by Sarah Noffke
The sweltering conditions inside the volcano didn’t bother Versalee. Nor was it a problem for her riders. That was one of the many benefits that the power lent to her from being around lava. It made it so she could protect her riders, making them an unstoppable force unlike ever before.
Chained dragons held station on several pillars that rose from the magma chamber, serving as guards. They lunged when a Rogue Rider flew past them on their dragon, snapping their jaws and growling fiercely—a rude greeting as they reentered Katla. The chained dragons were the gatekeepers at the entrance to the volcano’s mouth, scowling at even their own as they entered.
It wasn’t that Versalee worried about anyone trespassing into her new lair. For starters, the Dragon Elite shouldn’t be able to find her this time. Second, no one but her and her riders could withstand the conditions inside Katla.
However, Versalee wasn’t taking any chances this time. If the Dragon Elite surprised her and stormed her new headquarters, she’d be ready. She suspected that the Dragon Elite would soon learn that the Rogue Riders were instigating all the global feuds. The do-gooders had managed to get things under control, but while the Dragon Elite adjudicated between nations, Versalee had been crafting the plan that would be their inevitable downfall—once and for all.
“Where are we with the magitech bombs?” Versalee asked one of her riders as she strode for her chamber on the mountain’s eastern side.
The guy walking beside her pulled up his phone and scrolled through several messages. “Looks like it’s going to take a little longer.”
Versalee rolled her eyes, wanting to whack the guy in the head…again. “What’s taking so long?”
He continued to sift through messages. “Locating bombs that can wipe out the whole of Scotland takes time. Even with our criminal contacts, we have to be diligent.”
She nodded. “Yes, and these bombs must be strong enough. We can’t chance leaving any part of the land untouched. I don’t know where the Gullington is, so we’re going to be thorough and take out the entire mainland.”
The guy didn’t do a good job of covering the chilling look in his eyes. His mouth twitched, and Versalee read the strong disapproval on his face.
Yes, she planned to wipe out an entire country. She’d determined that it was the only way to swiftly and thoroughly take out the Dragon Elite. She had so many plans for the Rogue Riders and knew without a doubt that the Dragon Elite would stop her at every turn. That wouldn’t do, so she’d decided there was only room for one group of dragonriders on the planet.
Versalee had done her research and believed that the bombings wouldn’t knock out the dragon eggs, which would hopefully supply her with a steady population of demon dragons. However, the bombs would level the castle where the Dragon Elite apparently resided. It would take out every single dragonrider in the Gullington. Yes, the Rogue Riders dropping bombs from their dragons would also kill an entire country of people and animals, but that was a price Versalee was willing to pay to win.
“Secure the supply of bombs,” Versalee ordered and strode into her chamber, which would soon be complete, lavishly decorated and appointed with the many items she requested her riders steal for her. Currently, it was mostly rock and ash, but it was only a matter of time before it was a space fitting for a queen—for the leader of the Rogue Riders.
Chapter Sixty-Five
“I swear, I’m going to kill that gnome,” Mama Jamba seethed and stood on her tiptoes, trying to see on top of the mantle over the fireplace, but it was too high for the short woman to reach or even spy its full contents.
Wilder strode across the dining hall in the Castle at the Gullington and looked over her shoulder. “What are you looking for?”
She glanced up at him. “My stuff. All of it. Quiet has put it all somewhere, and I can’t find a thing to pack.”
Evan laughed and grabbed a pastry from the breakfast table. “Welcome to my world.”
Wilder turned to the rider. “The groundskeeper does that to you out of pure loathing. I’d guess he’s hiding Mama Jamba’s possessions because he loves her and doesn’t want her to leave on a trip.” He spun back to Mother Nature. “Sorry, all I see up here are candles and the usual knickknacks that have adorned the mantle for decades.”
She nodded. “It’s probably useless to keep up the search. If that man doesn’t want something to be found, then it won’t.”
“Ask Pink Princess to look for it.” Evan pointed at Sophia at the dining table. “If she asks him to abandon us and lock us in his vault, Quiet does it.”
