by Sarah Noffke
She blushed. “Oh? I’d guess the request is cloaked in mystery and wasn’t so much a request as much as a strongly worded demand.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it went something like, ‘Make time to get over there and bring Sophia with you. I have a mission for you all.’”
Sophia frowned in confusion. “A mission? Hasn’t he heard that we’re busy trying to stop global wars and whatnot?”
“I told him that,” Wilder explained. “To which he replied, ‘If you want to save the world, you’ll do as I tell you.’”
Sophia batted her eyelashes, pretending to be charmed. “Wow, he really has such a gentle nature, doesn’t he?”
Wilder laughed and opened the door to the Crying Cat Bakery, which strangely smelled like sawdust and WD-40. Lee was wearing a toolbelt and tinkering with some wires protruding from a hole in the wall.
“Hand me the twenty-volt drill, would you?” Lee nodded in the direction of a large toolbox in the corner. “This screwdriver isn’t going to work.”
Sophia and Wilder exchanged confused looks.
“When did you turn this place into a hardware store?” Wilder asked.
“Since today, Comedian,” Lee again nodded at the toolbox. “Drill. Now. I haven’t got all day.”
“If we didn’t show up, you’d have to drop those wires, and you’d really not have all day,” Wilder teased while striding over to the toolbox and opening it to retrieve the drill inside.
“Sophia, how attached are you to this one?” Lee put a plastic wire cap in her mouth and talked around it.
“Very,” she replied.
“Well, tell him that if he keeps it up with the bad jokes, he might lose a knee cap,” Lee threatened.
Wilder laughed and handed her the drill. “I believe you just did.”
“What are you doing?” Sophia craned her neck to see what Lee was working on.
“Well, Cat ran into the wall—”
“On purpose?” Wilder interrupted. “Or was she pushed or was it an accident?”
“It’s always an accident with that one,” Lee answered. “I swear, every day she’s like a baby learning how to walk for the first time. Anyway, when she broke the wall with her head, I then noticed some electrical issues behind the drywall and since I was looking for a handy project, I figured it was the universe calling me to repair it.”
“You know how to do electrical work?” Sophia was impressed.
“Electrical, construction, plumbing,” Lee stated. “I can even lay concrete, but that’s more of a labor of love than the others.”
“Wow,” Sophia said. “You bake, know how to purify water, and are quite the handywoman.”
“Don’t forget that I can murder people too.” Lee drilled something in the wall.
“I’m trying to forget that,” Sophia stated dryly.
Wilder studied the contents of the bakery display case as Cat trotted in from the back, carrying a tray of fresh pastries with a bandage around her head. “Anything you got that’s vegan?”
Disapproval sprang to Cat’s face. “Why would we waste our time with that poison?”
He chuckled. “Because some people like me enjoy that poison.”
Cat slid the tray into an empty shelf of the display case. “You’re a vegan? You realize that’s a disease, right?”
Continuing to laugh, Wilder shook his head. “I thought it was more of a lifestyle choice rather than an affliction that I didn’t choose.”
“It’s a disease,” Cat corrected.
“Are you okay?” Sophia asked the baker, looking at the bandage covering most of her head.
“Well, let’s see here,” Cat began in a speculative tone, tapping her chin with one finger. “My wife has been slacking all day, making me have to pick up the slack on today’s baked items—”
“Fixing the hole your head made, dear,” Lee sang.
“Then this vegan dares to trespass onto my property,” Cat went on. “I’ll have to disinfect the whole place now so that his disease doesn’t spread to our patrons.”
Wilder raised his hand. “Still here…and I can hear you.”
Cat rolled her eyes, ignoring him. “Oh, and the worst of it is that there’s a really peppy little girl who always stops by the shop and demand that my wife fix some water supply or make a giant cake or go off on a mission with her.”
Sophia raised her hand. “That one would be me. I was asking if you were okay because of your head.”
