house, huh?”
His lips drew together when he blew out a breath. “You’re just not satisfied unless you’re ruining my business.”
“I’ll pay,” Sophia said, her stomach rumbling with hunger.
The gnome shook his head. “No, it’s fine. A Warrior and a dragonrider’s money isn’t good here, but do leave some food for other customers.”
Liv nodded. “Of course. We’ll take a couple of cheeseburgers and some fries.”
“That’s all?” the gnome asked his head to the side and a skeptical expression on his face.
“And some jalapeno poppers…” Liv said uncertainly, testing the boundaries.
“And?” the gnome questioned.
“Onion rings,” Liv stated tentatively.
“Fine, and I’ll bring out some fried pickles too,” the gnome said, trotting off.
“Who says that gnomes are stingy, unreasonable people?” Liv said proudly.
“I believe that’s what you said when you destroyed my kitchen,” the gnome called over his shoulder.
“Oh, and a pitcher of beer too!” Liv yelled to him as he disappeared through the back.
Sophia laughed. “You really have a reputation, don’t you?”
Liv nodded proudly. “Shorty straightened up, and now he’s running a viable operation that contributes to the community and doesn’t deceive. I’m like a strict parent. The kids might loathe me now, but later, they will thank me for making them better.”
Sophia was about to respond when a basket of fried pickles appeared on the table, followed by a pitcher of ice-cold beer and two mugs. “Wow, talk about service.”
Liv’s eyes widened with delight. “Yeah, a perk of eating at a magical establishment.” She glanced around, missing something. “Do you think it’s too much to ask for some ranch dressing?”
A second later and a bowl of ranch appeared next to the fried pickles. “Nice!” Liv exclaimed, taking a few napkins from the dispenser next to the wall.
“Do you think that vat of ranch dressing will be enough?” Sophia asked, gawking at the large bowl filled to the brim.
“It will tide me over until the fries come,” Liv said. “You’ll have to order your own.” She winked, obviously joking and moved the bowl to the middle to share.
“So, Nevin Gooseman,” Sophia said in a low voice, careful to not be overheard, although there wasn’t anyone close by. Most of the customers were in the front or playing pool in the side room.
Liv popped a fried pickle covered in ranch dressing into her mouth. “Yeah, I actually didn’t see that one coming. I hadn’t expected this to be about the Dragon Elite.”
Sophia sighed, filling their mugs with beer. “I should have expected this. Everything is about the dragons right now. We are to blame for all that is wrong in the world.”
“No,” Liv argued. “You’re powerful, and that scares dumb politicians who want to run the show their way, which probably means immorally. Those who want to take advantage of the system, don’t want people like me policing magic or people like you settling disputes. Too bad for them the Beaufonts do what they like and aren’t deterred.”
“So Ru.” Sophia kept her voice down as the jalapeno poppers and onion rings appeared on the table. “We know who took him but not where they have him.”
“I can try and see if Mortimer has a lead on Nevin Gooseman’s whereabouts, but he’s a magician, so I’m doubtful,” Liv said, digging into the onion rings.
“Yeah, and I’ve actually looked into that man’s location, thinking that we could negotiate, although Hiker was against the idea.”
“And?” Liv asked.
S
ophia scowled, shaking her head. “He’s well hidden.”
“I’d expect no less from a corrupt politician who wants to dominate the mortal world.” Liv grabbed a jalapeno popper but dropped it. “Wow, those are hot.”
“Well, we know where he’s headed,” Sophia told her.
“Yeah, so how about I station myself at the Great Library and wait for the pansy to show up,” Liv offered. “Plato is hanging out there anyway, trying to fill the role of the librarian, so it’s a good spot for me.”
“What about your warrior cases?” Sophia inquired.
“They can wait,” Liv responded. “I’m overdue for a vacation, and what better place than Zanzibar?”
“Thanks, that would be great.” Sophia took an onion ring. “Do you think Rudolf will really lead Nevin and his goonies to the Great Library?”