Hiker agreed with a nod. “Yes, and when the Castle hid the engagement ring I gave to Ainsley, Sophia was able to find it.”
Sophia’s pursed her lips at the Dragon Elite’s leader before her eyes slid to the beautiful engagement ring on Ainsley’s finger. “I think Quiet wanted me to look for it so I could find my ancestor’s diary.”
“I have your pancakes ready,” Trin said to Mother Nature, carrying a plate towering with fluffy, moist pancakes.
Mama Jamba strode over to the table and sat, tucking in as Trin slid the plate in front of her. The Castle’s housekeeper consistently delivered delicious food as she grew more used to her job. However, it appeared she’d outdone herself. The pancakes she presented didn’t look like the comfort-rich layers of goodness she usually served Mama Jamba. Instead, they looked more like something that one would be served in a five-star hoity-toity restaurant.
Each of the eight pancakes stacked neatly atop each other were the same size and density and perfectly round. They were swimming in thick maple syrup and dusted in a floral design with powdered sugar. The pancakes were purplish and adorned with a bit of saffron.
“What are these?” Mama Jamba asked.
“Those,” Trin began proudly, taking a step back, “are blackberry-and-currant pancakes with candied walnuts and a saffron-infused maple syrup.”
“Lovely.” Mama Jamba smiled up at the housekeeper. “Thank you. Really. But for my next round, will you please serve my usual plain buttermilk pancakes? I really am a traditionalist.”
Trin deflated, instantly disappointed by that response, but nodded. “Yes, I thought that I’d do something special for you because—”
“Because if you made me pancakes to die for, maybe I wouldn’t leave,” Mama Jamba guessed.
Trin nodded guiltily. “I’m sorry…”
“No, home is the place where the ones you love don’t want you to leave and are always happy when you return.” Mama Jamba cut into her pancakes.
Evan glanced up at Trin. “At least Mama Jamba doesn’t want to kill you for trying to get her to stay. Say goodbye to Quiet. I think today is his last.”
Mama Jamba shook her head. “He’ll come around and give me back my things. He’s in a bit of denial.”
Hiker pushed away his uneaten plate of assorted English breakfast foods—his favorite. “I can’t blame him.”
The old woman smiled pleasantly at him. “Son, you know it’s not forever. I simply feel the urge to get away. Travel the world.”
“The one you made,” he stated bitterly. “And know better than anyone else.”
She shrugged. “Sue me for wanting to be a snowbird and see some new sights.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I might.”
Ainsley dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “You won’t leave before the wedding, right?”
“Of course not, my dear,” Mama Jamba answered.
Hiker sighed with relief.
“I’m leaving the day after,” Mama Jamba quickly added, making the expression on Hiker’s face drop.
“The day after?” he complained. “You’re not even… I mean… We were going on our honeymoon. I need you to stay around here. Help out in my absence.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to rely on your very competent riders to manage in our absence,” Mama Jamba stated with confidence.
Hiker wadded up his napkin and threw it onto his plate. “Well, it
looks like we can’t go anywhere.”
Ainsley scoffed, also pushing away her plate. “It’s our honeymoon. We have to.”
He shook his head. “We will, but it doesn’t have to be right away.”
“Yeah, you waited five hundred years,” Evan teased. “What’s another five hundred before you celebrate the whole thing?”
Ainsley scowled at her fiancé. “We’ll discuss this later.”
“Does this talk of a wedding mean you’re not eloping as you wanted?” Wilder asked the elf.
She hesitantly nodded. “It appears I lost the argument on that one, so yes, we’ll have a big wedding.” She glanced at Hiker. “That means I get my way on other things.”
Irritation flared on his face. “Yes, so apparently we all have to wear formal kilts,” he informed Wilder, Evan, and Mahkah.
“Custom made by Jeremy Bearimy,” Ainsley added and looked at Sophia. “You’ll need a bridesmaid dress.”
“Oh?” Sophia was surprised.