“My head?” Cat asked, confused. “What, is my hair out of place? I swear I brushed it this morning.”
“It’s covered in a bandage, dear,” Lee explained, backing away from the wall, eying her repair.
Cat patted the side of her head proudly. “I think the bandage look is becoming.”
“Oh, it totally is,” Lee replied. “It gives you that whole, ‘just got out of the ER look.’” Turning, Lee looked at Sophia for the first time. “What brings you here today? You need my expertise to save a village or want me to murder your boyfriend?”
“Again, I’m right here,” Wilder said, amused.
“I was here to order a cake,” Sophia replied.
Cat threw her hands up in the air, storming for the back. “Oh, for crying out loud. Will it never end with this one? Always with the requests!”
Sophia shook her head. “I was under the impression that this was a bakery and you’re in the business of making money.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” Lee stated. “This is a little side venture until I can get enough clients to open my editing business. That’s the real dream.”
Sophia blinked at the assassin baker in confusion. “Editing? Really? With all your skills?”
Lee shot her an offended expression. “What’s better than taking someone’s work of art and making it better? Here I have to craft masterpieces or kill people who are a waste of space. Really, tightening up a good novel so that it’s great and gives someone hours of entertainment, now that’s the real dream.”
Sophia shook her head, surprised that the assassin baker was still able to surprise her continuously. “Well, until that dream comes true, I hoped that you could make a fantastic wedding cake for Hiker and Ainsley’s wedding. It should be choc—”
“No details,” Lee interrupted, holding up her hand.
“They have specific flavors they want,” Sophia argued.
“I don’t take input from clients,” Lee stated smugly.
“How are you to know what they like then?” Wilder asked.
“What do you think will happen to my creative genius if I get bogged down with what clients like?” Lee asked.
“You’ll have less creative genius,” Wilder guessed, an edge of amusement in his tone.
“Bingo, Vegan,” Lee said.
“Do you at least want to know the size we need based on the event?” Sophia asked.
Lee lowered her chin and regarded them with a murderous glare. “What do you think?”
“I think we better leave you to it.” Wilder took Sophia’s hand and encouraged her to the door.
“Where’s the bleach?” Cat called from the back. “We need to hose the place down with it once they're gone.”
Wilder grinned at Sophia. “I do love this place and how welcome I always feel when here. Maybe we should stay a little longer.”
Sophia tugged him through the door, knowing that her boyfriend was one of the toughest people on the planet. However, if anyone could take him down, it could be the two women who ran the Crying Cat Bakery.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
“You’re late,” Subner growled when Sophia and Wilder strode into the Fantastical Armory.
“My sincere apologies,” Wilder said with a slight bow. “I had to get fitted for a kilt at the Silk Armor.”
“That’s not a priority,” Subner complained, a deep scowl on his face.
“Well, it is for Hiker’s and Ainsley’s wedding,” Sophia offered.
“There won’t be a wedding if you don�
�t go on this mission for me,” Subner stated.
Wilder looked suddenly intrigued. “Because the mission is to get rid of Hiker’s ex-girlfriend so she doesn’t ruin the wedding?”
“The mission is to secure a weapon so the world isn’t destroyed,” Subner imparted.
“I think you’re underestimating Hiker’s ex-girlfriend,” Wilder joked. “She could be powerful enough to destroy half the world.”
“Hiker doesn’t have an ex-girlfriend,” Sophia said to Wilder before turning her attention to Subner. “This sounds serious. What are the details?”
“I’m glad that one of you is taking this seriously,” Subner muttered. “Maybe you’re not going down the same repugnant path as your sister, always joking and employing sarcasm when there’s work to be done.”
“I know how much you loathe sarcasm,” Sophia stated.
Subner cut his eyes to the side. “Yes, about as much as the Warrior.”
Sophia realized that Subner was still angry at Liv for having a baby and stealing all the attention from Papa Creola. That was the assumption anyway since his loathing of her had recently intensified. Hopefully, things would settle down soon.