“I don’t see what choice he has,” Liv replied. “It does prove how desperate this politician is to take you all down. He just can’t let well enough alone. It isn’t enough to discredit the Dragon Elite and ruin your reputation. He won’t stop until he’s taken out the evil dragons.”
Sophia reflexively chewed and swallowed, not even tasting the food. The current conversation had made her lose her appetite. “He truly believes the demon dragons are going to ruin the world. I don’t know where he got that information, but I’m going to have to stop him.”
“I’ll help in any way I can,” Liv offered. “However, we’ll have to play this carefully so that Lorenzo doesn’t figure out we’re the ones who abducted him. He can make my life hell if he wants to, and he usually does want to. If he finds out that I broke his toes, he’ll be even more motivated than usual.”
“Don’t worry,” Sophia offered. “We’ll play it carefully. He won’t know, and we’re in the perfect position to keep an eye on him.”
“Yeah, I suspect he was helping Nevin because his end game is to have control over the mortals.”
Sophia nodded. “So team up with a magician who wants to rule them and take down the Dragon Elite, and the pair can run the world.”
“Seems that was their plan,” Liv agreed.
“Too bad I’m going to ruin things for them the same way you shut this place down for breaking the law,” Sophia remarked.
Liv smiled widely. “That’s my girl. Give them hell and make them sorry they ever dared to cross you. They might thank you for it one day. Either way, the world will be better for it.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
On the way out of the bar and grill, Sophia noticed a few strange things but reasoned she might have had too much to eat or too many beers. Maybe the gnome was still spelling his food after all, she reasoned.
Sophia rubbed her eyes, doubting her vision as she passed the third set of magicians who appeared blurry. She hadn’t really slept much, having made finding Rudolf a priority, but not sleeping was pretty normal for her.
As she strode to a place where she could open a portal, Sophia dismissed the whole thing, assuming it was just a result of the darkening streets. She passed a few mortals, and they appeared normal. Realizing she’d need to take a nap straight away, Sophia opened a portal to the Gullington. Just as she was about to step through, she noticed another strange figure. This time it was an elf. Much like the magicians, the person was blurry on the edges, like they were a digital image that was slowly being erased.
Sophia stepped through the portal, thinking she was finally losing her mind. Once she was through and staring at the Barrier, Sophia knew the problem wasn’t a lack of sleep.
The look on Lunis’ face as she entered the Gullington told her there was something very wrong. The thoughts streaming through his head explained briefly what had happened. Sophia could hardly believe that in such a short period of time, the world had further gone to hell.
The Dragon Elite could not catch a break.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“How could this happen?” Sophia asked Hiker. She’d flown Lunis to the Castle and slid off his back at the stairs, then run straight up to the leader of the Dragon Elite’s office.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. We don’t know much about the affliction.”
“But it affects only magicians and elves?” Sophia asked.
She hadn’t been seeing things when she’d walked through the streets of Los Angeles. The magicians and elves she’d seen going blurry were suffering from a strange illness affecting the races. It was erasing them until they potentially disappeared. The illness was so new that the effects were unclear. What they did know was that those who caught it lost their magical powers and they blurred, but that was all that was known.
“So far, the only cases have been of magicians and elves,” Hiker explained, picking up a newspaper and glancing it over. “It started a few days ago apparently and has since spread rapidly.”
He thrust the newspaper at her. She read the headline, and her mouth popped open with disgust. “Are the Dragon Elite Responsible for the magical illness?”
“What?” Sophia asked, repulsed.
“Read it,” Hiker encouraged.
Sophia scanned the article, not surprised to see Nevin Gooseman mentioned several times. He was cited as stating that his team of scientists believed the disease was related to the dragons who were responsible for spreading it. He further stated that correlation evidence proved the onset happened when dragons started circulating through the populations, and the hardest hit cities were the ones most frequented by the dragons.