“Well, of course, S. Beaufont. You’ll be my maid of honor, won’t you?” Ainsley asked.
Sophia blushed, feeling honored. “Maid of honor? Wow. Thank you. Of course.”
Ainsley nodded as if this was a simple business detail before glancing at Trin. “And you’ll be a bridesmaid too, I hope?”
Trin’s eyes, both the human and cyborg one, widened. “Yes, that would be wonderful.”
“What about Mama Jamba?” Evan asked.
“She will be in the front row wearing a big hat with a bird on it,” Mama Jamba stated, nearly having finished her pancakes.
“What about this lot?” Evan indicated the new dragonriders, who always played the quiet game when it came to meal times.
They all looked up, anticipation in their eyes as they stared at Hiker and Ainsley.
“Well, they’ll be in attendance,” Hiker declared.
Evan turned to the rider known as Alex. “Do you think you can turn into a werewolf for the occasion? I think that would make it something spectacular.”
Alex lowered his chin, pulling his hoodie more over his face. “I’m not sure that would be appropriate.”
“Good judgment there,” Hiker stated.
Sophia ran her eyes over Alex, making up her mind that this had gone on too long. She’d confided in Hiker about the rider being a werewolf, explaining the part about him being from the place werewolfism originated—Lupei. She’d hoped that on his own, Alex would divulge his other secret to Hiker and the other riders. It appeared that wasn’t going to be the case and Sophia didn’t know how much longer she’d let this go on. Apparently, Alex needed a little prodding, and that needed to come from her since she suspected she was the only one who knew Alex’s secret, having information on his father from Liv.
“I want you lot to go to Jeremy Bearimy soon and get fitted for formal kilts,” Hiker ordered, looking at Evan, Wilder, and Mahkah.
“And you girls, please get your dresses.” Ainsley pointed at Sophia and Trin.
“Please tell me they have to wear something gaudy.” Evan pushed his hands together as though praying.
“It’s my wedding,” Ainsley stated in a dignified manner. “There will be nothing garish about it.”
“Except that Evan will be there and a groomsman,” Wilder teased.
“The best man,” Evan corrected.
“I’m not picking a best man,” Hiker stated. “I didn’t think starting that battle between you and Evan was smart. Mahkah is the most deserving of you all, but well, I always hoped it would have been Adam. Since it can’t be, I want you all to be my best men, in a way.”
Wilder nodded. “I’m honored.”
“As am I.” Mahkah bowed his head.
“I totally follow you, sir.” Evan gave him a dramatic wink. “We’re all your best men. I’m not the actual one.”
Hiker shook his head and pushed up from the table. “Whatever you have to tell yourself, Evan.” He looked down the table at his riders. “I want the Core Four in my office after breakfast.”
Evan patted his chest. “That’s me.”
“The rest of you, get on the Expanse and train,” Hiker continued.
Evan pointed at the new riders. “That’s you all newbies.”
Sophia looked up at the Viking. “I’ll be a little late, sir.”
“That’s grounds for termination,” Evan sang gleefully.
“Get there when you can,” Hiker stated, striding for the exit.
Evan shook his head. “You always get special treatment because you’re a girl and have to wash your hair and do your nails.”
Sophia held up her unkempt nails that were short and uncolored. “Yeah, as you can see, I spend a ton of time on manicures.”
Evan scoffed. “I didn’t say you were very good at it, Pink Princess.”
“Girls don’t get special treatment as a Dragon Elite,” she said, her words intended not for Evan but rather for someone else to hear. “We’re treated equal, as it should be.”
Chapter Sixty-Six
A fine layer of crunchy ice covered the Expanse. Sophia was grateful that she didn’t have to train at the Gullington that day. Of course, she did have to go on wild goose chases all over the magical communities, so she didn’t think she got the better end of the deal. Still, she did remember her days of training and struggling to master the skills that now kept her alive in battle. How far she’d come…
Lunis, as usual, flew down from the Pad as soon as she was a few yards from the Castle. He landed in the snow with a plop, making the flakes bounce into the air and fall again.