“Speaking of Liv,” Subner continued, “that reminds me that a while back, I enchanted her sword, Bellator, so that it could unlock things. Doors, gates, entrances. You get the idea.”
Sophia nodded. “That’s pretty cool. What’s the relevance to us? Are we finding a weapon that unlocks things?”
He shook his head. “The relevance isn’t for me to say. I simply needed to pass that along. You’ll figure out how to use the information when the time comes. Or you won’t, and you’ll fail.”
Sophia thought about the silver heart-shaped locket and her mission with that, which sounded similar to this one. She was only ever given little pieces of information, not told when to use them, and had to construct puzzles not knowing what they were supposed to be. “Thanks for the optimistic perspective,” Sophia mumbled, earning her an annoyed stare from Subner for her sarcastic remark.
“I need you two to recover a bow and quiver of arrows for me,” Subner said, all business.
“Is this like Devon’s bow where we’ll risk our lives to get it, and upon delivering it you’ll destroy it?” Wilder joked.
Subner shook his head. “No, I have no plans of destroying this weapon. It’s a crucial part of the equation—”
“To avoid world destruction,” Wilder cut in with a grin.
“The bow is aboard a ship that will soon be docked off the Amalfi Coast in Italy,” Subner explained, ignoring the dragonrider’s attempt at being playful.
“Sounds fancy,” Wilder said. “Maybe we’ll get that date we’ve wanted after all. I hear the Amalfi coast is beautiful. And sailing around it on a yacht sounds nice.”
“It’s a pirate ship,” Subner corrected.
Sophia nodded. “Of course it is. They aren’t the fun pirates like Captain Jack Sparrow, I guess.”
“He’s not a real person.” Subner scowled.
“Don’t tell Ramy that,” Sophia joked.
“No pirates are fun, hence being pirates,” Subner continued. “Also, this isn’t a vacation or your opportunity to have a date. There will be time for that.”
“When?” Wilder asked at once, suddenly excited.
“In two, maybe three years,” Subner replied.
Wilder deflated at once. “Mate, can you offer us any good news besides world destructions and eons of not getting to spend quality time with my favorite person?”
“The pirates aren’t in place yet,” Subner stated. “So if you get there now, you’ll have the advantage and can ambush the ship before they know what’s happening. The bow and arrows are in a case in the captain’s quarters.”
“That’s your good news?” Wilder didn’t at all look happy about it.
“Wilder is the weapons expert,” Sophia began. “What’s my role in this mission?” She wanted to add that she had a myriad of other tasks vying for her attention and didn’t need to be pulled off on a side quest but decided against that.
“You are to assist,” Subner stated simply.
Wilder winked at her. “Which means you’ll negotiate our butts out of trouble, save me a time or two and come up with the cunning plan to get us out of hot water at the very end.”
“Pretty much,” Subner affirmed. “Wilder, you’re the only one on the ship who can touch the bow and arrows to remove it from the case. It must be you.”
“Got it,” Wilder said with a grin. “Sounds like I have the easy job. Look dashing and pick up the magical mystery weapon. Easy-peasy.”
“You’ll be safe until you remove the bow and arrows from the case,” Subner agreed. “Then the pirates will have zero use for you.”
“And they will do as pirates tend to, and try and kill me,” Wilder guessed.
Subner nodded. “Exactly. Get the bow and arrows and keep them, Wilder. You’re going to need them.”
Chapter Seventy-Eight
“That man really should get better at giving good news.” Wilder leaned back on the veranda and looked out at the shimmering blue waters of the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
Sophia took a sip of her glass of prosecco, the bubbles tickling her nose. “Yeah, he could have mentioned that getting here early to stake out for the pirates would mean we had time for a date.”
“That would cause us happiness though, and he can’t do that,” Wilder joked, popping a date into his mouth and chewing.
The salty breeze wafting off the water was so invigorating. It wasn’t too warm or too cool in Amalfi, much like the weather at Happily Ever After College.