“This is ludicrous,” Sophia nearly yelled.
Hiker nodded gravely. “I know.”
“There’s no proof,” Sophia went on. “Can’t we reference the past when dragons were in and around the population, and no one got sick?”
Hiker gave her an uncertain expression. “There’s not a lot of documentation on that. Much of it was erased when the House of Fourteen, known as the House of Seven then, rewrote history. Besides, people are afraid. It was bad enough when mortals were fearful of dragons, thinking they were all evil. Now our own race, as well as elves, are afraid of us, all because of some speculation from Nevin Gooseman.”
Sophia slapped the newspaper down on Hiker’s desk. “He’s behind this. I just know it.”
Hiker nodded. “I suspect you’re right. I believe he’d go to great lengths to take us down, but poisoning his own race is a bit much.”
“Oh, that man knows no boundaries,” Sophia said bitterly and then related what she’d learned about King Rudolf.
Hiker’s expression turned even more sour. “Abducting a king. All so he can uncover the demon dragons. He has to be stopped.”
“If we go after him, then we just look like the savages he’s been trying to make us out to be,” Sophia reasoned.
“That’s the thing he wants,” Hiker stated. “He wants us to retaliate and defend ourselves, making us look guilty. We’re running out of options. I might have to cave and make a statement.”
“Liv is stationed at the Great Library,” Sophia explained. “When Nevin Gooseman shows up there with Rudolf, we can cut him off.”
Hiker nodded, looking heavy. “That’s something, but we need to find out how to discredit him. That’s how he’s attacked us. If we make him irrelevant, then he’ll lose his credibility.”
“We have to fix this illness affecting magicians and elves,” Sophia said. “Whether it’s a setup or not, we can’t allow others to suffer. They are being used as pawns.”
“I realize that,” Hiker agreed. “We need an expert who can also back us up. Someone the world trusts and can state that dragons can’t spread illness like this.”
Sophia thought for a moment. “I think I know just the person. Maybe she can help us to find a cure.”
Hiker didn’t ask any questions, apparently trusting Sophia’s strategy on this. “I also need you to go to the House of Fourteen and quell their concerns. We can’t have them turning on us right now. We’ve got to hold a strong front, but I sense they are being persuaded by the propaga
nda that Nevin Gooseman is shoving down everyone’s throat.”
“I can do that.” Sophia knew she wasn’t going to get that nap she so desperately needed.
She made for the door and saw Mama Jamba wasn’t in her usual spot. She paused, finding that odd.
“She’s working on the tracking spell,” Hiker said, having read the confusion on Sophia’s face.
“Oh, that’s good,” she stated, continuing toward the door.
“Oh, and Sophia?” Hiker said, making her pause.
“Yes, sir?”
“Going to the House of Fourteen is important,” he began. “Finding this expert to support us is crucial, and a cure is imperative. However, if you don’t get some rest, you’ll be worthless to anyone, including the Dragon Elite. Before you set off again, get some sleep.”
“But, sir—”
“That’s an order, Sophia.”
She nodded, noticing the concern in his light eyes. “Yes, sir. Of course.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Sophia thought it would be impossible for her to sleep, knowing that some strange affliction was robbing her race and elves of their magical abilities and making them blur like they were graphic images and not real people. However, once her head hit the pillow, she was sucked into a dreamless sleep and not released for ten solid hours.
She awoke with a start, her heart beating wildly like she’d just run a long distance. After a quick shower she hurried onto the Expanse, hardly chewing the bagel Ainsley forced into her hands on her way out.
Sophia wasn’t surprised to see her dragon majestically standing on the grassy hill beside the Barrier, dutifully waiting for her. His blue scales reflected the morning sunshine, and his eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Off to the circus, then? he asked coyly.
“Ya, da ja wanna gow?” Her mouth was full of sticky, thick bread that glued her jaws shut.
I don’t speak bagel, but I’ll interpret that as “Do I want to go?” he said, sounding amused.