“I thought today would be a good day to play hide-and-go-seek,” the blue dragon said while striding beside her.
Sophia shook her head. “I’m already late for a meeting in Hiker’s office.”
“Okay, well after that, let’s play some Mario Kart,” he suggested. “I have a new course I want to beat you on.”
She scowled at him. “I’m pretty sure I schooled you the last time we played.” Sophia flexed her fingers in the air. “It’s that whole not having claws that makes me so much better.”
“You meant to say, makes you so much easier to slay and eat, I think.”
Sophia laughed. “After Hiker, I have meetings on Roya Lane so the games will have to wait.”
He sighed dramatically. “Then why are you out here? Did you feel like freezing your tail off?”
She twisted in a mock attempt to eye her bottom. “I don’t have a tail.”
“Oh, I guess you already froze it off then,” he joked.
Sophia nodded in the direction of the newbie dragonriders in the distance with their dragons. “I need to talk to Alex. I think it’s time we talked about his little secret.”
“You mean that whole werewolf thing?” Lunis asked.
She shook her head. “No, that’s totally fine, and I don’t foresee it being a problem. Well, and the other secret isn’t a problem either, but it needs to be addressed. We all need to learn to be honest with each other, and that can’t happen if we don’t trust one another.”
Lunis nodded. “What do you call a werewolf who doesn’t know it’s a werewolf?”
Sophia batted her eyes at Lunis, mock annoyance on her face. “What?”
“An unaware wolf…”
When Sophia didn’t laugh, Lunis shot her a murderous glare. “That was gold, and you know it.”
“I don’t think so. But I know what Alex is.” She watched the riders in the distance as they drew closer to them.
“I saw a werewolf at the bus stop this morning—”
“What were you doing at a bus stop?” Sophia interrupted.
His nostrils flared when he puffed out a stream of smoke. “Just go with it, Soph.”
“Oh. Okay. You saw a werewolf at the bus stop this morning. Go on then…”
“Well, it could have possibly been a very hairy guy,” Lunis continued. “Either way, the silver bullets work.”
Sophia shook her head. “You can’
t possibly have any more werewolf jokes.”
“Oh, can’t I?” he asked defiantly. “What did Harry Potter say when he found out the werewolf that had been terrorizing his school was his godfather?”
“Talk about a spoiler alert,” Sophia muttered.
He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like who hasn’t read or watched Harry Potter at this point?”
Sophia pointed across the grounds to where Quiet was tending the flock of sheep, which were a dark shade of brown, covered in dirt and mud. “That guy.”
Lunis cleared his throat. “As I was saying…”
“Yes, what did Harry Potter say when he found out the werewolf that had been terrorizing his school was his godfather?”
“You can’t be Sirius,” Lunis replied in a serious tone.
“Please stop,” Sophia begged.
“Fine, fine,” Lunis said in surrender. “You have your conversation with the werewolf. I’m going to trot over there and tell the newbies what’s on the training agenda today.”
Sophia sighed. “Is it going to be anything of actual use or stuff you want them to do for your amusement?”
He gave her an annoyed expression. “Would I make them all bathe the sheep if it wasn’t of use?”
“Yes,” she retorted.
An evil grin spread over the blue dragon’s mouth. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. Of course I would.”
Sophia shook her head and called across the grounds. “Hey, Alex!” When the dragonrider whose head was partially obstructed by the hoodie turned, she waved him over.
He waved to the group and strode in her direction at once.
Lunis gave Sophia an encouraging look. “Good luck. I’m sure that this is all for the best, although I’m proud of you for addressing it since I know how it affects you.”
“It doesn’t,” she replied at once, but deep down, she knew that wasn’t entirely true. On some level, this might change things for her. She hoped that it would be for the better. Things would continuously change as the Gullington grew with dragons and riders and she had to adjust for that.
Lunis’ tail swayed back and forth as he strode toward the group of newbie dragonriders. When he passed Alex, he asked, “How was breakfast? Did you wolf it down?”