Sophia had been enchanted by the many colorful stucco buildings built into the side of the mountains that faced the ocean, maximizing the views that stretched on for as far as she could see. There were many tourists on the beaches below. There was no shortage of yachts and catamarans cruising around the coast. However, there weren’t any ships that even looked remotely like a pirate ship.
Sophia and Wilder looked very much incognito as tourists in their white linen loose-fitting clothes. Sophia even wore a floppy sun hat and large Audrey Hepburn-style sunglasses. No one would guess that they were riders for the Dragon Elite, stealing away a few precious moments together before the world required them to risk their lives to save the planet.
The plan was to use their bird’s eye view from the villa they rented to watch out for the pirates. Once they showed up, then they could further concoct a strategy for getting aboard the vessel. It would involve stealth and probably some trickery—all of the things they were good at.
Until the mean old pirates showed up, Sophia and Wilder were forced to bask in the Italian sun and fill up on nuts, fruit, and fresh-baked bread. Sophia popped the last of her bite of bruschetta into her mouth, savoring the simple flavors.
“Seriously, how do they make tomatoes taste so good here?” she asked Wilder, who had his eyes closed and a serene look on his face.
“I asked the waiter who dropped off the food what the secret ingredients in that were.” He opened his eyes and smiled at her. “He said olive oil, garlic, basil, and a little salt.”
She took a piece of cheese from the tray, grateful she didn’t have to share any of it with Wilder. There were numerous perks to having a vegan boyfriend. “I think he missed listing an ingredient. Love. There has to be a lot of love in their food here. That’s the only explanation.”
Wilder pressed his warm hand onto hers. “Love makes everything better. I know it makes me happier than I ever thought possible.”
Sophia smiled back at him, feeling such adoration for the guy beside her. She never tired of Wilder. He was her person—the one she wanted to tell all her secrets to and know all of his. The one she wanted beside her when she was saving the world and also marathoning Netflix shows. Wilder simply felt like home to her.
“I love you truly, madly, deeply,” she said, quoting one of their many songs.
“I lov
e you more than a fat kid loves cake.”
Sophia was about to lean in and kiss him when something in the corner of her vision made her jerk her chin to the side. A ship unlike all the rest in the vicinity sailed into the harbor below. It was mostly black with huge billowing sails and a presence that made her suddenly stiffen.
Wilder followed her gaze and sighed. “Wouldn’t you know that pirates had to ruin the moment…”
Sophia closed the distance and kissed Wilder once on the lips before reluctantly pulling away. “Pirates always ruin everything. Let’s go steal their loot.”
Chapter Seventy-Nine
Word about the pirates spread around the Amalfi Coast surprisingly fast. Sophia thought that they would have been more secretive—being pirates and all. Instead, they’d coasted straight into the harbor with their skull-and-crossbones flag flying in the wind.
According to the hotel staff and what Sophia and Wilder overheard as they made their way off the cliffs to the beach, the pirates were on the hunt for a weapons expert, but no one knew why. Even stranger, they learned that this weapons expert was vacationing in the Amalfi Coast right then, so had come to that spot specifically to find this person.
“Very strange,” Wilder agreed when Sophia pointed out the bizarre timing.
“It’s almost like someone leaked the information to the pirates that we, as in you, the weapons expert was here,” Sophia mused.
“Maybe someone who made us think that the pirates were here for whatever reason and we were to surprise them,” Wilder added.
Sophia combed her hand over her chin in a cunning fashion. “Yes, it appears someone set us up, and I think that very emo, angry elf is behind it.”
A look of surprise sprang to Wilder’s face. “If he did set this up, maybe he was thoughtful despite his pretense of not caring. He could have had the pirates meet us in Kuwait or off the coast of Alaska and yet, we somehow ended up on the enchanting Amalfi Coast.”
Sophia nodded, seeing what he meant. “Plus he told us to get here early so we could have the element of surprise.”
